12th June 2003
THE MARDY MONSTER

The Mardy Monster steam locomotive, which has spent the last five years being renovated, is to celebrate its launch on Saturday the 21st June, at Elsecar Heritage Centre.

At 11.45 am there will be a naming ceremony held by the Mayors of Barnsley, Rotherham and Doncaster and the Lord Mayor of Sheffield. The locomotive will haul a train of civic dignitaries from South Yorkshire and South Wales; this will be the first time the train has worked under its own steam since 1976. The steam locomotive was built in 1954 for the steeply graded colliery lines in the Rhondda Valley, in particular the mining town of Maerdy, hence the name.


Artist Gordon Chell, from North Anston, Sheffield

The event is free of charge, with live music provided by the Morlais Male Voice Choir from the South Wales coalfield, Dodworth Male Voice Choir and the Carlton Main and Frickley Bands from South Yorkshire. The Mardy Monster service will be open to the general public from 12.00 – 5.00 pm, at a cost of £2.50 for adults and £1 for concessions and children.

From 7.30pm there will be a concert in Building 21, adjacent to the railway, with drinks and refreshments available all evening. Malcolm Banks, Director of Elsecar Railway Preservation Group commented, “This should be a unique and enjoyable event. It will be fantastic to see the most powerful industrial steam locomotive in preservation once again. We would like to thank the NUM, Lottery Awards for All and South Yorkshire Key Fund for sponsoring us and enabling this to happen”.

The railway currently travels a distance of just over a mile from the Heritage Centre in Elsecar to Hemmingfield Halt. Barnsley Development Agency’s Andy Arnold is working closely with Elsecar Railway Preservation Group to help them gain charitable status and funding and to obtain a lease from Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council, to extend the line to Cortonwood. This is expected to go ahead in January 2004. The long term plans are to re-open the line to call at the Wetlands Wildlife Centre in Wath, which would hopefully create jobs.

If you are interested in attending the evening concert, tickets are now on sale from the Barnsley Tourist Information Centre, 46 Eldon Street, Barnsley, S70 2JL.
Contact Tel: (01226) 206 757 for detail




www.barnsleydevelopmentagency.co.uk

Press Contact: Sarah Hopwood
Marketing & Communications Assistant
Barnsley Development Agency
Telephone: 01226 640 086
Facsimile: 01226 286 606
Email: shopwood@barnsleydevelopmentagency.co.uk


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