MHR Restorations and Overhauls

Too bad that huge amount of original frame had to come off because of that small area of wasted-away material. (Or was there some other issue as well that I'm not aware of?) Oh well, I suppose it was necessary!

Noel

 

31806 was still in Ropley yard yesterday evening, behind one of the gronks and Thomas.
Possibly one of the last occasions to photograph her:
https://flic.kr/p/oZEVVU
The up platform shelter is coming on well:
https://flic.kr/p/oHcmDu
as is the track laying for the miniature railway:
https://flic.kr/p/oHce1W

The current RAT bar has also been spruced up, there was a definite smell of fresh paint at the beginning of the night.

 

I was on the cooking on the Belle last night and by the time we passed the RAT at M4M for the last time, there was a definite smell of stale beer and vomit!
However, the welding of the new frame parts for 506 seems fairly imminent, which is good news, and apparently the boiler for 41312 is coming along nicely too!

 

That's a little bit too much info lol! As long as the diners had finished their dinner...........

As for 41312, isn't she due out next year?

 

Stale beer and vomit. Slander!!! Actually, it was a very well behaved crowd on last night, there wasn't too much clearing up and defintely no vomit (nowt wrong with the beer either).
Can we swap Wadebridge for Cheltenham next time? Was Wadebridge running today?

 

Wadebridge and her way out of sync valves playing up again, or was it more likely the footplate crew?.............

 

Injectors last night. The crew did a fantastic job given the trouble they were having. We got back to Ropley at 00:30

 

Good you had a crew who knew what they were doing......... as long as those on the RAT made their connection at Alton.............. still getting back to Ropley at that time ain't funny!

I wonder how many crews are looking forward to Swanage coming back?.....

 

go on...i'll bite.....RAT?

 

Real Ale Train - sorry, a a bit of Mid-Hants banter!

The train runs with headboards and suitable "Rat-themed" discs
Wadebridge Departs Alresford by Arle Images, on Flickr


Beer Train by Arle Images, on Flickr

 

In at 22:42/3, so yes they made it. Thanks to M4M to Alton being mainly downhill.

 

Wotcha mean mainly? - its is! (strictly speaking - yes I know there's lumps & bumps!)

I'll bet running T/F b\ck to Alresford didn't help with the injectors.........

 

My nipper was on the RAT last night as a customer, he said the decent beer ran out quite early! I wondered what the delay was at M4M, Wadebridge had the road but sat there for ages, we (Watercress Belle) eventually departed first. One passenger on the RAT seemed to be trying to climb onto the carriage roof, which was NOT a good idea. Cheltenham had a fine run last night, the sound and light show on our last run from Alton to M4M was spectacular. Finished cooking and washing up by then so able to stick my head out to get the full glory of a fine engine. Just need to paint it a decent colour.
I am looking forward to 76017 returning, it was always a favourite of mine on the Belle

 

Not so much a nipper now is he Steve - at least he can now buy you a pint!

Whens he going to start volunteering?......

 

How? Why?

 

Err, there's some of the younger crews who seem to like to go "hell for leather" especially with the U - and having been behind them on the freight! - but they can't now its gone....... and you begin to wonder if they actually know what their doing - hence my pondering!

 

He was a ranger and did a lot of work on Kitchen car 1973 when he was younger- small hands are better at fitting pipes in confined spaces- ditto running cables. He also worked as on-board technician on the Belle for a few years, but then he discovered cars and women...

 

I'd take issue with that, indeed it's probably the younger crews who have been trained more in the 'modern' way of doing things on a heritage railway, including having to live with the world and his wife being able to time their runs and log speeds to the nth degree.

I've been driving on the MHR for a decade, indeed I had 34007 on the dayshift on Saturday. It was a struggle all day, the thing needs a bit doing to it, so, to get any sort of decent performance out of it at the moment is testament to the fact that the crews are doing their job as expected.

 

Both expensive to maintain.......

 

We still had 4 barrels up leaving Alresford, but I *think* we finished the last open barrel at M4M and were selling bottles (Hampshire Rose - so pretty decent stuff). We still had bottles on-board at the end, but it's better to be down to bottles for the last 1/12th of the trip than to throw away a barrel or two of beer.
" One passenger on the RAT seemed to be trying to climb onto the carriage roof" Agreed, that isn't clever. It wasn't brought to our attention, if it had been, then I'm certain steps would have been taken...
I'm glad Cheltenham had a good run, Wadebridge certainly wasn't in the best of health.