On 9th February 2020 the Heritage Railways Association held its annual awards dinner in Birmingham. This is heritage railways night of the Oscars.
Out of the 160 heritage railways in the UK the Bala Lake Railway won the award for being the most outstanding visitor attraction with the opening of the new heritage centre at Llanuwchllyn. This centre was made possible by a Heritage Lottery Grant. The centre protects and displays artefacts relevant to the slate industry of north Wales. Not only locomotives but lesser obvious items such as tools, different types of wagons, different types of rail and various different signs. This all goes towards telling the story of how important the slate industry was to the region.
Up against stiff opposition such as The London Transport Museum in Covent Garden and the Bluebell Railway in Sussex the team at the BLR are ecstatic and goes to further underpin the importance of extending the railway into the town itself.
Julian Birley
