No.2150    0-6-0ST    Mardy Monster

Builder: Peckett & Sons           Built: 1954            Weight: 55T            Boiler Working Pressure: 200psi       

Tractive Effort: 29,527 lbs            Cylinder Dimensions: 18” x 26”            Heating Surface Area: 921 sq ft

Grate Area: 19.1 sq ft            Status: Under Overhaul

No. 2150 was built by Peckett & Sons, Bristol, in 1954 and was one of only three of the OQ class constructed. The locomotive weighed in at 55 tons with cylinder dimensions of 18” x 26” the heating surface is a massive 921 sq ft with a grate area of 19.1 sq ft. Driving wheels of 4 1/2 ft and a working pressure of 200 lbs per square inch makes this loco the most powerful industrial steam locomotive ever built in the UK. Adding all the above dimensions together, the nominal tractive effort is 29,527 lbs at 85% efficiency, which compares to a 7F on British Railways.

With this in mind, it is little wonder that the engine was nicknamed the “Mardy Monster.” The picture shows the massive size of the OQ Class Peckett. Maerdy is a small town in the Rhondda Valley where No.2150 and its twin sister No. 2151 spent all their working lives at the very steeply graded Maerdy Colliery. Its loud staccato exhaust beat could be heard for miles around as it heaved heavy coal trains of up to 45 wagons up the steep colliery inclines. The locomotive remained in service until 1976 when it was withdrawn. After No. 2150 was withdrawn, it stood idle for three years before being purchased for preservation on the embryonic Swanage Railway. It had a little work done on it before being abandoned in favour of main line locos which were more appropriate for the expanding Purbeck line. After 18 years the engine was purchased for the Elsecar Railway, Barnsley, and restoration has continued steadily.

On the 21st/22nd June 2003 the locomotive was launched into regular passenger traffic on Elsecar Heritage Railway, following a £70,000 restoration.
Dignitaries including the Mayor’s of Barnsley, Rotherham, Doncaster and the Lord Mayor of Sheffield were all in attendance for the Relaunch. At the official launch weekend, held in early summer 2003, a Male Voice Choir from the Maerdy area and a Colliery Band and Male Voice Choir from South Yorkshire were present to take part in the festivities.

After 10 years service Mardy Monster's 10 year boiler certificate expired at the end of 2013.  The engine is currently out of service receiving a complete boiler overhaul and maintenance work on bearings.