Editing Talyllyn Railway (section)

====<span class="anchor" id="Prosperity under McConnel"></span><span class="anchor" id="1866–1880s"></span>Prosperity under McConnel: 1866–1880s====
[[File:TalyllynOnDolgochViaduct.jpg|thumb|right|''Talyllyn'' posed on Dolgoch Viaduct around 1867, the earliest known photograph of the Talyllyn|alt=A stone viaduct with three arches spans a steep sided ravine. A steam train stands on the viaduct, with an engine, a van and three coaches.]]

The railway opened with two locomotives, one carriage and several goods vehicles in use and was operated under a "[[Signalling block systems|one engine in steam]]" policy to ensure that two trains could not collide.<ref name=Boyd6571>Boyd 1965, page 71</ref> Initially the working locomotive was housed in a wooden shed at Ty Dwr on the mineral line above [[Abergynolwyn railway station|Abergynolwyn station]], while the main engineering works at {{stnlnk|Pendre}} were constructed.<ref>Boyd 1988, page 149</ref> The Pendre works opened on 17 February 1867 and from then on trains began working from Pendre instead of Abergynolwyn.<ref name=Boyd6570/>

At the time of the line's opening, stations were provided at Pendre and Abergynolwyn. In 1867, the halt at {{stnlnk|Rhydyronen}} opened,<ref name=Drummond97>Drummond 2015, page 97</ref> followed by {{stnlnk|Dolgoch}} later that year<ref>Drummond 2015, page 118</ref> and {{stnlnk|Brynglas}} in 1872.<ref name=Drummond97/> Some time shortly after the opening of the railway a branch to Abergynolwyn village was provided. A steep [[cable railway|incline]] dropped from the mineral line east of Abergynolwyn station to the village below, where a series of tram lines radiated. Coal, building materials and general goods were delivered down the incline and the contents of the village [[cesspit]]s were hauled back up for disposal along the lineside.<ref name=Boyd6571/>

The railway used [[steam locomotive]]s from the start, unlike its neighbour the horse-drawn Corris Railway. The original two locomotives, although of entirely different design, were both purchased from [[Fletcher, Jennings & Co.]] of [[Whitehaven]] in [[Cumbria]],<ref>Rolt 1965, pages 82–83</ref> and both are still in service, 150&nbsp;years on, although so many of their parts have been replaced down the years that much of their present-day component metal is not original. The Talyllyn's rare gauge is thought to have been adopted to match that of the Corris Railway,<ref>Rolt 1998, pages 5–6</ref> and the line's two original steam locomotives were among the earliest locomotives built for such a narrow gauge. No.&nbsp;1 ''[[Talyllyn (locomotive)|Talyllyn]]'' is an {{whyte|0-4-2|ST}} and No.&nbsp;2 ''[[Dolgoch (locomotive)|Dolgoch]]'' is an {{whyte|0-4-0|WT}}. The line carried slate from the quarry to the wharf at Tywyn and general goods along its length. Public passenger trains initially ran between Abergynolwyn, Dolgoch and Pendre stations only; quarrymen were carried on unofficial trains that continued on from Abergynolwyn to the foot of the Alltwyllt incline in Nant Gwernol gorge.<ref name=Boyd6571/>

The line operated successfully during its early years, serving the quarry and the local district. By 1880, Bryn Eglwys employed 300&nbsp;workers and was producing {{convert|8000|long ton}} of finished slate per year, all shipped via the railway.<ref name=AJR195/> Passenger traffic was substantial, rising from 11,500&nbsp;passengers carried in 1867 to over 23,000 (roughly equivalent to 40,000&nbsp;passenger journeys) in 1877.<ref>Boyd 1965, page 118</ref>