The Talyllyn Railway has picked up awards at the Heritage Railway Association annual awards event.

Lockdown restrictions meant the awards took place online.

The railway was nominated in two categories and received the Internal Communications award for its Talyllyn Control Centre online subscription service.

TCC was commissioned by general manager Stuart Williams, working with volunteer Peter Richards who runs software company Yingatech.

Introduced in February 2020, TCC was designed to give armchair supporters greater access to the railway, enhancing the existing webcam page which gets over 500,000 visitors a year.

With an annual fee of £5, there are now 400 active subscribers.

Peter said: “Seeing the railway presented with this award, after months of hard work from many, is incredibly rewarding and I’m very proud of the work that we’ve been able to do together.

“The system has been an aid to keep people connected to the ‘railway with a heart of gold’ during the pandemic and with more cameras and features in the works, I hope to keep expanding it further in the future.”

Talyllyn Railway preservation society chairman Jonathan Mann added: “News of the award, just as we are about to resume passenger services after another lockdown, is very exciting.

“The railway is currently celebrating the 70th anniversary of becoming the first preserved railway in the world, and it would be easy to imagine that after so long, we have achieved all we might wish to.

“However, this award shows that we are still innovating, and we are embracing new technology to add to the Talyllyn experience.

“It also provides a valuable aid to the controller, who now has detailed information available as to the progress of the trains up and down the line, a far cry from 70 years ago, when there was not even a telephone available.”

HRA introduced a new award for Most Innovative Fundraising Idea and Talyllyn was nominated for its Virtual Visit Appeal and named one of four runners up.

Stuart Williams added: “In all, the appeal has raised over £130,000 (plus gift aid) and is still being added to daily. The appeal raised the profile of the railway and ensured that our supporters were able to feel connected even though they couldn’t physically be here.”

The Heritage Railway Magazine Interpretation Award went to the Narrow Gauge Railway Museum at Tywyn Wharf.