Mid Hants Railway Operational Matters

This jubilee is potentially one never to be repeated!

What steam era royal coaches are there currently in operable condition across Britain?

 

Only one i can think of is the LSWR Royal Saloon, that was part of the channel 4 program and i'm not sure if that is really fully operational .

 

Embsay are advertising Afternoon Teas and Champaggin breakfasts on it.

 

There is a 'secondary' Royal Train vehicle in Rewley Road Station at the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre.

https://www.brc-stockbook.co.uk/lnwr_no77.htm

Although I would have thought that it will remain an attraction there. It was still in the operating Royal Fleet until 1966!

(edit: and of course the NRM has no. 76)

 

I have an idea, wouldn't it be good if the queen toured the country, Scotland, Wales and England using the royal train , hauled by engines that were built firstly. The year she was born, the year she became queen, and selected dates there after, ending with Tornado as the most recent steam engine . Ok, it would need Air braked engines, but several are already in ticket, Royal Scot, Tangmere, flying scotsman, Britainia, Clan line , Tornado and several black fives,

 

It'd be lovely. I'm not sure it'd be good for steam preservation though - all that inefficient coal burning... - and it would send a very strong message that the country is about history, not the future. Oh, and FS was built before she was born

 

That's looking great! Amazing how quickly you've got it looking so good compared to how it was when it arrived.

 

There is the ex-bluebell LNWR Semi Royal, in a carpark in Kent.....

 

Please does anyone know which locos are due to be in use tomorrow?

Thanks

 

41312, 80151 and 'Dave' all weekend, I believe.

 

With all this talk about next years Steam gala. Any chance someone in the know could possibly post the dates for next years steam galas.

thanks

 

80151 on the Alton set, and on the Halloween Diner on Saturday night. 41312 on ths Alresford set and 3871 on the Alresford-Ropley shuttle

Wizard Weekend at Alresford 29/10/21 by Stephen Morley, on Flickr

 

Heritage Rail Mag says 29th/30th April....

 

As Ben Jenden has mentioned, a big 45th Anniversary of re-opening Gala is planned for the end of April 2022. Sounds like the MHR are planning quite a number of visiting locomotives going by the news report in the latest Heritage Railway magazine.....

Sent from my XQ-BT52 using Tapatalk

 

They must have been reading this thread and taking notes!

 

Well ain't that just grand!
MHR 45th Anniversary + Platinum Jubilee!
Save the date!

 

Start saving i bet tickets for that won't be cheap, I wonder if any former MHR based locos might return for this gala, I am thinking Erol Lonsdale, and possibly 31806, as 31874 won't be available, It be a good way to put the past behind all those who were involved, and welcome back old faces, assuming enough time has moved on for wounds to heal, Does the Swanage Railway have total control over The Moguls, or would they need the owner to agree to a very short visit, prehaps a mainline visitor thinking along the lines of 35028 , and and if 31806 can be released, a mainline tour double headed with either Tangmere, Or BIL, from Swanage to Alton, via Fratton, with both engines turning on the Guildford, Aldershot, Woking Triangle, before returning to Alton, whilst their train gets hauled over the alps by 53808

 

I'd say Errol Lonsdale is non-starter since its in Belgium and a presumably ritzy pricetag for it to be stuck in Dover just for a few days in Hampshire. 31806 stands a chance if Swanage doesn't immediately need it.

Hate to be the heretic in the room but the Platinum Jubilee only really works if she makes it there and the more recent news has been, Not Good.

 

I'm still working on the video footage I shot at the Autumn Steam Gala early this month and the latest instalment is now on YouTube if anyone would like to have a look:



Hope you like it.

TTFN,

Ron.

 

A few Bulleid Pacific’s wouldn’t go a miss.