Awdry Extravaganza 2025

Especially for Wilbert Awdry and those of the Talyllyn Railway

I once again returned to Wales for the Talyllyn Railway's yearly Awdry Extravaganza. For those who may not know, the Awdry Extravaganza is a weekend long railway gala held by the Talyllyn Railway to celebrate the life and work of the Rev W. Awdry, author of The Railway Series. 

This was to be the last Extravaganza for a while, and considering that it was the 80th anniversary of the books featuring Thomas and his Friends, the railway really went all out. With a plethora of new events, special guests, and visiting engines, this was truly gonna be an extravaganza like no other.

Travel

My weekend started on the Wednesday. I took the train up to Dublin to stay the night with my friend Peter, as we had an early start the next morning. We arrived at Dublin Port for our ferry at 7.30am, where we met the rest of our group. This was my first time on the ferry to Wales, and it was a very pleasant trip.

We arrived at Holyhead Port, where we caught the train to Blaenau Ffestiniog. Here we visited the first heritage railway of our trip, the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railway. We then boarded the train for Penrhyn on Double Fairlie No. 12, David Loyd George. From there, we took one last train to Tywyn, where we checked into our accommodation.

Day 1

{The Handover}

An early start to the Extravaganza as we rushed to Wharf Station to collect our day tickets and catch The Handover ceremony, where Wilbert Awdry's daughter, Veronica Chambers, would give a speech officially opening this year's event. While here, we walked around the Wharf, having a look at what was going on, and caught up with old faces.

Myself & Veronica Chambers

{Awdry Exhibition}

My first event of the weekend was the Awdry Exhibition. This was a showcase of Awdry's original workings, official props used in the show, and much more. On display was a massive layout of Maron Station with engines such as Thomas, Edward, Henry, Gordon, and others running throughout the weekend.

Just opposite were some large scale props which were used for close up shots and interacting with the large scale narrow gauge characters. Alongside these were some of Awdry's original models of Thomas, Edward Ainne & Clarabel, which he built himself to run on his layouts. Plenty of information and behind the scenes photos were on display at the exhibition, with some never before seen materials making an appearance.

We had no other events scheduled for the day, so we decided to catch a train to Abergwyngregyn, pulled by No. 7 dressed up as Ivo Hugh. We had a great attachment to this engine since it is a heavily overhauled Andrew Barclay that worked in Ireland for Bord na Móna.

When we arrived at Abergwyngregyn, we got some shots of the engines passing and pulling into the station before checking out the other exhibition. This exhibition had more props and behind the scenes materials on display, along with two of Awdry's original layouts, engines running and all.

Day 2

{Hike}

Day two started with catching a train, pulled by Numbers 1 & 2 dressed up as Albert and Gerry, respectively. We took the train to the end of the line at Nant Gwernol. From here, we watched the engines run around for the return train before hiking up to the abandoned Bryn Eglwys Quarry.

{The Talking Train}

In the afternoon, I had a ticket for a special talking train with a live guided trip of the line, speaking of the history of the railway and its connection to Wilbert Awdry and The Railway Series. Our host was none other than railway historian Tim Dunn, who presented an in-depth and lively insight into the Talyllyn Railway.

Day 3

{Rusty's Line Inspection}

On the last day of the Extravaganza, I boarded the Rustys Line Inspection charter pulled by No. 5, Midlander, dressed up as their Railway Series counterpart, Rusty the Little Diesel. This was a special train as Midlander, had been recently restored to running order only a few months beforehand.

{Photo Charter}

The Photo Charter was the last event of the weekend. A special train up the line, giving people the opportunity to capture shots of the engine, recreating photos from the Railway Series. No. 3 dressed up as Sir Handel had the honour of pulling the last train of the weekend, marking the end of five years of Extravagazas.

Grand Finale

To mark the end of five years of Extravaganzas, a grand finale was organised to get as many people as possible to gather with the engines for one last photo. As the engines were being shunted into place and the crowd began to grow, the atmosphere got more and more ecstatic, from chanting the engines' names to singing, topped off with a grand send off of whistles from the engines, it was like nothing I've ever experienced.

Post Awdry

{The Vale of Rheidol Railway}

Following the weekend, my friends and I made our way to the Vale of Rheidol Railway at Aberystwyth. We checked out their railway museum, which had a plethora of engines on display, before taking a train pulled by No. 7, Owain Glyndwr, to the end of the line at Devil's Bridge high up in the mountains.

{Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway}

On our last day in Wales, we paid a visit to the Welshpool & Llanfair Railway. Unfortunately, no steam engines were running this day due to the ongoing heatwave for fear of trackside fires, but we did get to check one out in their display shed. We took the train pulled by No. 17, Diena, from Welshpool to the end of the line at Llanfair Caereinion and back.

A great way to finish off the week by visiting two other heritage railways with so much history and merit in their own right.

Conclusion

And that wraps up the last Awdry Extravaganza for the foreseeable future, and what a weekend it turned out to be. I want to give a massive shout out to the Talyllyn Railway, its events organisers Luke Ryan & Daniel Long, along with all the volunteers, for creating such an incredible event. With people coming from all over the world to see this iconic railway, celebrating all things Awdry, it really goes to show all the love and attention that went into these events, and I think we can all say there is nothing quite like it! 

{Vlog}

Once again, I decided to vlog my trip to the Awdry Extravaganza on my Quirky Productions YouTube channel, and I have attached the link below if you would like to check that out. It features a lot of footage I couldn't fit into this blog, so check it out if you'd like to see more of the Talyllyn Railway.

Vlog: https://youtu.be/gOGrCzntpX4

"Stay Golden"

-Trev

*TALYLLYN RAILWAY LINKS*

If you'd like to check out the Talyllyn Railway, I have provided links below to their website, and if you can, please consider donating to help keep the wheels running on the railway with a heart of gold.

Website: https://www.talyllyn.co.uk/

Donate: https://www.talyllyn.co.uk/support/donate/

Awdry Extravaganza 2024

Especially for those with the same love for Awdry's creations

The Awdry Extravaganza is a special event hosted by the Talyllyn Railway in honor of the late Reverend W Awdry. For those who may not know, Wilbert Awdry was the man responsible for creating the world of Thomas the Tank Engine through his books known as The Railway Series. He wrote his first book titled "The Three Railway Engines," back in 1945, and nearly 80 years later is still loved by people all across the world.

Wilbert based many of his stories and characters on real life inspirations and one such inspiration was none other the the Talyllyn Railway in Wales. The Reverend had a close connection to the railway even volunteering on the line himself. This connection is why the Talyllyn Railway found it appropriate to hold an annual dedicated to all things Awdry and 2024 marked my first time not only seeing the event but visiting the railway itself.

Travel

We set out early Friday morning but not before catching wind of the Microsoft Glitches that seemed to be causing mass delays to flights across the world. After waiting nearly two years to go to this event, the thought of my flight being delayed hours or straight up canceled was the last thing I needed on my mind. Made it to Dublin Airport in plenty of time and while some flights had been delayed or canceled, thankfully our flight to Liverpool wasn't affected at all.

We flew out from Dublin with no issue landing in Liverpool just 30 minutes later. We then collected our hired car and drove to our accommodation in Aberdyfi, Wales. Between driving from Kerry to Dublin, flying to Liverpool, and then driving to Wales we spent roughly 13 hours traveling on Friday not reaching our accommodation till after midnight. We hopped straight into our beds as we were to be up nice and early the next morning.  

Day 1

{The Handover}

The first event of the weekend was The Handover ceremony which was to commence at 9.50am. This would be the official launch of the year's events with special guest Veronica Chambers, the late Wilbert Awdrys daughter. She gave a moving speech about her father and his connection to the Talyllyn Railway also mentioning how grateful she and her family were for all the support they have received since the books first launched in 1945.

{The Picnic}

The first train of the event was The Picnic which was to leave Talyllyn Wharf at 10.40am. This consisted of a doubleheader with No.3 Sir Haydn and No.10 Falcon Locomotive dressed as Sir Handel. We ran right up to the top station at Abergynolwyn where a picnic lunch was provided for all those on the train. We had a look around, took some photos, and watched other trains pass by before hopping back on the train taking us right back to Wharf Station. 

While up at Abergynolwyn Station I had a quick look around the shop and cafe before heading into the Ffarquahar Exhibition which had one of the model railways made by Awdry. Not only did they have an original working layout, but the exhibition also featured a variety of the Reverend's models, some information about the books, along with some of the props used in the Television Series Thomas The Tank Engine, most notably Harold the Helicopter.

{Awdry Exhibition}

At 2pm I went to see the Awdry Exhibition. This was a showcase featuring even more of Awdry's models, props from the show, along with a lot of behind the scenes materials used for both The Railway Series and Television Series. The star attraction of the display was the Skarloey and Fearless Freddie props which were taken out of storage especially for this event. After watching the show as a child it felt so surreal to see the actual models for myself in person.

{The Boat Express}

While I hadn't originally planned on going on this train, I managed to snatch up a ticket the day of the event which gave me a chance to mix with some of The Irish Bois. The Boat Express followed the same route as The Picnic running straight up to Abergynolwyn Station before reversing around the train to take us back to Wharf.

While we were traveling up the line on The Boat Express, some fellow Irish Bois took to the roads to race the train to the end of the line. After a brief exchange while stopped at Dolgoch Station due to sheep on the line, the race commenced once more with The Boat Express climbing into the mountains. We caught a glance of the bright red car flying down the road eventually overtaking us and taking the lead. However, once we arrived at Abergynolwyn only half of the people in the car were at the platform while the others were parking, whereas all of our train had reached the station together, so I guess who actually won the race is up for debate.

No.3 Sir Haydn (Left) and No.10 Falcon Locomotive (Right)

{Evening Entertainment}

To finish the Saturday I went to the Tywyn Cinema for the Evening Entertainment for a lecture about Wilbert Awdry and how he came to create The Railway Series. At this event, we also heard information about Awdry's Lore which had never been released publicly until now. Some information brought to life in this lecture was the inspiration for several characters basis, certain engines that used to work on the railway, and even Awdrys plan to potentially kill off Henry the Green Engine. We were also treated to a recording of one of The Railway Series stories read by Awdry himself. Awdry used to record his stories being read aloud so he could hear if the story had a good flow to them and several of these recordings made an appearance over the weekend.

Day 2

{The Horse & Cart}

Sunday started strong with "The Horse & Cart" which was a special train consisting of both passengers and goods wagons. With another run up to Abergynolwyn, we got to witness the engine rearrange the wagons and run around the train leaving other trains to pass in the meantime. One passing train just happened to be No.1 Talyllyn which had only recently been rebuilt. Of course, I brought my Lego model of Talyllyn with me to Wales and was delighted to capture this wonderful moment of the Lego model with it's real life counterpart.

No.1 Talyllyn wearing one of the old face masks

{Llechfan Garden Railway}

At Talyllyn Wharf there lies a built in garden railway at the Llechfan volunteer hostel. Starting as a basic loop the layout has progressed over time expanding into a two circuit loop with sidings, bridges, and a new branch line under construction. Some members were running their custom models around the loops which made for a stunning sight. So much work goes into the upkeep of the garden railway and into the models themselves so it was great to see them in action while I was there.

Conclusion

Overall, this was possibly one of the best trips I've ever been on, everything that could go right did go right and better. Not only was the event line up brilliant but the volunteers and rail fans alike were just wonderful and at the end of the day it was them who truly made the event so spectacular. As someone who has rarely seen working steam engines in Ireland, it was such a treat to see several Victorian era engines working away as if only built yesterday and who I have no douth will be turning wheels for years to come. It is incredible to think that one man who wrote children's books about talking trains nearly 80 years ago is still bringing so many people with a shared love of railways together to this day, but I suppose that was just part of the brilliance of the Thomas the Tank Engine Man.

{Vlog}

I decided to capture a lot of my trip on video with the aim of making a vlog of the entire weekend. I recently published it on my Quirky Production YouTube channel and have attached a link below if you'd like to take a look. There is a lot of interesting footage from my trip that I couldn't fit into this blog, so I recommend checking it out if you want to see more of the Talyllyn Railway.

Vlog: https://youtu.be/Ulze_RuyKPk

"Stay Golden"

-Trev

*Talyllyn Railway Links*

The Talyllyn Railway is a volunteer based organisation and heavily depends on donations to keep their engines running. If you would like to keep their wheels turning I have included links below to the Talyllyn Railway's website and donation pages.

I highly recommend donating to this railway that truly has a heart of gold!

Website: https://www.talyllyn.co.uk/

Donate: https://www.talyllyn.co.uk/support/donate/

Dubai 2019

Especially for those who love to travel

My sister Emma has been teaching in Dubai since August 2015 coming home to visit at Christmas and Summer. However, with Dubai being the luxurious city that it is we knew we'd have to visit while she was there and get the tour. after putting it off for so long my parents and I decided to go the first week of March 2019.

Day 1

After the 8 hour flight, we landed in Dubai and were greeted by Emma. We landed at around 1am and stayed up chatting till around 4am as we were just on a high. When we woke up later in the morning we went to Dubai Mall. They have pretty much everything there from shops to restaurants and even a zoo.

In the evening we just had to walk outside the mall and there stood the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world. We stayed however to watch the amazing Dubai Water Show which contains fantastic lights, sounds and of course water. It was the perfect end to the perfect day.

Day 2

Another busy day where we started off by going to the Sharjah Rain Room. This is literally a room that rains inside. The sensors detect your body and stop it from raining directly over you but still rains around you in the rest of the area.

We then set off to Global Village. With an array of scenes from all over the World, Global Village is part theme part and part market. You can literally travel the world in a few fun-filled hours. Our next stop was Dubai Glow Gardens which is the largest glow in the dark garden and an amazing scene full of magical exhibits.

Day 3

On this day we traveled further into Dubai to see the show, La Perle. An incredible experience full of acting, acrobatics, aquatic and aerial stunts. When the show finished we took a cab to the Burj Al Arab, a uniquely constructed building, which happens to be one of the tallest hotels in the world. We sat at an Irish bar, McGettigan's, in view of the stunning masterpiece. 

Day 4

While still in this area, as a surprise to me, we went to Legoland and MotionGate Dubai. Legoland is full of interesting Lego sculptures and rides, fun for the whole family. MotionGate coexists alongside and consists of Sony Pictures Studios along with Dreamwork studios with even more impressive displays.

To finish the evening we went to perhaps my favorite restaurant of the whole trip, The Cheesecake Factory. The food was delicious and the service was applaudable. We decided we'd go to the beach for a walk but were told that women weren't allowed to swim there. It just goes to show while Dubai is advanced in so many ways, there are still years behind in things like women's rights.

Day 5

We headed back to the apartment and at this point, we began to grow tired due to all we were doing and the 4 hour time difference. We had a very lazy day watching The Big Bang Theory and Ru Paul's Drag Race for most of the day. Once we got out of the apartment we went for dinner at Chili's and went to the cinema to see the live-action Dumbo. 

Day 6

On our last day in Dubai we went for a walk along Dubai's coast and took it easy. In the evening we headed to The Irish Village for dinner and a few drinks. There was a great buzz around the place with live music and its friendly atmosphere. A little reminder of where we came from before we headed home.

Dubai is just a whole other world with a completely different lifestyle. This was a once in a lifetime trip and I am delighted to have had the opportunity to experience it.

Transition Year (TY)

Especially for those who long for their TY days 

I attended Mercy Mounthawk Secondary School and I started Transition Year at the end of August 2016 after finishing my junior cert. Transition Year (TY) is an optional school year (4th year) with the aim of getting you more involved in activities and developing life skills. TY can be very beneficial and enjoyable if you take part in what\"s going on making the most of it as you have many extra trips/outings/activities etc. We had an amazing TY coordinator who managed to make a great year for the 163 students.  

Why I did TY

I had never planned to do Ty after hearing how much my brother hated it, however, my Mum and one of my friend's Mums both wanted us to do it. This is where they hatched their evil scheme. They both told us that the other one would do it if the other did it (which neither of us said) So, in the end, we both decided to do TY. The plan fell threw through a few months later when we mentioned it to each other and found out we were fooled, we were FOOLED I TELL YOU. Well, that"s the conclusion I've come to I could be very wrong but sure...... LOL, I guess.

The TY Class of 2016/17

Starting TY

Before we were given our timetables, picked our subjects, or did anything like that, we went on a team bonding trip to Cappanalea. Side Note: I remember when we got there, 3 or 4 people got sick on the bus which was... memorable. Cappanalea was a great trip as we did many interesting and unique team bonding activities such as guiding someone rock climbing while they were blindfolded. A few days later we were properly sorted into our base classes where I was put into 4.5.

My TY Hoodie

New Friends

When I was put into 4.5 I was the only one from my friend\"s group in the class. I thought I would be on my own for most of the year at this point because of the fact that 4.4 to 4.6 didn\"t mix the classes between 4.1 to 4.3, which all of my friends were in. I sat with 2 fellas I had a few classes with over the years and another girl I never met before. Thankfully it didn\"t take long for me to adapt to this new wild habitat and then got to know the rest of their group where I still meet up with most of them today. 

My Friend Group 

Fashion Show

As a tradition in Mounthawk, the TY's will put on an annual fashion show with a theme to raise money for different charities. Our year\"s theme was "Everything Irish". I was on stage 3 times in total as an Irish Rugby Player, modeling a suit from a shop and coupled with someone to walk down the stage in our outfits. I loved the preparation in particular like getting the suits or doing the rehearsals as everything made the show an overall success and a great boost for the TY's.

Our Fashion Show Ticket and DVD

European Studies

We got to choose most of our class modules and my favorite by far was European Studies. I'm going to go more in-depth about this class in another blog as it was vast in activities and projects. But in short, we took part in debates, competitions and worked on many different projects threw out the year. The debates we were in took place in other schools or in the class preparing for competitions. We had to finish a few projects by the end of the year to qualify for the Ambassadors school's award, but I may talk about that in the European Studies blog someday.   

The European Studies TY Class of 2016/17

Gaisca

The Gaisca Presidents Award is a personal development program for people between the age of 15 to 25. There are 3 awards you can get which include the Bronze, Silver, and Gold awards. In TY we could apply for the bronze award where we would have to complete 4 key challenges including Community Involvement, Personal Skill, Physical Recreation, and an Adventurous Journey. Thankfully I finished my challenges before the year ended and qualified for the Gasica Bronze Award. 

My Gasica Bronze Award  

Trips

As part of TY, we went on many trips and hikes to keep the year interesting which were great craic and memorable. Some of my favorite trips were:

- Cappanalea

- Torc Waterfall

- Dublin Science Fest

- E.Y.P sessions in Cork (weekend stay)

- Mont Brandon

- European Studies class trip to Portmagee

- Gaisce walk Annascaul (overnight stay)

- Trip to Clare to see the Burren (overnight stay)

Top of Torc Mountain

Work Experience

In TY you have to do work experience in 4 different workplaces for 4 weeks each. 4.5 had to do their work placement starting in January when we came back after Christmas. You get to choose where you want to work so I tried to choose places where I thought I would like to work

- Petmania (A pet shop where I worked with the animals and worked on the floor)  

- I.T Tralee (A college where I sat in on lectures for animation)

- Horgans (A shop where I worked on the floor and in storage)

- Liscahane garden center (A garden center where I worked sorting and taking care of the plants)

A Little Bird at the Garden Centre

Community Work

For 16 weeks of TY, you are required to do a few hours of community work in your area. The school finds a few places that will take us to volunteer and we can pick out of those options. Some places included nursing homes, working with people with disabilities or working in schools, my friend and I went to volunteer at St Vincent De Paul charity shop. Here we sorted the back room, mainly sorting the donated books and DVDs but we could also be seen stacking shelves. The other volunteers were lovely and overall was a great experience   

Totally Working Hard at Community Work
 

Plays

Out of the TY fund, the school had for us they would bring students to plays and shows that were going on in Tralee or other places. I saw most of them and the ones I saw were:

- Phantom of the Opera

- Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

- Romeo and Juliet

- Evita

- Waiting for Godot

The Stage for "Waiting for Godot" Before it Started and Yes That\"s a Real Man

Fun Extras

We also had a lot of things throughout the year that kept us entertained and gave us a few old laughs

- Coasteering

- Surfing

- Ice Skating

- Irish Caili

- Sailing/Yacht/Speed Boat

- Ghost World Record Attempt

- TY Show/Awards Night

TY Overall

Overall Transition year was a great school year and was a great time in my life and it really changed my life for the better. I loved going to new places with the new friends I had made and I had a great time overall. How much you enjoy TY depends on how much you take part in the activities, so I decided that I would take part in as much as I could to get the most out of the year. Hopefully, this has brought back a few memories to others who were in my year and anyone who did TY. What I would say to anyone thinking about doing TY would be that don\"t listen to what others said about it, trust yourself and go for it!!! 

 A Few of My Friends and our TY Coordinator