Great Western Society 4-6-0 No. 2999 'Lady of Legend' (4942 'Maindy Hall')
Didcot, Berkshire, UK 		Location: Didcot Railway Centre
Status: Operational
Related Notes
Photo Copyright © Russell Newman
Here are the notes for Great Western Society No. 2999 'Lady of Legend' (4942 'Maindy Hall'), a 4-6-0 located in Didcot, Berkshire. If you have additional information about this locomotive, and would like to share it, click the Add Note button.
Posted: Apr 11, 2026 @ 19:04:23 by Russell Newman
The new-build GWR Saint Class 4-6-0 No. 2999 "Lady of Legend", is to remained at the Bluebell Railway until the Autumn of 2026 to cover a locomotive shortage during the 2026 season.
Posted: Feb 4, 2026 @ 13:02:12 by Russell Newman
The new-build GWR Saint Class 4-6-0 No. 2999 "Lady of Legend", has remained at the Bluebell Railway over the winter after taking part in their Giants of Steam last year, and this year will be taking part in their Spring Steam Gala from the 20th to 22nd of March 2026.
Posted: Apr 3, 2025 @ 12:04:13 by Russell Newman
The new-build GWR Saint Class 4-6-0 No. 2999 "Lady of Legend", will be making a return visit to the West Somerset Railway to star at their Spring Steam Spectacular event from the 2nd to 5th of May 2025, as part of the Railway 200 celebrations in 2025. No. 2999 will remain on hire to the West Somerset Railway during the the Spring and Summer months from April to August 2025.
Posted: Jan 31, 2025 @ 12:01:56 by Russell Newman
The new-build GWR Saint Class 4-6-0 No. 2999 "Lady of Legend", is to visit the Bluebell Railway for the very first time this year for their upcoming Giants of Steam Gala from the 17th to 19th of October 2025, which this years event is a new-build themed to spotlight on the new chapter of railway preservation, highlighting impressive new-build steam locomotives.
Posted: Jun 12, 2024 @ 14:06:09 by Russell Newman
The new-build GWR Saint Class 4-6-0 No. 2999 "Lady of Legend", is making a return visit to the Severn Valley Railway over the summer season as the locomotive will arrive in Mid-June and during her stay will haul service trains and will take part in their Step Back to the 1940s event and will also take part in their Autumn Steam Gala from the 19th to 22nd of September 2024.
Posted: Feb 21, 2024 @ 06:02:56 by Russell Newman
It has been announced that new-build GWR Saint Class 4-6-0 No. 2999 "Lady of Legend", will be visiting the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway for their Cotswold Festival of Steam from the 25th to 27th May 2024.
Posted: Feb 19, 2024 @ 13:02:30 by Russell Newman
The new-build GWR Saint Class 4-6-0 No. 2999 "Lady of Legend", will be visiting the East Somerset Railway for their 50th Anniversary Gala weekend on the 16th and 17th of March 2024, in the place of new-build GWR Grange Class 4-6-0 No. 6880 "Betton Grange", which is sadly not ready yet.
Posted: Dec 10, 2023 @ 11:12:28 by Russell Newman
In 2024, new-build GWR Saint Class 4-6-0 No. 2999 "Lady of Legend", will be visiting the Epping Ongar Railway in Essex for the very first time to be their star visiting locomotive at their annual Steam Gala from the 26th to 28th of April 2024.
Posted: Sep 6, 2023 @ 06:09:11 by Russell Newman
The new-build GWR Saint Class 4-6-0 No. 2999 "Lady of Legend" will be the star visiting locomotive at the Great Central Railway for the first time as it stars at their Autumn Steam Gala from the 5th to the 8th of October 2023.
Posted: Jun 21, 2023 @ 14:06:14 by Russell Newman
The new-build GWR Saint Class 4-6-0 No. 2999 "Lady of Legend" will be visiting the Nene Valley Railway for the very first time in September 2023, for two special weekends on the 9th and 10th to the 15th and 16th.
Posted: Feb 24, 2023 @ 10:02:36 by Russell Newman
The new-build GWR Saint Class 4-6-0 No. 2999 "Lady of Legend" will be visiting the West Somerset Railway for the first time as one of their star visiting locomotives at their Spring Steam Spectacular event from the 28th of April to the 1st of May 2023.
Posted: Feb 1, 2023 @ 14:02:12 by Russell Newman
The new-build GWR Saint Class 4-6-0 No. 2999 "Lady of Legend" is to visit the East Lancashire Railway for the first time for a special meeting with the worlds most famous steam locomotive ex LNER A3 Pacific No. 60103 (No. 4472) "Flying Scotsman" for the very first time and will be operating alongside the legendry locomotive during March 2023.
Posted: Jan 9, 2023 @ 14:01:39 by Russell Newman
Having finshed her festive dutys at the Mid Hants Railway over the Christmas and New Year, New-re-build GWR Saint Class 4-6-0 No. 2999 "Lady of Legend" is returning home to Didcot Railway Centre for the winter and for her winter maintenance to be ready for the 2023 season both at Didcot and out on the heritage railway circuit.
Posted: Dec 26, 2022 @ 14:12:20 by Russell Newman
This is the story and history of new-re-build GWR Saint Class 4-6-0 No. 2999 "Lady of Legend". The Siants or 2900 Class 4-6-0 was a successful GWR Edwardian design of early express passenger 4-6-0 by George Jackson Churchward. They were built at a time of modernisation on the Great Western Railway in the 1900s. Three prototyes of the Siant Class were built between 1902 and 1905 for testing before they went into production at Swindon from 1905 to 1913 which 77 were built. Sadly none of the orignal 77 Saints survivied as the last one was withdrawn and scrapped in 1953. No. 2999 "Lady of Legend" is the 78th member of the Siant or 2900 Class to be built. The story is the Siant class was later developed into Collett’s smaller wheeled GWR Hall Class Mixed traffic 4-6-0’s which in 1924 No. 2925 "Saint Martin" was rebuilt with the smaller six feet wheels and renumbered No. 4900 to become the prototype of the 4900 Hall Class. The project to build No. 2999 started way back in the 1970s when a group of Great Western Society members bought No. 4942 "Maindy Hall" from Barry Scrapyard for a re-consruction to be a brand new Siant Class 4-6-0. The build used the frames from No. 4942 which were modified to make the newbuild Siant have a much stronger frames then the originals and other parts such as the boiler too. The building of No. 2999 was a mix of brand new parts and recycled GWR parts from No. 4942 used in the construction of the locomotive which was completed in 2019. Since her launch into traffic No. 2999 "Lady of Legend" has filled the missing gap in Great Western Locomotives and is a very popular locomotive at Didcot and on the heritage railway circuit.
Posted: Nov 17, 2022 @ 10:11:12 by Russell Newman
The new-re-build GWR Saint Class 4-6-0 No. 2999 "Lady of Legend" is visiting the Mid Hants Railway for the first time over the Christmas season, where the newbuild locomotive will be hauling their popular Steam Illuminations trains until the New Year and may stay longer?
Posted: Apr 24, 2022 @ 10:04:09 by Russell Newman
Following a successful second visit to the Severn Valley Railway for their Spring Steam Gala, the new-re-build GWR Saint Class 4-6-0 No. 2999 "Lady of Legend" is to remain at the Severn Valley until June where it will take part in the Platinum Jubilee celebrations from the 2nd to 5th of June 2022.
Posted: Mar 1, 2022 @ 10:03:45 by Jack Spencer
2999 is making a repeat visit to the Severn Valley Railway for their spring steam gala on 21st-24th April 2022.
Posted: Aug 6, 2021 @ 05:08:44 by Russell Newman
The new-re-build GWR Saint Class 4-6-0 No. 2999 "Lady of Legend" will be visiting the North Yorkshire Moors Railway for the very first time as one of the star visiting locomotives for their Annual Steam Gala from the 23rd to 26th of September 2021.
Posted: Feb 18, 2021 @ 05:02:25 by Russell Newman
The new-re-build GWR Saint Class 4-6-0 No. 2999 "Lady of Legend" has been announced as the star visiting locomotive to the Severn Valley Railway for their Spring Steam Up Event on the 15th to 18th of April 2021. No. 2999 was meant to have visited the Severn Valley last year but was canceled due to the pandemic then. This visit if all things go well will see the new-re built locomotive now unique as the only Saint class loco in existence really work hard for the first time and this will also be its first visit away from Didcot.
Posted: Mar 19, 2020 @ 15:03:42 by Russell Newman
The visit of the new-re-build GWR Saint Class 4-6-0 No. 2999 "Lady of Legend" to the Severn Valley Railway for their Spring Steam Gala in April has had to be cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances.
Posted: Mar 4, 2020 @ 08:03:04 by Jack Spencer
2999 Lady of Legends second visit to a heritage line will be at the North Yorlshire Moors Railway for their Steam Gala on September 25th-27th.
Posted: Feb 13, 2020 @ 10:02:36 by Russell Newman
The new-re-build GWR Saint Class 4-6-0 No. 2999 "Lady of Legend" is to visit the Severn Valley Railway for the very first time for their Spring Steam Gala on the 16th to 19th of April 2020 as their big star locomotive for the event. Which this will be the first visit to a preserved railway for No. 2999 which will give the locomotive a chance to stretch its legs.
Posted: Apr 2, 2019 @ 14:04:20 by Russell Newman
The rebuilding and construction of GWR Saint Class 4-6-0 No. 2999 "Lady of Legend" is now completed as the locomotive was steamed and moved for the very first time yesterday at Didcot. This marks No. 2999 as the second brand new steam locomotive to enter service in the UK after No. 60163 "Tornado". No. 2999 will be launched in to service this weekend on the 6th and 7th of April 2019. The locomotive will remain at Didcot for the rest of the year for running in before it can go on visits to other preserved railways around the UK from next year.
Posted: Jan 4, 2019 @ 13:01:10 by Russell Newman
Now in its final stages of rebuilding No. 2999 "Lady of Legend" is to be launched in to traffic on the weekend of April 5th to 7th 2019 at Didcot Railway Centre. It will also be in steam along side 6023 "King Edward II" during the Easter Weekend on the 19th to 22nd 2019.
Posted: Nov 15, 2018 @ 13:11:46 by Russell Newman
The new build Saint Class 4-6-0 No. 2999 "Lady of Legend" is to be unveiled with its boiler and boiler cladding on at the Black Saint Weekend on the 17th and 18th of November 2018. The new rebuilt locomotive is in BR Black livery for that weekend only as two long lost class mates that did make it in early BR days with one side as No. 2908 "Lady of Quality" and the other as No. 2983 "Redgauntlet". After this event No. 2999 will go back in to the workshops in readiness for its very first steaming and move under its own power in the Spring of 2019.
Posted: Sep 25, 2018 @ 12:09:28 by Steve Frost
Work on this Saint Class re-creation was nearing completion in June 2018, so it may not be too long before we get the first sight of a loco of this type since October 1953.
Posted: Jan 23, 2018 @ 12:01:06 by Russell Newman
Work on the rebuilding of 4942 in to Saint Class 4-6-0 No. 2999 "Lady of Legend" has a mile stone. As the restored boiler for No 2999 having already been steam tested has been fitted to the rebuilt frames of the locomotive. With this now in place the race is on to get 2999 steaming and running very soon this year.
Posted: Mar 11, 2006 @ 14:03:33 by Steve Frost

Work continues on the chassis at Bury. The frames were wheeled in February 2006. Completely new wheels have been cast for this project.

Posted: Jan 17, 2006 @ 09:01:33 by Steve Frost
This 'Hall' class is being used as the basis to re-create the lost 'Saint' class from which the 'Halls' were developed. In essence it is being 'unrebuilt' to a previous type of loco. It is, of course, much more complicated than it sounds, but it takes a member of a class where there are many preserved examples and re-creates a type which has vanished long ago. Great Western standardisation makes this a possibility. The 'new' loco will be 'Lady of Legend'.
Posted: Feb 11, 2004 @ 14:02:07 by Robert Jelley
Steve Denton does not have the rights to the boiler of 4942 Maindy Hall.