Mid Hants Railway Operational Matters

Looking on the mhr web site there’s a link to the latest copy of mhr news winter 2020/21. For a limited time only.



https://www.watercressline.co.uk/

 

Middle Son (12) hasnt been near a barber for several months so I showed him the picture of the signalman looking out from Medstead Box on P25 & suggested that its a job for him.

 

Great to read about 34058 in the latest issue of MHR News. With any luck it won’t be to long before 34058 moves up to Ropley. With the spring gala only around eleven weeks away. Any chance it will be moved to Ropley so visitors will be able to see the loco. Could be a great way to increase greater awareness of the loco. Just to show everyone how good a rebuilt light pacific looks on the MHR. I’ve posted this link of 34016 Bodmin taken way back in 2005 by a great friend of mind Dave Franklin.

https://www.nightrail.photography/Preserved-Steam/Scanned-Transparencies/i-WHt2ScR/A

 

If the Spring Gala goes ahead, there will certainly be a stand raising funds for 34058. If you attend the Gala, please visit the stand and buy something and help raise the profile of 34058 "Sir Frederick Pile". I think that the Mid-Hants Railway, without a Bulleid Pacific, of some description in traffic, is a bit disappointing.

 

As the Winter issue of the Mid Hants News 2020/21 is on line now, has anyone received their copy in the post or is it not out yet?

 

The email I received said "Due to the continued Covid-19 situation, we are sending out the latest edition of the MID-HANTS News magazine in this email, instead of posting a hard copy", which suggests to me that there won't be a hard copy.

 

Deltic, Baldbazza, current plans are for Mid Hants News 176 (the one currently on the website) and 177 to be sent out as hard copies together, in one envelope, at the end of April or beginning of May. The issue is availability of volunteers to put the magazine in envelopes and frank them. As only safety critical maintenance volunteering is allowed during the current lockdown, envelope stuffing has not been possible for 176. Hard copies will be printed and distributed, its just the timescale which is in the lap of the gods at the moment.

 

Many thanks for the update

 

It's great to see such interest in 34058, but we have to manage expectations and I'm afraid that the loco will not be moving to Ropley or anywhere else in the foreseeable future. With a significant number of suspension parts either missing or broken on the bogie and back truck, the risk of derailment would be very high indeed and I'm sure no-one would want to see the locomotive or indeed the infrastructure of the line damaged. We are aware of Sir Fred's issues and intend to take steps to rectify these when the opportunity arises.

Whilst we made good progress in conserving the loco last summer, further working parties seem a long way off at the moment, though I am really looking forward to re-convening the team and continuing our work when it's safe to do so.
If you are interested in the unrestored ex-Barry locos on the Mid Hants (and who wouldn't be?) I can recommend the Friends of 80150 Facebook group which also posts progress reports on 34058 from time to time.

 

Is the Facebook group a closed group which requires people to join or is it open to anyone to view. If it’s a closed group is there any chance you could make the group page open to everyone to read and can you post a link. I only ask because I’m not a Facebook member.

thanks

 

What you're asking for isn't possible:
https://www.facebook.com/help/220336891328465

 

If the group is made public then anyone could see it which is what @73129 has asked for.

 

Hi Keith

Cheers for posting. That’s what I was trying to say in a roundabout way.

thanks

 

Alternatively, join Facebook and then join the group.
It seems to work well enough that way and allows the admins to ensure it's not spammed / abused.
I honestly don't see why something that works needs to be changed to suit others who choose not to join and contribute to the group.

Yes, I know someone will witter on about not wanting FB to have all their private info.
But they only get what you chose to share, and if you use the incognito option in your browser the session is removed after you exit (including any tracking cookies which, oh, let me see. yes this page seems to load/read about 8 tracking cookies, including one for facebook (according to the cookies section of the storage tab of mozilla's web development tools)).

 

The Facebook page should be treated has a shop window for both loco’s . Making the Facebook page private May reduce the chance someone knowing what’s happening with both projects and in turn could reduce the chance someone donating money towards 34058/80150 or wanting to become a volunteer and helping out on 80150/34058

 

I would agree with you if the page were run by the mid hants railway as an official page.
However it isn't. It's an informal group.
(And by the way, I am nothing to do with the ownership or running of the page, so what I think matters not in the slightest).

But by your logic, if I created a page called friends of 73129, and the members of the page used to discuss the loco, you would demand it were made a public group?

 

If the group was looking for donations (which I believe the 80150 group have done/currently are), then yes it should be made open.
I'm not sure I follow your logic that the group needs to be closed just because it's not an official MHR page? It just needs to have a disclaimer at the top of the page (which it does already) to state this.
This is a group that had a spread in HR magazine recently, have made at least one video to show their work (supported by the MHR), and Martin Orford was described as 'project leader' in the video, so maybe they're not quite as informal as you might think?

Sorry to beat the drum on this, it's one of my pet hates about the preservation world:
Please give us money for project X.
Can you tell me about the project or send me updates?
No, just give us your money, it's our project.
Or
I know what's happening with project Y
What's happening?
Can't tell you.

Drives me insane!

 

Maybe cause open pages are more likely to get hacked? The North Staffordshire Railway Carriage People got hacked last month.

 

That would possibly be fair if the only way the group communicated was through their Facebook page, but it isnt.

Sent from my SM-A405FN using Tapatalk

 

I think the question is 'what is the purpose of the page' is it a medium for group members to communicate with one another without the expense of a website, ie 'please can you bring some more degreaser and tea bags' or maintaining an email list etc, or is it the 'public face' of the group. If it is the former then it makes sense to keep it closed. If it is the latter then it makes sense to keep it open.

The obvious place for a 'this is the project we would like your donations' would be a page on the MHR website. I have looked on the MHR page and although I can find something about the locos, I am struggling to find something about the groups.