Maid Marian (locomotive)

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

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

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 Marion 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. 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. 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. "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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