MHR Restorations and Overhauls

Thanks for that Chris, Hopefully they get it in there before the nasty weather starts to appear.

Regards.

 

I'm sure many hope that the boiler passes it's steam test in flying colors.

 

I cannot foresee any problems though I am certainly no expert.

History tells us that this almost new boiler was last steamed in 1980, (Rainhill Trials?) for a short period before being stuffed and mounted at the NRM.

Perhaps someone with better knowledge than I, ( not a hard task this, would be kind enough to fill in the details and gaps please?

Best regards
Chris:

 

MHR web site now confirms 30925 has passed it's boiler hydraulic test today.

Cheltenham passes hydraulic boiler testing | Watercress Line

 

Yup, just the steam test to do.

Regards
CW:

 

Hi Old Chap,

Sorry to keep you waiting all this time but this is now in the public domain thanks to Colin Chambers.

Your guess was wrong though you were very close as it is the ex NRM Bulleid Open number 1456 from the Bluebell Railway, giving us a three car Bulleid set.

I understand that it has a good wooden frame and a fairly complete interior though I am led to believe that Bluebell officials want to strip out their spares from inside before they will let us have it. What that means is anyones guess but I hope that does not mean the full interior leaving just a shell otherwise it would be too prohibitive to restore.

I am however not involved in it,s coming to the Mid-Hants so I will leave this to others to sort out the finer details.

I just thought everyone would like to know.

Best regards
Chris

 

Chris what great news.

I'm glad the Bluebell released this coach, it will be a wonderfull addition to the MHR. I looked at the coach some years ago when being used by the Bluebell as a varinish shop. The vehicle was part stripped in the 1966 with most seating units removed, if I recall all bulkhead seats were left as well as 2 or 3 intermediate seat units.

The quick histroy as I know it was that the Bluebell brought it in 1980 from departmental stock (as a office) only to be gazumped so to speak by the NRM as it was subsantially complete. The NRM and the Bluebell never got a formal running agrement and in the end the NRM gifted the coach to the railway a few years back.

Over the years the Bluebell added some spare seat units, mirrors and suchlike, I believe that the coach is fairly sound but will require a reskin and seat units to be made. Complete with corridor conectors, shallow window vents and solebar skirts she will be a perfect sister to S4367S which has the same skirt/vents.

For the record:

S4367S was in set 299 from 1947 to 1966.
S1456S was in set 295 from 1947 to 1966. See:Departmentals & Internal Users - DS 70285 - M&EE Office coach « departmentals.com

I had hoped that the recent sad loss of 7851 would have resulted in the insurance companay buying a SR underframe and paying for a new replacementresturant car body but this is a great second choice.

Well done Mr Chambers, I hope you can fast track all three Bulleid coaches through Ropley shops.

 

I should have thought that even if the majority of the interior was stripped, it would still be a reasonably practicable proposition to restore if the basic vehicle is sound. At Swanage a significant amount of interior reconstruction work has gone into the two Bulleids that are being worked on at present, and at least one of the others will require a complete reconstruction of the interior when it is its turn for restoration, so there is definite opportunity for collaboration should this be the case.

Happy for you to give them my details if I can be a useful conduit for this; just let me know.

 

Its good to see that the MHR is finally getting some Bulleid coaches put through shops, when you think back to the state of things a few years back, when there was no chance of restoring any of the stock that was there, and some left the railway because of it,

making new seat bases and partitions shouldnt be a problem, as long as you have the material and a pattern to work from, i take it that you have wood working facilitys in the new C&W shed ?

All this good news makes me think , how good would it be to see 41312 with a Bulleid 3 coach set sat in Alresford station ?

 

Fundraising is certainly ongoing for the remainder of the Bulleid set, along with the SR's other heritage coaches. The Maunsell that has gone to Ramparts (1346) has funding in place from a private donor for the majority, if not all of the work scheduled to be completed there.

 

Hi Martin and yes there is excellent woodworking facilities at Ropley, and also the volunteers with the right skills seem to have come out of nowhere, very glad to have then though.

You are not the only one to think along the lines of restoring 41312.

Best regards
Chris

 

Thats great news, I hope the Swange get all those coaches in running order.

I would consider that they would select BTK 4366 first it being at least mostly complete, plus I am old school when it comes down to SR coaching sets... every set should have a brake at each end with a set number too

Back to 1457 I am glad that the Bluebell sold/loaned/leased or whatever to the MHR, it's good to see that the coach will be restored and in service. I wish all lines/owners thought like that, perhaps then we would see more rolling stock restored.

I know that the restored BTK 4211 on the MHR used 4367 seat units and that the owning group purchased a number of Bulleid EMU seat units from Coventory, so I hope that 4367 get her correct seats, 1457 get the EMU units and they construct the more Maunsell-like seat units for 4211, perhaps the Bluebell would join in and get a batch built also for 4227 which awaits restoration.

 

Hi I understand that this will be a 25 year lease though whether that starts from when it is restored of from the day of agreement I do not know though I would think this is akin to a boiler ticket ticking away.

A Merry Christmas to one and all.

Chris:

 

As a yardstick I would assume a 25 lease should see a 5 year restoration and 20 years 'in traffic' In any case its great news to see a vintage coach added to the MHR.

Merry Christmas to all Nat Pres readers.

 

Seasons greetings to all contributors and readers alike. It looks like an interesting 2012 ahead for the MHR:

Cheltenham finished and running soon-ish

76017s boiler making progress and axleboxes being prepd for re-wheeling and re-assembly

Swanage's boiler soon to be lifted

75079 and S15(s) making progress

The KX bridge

Bulleid set in the making

Volunteers appearing in the carriage shop (excellent news!) and a thriving volunteer workforce in the main workshops

Moving out of the old manor to the new.

Beating what I think was probably our best-ever gala

What else could the railway aspire to? I'm sure I've missed some things that are already in the mill and it's hard to believe the Cheltenham gang won't be looking for a new challenge by the summer - perhaps something big and close-to-hand, or one of the residents of the Alresford sidings or Ropley headshunt? Who knows?

After 11 years of very happy volunteering on the MHR, I suspect this could be the best one yet. If you're tempted to join us, this could be a very good time to do so.

 

Hi Chris,

What about adding one of the CCT's in to the Bulleid rake of coaches?

 

Hello Lee and a Merry Christmas to you and yours.

CCT 1765 is in the C&W as I write to be re-painted into the same early 1950,s red that the IOW have used on their crimson coaches.

Thanks to Gary Walker of the IOW C&W for his help with this.

Best regards
Chris:

 

I do remember seeing 31806 when freshly restored always seemed to run with the BY van on service trains. I thought it looked fantastic but the MHR Guards always felt differently and sadly the van developed wheel flats and was withdrawn and used as a workshop instead.

As for 2012 it does look like a good year in the making, I hope that the MHR keeps up the progress!

 

Nope, 1457 is the next Bulleid coach that Swanage plans to restore. 4366 is more complete, but 1457 is in better condition and it should be quite easy to source or fabricate the bits that are missing. 4366 will be restored after that to complete the 4 car Bulleid set, before they move on to restoring the rest of the Maunsell coaches and the Ironclad.

Good to hear that the Mid Hants have got another Bulleid. For many years the Mid Hants Railway management had a very negative attitude to pre BR coaches. (Why bother keeping all these eyesores on the railway which will take time and money to restore, when we can just go to BR and buy yet more Mk1s and MK2s that we can put straight into service!) This led to a once quite large collection of heritage coaches being sold off or scrapped, leaving only a tiny handful remaining. Good to see management attittudes have changed.