World Cup of Stations ~ Abergynolwyn Station, Talyllyn Railway, Wales

On 7 September 2024, Tim and I were married at Abergynolwyn Station on the Talyllyn Steam Railway in Wales.

National Rail runs an annual competition, The World Cup of Stations, where a group of shortlisted stations in Britain battle it out head-to-head in a public vote. With 2025 marking 200 years since the birth of the modern railway, this year’s World Cup of Stations will celebrate the most life-changing station of the last 200 years.

Abergynolwyn Station and the Talyllyn Steam Railway hold a special place in our hearts, and Tim entered them into The World Cup of Stations, and we are all thrilled to find they have been shortlisted.

It’s Thursday, so this is not my usual Friday post, but if you have a spare minute, please could you vote before 23.59 pm on Friday 17 October 2025 (GMT), below:

Abergynolwyn Station on the Talyllyn Steam Railway ~ VOTE

Thank you. 💕

A poem for the Talyllyn Steam Railway captures its history as the world’s first preserved railway, its scenic route through the Fathew Valley, and the dedication of its preservation society.

A Heart of Gold

From Tywyn’s warmth, a journey starts,

Where history breathes and never departs.

The first preserved, a line of old,

Now runs with heart, the stories told.

Through valley green and woodlands deep,

Where ancient trees their secrets keep.

Past farms and ravines, wild and wide,

With steam’s proud plume and joyful ride.

Past Pendre’s shed and Rhydyronen’s gate,

To Dolgoch’s falls, and Abergynolwyn’s wait.

At Nant Gwernol, the journey’s end,

A narrow-gauge line, a faithful friend.

A heart of gold, a vision made,

By passion’s force, and hands that stayed.

The Talyllyn runs, a timeless thread,

Where past and present are not dead.

By Carson “Kit” Davidson