One such owner was William McConnel of Lancashire who, in 1859, had purchased a house near Dolgellau, north of Tywyn. In 1861 the outbreak of the American Civil War cut off supplies of cotton to the mills of the north west of England and as a result a number of prosperous mill owners looked for new business opportunities to diversify their interests. The finished slates were sent by packhorse to the wharf at Pennal, transferred to boats for a river trip to Aberdyfi, and then finally loaded into seagoing vessels, a complex and expensive transportation arrangement which limited the quarry's output. Underground working began in the early 1840s, and by 1847 the quarry was being worked by local landowner John Pughe. Slate quarrying began in the hills above Tywyn in the 1830s, but although many small quarries and test levels were established, only one major quarry was developed in the region, at Bryn Eglwys, 7mi north east of the town.

History Origins and construction: up to 1866

The 2ft 3in gauge of the track is unusual, and was shared by only three other public railways in the United Kingdom: the nearby Corris Railway, and the subsequent Plynlimon and Hafan Tramway and Campbeltown and Machrihanish Light Railway. The origin of the railway's name is uncertain: it may refer to the parish of Talyllyn, which contains its eastern terminus, or it may come from Talyllyn, a large glacial ribbon lake at the foot of Cadair Idris 3mi further east. 7.2 Securing the infrastructure: 1960–1969.4 Prosperity under McConnel: 1866–1880s.The preservation of the line inspired the Ealing Comedy film The Titfield Thunderbolt. Awdry, was based on the Talyllyn Railway.

The fictional Skarloey Railway, which formed part of the Railway Series of children's books by the Reverend W. 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. In 1976, an extension was opened along the former mineral line from Abergynolwyn to the new station at Nant Gwernol. 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. 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. 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. The Talyllyn Railway is a narrow gauge preserved railway in Wales running for 7.25mi from Tywyn on the Mid-Wales coast to Nant Gwernol near the village of Abergynolwyn.

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