page_title: Talyllyn Railway
section_title: Galltymoelfre Tramway
hierarchical_section_title: Talyllyn Railway / Route / Galltymoelfre Tramway
caption_attribution_description: English: Cantrybedd incline on the Galltymoelfre Tramway extension of the Talyllyn Railway, Wales
context_page_description: The Talyllyn Railway is a narrow gauge preserved railway in Wales running for 7 ¹⁄₄ miles from Tywyn on the Mid-Wales coast to Nant Gwernol near the village of Abergynolwyn. The line was opened in 1865 to carry slate from the quarries at Bryn Eglwys to Tywyn, and was the first narrow gauge railway in Britain authorised by Act of Parliament to carry passengers using steam haulage. Despite severe under-investment, the line remained open, and in 1951 it became the first railway in the world to be preserved as a heritage railway by volunteers.
  Since preservation, the railway has operated as a tourist attraction, expanding its rolling stock through acquisition and an engineering programme to build new locomotives and carriages. In 1976, an extension was opened along the former mineral line from Abergynolwyn to the new station at Nant Gwernol. In 2001, the preservation society celebrated its 50th anniversary, and in 2005 a major rebuilding and extension of Tywyn Wharf station took place, including a much-expanded facility for the Narrow Gauge Railway Museum.
  The fictional Skarloey Railway, which formed part of The Railway Series of children's books by The Rev. W.
context_section_description: Until the closure of the quarries in 1946, the line east from Abergynolwyn was worked as a mineral tramway – only slate and goods trains serving Bryn Eglwys ran on this section. The quarry lay about one mile (1.6 km) south-east of Nant Gwernol station and 300 ft (91 m) above it, with a further mineral tramway connecting the quarry with the railway. What is now Nant Gwernol station was the terminus of the Talyllyn Railway proper. Here the line fanned out into a set of sidings where inbound trains were left and outbound slate trains assembled. The sidings were located on a narrow ledge in the side of the Nant Gwernol gorge.
  Rising south-east from the end of the sidings was the 633 ft (193 m) long, double track gravity operated, Alltwyllt incline, from the top of which the Galltymoelfre Tramway ran south-east towards the quarry for about 0.5 miles (800 m). The tramway was laid in light bridge rail and worked for its entire existence using horses. The tramway ended at the foot of the Cantrybedd incline, a 440 ft (130 m) long double track, gravity operated incline. This final incline rose to the north edge of Bryn Eglwys quarry, reaching a height of 612 ft (187 m) above sea level.
caption: The Cantrybedd Incline at the end of the Galltymoelfre Tramway
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