Editing Talyllyn Railway (section)

==In popular culture==

===''The Railway Series''===
{{Main|The Railway Series}}
The Talyllyn Railway is represented in ''[[The Railway Series]]'' books by the [[W.V. Awdry|Reverend W. Awdry]] and its television adaptation ''[[Thomas & Friends]]'' as the [[Skarloey Railway]]; most of the fictional locomotives are based on real-life equivalents. Awdry visited the line on a family holiday in the early days of preservation and became involved as a volunteer soon afterwards. Several of the stories in ''The Railway Series'' come from his real-life experiences at the Talyllyn, and some of the books contain full-page illustrations of Talyllyn locomotives.<ref>Potter, page 89</ref> One of Awdry's early experiences as a volunteer guard was waving for a train to depart Abergynolwyn too soon, causing the line's Refreshment Lady to miss the train; an event adapted in both the books and the TV series. His son Christopher and his wife Diana, and their son Richard would all volunteer with the Talyllyn as well. Wilbert's study along with his model trains were donated to the Talyllyn after his death and placed on display in the Narrow Gauge Railway Museum.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.talyllyn.co.uk/about/the-awdry-connection/ |title=The Awdry Connection |author=<!--Not stated--> |date= |publisher= |access-date=June 4, 2022 |archive-date=4 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220604223720/https://www.talyllyn.co.uk/about/the-awdry-connection/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2021 the railway began hosting the ''Awdry Extravaganza'' sharing lectures on ''The Railway Series'' from the Awdry study collection, and displaying artifacts and fan creations related to ''The Railway Series'' and ''Thomas & Friends''. <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.talyllyn.co.uk/news/awdry-extravaganza-2021/ |title=An amazing Awdry Extravaganza weekend! |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=August 21, 2021 |publisher= |access-date=June 4, 2022 |archive-date=4 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220604222140/https://www.talyllyn.co.uk/news/awdry-extravaganza-2021/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The railway was briefly threatened legally by TV series creator [[Britt Allcroft]] for using the characters without paying her production company licensing fees, however since the railway's agreement to use the Skarloey Railway characters predated the TV series; the railway was able to continue using them without licensing them as part of [[Day Out with Thomas]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/true-home-of-thomas-the-tank-engine-to-defy-threats-by-fat-controller-281830.html |title=True home of Thomas the Tank Engine to defy threats by 'Fat Controller' |last=Herbert |first=Ian |date=April 19, 2000 |publisher=Independent |access-date=June 4, 2022 |archive-date=7 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180507153442/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/true-home-of-thomas-the-tank-engine-to-defy-threats-by-fat-controller-281830.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

===''The Titfield Thunderbolt''===
{{Main|The Titfield Thunderbolt}}
The preservation of the Talyllyn Railway by volunteers was the inspiration for the 1953 film ''[[The Titfield Thunderbolt]]'',<ref>Huntley 1969, page 77</ref> an [[Ealing Studios]] comedy about a group of villagers attempting to run a service on a disused [[branch line]] after closure. [[T. E. B. Clarke]], the script writer for the film, had heard about the preservation of the Talyllyn and spent a day on the railway in 1951, and some of the early incidents in preservation were incorporated into the film. In the book ''Railway Adventure'' Tom Rolt recalled that he had hoped the film might be produced on the Talyllyn,<ref>Rolt 1998, page 115</ref> but it was eventually filmed on the recently closed [[Camerton, Somerset|Camerton]] branch of the [[Bristol and North Somerset Railway#The Camerton branch|Bristol and North Somerset Railway]] line along the [[Cam Brook valley]] in [[Somerset]].<ref>Castens, page 5</ref> The actor [[Hugh Griffith]], who played Dan in the film, was a friend of Tom Rolt and an early vice-president of the preservation society.<ref>Holmes 2009, page 40</ref>

===''Railway with a Heart of Gold''===
{{Main|Railway with a Heart of Gold}}
In 1953, the American film producer [[Carson Davidson|Carson "Kit" Davidson]] produced a documentary film entitled ''[[Railway with a Heart of Gold]]'',{{refn|group=lower-alpha|name=RWAHOG|The film is available to view on the [[Internet Archive]] at [https://archive.org/details/railway_with_a_heart_of_gold_1965 Railway with a Heart of Gold].}} portraying the early days of preservation. Some incidents were staged for the film, such as a piece falling off the locomotive, which Davidson later described as "corny".<ref name=Heart>Fuller, volume 2, pages 96–98</ref> However most of the film was simply a record of the work and incidents that took place on the railway at the time, including a dramatic shot of ''Sir Haydn'' derailing due to the poor condition of the track at the time.<ref name=Heart/> The film, which was preserved by the [[Academy Film Archive]] in 2012,<ref>{{cite web|title=Preserved Projects|url=https://www.oscars.org/academy-film-archive/preserved-projects?title=railway+with+a+heart+of+gold&filmmaker=&category=All&collection=All|website=Academy Film Archive|access-date=28 April 2020|archive-date=8 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200808034012/https://www.oscars.org/academy-film-archive/preserved-projects?title=railway+with+a+heart+of+gold&filmmaker=&category=All&collection=All|url-status=live}}</ref> ends with the quote
"It is a relic, this railway, a bit of ornamental scrollwork lifted from the pattern of yesterday and kept as a memento."<ref>Fuller, volume 2, page 330</ref>