After running its initial season with this very aged and historic stock, the Preservation Society sought out additional narrow gauge carriages which might be bought and imported to the line to supplement the railway's own fleet.  Over a period of years, more than a dozen such carriages or carriage bodies were acquired from a variety of Welsh and British narrow-gauge lines, quarry lines, and industrial railways.

Samantha and I were fortunate in our choice of carriages, for #16 is one of these imported historic coaches.  Carriage #16 began life as a 3-foot gauge miner's coach in service at Boden's Stone, Ltd's Derbyshire quarries.  It was purchased for service on the Talyllyn in 1957, for the lordly sum of £25.   Upon the carriage's arrival at Tywyn, however, its original body was found to be rotted beyond salvage.  The underframe and trucks, however, were sound.  TR's craftsmen set about prepared a new wooden body, settling on a  five- compartment semi-open design.  Meanwhile, shop crews cut down the trucks and regauged them to the TR's rare 2'3" measure.  Thus rebuilt, Carriage #16 entered service in 1961.

In 1969 #16 went back into the coach shop for further modifications.  Two of the car's passenger compartments were enclosed to create a generous guard's and luggage space.  In this three-compartment plus guard's compartment combination configuration, the car returned to the line and worked on through the 1970s. 

After eighteen years of service, Carriage #16 was withdrawn again in 1978 for an extensive rebuilding.  The worn-out 1957 body was dismantled, and replaced with yet another: a new three-compartment and guard's body built to the TR's own plans.  Thus refurbished, #16 returned to service in 1981, pausing only to receive new trucks in 1989.

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