MHR Spring Steam Gala 2015: 13th - 15th February

Will keep an eye on this thread, I'd really like the visit, see what engines will visit. The date change just about makes it close enough to be a birthday treat, and with all luck, mocks done and dusted

 

Three of us cant attend the same gala, that would make reporting really bad ;-)

 

Haha, maybe you two should branch about a bit I still haven't decided, I might go to SSS4 yet, all depends closer to the time. I haven't been on either line, I've tried at Llangollen 3 times but it's been a Thomas day every time!

 

As a Mid Hants volunteer I feel duty bound to say come to us ;-) We got Lord Nelson (best Southern loco after Clan Line) and the carraiges works are usually open during the gala and you see if we do ours directly to the GWSR. Might even buy you a cup of tea to sweeten the deal.

 

Carriage works are tempting, but if Britannia was ready then that would definitely go some way to persuading me. It's half an hour's more journey to the MHR in effect for me, As if I'm going to Llangollen I'll start from family at Wolverhampton. I should have hopped onto 4270 a few weeks ago! As I said, I'll wait and see what guests are announced here, be nice to meet you though

 

By all accounts, it should be - whether or not it appears at the gala is another matter......

 

Still February I think and latest news hints that the theme and locos will be a Christmas present!

 

Just had a look at the MHR website and the gala page is saying that you can book tickets for... the 20th, 21st and 22nd February - has there been another change?

No sign of it on the 'What's On' page though.

James

 

I can't see a link to the old Gala page from the MHR site, are you using a link to a stale page that has been unlinked?
The "Latest News" page (http://www.watercressline.co.uk/article.php/126/latest-news) confirms that the dates have been moved to 13-15/02/2015.
What page are you seeing, and how are you getting to it?

 

It might well be a stale link.

THIS is the page I'm looking at. Someone sent me this link, and asked me if I knew anything about the dates changing. After Green Five posted about the page disappearing from the What's On page and the dates on the booking form being for the 20th, 21st and 22nd February, I wondered if the MHR had changed the dates back?

James

 

I believe it is a link to a stale page. As far as anyone knows, it is going to be 13-15 Feb (of course things *could* still change).
But if you want to be as certain as you could be, there is a 'contact us' link on the bottom of the MHR page, you could contact them and ask about the page you have linked.

 

Planning is all around the 13-15 Feb. I cant imagine another change. Perhaps this should be the "Snow drift at Bleath Gill" Gala given the number of times in recent years there has been snow at Four Marks around that date. Now.....where can we hire a snow plough from.....

 

NYMR...........

I hope the white stuff & the wet stuff stay away that weekend........

 

I hope we don't get any of the white stuff over the gala. I remember a few years back in January when the MHR had planed a freight/goods weekend which was cancelled because of the snow.

 

Its always a "gamble" with the weather.......... the only part of the gala you have absolutely no control over.

 

I disagree, snow adds an extra dimension as this shot from the 2013 GCR Winter gala shows

As long as the roads are clear enough for everyone to arrive safely, a bit of snow in Feb would make for a very different MH gala.

 

Snow looks great, but does rather hamper travel It snowed during the GWSR's Santa specials a couple of years ago, perfect you might think, but we made a huge loss on them because we had to close.

 

Snow would make going lineside down right ruddy dangerous...... even if you "know" where trip hazards are.......

 

Snow would make lighting up ruddy cold, glad we have an over night crew keeping the locos alight and watered…. only issue is they struggle in good weather due the amount of over night shunting to get all locos onto the pit road and serviced.

 

To be fair to the MHR, it is right next to a major road so surely snow wouldn't be as big a problem as it would be at, for example, the Bluebell?

Although snow and ice might make Station Hill in Ropley "fun".