Mid Hants Railway Operational Matters

Why they calling it diesel weekend when is only electric engines going to it. Is like steam weekend and getting diesels. This isn’t sensible

 

What happens if a 73 shows up though?

 

My new favourite quote on this matter is "Well technically most diesel locomotives are electric, they just have an onboard powerplant".

Also the homefleet diesels will be in action.

 

Probably just as well the Kitson-Still was scrapped .....

 

So, another Saturday and another gathering of the Saturday gang atop the hill......

Although only four in number, we had what can only be described as a productive day!

Two of our number set to replacing a worn section of the wrap round on LMS van M 517317...... what they thought would be a small section to cut out and replace turned out to grow as the replacement section was offered up, and welded into place, except the weld kept blowing holes in the exisiting body work, due to the steel being worse than we thought! So the desicion was made to cut out nore.....

Elsewhere, we'd heard from the engineering dept that there was possibly as problem with one of the vac cylinders on either the tube or pipe wagon, and could we investigate...... So the pipe was the first to undergo investigation.... no problems were found with the cylinder, so the tube was next in the firing line..... the cylinder and its rolling ring were fine, but when the string was pulled & then let go, the cylinder arm continued to travel, so after another test we ascertained that it was the release valve that was at fault - so after removal, it was found the diaphram was not as it should be - hardly surprising as it basically has just sat there doing nothing for the best part of 10 years!!!

Hopefully a replacement diaphram will be with us in time for next week.......

And before you knew it, one of us had been volunteered to give the tube a long over due bath!! Whilst the other one ventured off to the LMS van to remove the remaining floor planks, derust the chassis, and apply red oxide.

Another one of the corner gusset plates was also examined, and found to be in a good condition, so won't need replacing!

By close of play, the replacement steel section had been fitted to the wrap round, and the weld ground back, the tube looks a damn sight cleaner than it has done for a long time & the chassis is now fully exposed, and almost completly into red oxide - no wonder we all felt knackered, but happy with what we had achieved!!!

The Tube wagon before.



The remains of the LMS van floor destined for the bonfire.



The workings of the cylinder release valve.


The culprit for the valve not doing its job!



The new sections welded into the wrap round.


The remaining section of the chassis derusted and going into red oxide.



The Tube wagon looking much better!!! Though it will need a repaint sometime in the near future.

 

The majority of the traction i.e the homefleet will be diesel..

 

Congratulations due

The Watercress Line announces Queen's Award for Voluntary Service

 

So Thurday dawned bright - yes you heard that right , two of us had already decided that they didn't want to join the madding crowds or get stuck going nowhere fast in trafic jams!!! The rest of the Saturday gang already had other plans......

And so after breakfast, a brew and a catch up, it was on with the days jobs.......

First up was to undercoat the London end buffer pockets on LMS van M 517317, so that they could be glossed later in the day, after that it was a quick measure up to work out what lengths of angle iron we need to replace on the north side.

After that it was time to set up a production line so that as many as possible of the recovered planks from the wagon could be sanded back... its a bigger job than you think, and is going to take a lot longer than we thought!!!

One of us started the task of de-nailing the damn things, the other finding planks that didn't need to be, and so started sanding back the years of weathering on one side and paint on the other - neither of us could decide who'd drawn the short straw!!!

After lunch, during which we heard the news of the Queen's award , it was time to apply black gloss to the buffer pockets, so that the buffers could be refitted on Saturday....

That done, it was time to get cracking with two sanders on the large pile of planks now awaiting sanding.......

By the end of the day, we'd managed to sand back two dozen of the bloody things - no mean feat given the amount of weathering & layers of paint!!!

And so on to Saturday.....

Our number increased by one, and the weather was more autumn than summer......

After a catch up and brew, we set to.

First on the to do list was to refit the buffers and keeps, along with new split pins, after this was done, we split three ways, one on drilling out old rivets from gusset plates...... after blunting various drill bits, along with broken ones, by the end of the day all eight were out!

Another was engaged with paint removal from the London end vent plate, so that some repairs can be carried out in the near future, next was scrapping off paint from the central section of the chassis, and bring it up to grey undercoat, along with the London end corrugation, 95% of which was done as he ran out of paint!

Muggins 'ere, found himself on sanding duties and making in roads into the pile of planks that were de-nailed on Thursday........

This van is turning to be one of those, where if certain things aren't done, then the rest won't fall into place!

The buffer pockets in to gloss ready for the bufffers to go back in.


Planks awaiting de-nailing.



The meagre pile of sanded planks, part way through the day.



The ever growing pile of planks awaiting sanding......



The buffers back in their pockets.


Chassis and London end corrugation almost all into undercoat.

 

I've just posted in the 'Thief Watch' section. The scrotes have paid Ropley a visit!
Pat

 

Thanks, I was about to post the item from facebook here.

Neil

 

Not shown on theft watch as at 1735 08/06/22. Last entry eas about the East Kent Railway.
You might want to try and post again Pat.

 

It is showing as waiting moderation. So, just to speed the plough (as it were) I have pasted the following:

"This is a plea for help to track down our precious vintage signs that were stolen from Ropley over the weekend of 4th-5th June. These were authentic advertisements which were commonly displayed around Britain’s railways. As well as being moderately valuable in their own right, their value to the Watercress Line is much greater as they form an important part of our heritage visitor and educational experience.

Please can you help us by sharing this far and wide in the hope that someone may be able to identify them and help them find their way home. It is likely that they may be offered for sale in the near future, either through eBay or specific railway auction sites so please keep a look out for these distinctive items."

A picture is attached.
Pat

 

Anyone know what the timetable will be for the Summer Sizzler event? Also might 88 be running? Going for my Father's Day treat and would love a ride behind the mighty 7F before her ticket expires - is she still due to be withdrawn this winter? #ratherhavea7f

 

Here's some happier MHR news

Just had the email come through confirming a Freightliner Class 66 for the gala. Yes that is a DIESEL-electric locomotive.

 

Thanks.
Pat

 

Sorry to hear about that Pat.
Hope you did not lose one of my favourite advertising signs at a HR

 

The RAT is back!!!

Thought I would plug this here as it's hidden under the Dining Experience section. This was only announced to us volunteers a couple of days ago, and is now up on the Website.

https://watercressline.co.uk/rat-real-ale-train/

After a fairly long pause for C***D reasons, The Watercress Line are re-starting the RAT \o/ on the 9th June.
Gutted that I'm not gong to be able to get to the them until September.

 

And so another Saturday dawned well before three hardy souls of the Saturday gang gathered atop the hill to do battle with the troublesome trucks....

After a brew, breakfast and a catch up it was time to get on with the day - first on the agenda was to look at what was what with LMS van M517317, and to work out the best way to do some steel work repairs, as well as just how we're going to go about putting it back together - chicken & egg springs to mind!

After that we set to with our respective tasks.

One on painting duties finished off undercoating the chassis and then cracked on with the black gloss.

T'other busied himself with making good the steel patch repairs with fillermand bringing it into line with the existing, then it was out with the magic putty we used to good effect on the GPV, to sort out a couple of areas of corrosion on one of the north side uprights.

Muggins here remembered he had to retrieve the diaphragm for the vac cylinder release valve on the tube wagon that the engineering manager had left in a 'safe'place during the week..... item found and then put in the workshop PMV for safe keeping, so with any luck the release vlave should be back on the wagon next week as we lost one of the studs in the 4' when we took it off & its replacement is currently in me mates air conditioned home workshop in Darzet.......

After that it was on with more sanding of planks........ a thankless task, but one that needs doing & there's a lot of them!!!

In the afternoon we noticed the PWay were up to something near our paint store, turns out they were hacking back the ivy that was starting to engulf it, so thanks chaps, you did a great job!

By close of play, the London end section of the chassis was into black gloss, the steel repairs were done, and a dozen planks had been sanded back.

Some picks of the days trains.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/duty_druid/52139697617/in/dateposted-public/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/duty_druid/52140719026/in/dateposted-public/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/duty_druid/52140955769/in/dateposted-public/

The steel repairs bought into line with filler.


The magic putty put to good use.



London end section of the chassis into black gloss.

 

My dad went again today, but again wondered why the 12:30 and 13:30 from Alresford spend so long at Ropley. I said I had no idea, although last year I thought it was Covid related to allow people to use the picnic area, is that still the case?