MHR Restorations and Overhauls

There was a photo on the Preserved Diesels Facebook page a few days ago. Basically all that seems to survive above the solebar is the part of cab fronts, some of the sides, and the engine and generator. Pretty much everything else was removed due to being rotten or caked in asbestos.

 

Dare I say you ought to be a a little more imaginative then! Two of them regularly operate over gradients very little less severe, if a trifle shorter, than the MHR. Their limitation to 80 tons relates less to capability as to their age. It won't be long before it is 140 years since W11 took her trip to Paris. A "newbuild" could well be worked harder.

It seems quite a few L.S.W.R. enginemen preferred an 02 to a T1. Apart from anything else, this shows that talk of "tractive effort" is misleading. A 2MT has the inestimable advantages of superheating and a modern front end. Worth more than a few pounds of tractive effort. The biggest advantage of all is that the MHR has got one already.

PH

 

Have a little chat with those fine folks at Darlington, I'm sure they could help

 

the problem though paul is many of those who will be paying their fares putting their bums on seats, would i would think expect to see something that looks the same age as the coaches its pulling, for instance a vintage engine on vintage coaches looks more complete if you get what i mean, an ivatt 2 may look right on a maunsel rake, because its authentic, had the 02's been replaced with Std 2 tanks, then yes you could say the same of the iow, but no ivatt would have ever worked with a 4 wheeler coach rake, in the hands of a small tank engine, i just think it attracts more custom , a rake of 4 wheelers being hauled by a Std 4 2-6-0 just don't look right, but in the hands of an Beatie well tank, t1, terrier or what ever, to me it just looks more authentic .

 

I am sorry Martin but this is pure W.I.B.N. once again. Most passengers can tell a steam locomotive when they see one but don't bank on it. They are much more likely to tell if a carriage is really old than if it is hauled by something built to Cudworth's patent. What they will be able to judge is if it is clean with decent upholstery.

Sometimes railway enthusiasts make me tear out what is left of my hair! It is unlikely a single standard gauge line can put on a train where there are no anachronisms at all. The I.O.W.S.R. four wheel set for example has one vehicle that was withdrawn before some of the others even got to the Island. Yes, when hauled by W8 or W11, you are spirited back to Merstone Junction eighty years ago. With 41298 on the head end it will still be hauled by utterly authentic branch line style motive power. Indeed I do think some places could try harder but if being a "museum railway" is not their aim, then it is up to them. A train of four wheelers on the Mid-Hants, hauled by their 2MT would be far more "authentic" than the pairings seen in some places.

PH

 

Maybe so Martin but I can't see the MHR getting a Vintage tank loco to haul these four wheeler coaches. Most of the time the MHR want's class 4 locos and above to work its service trains. If you look at the loco policy now all the locos apart from the Ivatt are class 4 and above but this could always change in the future. So what about getting 30245 out of the NRM. Gets my vote.

 

possibly yes, that would get my vote also, but relistically it wouldst have to be an early/ late gala type opereration, as most of the time the railway would be to busy to run such a short train, even though the seating capability of a 4 coach vintage rake puts it up there with 3 mk1s, so the only option is to either hire in something, of course if the railway had had a working vintage rake the ropley shuttles using two elderly tank engines would have been really something if running the whole line you would need too allow watering time at Alton, or even at Meadsted on the up a tank wagon behind the loco could perform that duty with a small pump , but its all thought for the future, depending on if the coaches, being Brighton vehicles are duel braked , then who knows one day , Prehaps, if she does reappear as LSWR 735 W8 could make a visit but i would rather the MHR had its own engine, that it could then use either on short freight, as an cheeper to operate or for the more advanced driver training courses its cheaper to fire a terrier or t1 than a Std 4, and being a smaller engine you could offer pick up freight courses, as well as passenger , its just a thought how you can make a smaller engine pay its way.

 

I fear "Get Real" time is here again! The MHR has its own small locomotive with a fair tank and fuel capacity but an extremely modest consumption of both coal and water. It is nearly seventy years old so qualifies as "elderly". Needless to say it is 2MT No. 41312.

PH

 

We have got a small engine that pays its way, is owned by the MHR and is often on hire....as it is at the moment. An 0-6-0T in light blue I believe.....
What about 488, could we borrow it from the Bluebell??? (I do realise it is not a runner at the moment)

 

I was going to say something along the same lines Steve, a couple of 4 wheel vintage carriages would go nicely with that loco.
I think it would be excellent on a Ropley / Alresford shuttle.

 

Noooo! It should be on the KESR painted in its identity as EKR No.5! (froth, wibble...)

 

As long as the plan isn't to restore 2 of the 4 wheelers and paint them up as Annie and Clarabelle you would have to pay licence fees every time you used them,

 

On another subject - a group of people are forming to progress 80150

If ever there was a engine perfect for the MHR this is it... the sooner it steams off shed at Ropley the better but its at least a decade if not 15 years away!

http://preservation.watercressline.co.uk/blog/entry/friends-of-80150-this-is-where-it-starts

 

At last! A relevant post about MHR progress!

 

There has been a lots of parts made for 80150 by 75079 group. These include overhauling front/rear loco buffers right and go right down to oil lub connecting pipe fittings. Plus all manner of other parts have been collected from different places. From what I understand when parts have been made for 75079 and the identical parts are fitted to 80150 some of the parts have been made twice.

Just out of curiosity has all three BR Standard class4 locos 75xxx 76xxx 80xxx run together on a perserved railway before.

Thanks

 

Maybe on the Moors? They have all 3 types.

 

NYMR is the most likely candidate (75029, 76079, 80135/6) but I'm not sure.

Apologies as I have contributed to thread drift! Great that 80150 is going to get some more TLC. It's also perfect for the MHR because it is one of only three BR(S)-allocated 80xxx 4MT tanks - the others being 80064 and 80151, both based at the Bluebell. 80150 was a Brighton engine until 1963, traversing what is now the Spa Valley during that period. It then migrated to Eastleigh and worked in Hampshire until withdrawal in 1965, so couldn't be more appropriate.

 

there's plenty of photos of brand new locos hauling fout wheel coaches, in fact I can show you brand new diesels hauling four-wheelers, so really, anything goes. It's all prototypical.

 

80150 really has been the forgotten engine of the MHR fleet, glad to hear that at least some parts are being made ready for it, would i be right in thinking that the group working on 75079 will move on to 80150 once that engine enters service?

 

I think you'll need to wait and see on that one Martin. There is still a lot of work to be done on 75079.