''Maid Marian'' is a preserved narrow-gauge

steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...

built in 1903, currently based at the

Bala Lake Railway The Bala Lake Railway ( Welsh: ''Rheilffordd Llyn Tegid'') is a narrow-gauge railway along the southern shore of Bala Lake in Gwynedd, North Wales. The line, which is long, is built on a section of the former standard-gauge Ruabon–Barmouth ...

North Wales , area_land_km2 = 6,172 , postal_code_type = Postcode , postal_code = LL, CH, SY , image_map1 = Wales North Wales locator map.svg , map_caption1 = Six principal areas of Wales common ...

Construction

''Maid Marian'', works number 822 and subsequently named after a racehorse, was built in 1903 by the

Hunslet Engine Company The Hunslet Engine Company is a locomotive-building company, founded in 1864 in Hunslet, England. It manufactured steam locomotives for over 100 years and currently manufactures diesel shunting locomotives. The company is part of Ed Murray & S ...

based in Leeds.

Working life

''Maid Marian'' spent its entire industrial life working at the Dinorwic Slate Quarry in North Wales. It operated alongside many Hunslet engines, including ''

Holy War A religious war or a war of religion, sometimes also known as a holy war ( la, sanctum bellum), is a war which is primarily caused or justified by differences in religion. In the modern period, there are frequent debates over the extent to wh ...

'', ''Dolbadarn'', ''George B'', ''Red Damsel'', ''Wild Aster'', ''

Alice Alice may refer to: * Alice (name), most often a feminine given name, but also used as a surname Literature * Alice (''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''), a character in books by Lewis Carroll * ''Alice'' series, children's and teen books by ...

'' 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. The Quarry Manager recommended ''Maid Marian'' as the best locomotive then available. MMLF purchased the loco in 1965, taking possession in 1967. ''Maid Marian'' operated at the Bressingham Steam Museum from 1967 to 1971, before going to the

Llanberis Lake Railway The Llanberis Lake Railway ( cy, Rheilffordd Llyn Padarn) is a narrow gauge heritage railway that runs for along the northern shore of Llyn Padarn in north Wales in the Snowdonia National Park. The starting point is the village of Llanberis a ...

until 1975, and then to the Bala Lake Railway. It returned to Llanberis for the 2011 gala. Israel Newton built a new boiler in 2006.

References

External links

Maid Marian Locomotive Fund
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maid Marian Individual locomotives of Great Britain Preserved narrow gauge steam locomotives of Great Britain Hunslet narrow gauge locomotives 0-4-0ST locomotives 2 ft gauge locomotives Industrial locomotives of Great Britain Narrow gauge locomotives of the United Kingdom