Steam trains, real ale and miniature locomotives will come together in Gwynedd next month when the Talyllyn Railway hosts its annual Beer Festival and Garden Railway Open Days.

From 3-5 July, the three-day free to enter festival sees Wales’ historic Talyllyn Railway in Tywyn combine heritage rail travel with locally brewed ales, live music and one of the line’s most unusual hidden attractions.

The event has become a popular fixture in the railway’s calendar with railway lovers, local residents and tourists to the town.

A selection of real ales from breweries across Wales and Shropshire will be available throughout the festival, alongside cider and gin, with King’s Café at Tywyn Wharf Station opening late on Friday and Saturday evenings to serve food for visitors staying on into the night.

Live music from a local band on Saturday evening will add to the atmosphere as the railway’s historic station and platforms take on the summer festival feel.

Alongside the beer festival, visitors will also have the rare opportunity to explore the Llechfan Garden Railway, a much-loved miniature railway tucked away within the Talyllyn site.

While smaller in scale, organisers are quick to point out that the locomotives are fully operational steam engines in their own right, complete with all the heat, noise and engineering associated with their full-sized counterparts.

The event forms part of a major year for the Talyllyn Railway as it celebrates its 75th anniversary as the world’s first preserved heritage railway.

Visitors attending the Beer Festival can combine the event with journeys along the line aboard the railway’s historic steam trains, with the route offering sweeping views of Cadair Idris and the surrounding countryside.

Organisers say the weekend is designed to capture the relaxed, community atmosphere the railway has become known for over generations of preservation.