| Tywyn Wharf | |
| Type: | Station on heritage railway |
| Borough: | Tywyn, Gwynedd |
| Country: | Wales |
| Coordinates: | 52.5836°N -4.0888°W |
| Grid Name: | Grid reference |
| Owned: | Talyllyn Railway |
| Manager: | Talyllyn Railway |
| Platforms: | 1 |
| Years: | 1866[1] |
| Events: | Opened for goods as Kings |
| Years1: | c.1911 |
| Events1: | Opened for passengers as Towyn Wharf |
| Years2: | 1975 |
| Events2: | Renamed Tywyn Wharf |
Tywyn Wharf railway station is the western terminus and principal station of the Talyllyn Railway in Tywyn, Gwynedd in mid-Wales.
Originally called King's station after a local landowner,[2] it was not a passenger station at first, but a place for transhipment of slates from the narrow gauge to the adjoining Cambrian Railway. Passenger trains started at the next station, . The original TR plans included a spur into the standard gauge station called 'Railway No 2', but in the end it wasn't necessary, traffic wasn't sufficient and the powers to build it lapsed.
The earliest recorded passenger train from Wharf was in 1877, though there is circumstantial evidence of them even earlier than that.[2] Around 1910, the station was renamed Towyn Wharf, although the name of "King's station" continued to be used for formal occasions until at least 1915. The station had no run-round loop at the time; shunting was carried out by propelling trains up the gradient out of the station and allowing them to run in under gravity. A siding was provided in the cutting just to the east of the station, to aid this gravity working. Passenger trains were propelled to the loop at Pendre, where they were run-around. It was only after the line had been preserved in 1951 that a loop was finally provided, in the winter of 1951–1952.
As with all stations on the railway, there is only one platform, on the north side of the line, and the coaches have doors on that side only. This is due to tight clearances under the bridges. There are also sidings, a water tower and coaling stage. Llechfan, the hostel provided for volunteers on the railway, is a former private house on the opposite side of the line.
As the line leaves the station it passes under a road bridge that carries the A493 Machynlleth to Dolgellau road. This bridge was rebuilt in 1955 by Merioneth County Council, having become unsafe due to the heavier traffic passing over it. The council had argued that the Talyllyn, as builders and therefore owners of the bridge, should pay for repairs. However, the secretary of the society replied that the contribution towards repair would be "limited to the cost of putting the decking into a safe condition to carry the loads for which it was originally designed. If the council wishes the bridge to carry heavier loads than those envisaged in 1865 then it would have to be responsible for the additional strengthening required."[3]
The Narrow Gauge Railway Museum was first built here in 1955 in a disused gunpowder store, housing some relics and locomotives which had been donated to the Talyllyn but for various reasons were not suitable for use.[4] This was later moved into a separate building. Since then, the station building and museum have both been extended culminating in the opening in 2005 of a brand new museum, shop and café by the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, following demolition of the previous museum building.[5]
Tywyn Wharf served as the basis for Crovan's Gate Wharf in The Railway Series by Rev. Wilbert Awdry.