Maid Marian
Maid Marian at Bala
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
BuilderHunslet
Build date1903
Specifications
Configuration:
​
 • Whyte0-4-0ST
Gauge2 ft (610 mm)
Career
DispositionPreserved

Maid Marian is a preserved narrow-gauge steam locomotive built in 1903,[1] currently based at the Bala Lake Railway in North Wales.[2]

Construction

Maid Marian, works number 822 and subsequently named after a racehorse, was built in 1903 by the Hunslet Engine Company based in Leeds.[3][1]

Working life

Maid Marian spent its entire industrial life working at the Dinorwic Slate Quarry in North Wales.[4] It operated alongside many Hunslet engines, including Holy War, Dolbadarn, George B, Red Damsel, Wild Aster, Alice and Irish Mail.

Preservation

The Maid Marian Locomotive Fund was established in 1965 by a group of railway enthusiasts seeking to preserve a working locomotive from the Dinorwic Slate Quarry.[5] The Quarry Manager recommended Maid Marian as the best locomotive then available.[6] MMLF purchased the loco in 1965, taking possession in 1967.[7]

Maid Marian operated at the Bressingham Steam Museum from 1967 to 1971, before going to the Llanberis Lake Railway until 1975,[8] and then to the Bala Lake Railway.[7] It returned to Llanberis for the 2011 gala.[4]

Israel Newton built a new boiler in 2006.[9]

References

  1. 1 2 Eryl Crump (4 July 2011). "Stoker Eric visits some old friends". Daily Post.
  2. ↑ "Bala Lake Railway steam locomotives". 2011. Archived from the original on 22 October 2011. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  3. ↑ Johnson, Peter. The Heyday of the Welsh Narrow Gauge. Ian Allan. p. 11. ISBN 0-7110-2511-8.
  4. 1 2 Eryl Crump (30 June 2011). "Llanberis railway celebrates 40th birthday". Caernarfon and Denbigh Herald.
  5. ↑ "The Quarry Hunslet Web Site".
  6. ↑ "Maid Marian Locomotive Fund".
  7. 1 2 "Llanuwchllyn Express online". Bala Lake Railway Society. 4 January 2010. Archived from the original on 25 April 2012. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
  8. ↑ AA touring guide to Wales. Automobile Association. 1975. p. 73.
  9. ↑ "Maid Marian boiler date". The Railway Magazine. 152. 2006.
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