THE world’s first preserved railway, currently closed by Covid-19 pandemic lockdown rules, has come up with a novel solution to reach people in their homes. ‘If you are unable to visit us, we will come to you’ is the message from Talyllyn Railway at Tywyn in Mid Wales, which is now providing live personal virtual tours for enthusiasts needing a ‘railway fix’. The railway, which celebrates its 70th birthday this year, offers tours to suit all needs. There are museum tours, an in depth look at Thomas the Tank Engine creator Rev Wilbert Awdry’s study, a general tour which takes in Pendre engine sheds for a glimpse behind the scenes or a tour dedicated to the railway’s locomotives.
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Tilney All Saints village sign. Picture: Ian Burt
- Credit: Archant
We go west to explore the thrilling history, legends and wildlife of some of our most remote and remarkable villages
1 Well bust my buffers, the Thomas the Tank Engine stories were written by a Norfolk reverend. Wilbert Awdry wrote 11 of the world-famous books while Vicar of Emneth, near Wisbech, between 1953 and 1965. He originally wrote them for his children and up in the attics of Emneth Vicarage he also created a complicated model railway layout. The nearby Wisbech and Upwell tramway was the inspiration for Toby the Tram Engine and his coach, Henrietta. At the time Emneth had its own railway station, and the Rev was part of the unsuccessful campaign to save the line from the Beeching cuts. Wilbert died in 1997 and is remembered in a stained glass window at St Edmund’s church, Emneth.