MHR Restorations and Overhauls

Absolutely!

 

I popped into Ropley Yard on Saturday night and was interested to see this.


Bulleid West Country 34007 - Wadebridge by Tim White, on Flickr

The locos in steam were 45379 on the RAT and 76017 on the Belle. 50 027 was also on duty (ECS Workings etc.)

 

A slightly better shot of the above, from last night.

34007 - Wadebridge + New Tender by Tim White, on Flickr

And something you don't see often anymore (especially on the big railway).

3 Gronks - Ropley Shed by Tim White, on Flickr

 

Master and two slaves in preparation for New Year RATs. Proposed new number 13101

 

Might be an interesting 'cut and shut' newbuild project for a couple of the redundant Gronks which periodically appear for sale.

 

I'd heard it was allocated to the 1st April RAT. Clearly good progress being made if it's going to be ready for the New Year.

 

Master & Slaves rat thats going to be interesting, hang on do you mean the motive power or the clientele ? are you hoping to whip up much trade? will the TTi's be able to keep control?

 

We have an MM train next week (Murder Mystery) perhaps these are for the SM train???

 

Interesting coach body arrived on Tuesday.....initially I thought one of the "Hayling Four" but looking at Pete Cutler's log, this doesn't seem to match....anyone any ideas?
SR no 7719. Ex holiday home, still got curtains and the remains of plumbing for a kitchen and bathroom

No vacancies... by Arle Images, on Flickr

Holiday home no more.... by Arle Images, on Flickr

Coach 7719 by Arle Images, on Flickr

 

do they have any spare PMV chassis that can provide a chassis for it? just right for thomas?

 

Wonder if it would be possible to make a standardized underframe for all these. Making them in one batch could save the Railway a fortune in time and costs


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

if they can get hold of suitable axleboxes wheelsets, it is a possibility everything else should be straight foreward enough to manufacture, things like horn guilds and drag boxes can be obtained can't they ideally a scrap merchant scrapping old 4 wheel wagons would be a good source

 

Actually goods wagon parts don't make particularly good underframes for passenger stock as, being designed to carry heavier loads tend to be too 'stiff' making for an uncomfortable ride. PMV's CCT's BGZ's etc being NPCS have longer springs with dampers and larger wheels (3'7" as against 3'1" for goods stock) all of which give a better ride. It was mentioned some time ago that one heritage line - maybe IoW Rly? were considering batch building suitable underframes for their 4w carriage bodies.
Ray.

 

A very tentative guess: Weddell gives SR 7717 and 7720 as LSWR 28ft four-compartment six-wheel composite (originally second / first / first / second) from 1878. These were converted in 1919 to brake 1sts, which involved cutting windows in one end, and in that form they lasted until 1930. 7719 isn't mentioned, but I wonder if it was another in this series, for which he didn't have a record of the change of number? It's drawing 4.1 in Vol 1 of LSWR Carriages.

The second photo on this page of Shropshire and Montgomeryshire No. 8 shows a somewhat similar conversion from a five-compartment third to a brake vehicle, from an LSWR carriage from 1879, and which looks somewhat similar in outline to the one on the MHR: http://www.hfstephens-museum.org.uk/rolling-stock/rolling-stock-of-the-s-and-m

If you don't know, I suspect it is going to be a combination of careful measurement to compare with ratings and stripping down to reveal any numbers to form an informed view.

Tom

 

Thanks Tom, that looks good. I assume someone in the MHR has done some research, I'll ask around.

 

One consideration if new underframes were to be built is whether these should be 6w or 4w. Where donor underframes have been used only (I think) 4w types have been available. On the I.O.W. the centre axles of 6 wheelers were removed before transfer so there is no dilemma in current restorations but there would be elsewhere.

PH

 

i think he was saying an underframe would be straightforward to make if you had running gear such as wheelsets and axleboxes etc.

 

yes thats what i was coming from, a supply of suitable second hand parts salvaged from scraped vehicles headstocks buffers axles etc, that would leave the main frames assuming suitable steel can be sourced i'm assuming the type is available didnt the IOWSR have the stuff specially rolled? if thats the case then it needs co operation and shared planning between the verious railways that are rebuilding 4 wheelers, so what new build loco is Ropley going to build to haul a rake of vintage coaches? Adams Jubilee 4-4-2 ? or 2-4-0 ?

 

For GWR216 on the Gwili we were fortunate enough to acquire an ex-BR horse box under frame (the body having long since been scrapped) which was easy to convert to a suitable underframe (aside from the usual restoration!).

There are very few ex BR horse boxes left now but there is probably some mileage in building a new batch of BR horsebox underframes as the most suitable type, being 28ft long, being the typical length of a 5 comp body and also having the benefit of available spares being to standard MK1 patterns.

Of course this would require owners to club together but certainly it is one we have looked at for our other bodies without underframes.

Regards

Matt