Dolgoch – a Talyllyn Locomotive

Dolgoch

Dolgoch – The engine as running in 1948 – H.C.Casserley

This 0-4-0 well tank engine was built by Fletcher Jennings & Co. in 1866, and together with a second locomotive, an 0-4-2ST worked the whole of the traffic for a period of some 87 years until 1951, when the little line, then threatened with extinction, was taken over by the Tal-y-llyn Preservation Society, since when other engines have been added to the stock.This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License.

No.1 Dolgoch has been little altered during its long life, and although at the time of writing (c1959) it has been out of commission for some time awaiting heavy repair, it is intended that it shall run again, and it will be doubtless in service on its hundredth birthday, when it will become one of the very few engines in this country to attain its centenary as a working locomotive.

“Dolgoch” returned to service in late 1999 after a major overhaul involving firebox repairs and an extensive mechanical overhaul; as part of the overhaul it has been fitted with air braking equipment, the last steam loco to be so fitted.

For a time around the Boer War it was known as ‘Pretoria’ but it has now reverted to its original name, ‘Dolgoch’.

Gauge of railway – 2’ 3”,  Driving wheels – 2’ 3”,  Cylinders – 8” x 15”,  Pressure – 70lbs,  Weight – 8½ tons.One of the Talyllyn Railway engines ‘Dolgoch’ on its way to Nant-Gwernol station.  Artist:  G.S.Cooper

Some early Lines – Talyllyn Railway

 Talyllyn Railway

The Talyllyn Railway  is a narrow gauge preserved railway in Wales running for 7.25 miles (11.67 km) from Tywyn on the Mid-Wales coast to Nant Gwernol near the village of Abergynolwyn. The line was opened in 1866 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.No.4 Edward Thomas at Tywyn Wharf Station   Creative Commons CC-BY-SA

The fictional Skarloey Railway, which formed part of the Railway Series of children’s books by The Rev. W Awdry, was based on the Talyllyn Railway. The preservation of the line inspired the Ealing Comedy film ‘The Titfield Thunderbolt’.Train in Fathew Valley –    Creative Commons CC-BY-SA

Dolgoch Station  This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

Abergynolwyn (English: Mouth of the River with a Whirlpool) is a village in southern Gwynedd, Wales, located at the confluence of the Nant Gwernol and the Afon Dysynni.H.C.Casserley

Historically, the village was part of Merionethshire and its main industry was slate quarrying and the village was founded in the 1860s to house workers at the nearby Bryn Eglwys quarry. Today farming, forestry and tourism are the major local industries.

The village pub, the Railway Inn, is named after the Talyllyn Railway whose narrow gauge branch once reached into the heart of the village down an incline from a ledge on the hillside above. The railway now terminates at Nant Gwernol station above the village, although for many years the terminus was at Abergynolwyn Station outside the village.The village incline – Abergynolwyn