The 75 Appeal

The 75 Appeal was officially launched on 22 March 2024 and now has  a target of £750,000.

(NB the total on this page on records money actually received it does not include future donations through the 75 Club or other pledges. The off-line total is updated manually when time permits.)

After nearly 75 years since the Talyllyn became the World's First Preserved Railway it has become clear that in order to ensure the Railway thrives for the next 75 years we need to replace some of our facilities which have become time-expired and/or inadequate, as well as providing improved accomodation and attractions for our passengers. Therefore, we have launched the Preserving our Past, Building Our Future redevelopment the initial development phase of which is being funded by a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The aim of the redevelopment is to provide:

• New engineering facilities at Tywyn Pendre.
• New carriage storage and dedicated maintenance facilities.
• A paint shop that can be used year round.
• The refurbishment of the historic locomotive shed and workshop.
• Visitor access to the original workshop area.
• Additional and accessible Volunteer Accommodation.
• An accessible and more visible entrance to Wharf station building.
• Enlarged shop, cafe and meeting room facilties.
• Additional attractions helping visitors understand our history and heritage.
• A community engagement programme to increase the number and range of visitors.

The project has now been split into two phases:

Phase One: Concentrating on the redevelopment at Pendre and also the conversion of the house, 'Trefri' adjacent to Wharf station as volunteer accomodation including an accessible suite, as well as a community engagement programme and opportunity for apprenticeships. This phase is projected to cost £5.5 Million.

Phase Two: Projects in and around the Wharf station site.

The current plans are available on our main website at: www.talyllyn.co.uk/75appeal. Just link the project concepts button to find them. .

We are delighted to say that we have now been granted £3.7 Million from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, £300, 000 from the Welsh Government's Community Engagement Programme, £323,000 from the National Lottery Community Fund and £200,000 from the Garfield Weston Foundation, towards the costs of the first phase of the redevelopment. However, we still need to find another £500,000 above what has been donated so far.

As well as one off donations we need regular givers to become part of the '75 Club' of regular donors. (For regulatory reasons membership of The 75 Club is only open to those over eighteen). 

You can also make one-off donations on-line on this page or you can send a cheque make out to 'Talyllyn Holdings Ltd' to Tywyn Wharf station, please mark your cheque on the reverse '75 Appeal'. If you are able to 'Gift Aid' then please include one of our donation forms with your cheque. You can download one here: https://www.talyllyn.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Gift-Aid-Declaration.pdf

All donations are to Talyllyn Holdings Ltd (Charity No. 1089053) Registered Office, Wharf Station, Neptune Road, Tywyn, LL36 9EY

In the event that the redevelopment does not proceed the monies will be used for the ongoing preservation of the Talyllyn Railway.

Any excess funds will also be used for the ongoing preservation of the Talyllyn Railway.