Mid Hants Railway Operational Matters

Especially when you have a bloody big hill to climb , and 11 mk1's hanging on the draw hook , and you have to dovetail in between scheduled services .

 

Well quite, I think a certain tank engine has a reputation for some rather free running. A certain railway’s footplate crew had a good idea which one could do 100mph rather than the other, so a friend tells me

 

41312 tonight - on a Real Ale Train
(Taken with permission of Station staff and loco crew and I am in possesion of valid PTS)
Mickey Mouse RAT by Stephen Morley, on Flickr

 

OK so it is possible to have a storming run under 25 mph.
I will go back and hide again.

 

Quite. On 18th August 2018, 53808 took 10 for 400 tons up the big hill from Williton to Crowcombe at a steady 26 mph. Now that was indeed a storming run. I have had many runs behind her on the WSRly and also on the SVR and on the MHR. Didn't do too well though on 11th September 2010 when with 5 on for 175 tons it struggled a bit from Alton up to Medstead, just holding 20 mph and priming.
Attached shows 88 on home ground in 1962 at Masbury with the 1032 Nottingham to Bournemouth. 88 is one of my favorite engines and once it starts to work on the MHR there will be many trips up the M3/A31 to boost the takings of our local Heritage line. We have of course also booked for the Gala, Don

 

41312 on the final leg of the afternoon Alton service.
An additional quick shunting operation had just been undertaken to attach the newly out-shopped BY S653 to the Alton rake.

The BY has been co-opt'd into the Real Ale Division running as the socially distance bar allowing a low key trial run of a Covid Safe RAT last night.


Ivatt 2MT 41312 / BY S653 by Tim White, on Flickr

 

The Covid rat , umm can you catch covid from a Rat? apart from being rat arsed

 

Not quite at Masbury, Don. It is approaching Moorewood (between Chilcompton and Binegar) with another 3 miles to go to the summit at Masbury. Lovely picture of the S&D "glory days".

Peter

 

Sounds like a Class 25 tour!

 

well the symptoms are very similar , watering eyes from the exhaust, throbbing headache loss of taste and smell, all you can taste is diesel fumes , and then how long should diesel fans be quarantined for?

 

This was taken on 20th February 1994. Not the best quality I'm afraid.

 

has anyone been this weekend, would like to know how many buses and traction engines are present for this event before travelling on monday
thanks

 

Yes quite right. I had to shorten the caption which originally read ‘climbing to Masbury’. We had walked from Binegar and saw 53810 in the distance whilst doing so.

 

Who knows...
But we were taking every precaution to ensure our RAT was Covid Safe.

 

COVID friendly beer.....

COVID friendly beer by Stephen Morley, on Flickr

 

To quote my favourite U2 song -" Until the End of the World."

 

Jaysus - who turned down the heating outside yesterday?!?!

Seems autumn has arrived early......... I ended up wearing a fleece, Hi Viz jacket and a Beanie, and boy were they needed!!

Just a small gathering atop the hill yesterday, with work concentrating on the repaint of the two plank & the Fergie tractor - small, but significant progress was made on both fronts.

Was good to see the trains full to their Covid limits, with lots of happy customers waving from the windows, with us waving back!

Also nice to see the BY van (C) make it debut on the RAT last night - the staff were warned they were in for a bouncy ride as its just had new dampers fitted & they need to bed in....... I don't think they realised just how bouncy the ride would be!!!

As usual, some pics from the day.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/duty_druid/50286028186/in/dateposted-public/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/duty_druid/50286026056/in/dateposted-public/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/duty_druid/50286178877/in/dateposted-public/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/duty_druid/50286027396/in/dateposted-public/

 

Yes it is completely possible!

When we took 850 to the WSR for running in, I was lucky enough to have a ride on 88 which on the trip I rode on was hauling the on loan Green Train set from Steam Dreams which consisted of load 10 if memory serves me right. The Driver was a chap called Ian, can't remember his surname (I never do!) but he was also a driver at the Bluebell and the Fireman was Colin Henderson of 6024 links. To say the climb up from Bishops Lydeard to Crowcombe was something out of this world was a huge understatement! The sound of 88 was magnificent and it was totally on top of the job. Once we had pulled into Crowcombe station, we all looked at each other with beaming smiles and Ian turned and said "that was pretty good wasn't it!" to which Colin and I whole heartedly agreed. I remember Colin saying to me as well about the fireman's side injector being smaller and it was basically left on the whole time once we had left BL.

The MH have got a great piece of kit which will do a great job for them and will be suited to the line. I look forward to seeing it in action!

 

I think that you'll find that the driver is Ian Wright. <BJ>

https://a4.pbase.com/o6/04/108704/1/109072284.zqtfekNU.BB180208_61.jpg

 

That's him!