Mid Hants Railway Operational Matters

I was thinking the same thing. I hadn't appreciated what handsome purposeful engines they are visually. It is interesting how smoke deflectors enhance the appearance of the Bulleid pacifics while the smaller deflectors on the Uries and Maunsells seem to detract from it, (though this is of course in the eye of the beholder!). It would be interesting to get a drivers opinion on how effective they are after they are fitted again.

 

As far as I know they have some amount of an effect, given the Southern only fitted them after a series of trials with various weird designs, but they were designed without them and I think that photo proves how handsome they looked earlier in their lives! We'll have 499 to show us how handsome they were originally.

 

Each to his own - I rather like smoke deflectors on the S15s, Schools and Moguls. Perhaps it's a personal thing as I'm old enough (just!) to have travelled behind smoke-deflectored moguls between Dorking, Guildford and Redhill. Still, for those who aren't so keen, as has been pointed out, there's 499 to look forward to and it makes good sense for the two Urie engines, when restored, to represent different periods in the class's existence.

More to the point, we are about to enter a remarkable period where for a few months you can have a ride behind engines designed by all four last CMEs on the L&SWR: Beattie (30587, Bodmin & Wenford), Adams (W24, IoWSR), Drummond (30120, Swanage) and Urie (506, Mid Hants). Admittedly, none of these engines are in original condition, but it's still an impressive statistic.

 

Technically, designs by four of the last five LSWR CMEs - you've forgotten the one everyone forgets!

Tom

 

The Urie version originally had a taller stovepipe chimneys and seemed not to have issues with drifting smoke; the smoke deflectors arrived with the cut down Maunsell period chimneys. (Cut down to fit a reduced loading gauge to allow use away from the Western section of the Southern Railway).

One for @Duty Druid to ask his Ropely spy: what boiler pressures do 506 and 499 have: do they have boilers with the original 180psi working pressure, or the later 200psi? I can't remember whether in time all the boilers got uprated to the higher pressure to make them match the later Maunsell boilers or not.

Tom

 

Thanks, I've just learned something! Did the missing one actually design any locomotives though?

 

aha, NRM answers my question, and suggests that John Petley was actually right - 30587 was designed by Beattie Jnr...

 

The Well Tanks were a JH Beattie design (Beattie senior), but construction continued to the same design under WG Beattie; the surviving locos date from that time. So built under WG but to a JH design.

WG Beattie did design some of his own locos. He was an early proponent of piston valves but couldn’t really get them to work properly, with the result his passing in locomotive design terms was little-lamented. But he did definitely design his own locos as well as continuing production of his father’s.

Tom

 

My Ropley Spy says, when you turn up on Sunday, to give him your wallet so he can empty the contents into the coffers for 499! Oh, and if you do that, he may even let you have a ride behind 506 - after you've bought a ticket.......

 

I'm sure my Spy will be forthcoming in due course, but I'm guessing he's a tad busy right now trying to get things into place for Sunday....... BUT if I'm remembering correctly the boilers are 180 psi...... so will await confirmation!

 

506 just ran past my potting shed...looking good for Sunday, just have to hope the "on-call " 'phone isn't busy between 10 and 12

 

If you care to trawl back, a member of the "Ropley home for the bewildered" did post on here the reasons as to why the blogs would not be as regular...... anyway there's been enough about the progress to get 506 back into traffic on here hasn't there?......

 

@Jamessquared it seems my Ropley Spy has decided to take time out & answer your question!

Again, his words, not mine.

"Our local druid is right, I am knee deep in arrangements for Sunday (let’s hope at least 1 person shows up after all this!!) but thought I’d have a break and answer a couple of questions that have popped up on NP:

• 506 will be running with smoke deflectors as she would have had them for the livery she’s carrying; they have been deliberately left off for the initial running-in trials but will be fitted at the last minute. As has been commented on, 499 is to be returned to traffic as near as we can to how she looked when new in 1920, so no smoke deflectors, a stovepipe chimney (on site now) and an LSWR safety valve cover which is currently awaiting casting at the foundry. We hope this will give a perfect ‘compare and contrast’ of the LSWR & SR/BR appearance of these engines.
  
• Re: the various boilers (all of which are ‘Arthurs’), I hope this summary answers your questions:
  
  • Boiler 755 started life on ‘The Red Knight’, ending it’s working life on 30499. This boiler ran on 506 for the final part of it’s last ticket and is the one now back on the loco. It’s rated at 180 psi.
    
  • Boiler 799, originally off Sir Ironside, is the one purchased off 30825, rated 200psi. It was restored for the initial years of 506’s last ticket, being swapped for 755 in the mid-late ‘90’s at Riley’s engineering. We now intend to use it for 499 and have just started de-staying.
    
  • Boiler 451 was originally from Sir Lamorak and arrived at the Mid Hants on 506. It is currently sidelined with cracking to the inner copper crown which appears beyond repair. Our expectation is we will need to replace the crown so that will be a little job to keep us busy once 499 is running!! Not sure of the psi, I’ll check on Saturday if I remember!
    

Hope some of you can make it down on Sunday, if you want to try and say hello I’ll be the one running around like a headless chicken muttering ‘I’m a teapot, I’m a teapot……’ "

 

It is going to be a very busy day on the MHR on Sunday with 4 loco's in action during the day; 30506, 41312, 92212 and Class 47 diesel 47579 will all be hauling services on 2nd June:
Timetable details and rededication ceremonies info available here:

https://www.watercressline.co.uk/product.php/132/30506-47579-running

Really looking forward to travelling behind 30506.

 

I assume 506 is facing alton, does the same apply with the 9f and 41312?

All the best
Matt

 

Yep, all facing Alton.

Sent from my D6603 using Tapatalk

 

Thank you!

 

After seeing the above photo of 506 what a shame we don’t still have 1874 in the same livery. A great shame 1874 never run in this livery and only stayed in this livery for a short time before leaving the railway.