MMIII - The Double Celebration

The Centenary Celebrations were held at Llanuwchllyn Station during the weekend of 12 / 13 July 2003 and were unanimously agreed to be a resounding success.

Bright and sunny Birthday

The weather was exceptionally good, with an even hotter day on Sunday than on Saturday. Perhaps unfortunately, the crowds must have chosen to visit the seaside on the Sunday, as there were not as many present as had been expected. Both Maid Marian and Irish Mail were immaculately turned out and steamed beautifully, taking it in turns to lead the double-headed trains. Holy War was also in immaculate condition and contrasted well with the red liveries of the two other locos.

Birthday Cakes, Confetti and Photo's

There were birthday cakes on both days, with a piece for all the passengers and volunteers, as well as balloons for the children. The finale was the confetti cannon, which blasted a variety of colours and shapes about the station precincts.

There were Maid Marian nameplates and maker‘s plates on sale, and several were bought on the spot, as well as a variety of drawings, both framed and unframed, which had been produced by one of our members, Robert Jones.

On Saturday evening a small party of intrepid enthusiasts took the photographers‘ special down the line and were rewarded by a number of fine shots of the double-headed train in a number of locations, complete with the evening sun on the correct side of the train for lakeside views.

The Management Committee would like to take this opportunity of thanking the Railway and all the Society volunteers who helped to make the event such a success as well as those Fund members who helped or visited during the 2 day event.

Source: Maid Marian Locomotive Fund