The Talyllyn Railway has announced that it has ordered three new carriages to be built by the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways based in Porthmadog.

The carriages will help to provide resilience to the passenger services with an increase in capacity in peak seasons.

During the winter months, the new carriages will be used to provide heated accommodation for the passengers.

The original carriages built in 1865 will be used for special occasions and allow the visitors to view them in situ.

The order was made possible thanks to a £300,000 grant from the Coastal Community fund which will be put towards the cost of the new carriages.

General Manager of the Talyllyn Railway, Stuart Williams commented: “We are delighted to be able to award the contract to fellow Great Little Trains of Wales members, the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways. Their works at Boston Lodge have produced some exceptional examples of carriages for narrow gauge railways throughout the UK and we are confident that the three new carriages will be a great asset to the railway going forward. We are also pleased that the contract will benefit another coastal-based business in Wales and boost the Gwynedd economy as a whole – both during the construction and when in use.”

Speaking on behalf of the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways, General Manager Paul Lewin said: “The friendship between the Talyllyn and Ffestiniog railways goes back right to the very earliest days of railway preservation. It is therefore very pleasing indeed to win the contract for the construction of new carriages. The team at Boston Lodge have built up a very strong reputation for high quality work and it is good to know that the jobs of those skilled craftsmen have been secured for years to come as a result of this contract.”

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