A narrow-gauge railway nestled in the hills of southern Snowdonia became the unlikely epicentre of international nostalgia this summer.

More than 2,600 visitors from around the world converged on the Talyllyn Railway to mark 80 years since the publication of The Three Railway Engines - the first of Rev. Wilbert Awdry’s famous Railway Series books, which led to the birth of children’s favourite, Thomas the Tank Engine.

Over three days, the heritage line in Tywyn welcomed superfans from the United States, Scandinavia and Australia, generating an estimated £250,000 boost to the local economy and breaking all previous attendance records.

Accommodation across the region was sold out, cafés and pubs reported record takings, and many businesses extended hours to cope with demand.

Reverend Awdry, who was among the first volunteers on Talyllyn’s trains in the 1950s, took inspiration from its locomotives and landscape to craft the fictional Island of Sodor now one of the most recognisable places in children’s literature.

The 2025 Awdry Extravaganza was the most ambitious tribute to date, combining live commentary rides, rare archive exhibitions, and appearances from engine characters directly inspired by the Talyllyn line.

For the first time ever, visiting engines Duke the Lost Engine and Mike the Small Engine were seen side-by-side in steam.

A dedicated ‘Talking Train’, voiced live by broadcaster and railway historian Tim Dunn, featured original audio of Rev. Awdry himself, offering passengers a moving journey through railway history and literary imagination.

One train a day was styled after the BBC’s 1950s television special, while model dioramas, manuscripts and Awdry’s original Ffarquar Branch layout were on public display.

A Friday night lecture by the Rev’s son, Richard Awdry, recreated the long-lost ‘Railways of Sodor’ talk, complete with original slides never before shown at the railway.

Saturday’s retrospective of Four Little Engines at 70 drew on previously unseen materials from the Mattel and Awdry family archives.

One guest, a collector from the United States, paid over £15,000 in a charity auction for an ‘Access All Areas’ experience including a private meeting with Awdry’s daughter and a behind-the-scenes tour of the line.

The event was also live-streamed worldwide, connecting distant fans to the tracks that started it all.

Lorraine Simkiss, General Manager Commercial at Talyllyn Railway, said: “It wasn’t just a celebration of heritage it was a shared moment of connection between generations and across continents.

“The fact that these stories, born right here, still mean so much to so many is both humbling and extraordinary,” she added.

Opened in 1865, Talyllyn Railway was the world’s first preserved heritage railway and remains a working narrow‑gauge line.

The Rev. Wilbert Awdry inherited an interest in railways from his father, the Rev. Vere Awdry, and together with his brother George, became a keen railway modeller.

In 1952, Awdry volunteered as a guard on the Talyllyn Railway.

The railway inspired Awdry to create the Skarloey Railway, based on the Talyllyn, with some of his own exploits being written into the stories.