Mid Hants Railway Operational Matters

The Steam Dreams trip above was on 2nd October 2014. http://www.uksteam.info/tours/t14/t1002a.htm
The round trip over the Bluebell from Kingscote behind 847 was the undoubted highlight of the day. Probably the best run I have had over the Bluebell. For the return section from Sheffield Park back to Kingscote my Dad and I were in the first coach behind the S15. What a noise she made! Unfortunately the Main Line run with 34046 was a rather dull trundle around the suburbs most of the time. Things livened up a bit on the return ML run when the lights in our carriage decided to explode with a rather large bang.

 

IIRC the railway held a Gala in 2002 where the locos took turns hauling 9 carriages from the Green train set. I remember travelling behind 6024, 34016 and 92212 on the 9 coach set. It caused a bit of a headache with shunting though from what I remember.

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Yes - remember that. Lot's of "shunt release" at Alresford and Alton as the loops are not long enough t run round. They also did it the previous year with 34016, 35005 and 92212. I don't think it has been repeated, partly I suspect as there isn't enough stock now

 

I can remember when 70000 visited on a rail tour, and on the return run from Alresford, it was decided to pilot the tour with 30506,to Alton, so 70000 and 30506 on 12 mk 1s, I don't know if it was by design, but the crew on 70000 decided to let 506 do most of the work, and the sheer noise that it made was out of this world, she just plodded through ropley station, non stop, not just with the weight of the train, but with the brit, not doing much, if anything, we heard her cut off entering Medstead from Ropley, I can remember a chat with the BR examiner, when he offered to accept 506 for mainline running, if the engine was fitted with AWS,

 

The loop at Alresford is now plenty long enough. The stock has been an issue, but that picture is improving too.

 

35005 has also hauled 9 over the MHR before when a ML charter visited the 2007 End of SR Steam Gala. Bob Deeth driving her. Can Pac running as 35008 on this occasion (not my video):


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Way back in 2008 two class 73s arrived with a rail tour on to the MHR and was banked up from Alton with 33208. From memory the rail tour consisted of two class 73 and a mix of eleven mk1’s and Mk2’s plus 33208 was added on to the rear of the tour for the MHR section of the tour. I’ve put a link to Dave Franklin’s photo site of the rail tour near Stable lane bridge on the incoming part of the tour.

https://www.nightrail.photography/Latest-Uploads/Class/Class-73s/i-8vcmG6X/A

 

I remember that... a very warm day in February or poss March. We were out for a walk as a family and saw this from the path running up from Bighton Lan bridge heading towards Bighton Bottom

 

Alton loco today

 

So another Saturday dawned atop the hill, and the five hardy souls who braved the chill were wondering if the weather forecast would prove to be correct, and the low cloud clear to bring sun and warmth........

Thankfully it did, but until the afternoon!!

So after the usuak morning ritual, it was time to progress things with LMS van M517317........ Three of the lads had the job of fettling the north side exterior longitudinal so that it would sit properly in its new home...... this kept them busy for the day with a lot of head scratching, trial fitting, cautious tweaking, and polling in of uprights.......

Elsewhere, muggin's 'ere and his mucker were able to start sorting out the internal faces of the ply end sheets....... we don't want them looking like ply, but to fit in with the rest of the van, as the ends were originally timber clad - you'd think creating T&G end panels would be a straight forward job, but not on this one! Cue looking inside the LMS van parked next to our charge - no help whatsoever, as it was like looking down a mine & the light we had was useless!

Luckily muugin's 'ere decided to have a shufty through pics on his phone, and thankfully discovered he'd actually managed to take some pics of the original timber cladding in place! After some consultation, and head scratching a way forward was woked out, and by close of play the two country end sheets were replete with T&G effect!

@Stinch, it were good to see you, and have a brief catch up!

Some pics of the steamy going's on.......

https://www.flickr.com/photos/duty_druid/52896561952/in/dateposted-public/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/duty_druid/52896563132/in/dateposted-public/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/duty_druid/52897132351/in/dateposted-public/

The exterior longitudinal & door runner fettled and temporarily bolted into place - ther's still a little bit of fettling to be done.


The interior beam being shown up - it fits as it should!



An artists impression of how the two interior ends will look..........

 

Is it? At the recent steam gala they managed to put together 3 rakes of stock but this included 3 First Opens, at least 2 of which came from the dining set I think, and seemed so short of brake vehicles that they had to use 2 luggage vans. So how is the picture improving?

 

Because at one point there were only 6 operational carriages. The dining set has been being used as a 3rd set for a long time.

 

A cracking day on this old lady today.

 

The view from the other end was just as good I feel

 

For those of a diesel persuasion, 47579 is booked to work the Alton diagram tomorrow (20th). In addition 47579+20188 will be working top and tailed on The Watercress Festival shuttle on Sunday!

 

It were just muggin's 'ere amd his mucker atop the hill yesterday......

We knew what we had to do, so cracked on with the ply sheets for LMS van M517317....... fisrt up was to apply the T&G effect to the remaining two sheets, and then clear the snots from every single groove to make them look effective..... everything we do to these lumps is straightforward, but also time consuming, to the extent that the day runs runs away with you!

Over lunch it transpired that matey had celebrated another 21st birthday, so muggin's, just lke Baldrick, came up with a cunning plan....... namely, get the sheets into primer, and then instead of waiting for paint to dry, go for a bit of a jolly behind 506........

The incentive worked, and we found ourselves on the down platform - a packed train finally arrived, full of wedding guests rolled in, all headed for Ropley!

Cue an extended stop at Ropley as they de-trained - down at Alresford 08 288 was ticking over in the cattle dock waiting to get back into the platform for a shunters course...... and in the box was @Nick C with who 'pleasntries' were exchanged Good to see you again - it's been awhile!

On the return to base, at the Ropley water stop, the final part of my cunning plan came into play....... matey didn't know thta I'd cleared it with the Ops Manager for him to have, as it turned out, his first ever footplate ride!!!

He came off the footplate at Medstead grinning like a Cheshire !! Happy Birthday mate, it was the least I could to for you!

Back in the yard, the paint had gone off, so the sheets were stowed back in the van to cure over the next week, then it was time to head for home and cure raging thirsts with a liquid libation of choice.......

It was good to see the trains well patronised, as well as 47 579 carrying a small tribute to James Nighthall, with the SPL 101 disc code, as the 20th May would've been his 101st birthday.

Some pics from a day of mixed traction...... can't see the point of posting a pic of ply sheets basking in the sun....... though I am still waiting for my Ropley Spy to send me his latest ramblings....... wonder what his excuses will be this time?........

https://www.flickr.com/photos/duty_druid/52914449055/in/dateposted-public/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/duty_druid/52914066851/in/dateposted-public/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/duty_druid/52914066496/in/dateposted-public/

 

What is the current status of 53808,
Know shes getting tired, But have heard a couple of rumours, but not seen anything concreate.

 

Mechanically very tired. Available for use, but as last preference I believe.

 

Apologies dear reader for the late running of this post, this is due to muggin's 'ere sleeping most of Sunday!!! Makes a change leafs on the line I supose.......

Any road, Saturday saw five like minded souls gather atop the hill - it proved to be a steady day as when the sun finally came out, so did the heat & conserving energy along with plenty of breaks for a brew were the order of the day!

Jobs tackled were, more fettling on the north side longitudinal beam ibcluding rebates to take the cladding planks, as well as fit snuggly - there's still more to be done before its finally ready for painting!

The three new gusset plates that have been on the 'to do' list for a while were finally bought up to second undercoat & first gloss - these can now be refitted and bolted into place - various bits of ironmongery for the south side door were also bought up to second undercoat, so they can be fitted when the door is finallt constructed.

Else where, the ply end boards were given two coats of undercoat in preparation for trial fitting so that the openings for the vents can be cut out....... following that, the requisite number of cladding planks for one section of the van were laid out along the 4' in road #2 and prepped both sides with primer.

It was good to see the trains full of families taking a trip to Alton on the first day of DOWT!

The two loco's doing the honours........

https://www.flickr.com/photos/duty_druid/52934767288/in/dateposted-public/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/duty_druid/52934471299/in/dateposted-public/

Sorry, no picks of this weeks progress - completely forgot!

 

And so another Saturday dawned atop the hill, and four nutters gathered to progress things with LMS van M517317......

We are acutely aware of things that need to be done before other things can be fitted, but if we don't fettle thse bits first, then the other bits won't get done...... its all a bit 'chicken & egg' at the moment!

So to that end, a job that's been on the to-do list was progressed....... namely taking back the north side uprights and angle irons back to bare, so that the cladding planks can be fitted, and the longitudinal beams fettled to accommodate the cladding....... now you can see where we're coming from!!!

Along with taking the steel back to bare, the various parts of metalwork, prepped last week, were bought up to first gloss, and another section of cladding planks were primed.meaning that once they're into undercoat, they can be trial fitted - they can't be final fitted until miggin's 'ere and his mucker have finished the end cladding.........

By the end of what turned out to be a very hot day, all we'd set out to do have been done!

Nice to see 506 and the 52xx out to play as well - some pics pf the support acts to No.1......

https://www.flickr.com/photos/duty_druid/52950238180/in/dateposted-public/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/duty_druid/52949262292/in/dateposted-public/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/duty_druid/52950310663/in/dateposted-public/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/duty_druid/52950310503/in/dateposted-public/

Moving forward to next weekend........ something that is well worth attending...... the vintage vehicle weekend - its always fun, and there's something for everyone. https://watercressline.co.uk/vintage-vehicles/ Its an event that deserves to grow, and knowing both the guys, who are both volunteers, and knowing the work they've put into it, I know they'd be pleased to see you! Plus the Saturday evening's entertainment is well worth it - been a long time since I've had a good old sing along on a Saturday night in the pub & Dr Busker fits the bill perfectly!!!

The various lumps of metalwork now into first gloss....



The north side uprights and angle irons taken back to bare and into red oxide - we'll have ot all to do again on the south side!!!