Tom Rolt Centenary

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Tom Rolt

Lionel Thomas Caswall Rolt, more commonly known as LTC Rolt, or Tom Rolt, was born in Chester on February 11th 1910, and died at Stanley Pontlarge on May 9th 1974. A temporary exhibition is being mounted in the museum to mark the centenary of his birth.

During his life he became well known as an author on many aspects of engineering and social history, for his involvement in various bodies and in the formation of several organisations including the Vintage Sports Car Club, The Inland Waterways Association, The Talyllyn Railway Preservation Society, The Newcomen Society, The Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust, and The Association For Industrial Archaeology.

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Tom in his “ducks back” Alvis car at Bryn Eglwys quarry

His book Railway Adventure charted the rescue of the Talyllyn Railway from almost inevitable closure by the Talyllyn Railway Preservation Society in 1950, and his experiences as General Manager of the railway during the ensuing two years.

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The dust jacket of the first edition of Railway Adventure

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Tom with the Poet Laureate, John Betjeman, at the opening of the extended
Wharf Station in 1965