S&D Railway Trust

There is the 3 way turnout relocated to Washford that perhaps is important, but currently the covered accommodation at Washford Yard is home to the beautifully restored S&D coach, and it's unrestored companion.

 

...as also surely is the 'Wells hut' ?

 

Alresford today...

New Location by Stephen Morley, on Flickr

 

Well there a length of double track formation from near the MHR line back an to over bridge where one way or another it should be possible to get if not access for heavy transport possibly something like a medium sized van. A foot way for fire, police, first aid should be quite possible.

I do take the point that access may only bring undesirables and the site is not far from a fairly fast road, however, given how readily a newly erected building could now be equipped with all sorts of sensors to detect intruders - motion, temperature, infra red, CO2 and never mind good old fashioned CCTV - this might be containable.

There is also effectively a bit of elbow room on the other side to the Meon Valley at Butts Junction, the site of the signal box and by it the start of the embankment that was the beginning of the Basingstoke and Alton.

 

Neither of those locations would be ideal, and very difficult to do, the only two options i can see, are, If its to be used as a workshop, and covered accommodation etc, then the siding at Alresford, but it would mean buying up some of the far end car park, or at the far end of the new siding at Ropley, but again access is limited because of the siding being next to the running line, , and a shunt would be needed to remove or put anything inside, but that's not impossible, would the trust need workshop space though? when theres already workshops on site, so the building could always be erected elsewhere as a museum , possibly in the picnic area next to the signal box,, in effect giving the S&D an self contained structure and location

 

A question might be whether any of the three other S&D related lines have the space, need, interest and money - ie AVR, Midsomer Norton or Shillingstone

 

AFAIK the S&DRHT at MSN are tight on space, which is why they are having to build more siding and workshop storage for their own purposes. The S&DRT have already reported previously that the NDR said they had no room to house them at Shillingstone. The 'vibes' from the AVR seem to be that no-one there can get any concrete answer as to whether or not anything will go there anyway.

 

Has there been anything further public since the Trust’s statement of 24/9 and is there any activity (by the Trust or WSR) on site?

TIA

Patrick


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

The museum of transport is a excellent model railway to give ideas for a museum. It is one of the best model railways and gives inservations on how to set up a museum making it interesting. Hopefully the new museum will look at the experts like this to get the best ideas

 

The Mk1 full brake which was used as a museum coach has been moved to the MHR to be used at Alresford as part of the new Museum

 

I thought the Meon valley stub site would good place for shed like the one at Bodmin Parkway which I think has no power or floor and just strictly storage only.

 

The problem though is, its isolated , and too near to housing, for it to be secure from bored youths who might damage anything stored there. As i see it, the only options are, Alresford, built into the platform extension, as part of the museum, or Ropley, either as a museum, building to exhibit S&D relics up on the Picnic area, next to the signal box, Or in the new head shunt, but that will limit its use, as its right next to a running line.

 

The shed would give dry and secure storage for all the out of use stock and projects so freeing up space elsewhere.

 

I don't see how a shed so remotely sited could be secure.

 

I would agree. If a place such a (say) the DEPG at Williton, with secured containers in a locked compound and nearby houses, can still suffer the unwanted attention of thieves, a remote site far from public gaze is even worse.

 

My winter edition of the 'Pines Express' arrived in the post today.

Another excellent quarterly magazine.

New tyres ordered for Kilmersdon from Germany.

Solicitors now involved on both sides to deal with matters relating to Washford.

53808 has been used a lot on the MHR/Watercress Line. New driving wheel tyres required, and boiler ticket runs out November 2022.

Considerable progress made in transferring exhibits from Washford and setting up a new museum on the MHR.

Bob Curtis has part 2 of his articles on the S&D 7f that is excellent again.

 

53808 withdrawn due to unspecified lubrication matters according to recent email to SDRT members.

 

Cylinder lubrication issues i believe. There is a new blog report on the S&DRT website.
I was unaware of the members email, as I don`t seem to receive them, even though i have a registered email address with the trust.

 

7F No. 53808
''Our S&D 7F has seen some considerable use on the MHR during the summer months which has provided some useful hire income to the Trust which is put to one side in the locomotive’s overhaul account. The workshop team at Ropley have had to do a fair amount of running repairs to the locomotive since arrival from Minehead which has included sealing the water space on the tender and a steam leak in the smokebox, but overall the locomotive has performed well up to Saturday 18 December when it failed with cylinder lubrication problems during running the Christmas Lights train service''.