Ffestiniog Railway 'Mary Ann'

Restored to 1st World War condition

The Simplex (officially the Simplex tractor) also known as Mary Ann is a small petrol locomotive operating on the Ffestiniog Railway. Originally built for the trench railways of the First World War the Simplex tractor arrived on the FR in 1923 where it was used for shunting work. In 1954 it became the first locomotive to work on the revived FR and for many years remained an important member of the FR works fleet. It was retired from front line service after the acquisition of more powerful diesel locomotives and has recently been restored, initially to '50s condition, and more recently to First World War condition.

The loco was not originally named when she arrived at the FR and was known as 'The Simplex'. Later it acquired the nickname Mary-Ann which later became official as 'Mary Ann' (without hyphen). The nickname came from Connie Garraway, Allan's mother, who used the name (usual in the early C20) as meaning a housemaid or maid-of-all-work. Since the locomotive's restoration to 1950s condition for the FR50 events, it is once again unnamed.

History

Origins

Built as a 4wPM in 1917 for service in World War 1, The Simplex is one of a small number of survivors from that conflict built for the Ministry of Munitions by the Motor Rail and Tramcar Company of Bedford, England. Designed for the use of the War Department Light Railways just behind the front-line in France, they were built with varying degrees of armour plate protection for the driver, to reduce the risk from bullets and shrapnel. Three types were produced: 'Open', 'Protected' and 'Armoured'. The power unit for all three variants was a Dorman 4JO petrol engine coupled to a Motor Rail patent two speed Dixon-Abbot gearbox. A number of the later-build models did not make it to France - the furthest they reached was a Ministry supply depot in Purfleet. These locomotives were sold on and, after repatriation, others were re-constructed following the war.

Arrival on the FR

The Festiniog Railway's example is a blend of the frames & running gear from an Open type and Protected type bodywork butchered so it appears as that of an Open Type. It was purchased for the Festiniog and Welsh Highland Railways in July 1923 from The Kent Construction & Engineering Co of Ashford, Kent, at a cost of £350 and was used mainly for shunting the wharves at Portmadoc and Minffordd, replacing a steam locomotive in these duties. Petrol costs were higher than desirable, and at the recommendation of Colonel Stephens the engine was adapted to burn kerosine (otherwise known as paraffin or TVO - 'tractor vaporising oil') once warmed up, bringing running costs down to around 60% of those of a steam locomotive. Stephens had hoped to use it on winter passenger services on the WHR, but the Board of Trade refused permission; it proved satisfactory for shunting and level work but could only cope adequately with two bogie carriages on the gradients of the main line and could not be used in passenger service without fitting a vacuum brake.

Its identity is not definitively known. It carries the builder's plate 507 of 1917 but this locomotive is recorded as having been rebuilt by Motor Rail for the Leighton Buzzard sand railway. Given that the FR example still has its builder's plate, one might suspect that the Leighton Buzzard one was identified incorrectly by Motor Rail from its engine number. As the FR Simplex was fitted with the bodywork from 596, a "Protected" locomotive, this is plausible. It is easy to understand that parts were exchanged in wartime or by dealers such as Kent Construction who made up complete locomotives from War Surplus equipment.

Early photographs such as this one on the Colonel Stephens Society site show that it was supplied with armoured plate on both ends and with a canopy fitted with visors, but without the armoured doors originally fitted to "Protected" locomotives, this made it an "Open" Type.

Preservation pioneer

The first locomotive movement on the FR south of Blaenau Ffestiniog for eight years took place at Boston Lodge on the morning of 21 September 1954 when the Simplex was coaxed back to life by Allan Garraway and Morris Jones (1892). (Mitchell & Smith, 1994) Allan Garraway in three articles in Ffestiniog Railway Magazine records early efforts to revive the FR up to the running of the first passenger trains in 1955 with detailed explanations of struggles to get the Simplex to operate. Allan's description of the first trip across the Cob is worth quoting:

Early in 1955 the Simplex failed with a bent connecting rod and a smashed piston at Cutting Gwlyb. Morris Jones obtained a connecting rod off a 20 hp Simplex found abandoned in some bushes on the site of the old WHR Portmadoc New station. The 20 hp engine was a two cylinder edition of the 40 hp job, the double cylinder blocks being identical and Morris and Allan made subsequent raids on this engine to recover other useful parts. The manufacturers of the Simplex, Motor Rail of Bedford, kindly gave the FR the spares they supplied - new pistons and new big end bearings. On 23 July 1955 the Simplex hauled the first passenger services on the reopened FR.

Key fleet member

In 1960, the Dorman petrol engine was replaced with a diesel engine from the same maker, replaced again in 1969. An electric starting motor was provided in 1963. Before this it had to be started with a handle which was inserted in the side of the loco as the engine is transversely mounted. In confined cuttings it was impossible to swing the handle and the loco had to be pushed/gravitated down to a place where there was more space. It became the main PW locomotive from about 1966 and was used on engineering trains when a lot of heavy materials were being hauled for relaying to Dduallt and beyond. According to Fred Howes it regularly hauled (or propelled) eight RAF waggons full of ballast with a top speed of 15 miles an hour.  In July 1967 it had a vacuum pipe and brake valve fitted so it could run in passenger trains. This eased the problem of transport to the Dduallt extension work.

At some point around 1963, certainly before 1964, The Simplex acquired the name 'Mary-Ann'. According to the obituary of Allan Garraway, "Mary-Ann" was his mother, Connie's, name for a maid-of-all-work.

In "News from the Line" in the 1960s it continued to be referred to simply as 'Simplex' or 'The Simplex'.

It lost its slot as the PW Dept.'s front line motive power when Moel Hebog was acquired for PW use in about 1977. In 1971 the name Mary Ann became official with plates replacing the painted-on name, the plates did not include the hyphen that was used in the painted version of the name. The following year a canopy was fitted that was claimed by some to be reminiscent of that fitted to the "Protected" locomotive type, but to others more resembled the roof of a pagoda. A member of the engineering fleet, she was outclassed by later and more modern additions to the diesel stable, but her historic importance was not forgotten.

Recent years

Recently she has had another overhaul, which included re-installing her petrol engine, a new fuel tank made, chains & sprockets replaced, a new bonnet and a larger radiator added along with numerous other jobs, including a re-paint. The locomotive no longer carries a name.

In 2016 the Simplex was fitted with a new reproduction roof repainted into an all over green livery to represent its first world war condition. In this state it visited P'tit train de la Haute Somme in France with Moelwyn during the first week of May. They also visited the Tracks to the Trenches event at Apedale on the 13–15 May before going on to Beamish for more first world war themed events.

Mileages

1960 87 (Total 515)

1966 359 (Total 1,502)

1967 2,156 (Total 3,658)

1968 1,281 (Total 4,939)

1969 212 (Total 5,151)

1970 1,845 (Total 6,996)

1971 2,846 (Total 9,482)

1972 1,861 (Total 11,703)

1973 547 (Total 12,250)

1974 238 (Total 12,488)

1975 812 (Total 13,300)

1976 1,511 (Total 14,811)

1977 970 (Total 15,781)

1978 463 (Total 16,244)

1979 295 (Total 16,539)

1980 104 (Total 16,643)

1981 51 (Total 16,694)

1982 78 (Total 16,772)

1989 8 (Total 16,978)

1990 43 (Total 17,021)

1991 26 (Total 17,047)

Gallery