Mary Ann
- See main article : The Simplex
[edit] The name 'Mary Ann'
At some point The Simplex acquired the name Mary Ann . The origin of the name remains unknown.
As to the date of acquiring the name, it would seem from the references below that this name was used unofficially from around 1963, with the name painted on at some point, followed by official naming (with plates) in 1971.
"Festiniog in the Sixties" (Mitchell & Garraway, 1997) carries a photo of the loco at Boston Lodge, with the name "Mary-Ann" clearly painted on it. The date of the photo is not given, but it is photgraphed with Tyke, acquired in 1964. The caption states "The Simplex carried the name Mary-Ann from about 1963 but lost the hyphen later."
"Portrait of the Festiniog", (P. Johnson, 1992) states "It became known as Mary Ann and was eventually, in 1971, given nameplates to that effect."
In "Porthmadog to Blaenau" (Mitchell & Smith, 1995) it is stated (possibly misleadingly) that the name was acquired in 1971.
In "Festiniog Railway Locomotives", 'Taliesin', 1988) it states "In 1971 it was overhauled and named Mary Ann, having been known unofficially as such by the staff for many years previously."
In "News from the Line" in the 60's it continued to be referred to simply as Simplex or The Simplex .
As part of the FR50 events the loco was restored to 1950's condition, and is now again unnamed.
