Mid Hants Spring gala

according to the signal man at Alton, 5224 has failed this morning

 

when these locos fail, you always have to feel sorry for the crews who have got the loco ready and will have to dispose of it and not get to play with it.
and ralph, i wasnt trying to get at th MHR with my long comment, i was just saying how the day went. People dont need to keep going on about failures of 50-year old locos.

Luckily, the timetable can run on 5 locos, as there are 5 coaching sets. I had hoped that everything would go perfect today for MHR.

 

The first problem yesturday was actually a problem with the token machine at Alresford so they had to use a pilotman who basically became the token himself. The yanky tank then failed due to a problem with its brakes but was repaired and put back onto the shuttles in the afternoon. Bittern then stalled between Alton & Medstead and had to be rescued by Lord Nelson, reports suggested that there was an issue with the braking on the coaching stock but cannot confirm this, hence the reason trains were drastically delayed. Then, finally the Western tank was failed late yesturday afternoon so with it failing this morning, I presume attempts were made to repair it overnight but havent been successful. It certainly was an interesting and eventful day yesturday, lets hope today and tomorrow are abit more successful and things run smoothly.

 

Sorry wasn't trying to argue, just expressing my frustrations.

when I go to Galas I buy an all day rover but don't use it much to travel on trains- I just see it as a contribution to the railway in return for the chance to take some average (some might say less than average) pics.

However, all railways could learn to communicate more, someone wandering up and down the trains or platforms stopping to explain what's happening even if he/she isn't asked should be normal practice.

 

60163 on 1021 ex Alton,
850 on 1055 ex Alton
92212 on 1121 ex Alton
60019 therefore must be on 1221

 

I agree totally with you simon about the all day rover, it seems not worth paying the extra money for a ticket when i was barely able to get 1 round trip begind the locos. I wondered why 5224 was parked by the new boiler shop at the end of the day, this explains why.

No loco diagrams doesnt help.

 

I was thinking of going over to the MHR to-day, and 5224 was the main reason for going. What with one thing and another, I couldn't make it. A pain for all involved at the MHR. I hope the problems are sorted soon.

How long is 5224 staying at the MHR and (once sorted, now there is no published loco roster onthe MHR Website to check, can anyone advise any dates when it may be in use?

Thanks,

 

5224 is staying for cover for 73096 as long as it is out of service. It will have its wheels dropped for new tyres when finished.

 

Thought that was what guards and platform staff are there for?

 

Have the MHR not made a loco diagram available at all? It's not even like everything is facing in one direction. That's a cracking line-up but there's no way as a photographer I'd attend a gala, buy a ticket, and then run the risk of constantly failing to get a good photo because I didn't know in advance in what direction to photo the engines. What poor practice.

 

there was no loco diagram available to anyone, thats why nobody could say what was going on. There MAY be one available over the weekend.

 

5224 was repaired over night and was working today. It left Ropley yard about 11am and went down to Alresford.

 

went to the gala today, trains we're 10 mins down by the time we got there at 11 and over an hour late by the time we left tonight.

What happened? Someone forget to hand out the working timetables today?

 

There's an interesting message posted today on the Bluebell e-mail group regarding no platform tickets at today's gala;

Does the Railway sell platform tickets on special event days?
I popped into Ropley Station on the Mid Hants to watch Tournado pass through as I knew it was due from Alton.The time was 3.30pm today and I did'nt want to or had the time to travel, but was happy to buy a couple of platform tickets,look at the shop and perhaps have a cup of tea whilst waiting for the train. Unfortunately I was told that it would cost me £40 (£20 each) even at this time of the day as platform tickets were not available due to the event.
A family behind me also wanted to just see the engine at Ropley and walked away in disgust pointing out that he would have been pleased to pay £5.00 for the priviledge to see Tournado pass through but would not pay £40.00.
I would have been pleased to have popped in a fiver into the coffers and probably spent the same on afternoon tea, let alone buy something in the shop. I stopped off at Alton on my way home only to just see it leaving as I arrived in the car park,not terribly happy.

Now whilst I wish the Mid-Hants the best of luck in having a successful gala and making a good profit I believe there is some good merit in the above message. To make people cough up £20 per person just to stand on Ropley platform to see Tornado and also visit the shop/cafe toilets etc is a tad on the extreme - to the extend that the guy who posted the message walked away but also the family behind him refused to pay that amount aswell. Are the powers that be who decided to charge that sum of money in danger of not just alienating the general public by demanding a very high price but also the photters because as we all know lineside photting is banned but now they don't want us to stand in the adjacent fields either?

 

i was told by colin chambers 60163 wasnt hugely expensive, i think theyre just trying to cash in.

 

Well it did seem to have failed this morning but 5224 was running this afternoon fine...
Thoroughly enjoyed my day at the railway, great day, just a shame with the delays and lack of loco diagrams made public, although it wasn't too hard to work out what would be next.

 

The published public timetable shows which trains 60163 is booked to work. Anyone care to tell if it stuck to diagram and which trains 60019 is/was booked to work?

 

Madness.

I heard a similar tale of a girl who arrived at Alton on one of the previous galas and wanted to go to Arelsford to visit friends - forced to by a day rover

 

It sticks to the ones indicated (or it did on Friday)

 

What's that got to do with the MHR? - they don't own these.

I was driving at the gala today, both on the 9F and the A4. During the layovers I made a point of talking to as many punters as I could. From these conversations it would seem that the usual moaning minnies who inhabit NP were the only ones determined not to have a good time....