Mid Hants Railway Operational Matters

Is it too early for the livery debate?

Tom

 

Deleted

 

Stick a Massey TE-20 on it…they usually come in unlined grey…

 

The latest YouTube video is now available to watch. Great to see what’s happening on Urie S15 499.

 

Does anyone know how long 5239 ‘Goliath’ is staying on the railway? I'd like to try and ride behind it if I can over the summer.

Thanks!

 

It was mentioned earlier in this thread that she is staying for the summer season.

Sent from my XQ-BT52 using Tapatalk

 

Would that also include the autumn gala perhaps?
They are short of engines after all.

 

Yes she is staying for the season. Very enjoyable day on her today.
Nice to see the Druid and the Urie Group with the S15 in steam too

 

Sitting in the garden with a wee dram listening to Goliath departing with the RAT- lots of black smoke drifting. Here's one from earlier this eveningGoliath hauls the RAT by Stephen Morley, on Flickr

 

It were just Muggin's 'ere and his mucker atop the hill yesterday, and for once muggin's didn't have go and see a man about a dog later in the day, but he did need to visit Ropley at some point to pay this years subs to the ULS, which neant handing money over to my Ropley spy......

We knew what we needed to do with the ply end sheets on LMS van M 517317, but before we could make a start it was a case of being 'Pickfords' and moving stuff about so that we had a clean area to work in!

That done, it was a case of concentrating on the country end north side sheet....... the main aims of the day were, to get the opening for the vent grille cut out amd also trial fit the damn thing!........

First job though was to dot bits of marine grade foam on the corrugation, the aim being that once the sheet is bolted on and pulled in, there will be a gap between board and corrugation to aid circulation of air........

That done, it was time to measure up the vent grille and then offer up the ply, resting on noggins to find where we needed to mark out where to cut..........

Before we got any futher, it was time to catch the company transport down to Ropley, pay up my subs and get back to base....... even at early doors for the ULS open day, it was busy with plenty of folks showing an interest in the progress on 499 and the society!

At least my Ropley Spy should be happy that for a change, it wasn't just one man and his dog that turned up........

Back at base at after lunch, muggin's and his mucker bit the bullet and got the ply out of the van and on to saw horses....... marked out the cutting lines...... checked cutting lines..... readjusted cutting lines..... set up a guide...... took a deep breath and took a saw to the ply........

Remember, we only have one chance at this, hence the slow progress, with lots of measuring and conflabs..........

So once the reveal for the vent grille was cut, the ply was carefully manhandled back into the van, and with some trepidation offered up......... and to our utter amazement, it was a perfect fit!!!!

After a celebratory brew, the final job of the day was to first fix the damn thing - the easiest job we've had in the whole process so far!

Now that the first sheet of ply is in place, it means we've fianlly turned a corner into putting this van back together, as now the country end north side cladding can be trial fitted........

Nice to see the trains busy yesterday, and @Stinch was certainly having fun on 5239!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/duty_druid/53017575608/in/dateposted-public/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/duty_druid/53017255789/in/dateposted-public/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/duty_druid/53017576223/in/dateposted-public/

Ply sheet in situ - only three more to go!!!

 

It was good to catch up with you on Saturday for a proper natter @Duty Druid - and to see what the Urie society have achieved - 499 is coming on well!

 

What's happening with 35005 and 75079?
Thought they would be out by now.

 

All in good time with loco restoration's, they are going very quickly with 75079 and 35005 is quite a job. plus no 1, the peckett and general works. There's always a lot going on

They will be outshopped when they are ready and properly

 

A very valid point, but the motive power requirements of the railway also need to be taken into account.

Most railways will have a motive power plan, i.e a target to complete locomotive X by a certain date to replace locomotive Y when it comes out of service. It can sometimes be a moving target, but there is usually a bit morc planning than ‘it will be ready when it’s ready’.

 

And most railways have found such plans thrown in the air by certain events over the last three years...

 

True, so they have to re plan, perhaps bringing in locos on hire instead. But there always a plan of some sort.

 

things are taking longer because of covid, and the knock on problems, such as shortage of people with the skills, required not every person who might want to offer their services has the skills needed to be able to move engines on, theres the costs also, everything is more expensive year on year, 75079 is a Barry restoration, so many things have to be made new, and the time when you could overhaul an engine in 2 years, has long since gone, as more is done each time, to overhaul each time. 35005, the engine mechanically is nearly finished, its the boiler thats holding things up, its needed far more work than first thought,

 

Overhauls take time, a degree of crystal-ball gazing is sometimes necessary to foresee when they are completed. Anything in progress in January 2020 will be 6 to 12 months behind where it was planned to be.
76017 had (I think) 4 years of boiler life and the railway had a reasonable expectation of making use of it. Oh dear!
(Harold Macmillan's quote, about the fate of the best-laid plans: 'Events, dear boy, events' says it all.)
It won't help matters that the boiler ship lost a time-served apprentice to specialist firm a few weeks ago, and the shop foreman has also left.
Pat

 

Posted earlier this morning on the MHR Facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/115894965143355/permalink/6528878270511627/

And for those that can't access it:


Sent from my SM-A528B using Tapatalk

 

And here is Kilmersdon with the first shuttle departing Alresford

Summer Shuttle by Stephen Morley, on Flickr