Marion

**Marion the Steam Shovel** is one of the deuteragonists of the Seventyverse and is privately owned by the Sodor China Clay Company.

## Backstory

When Bill and Ben were up to their usual tricks, Salty decided to tell them the story of the Monster of Brendam to scare them. The story involved a hard working but cheeky engine who never learned his lesson until one day, he met the Monster of Brendam and ran away so fast that he crashed through an old set of buffers, tipped off the side of the quay and fell into the ocean with a splash. The poor engine sank to the bottom of the sea like a stone but no one was there to hear his cries of help and by the time it was discovered he was missing, the currents had already stirred up the sand and buried the engine deep below the surface. Bill and Ben were rather nervous after this. Then that night, back at the clay pits, they heard strange noises and were awoken. Bill and Ben went to sleep again, unaware they were being watched by something big and strange. As a result, they were well behaved the next day and that evening, they heard the strange noises again and they looked to see what appeared to be some kind of head, poking from behind the sheds, which they assumed to the Monster of Brendam. The twins raced away from their sheds and back to the docks, where Cranky became just as frightened as the monster approached them. However, the "monster" turned out to be a steam shovel named Marion who had been bought to help out at the clay pits and the strange sounds last night were because her joints were creaky so she was at the Steamworks that morning. It was after that Bill and Ben learnt that Salty had made up the story. Since then, Marion has become a welcome addition to the island and has had many adventures such as bursting a water pipe, finding Captain Calles' treasure and mistaking Glynn for a talking tree.

## Relationships

### Bill and Ben

Bill and Ben get on better with Marion, as they often play "Guess what's in my shovel" with her. Unfortunately, Marion can also fall victim to the twins' antics, like when they mess up the China Clay quarry.

## Personality

Marion is bubbly, enthusiastic and something of a chatterbox as she loves to tell stories of the things she'd dug up over the years. She is something of a motherly figure to Bill and Ben as she likes to play "Guess what's in my shovel" with them and she can scold them if they get out of line.

## Technical Details

### Basis

Marion is based on a rail-mounted Marion Model 40 Revolving Steam Shovel, hence her name. They were self-propelled via a chain drive. Many of these steam shovel types were used in the construction of the Panama Canal, with some of them still in place at the bottom of portions of the canals and reservoir that provide water to the canal and locks. In the United Kingdom, one example helped build the Sutton bypass road in 1927. Unlike the real Model 40s, Marion has a much larger shovel, based on that fitted to the Marion Model 90 Steam Shovels. She also has an enclosed front, to allow for her to have a face.

The only remaining Marion steam shovel is a Model 91, which was taken out of service in 1949. It resides in Le Roy, New York City, United States on caterpillar treads. It is on treads because in 1916, the Marion Company began selling conversion kits, to allow the shovel to be placed on caterpillar treads. Model 91 is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

### Livery

Marion is painted orange and light brown with yellow lining. Her name is painted on her sides in yellow with red lining.

## Differences from the TV series and the episodes

* In the episodes, it was unexplained how Marion arrived on the Island of Sodor. In this series, Marion first arrived during the events of The *Monster of Brendam*.