MHR Autumn Steam Gala 21-23 October 2016

I think you've just made the day for those that put in the blood, sweat & swearing to put on the show & make it work - by that I mean the organising committee - even more so in the event of being thrown a googlie................. & having seen some of them Friday morning, having burnt the midnight oil, they were a cheery bunch!

Anyway, I'm slowly working my way through things, so another one from me......

43106 on the freight.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/duty_druid/29889693364/in/dateposted-public/

 

Well, today was simply terrific - the best day of the gala for me.

Overall, a very good gala... two fantastic guests (I'm sure 53809 would've been a good visitor too!) and a very different timetable to what we are used to. Thank you to everyone involved in organsing and running this event, more like this please! The trains I rode on were all busy, and I don't think I've seen the field at Ropley so full (on Saturday).

My photo of the day - 76017 and 92212 thundering through Ropley with the Pines Express... the video/audio is something else!



James

 

Video covering Friday and Saturday now online, features the Pines runs on both days

 

A couple from Saturday

 

Thanks. Hopefully all is well with the Scot for tomorrow. It's a shame she has to leave so quickly. She would have been a good attraction for the Half term week visitors. I wish we could also keep 43106 a bit longer. What a wonderful machine she is. I was very impressed with her.

Sent from my D6603 using Tapatalk

 

Superb picture! I think a lot of people who visited this Gala will be talking about The Pines Express for a long time. I heard lots of great comments from fellow passengers on the run yesterday.

Sent from my D6603 using Tapatalk

 

Thanks to the Mid Hants for a good day on Saturday. Weather a bit disappointing - 92212 looked great on the first train out of Alresford and the cloud & mist were breaking nicely. It all looked promising but then after 46100's problems, back came the grey grot with a vengeance - at least until the afternoon. Oh well, one good picture by which to remember the day; it's better than nothing.

Travelling in the afternoon was fun. 46100's climb of Medstead Bank on the final train out of Alton was very impressive. I hope that one day I can be able to do a main line run behind her. Judging by the performance she put on with 5 coaches at 25mph on a 1 in 60 incline, I'd imagine that a run on the "big railway" must be quite something. I have to say that from Ropley to Medstead, 45379 sounded equally impressive from the leading coach.

Other plus points were the superbly-restored Bulleid Brake 4211 and the waiting room on the London-bound platform at Ropley. Last time I paid a visit, the building was complete but not open to the public. The inclusion of the stove really adds to the period feel. Unless you knew otherwise, it would have appeared to have been built by the LSWR when the line was built. Very impressive.

All in all, a very enjoyable day out.

 

Nice to meet you on Sunday James - the Pines was definitely a highlight of the weekend

 

A few more from me..............

43106 & 45379

https://www.flickr.com/photos/duty_druid/29909382154/in/dateposted-public/

41312

https://www.flickr.com/photos/duty_druid/30423318422/in/dateposted-public/

46100

https://www.flickr.com/photos/duty_druid/30539918785/in/dateposted-public/

 

A few from me from the weekend.
It seemed to me that Friday was the busier day, slightly shading Saturday.
Sunday was a lot quieter.

The run up from Alton behind the gronk with as near as dammit the same stock as 40 years ago was a nice touch.
The Pines did seem to be a favourite part of the day for many.

Early Saturday morning at Ropley

British Railways 9F - 92212 + LMS Ivatt Class 4 - 43106 + LMS Royal Scot - 46100 by Tim White, on Flickr


LMS Royal Scot - 46100 at Day Break by Tim White, on Flickr

Pines on Friday

Pines Express passing Ropley by Tim White, on Flickr


Pines Express passing Ropley by Tim White, on Flickr

On the goods at Alresford (Friday morning).

LMS Ivatt Class 4 - 43106 - Alresford by Tim White, on Flickr

A thoughtful moment with the 9F (Actually, he's eating breakfast from the WC buffet).

British Railways 9F - 92212 - Alresford by Tim White, on Flickr

 

Here's three from me, taken on Sunday.

 

Great photos. Nice photo of the double header.

 

I see the Bash Mash are quick off the mark...................

 

Yes it was a really good gala. I enjoyed getting some trips behind 43106 the most as it isn't often you get it working hard. The MHR crews really liked the engine.

Just one request. Please do something with the flats on the RAT coach set! The ones on the coach at the country end of the set are dreadful.

 

Blimey. I'd never heard of them. (Would have been nice to have gotten a mail saying they wanted to use it, but as my licence is set to "Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike" they've done the attribution part).

 

Here's my video from across all three days. A superb event, thanks to the Volunteers who made this event happen! The highlight was definitely the 'Pines Express', the noise is something that will live long in the memory! Roll on July 2017 for the End of Southern Steam Gala!

Enjoy!

 

My video from the weekend, featuring all 6 operational steam locomotives, including my favourite footage from the weekend of the Pines Express thundering away from Ropley!

James

 

Fame at last!

Its some page or summat on Face Ache.

Any way, I'm slowly working through what few images I took............

So a few more from me.......

Fridays Pines................

https://www.flickr.com/photos/duty_druid/29930100904/in/photostream/

43106

https://www.flickr.com/photos/duty_druid/30444514852/in/photostream/

76016

https://www.flickr.com/photos/duty_druid/29927656843/in/photostream/

45379

https://www.flickr.com/photos/duty_druid/30262271300/

 

I've been waiting to see if anybody was going to mention a couple of things from the weekend, and so far no one....................... regarding what the shunters were getting up to at Alresford............ and 45379............ I know!

Any road, a few more from me!

With apologies to Arthur Brown!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/duty_druid/30578847305/

92212

https://www.flickr.com/photos/duty_druid/30462246332/

45379

https://www.flickr.com/photos/duty_druid/30578854735/

46100

https://www.flickr.com/photos/duty_druid/30542757546/

I must've had a funny turn photting this........................

https://www.flickr.com/photos/duty_druid/30462248492/

 

I watched the impressive shunting display at the end of the day at Alresford on Saturday with 76017 and the QMB. It certainly caught a few of us observers out when the QMB ran through the station by itself after 76017 had given it a lively shove in the cutting outside the station. I heard one guy behind me exclaim "I wasn't expecting that!" Another interesting aspect of this triumphant Autumn Steam Gala which definitely ranks as one of the best in MHR history.