Mid Hants Railway Operational Matters

Nick and so it was! I tend to get on ok with almost any weather conditions and some days that comes out fine and other days it doesn't.

Today was a dull, cold, damp and murky February day - and it was one of those days when I reckon I came out very well with what I did. I'll post some photos tomorrow.

I manged a trip from Medstead to Alton and back behind 34072 - with what were probably the route discs that would have been used when the up and/or down mail trains would have been diverted over the Alps during electrification work. ie Waterloo to/from Southampton Terminus. A quick search shows that 73169 could have had those route discs on 13 August 1966 when I was on the down mail (22.35 Waterloo). 11 vehicles for 350 tons gross, 17 mph minimum on the climb up from Alton and 62 mph maximum down the other side.

Thanks again Nick. I may come down again on 23 February when the two train service is next shown as running - hopefully with 30506 and 34072 again.

Bryan

 

As promised elsewhere, or was it a threat , some photos from the deep gloom of yesterday. Deep gloom being the weather, not the lovely day long steam activity, with a Red Kite joining in on the penultimate photo.

Not a day for close up photos of gleaming steam locomotives. But one for attempting to catch the clag and action.

Bryan

 

Meh!

It were a cold, dank day atop the hill yesterday - when isn't it at the moment?........

After a prolonged breakfast, those gathered reluctantly left the warmth of the mess room and ventured down the yard to carry on battling the troublesome trucks.......

Three of the lads spent the morning sorting out and adjusting the brake blocks on the steel highfit, a fiddly job. but one that needs doing & doing right, so there was no rush....... after lunch, wagon exams were on the menu for them...... two PalVans were due their six monthly's...... one is under a tarp in the yard & the other is up at Alton - so bang went that idea, but a quick recheck of the list showed that PresFlo PF 29 would be due soon, so off they trundled to do the exam.

That left Muggin's 'Ere & me two Muckers to carry on with odd jobs on the LMS van...... first up was setting up the heaters in the CCT to warm through the new south side door and roof hoops.....

Whilst things were warming up, the brackets for the vac pipes were trial fitted...... strangely, one bracket fits both, but the other doesn't - at least we know we've the right one on each pipe, and also that both will need packers, but as yet we haven't decided what the packers will be made from, as they will have to be durable!

After that, some side bolts to some of the steel roof hoops were fitted, a fiddly job but simple enough.

The afternoon was spent sanding back the inside of the new door and the roof hoops, and getting the door into the agreed paint scheme, and the hoops into undercoat, and given the cold outside, we were quite happy to be in the warmth for a change!

A mish mash of pics from yesterday & the charter........

https://www.flickr.com/photos/duty_druid/54331464235/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/duty_druid/54330169402/in/photostream/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/duty_druid/54331283113/in/photostream/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/duty_druid/54331464840/in/photostream/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/duty_druid/54331481685/in/photostream/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/duty_druid/54330168732/in/photostream/

Brake blocks set on the steel highfit.



the internal face of the new south side door for the LMS van in first gloss.

 

Shots of a Bulleid on a 3 coach train really give a vibe of the kind of stuff you might seen on the old Withered Arm - no idea if the headcode matches though!

 

From https://sremg.org.uk/headcodes/sheadcodes/04.html

Amongst others, it’s a correct code for Waterloo to Southampton via Alton.

Tom

 

@Jamessquared Tom, I'm not sure if it was used for trains from London that went via Alton to/through Southampton Central before and after the Terminus station shut in September 1966. I very much hope it did as I had unrebuilt 34019 on the 16.30 Waterloo -Bournemouth train in May 1966 over the Alps, 10 cars for 360 tons loaded; 13 mph at the summit and 64 mph down the other side. That was with Bournemouth driver French and a pilotman from Woking, presumably to Winchester. I think my down mail run as below, and the up mail back that night behind 73018, were the only times I would certainly have had that headcode, unless it did apply to trains over the Alps to Southampton Central and beyond.

As far as I am aware the down and up mail trains were the only regular public timetabled steam hauled trains from Waterloo that used Southampton Terminus during the 1960s when I was timing trains on that general route. Others, not in the public timetable, would have been the Ocean Liner Expresses that went via Northam.

Anyway, I've now got photos of 4-6-0 30506 with that code, giving me a reason to post a photo of that loco with the correct headcode next to my timing log of 4-6-0 73169 and the untimed run back behind 73018 when I get to that stage of my SR Steam loco memoirs book. And I'll put a photo of unrebuilt 34072 with that headcode next to the unrebuilt 34019 timing log with an appropriate note! I'll have to make a modest donation to the Mid-Hants Railway in the morning for them using those codes on Saturday. .

 

I think it was a long-standing head signal. No. 9 in 1917* ; No 10 in 1921. Previously the chimney disc had been a diamond. After 1937 it would have become a rare sight at Waterloo as the 'juice' did away with most through services.

* - Waterloo and Twickenham, via Barnes;
Waterloo and Shepperton, via Twickenham;
Brentford and Brent, via Chiswick Junction;
Waterloo or Nine Elms and Southampton Docks, via Alton;
Salisbury and Bournemouth West, via Wimborne;
Fareham and Gosport;
Ballast Trains to Meldon Quarry from Newton St Cyres and stations west therof.

Southampton Docks would refer to either the terminus station or the actual docks (today's Eastern Docks). All of which reads like an elegy for the railway we once had.

Pat

 

And so, another Saturday dawned atop the hill, and after a good breakfast and catch up, the five like minded nutters who had gathered, set off down the yard to battle with the troublesome trucks........

Me Mucker & two others set to with prep work for getting the new south side door for the LMS van out of the CCT...... just as well Muggin's 'Ere & me Mucker had checked over the Xmas period that it was possible without having to hack the thing in two!!!

That left Muggin's 'Ere & me Oppo to have a trundle down to Bennett's to check over the Shock open & Pipe wagons following reports of problems with the brakes........ we knew that the brakes and rigging themselves are in good order, so that led us straight to the vac cylinders..... we have rudimentary test, that Heath Robinson would be proud of! , that told us all we needed to know - the rolling rings aren't in good order, so both cylinders will have to come off for overhaul, which given the last time they were possibly done, is of no surprise!

In the meantime, we can isolate the vac cylinders, so that they can run as through piped & therefore keep them operational until such time as they can come into the yard.......

So, after that Muggin's 'Ere went to help me Mucker & the lads try and get the north side door off the south side, where it's been for quite awhile, whilst me Oppo went and checked the fine tuning on the brakes of the steel highfit....... to say that the door was proving stubborn to remove is an understatement, as it solidly refusing to budgepast a certain pinch point! So after using a scissor jack & blocks of wood, it was a case of brute force & ignorance using a block of wood to physically bash the damn thing past that point & once clear, it was running free, and with careful handling, off the runner & on the deack in readiness to go back to its proper home on the north side!

After lunch, the south side door was attendended to, insomuch as, getting the rollers positioned & fitted in readiness to lift into position, but first the north side door was manhandled round the van, and scaffolding set up, so that the damn thing could be raised with te aid of a strop and guided into position....... yuo kind of forget just how heavy the damn thing is with all the ironmongery attached!!

But that said, once it was up on its runner, it was tested several times to make sure that it ran freely & importantly closed, with the latch securing it - which it did each & every time!

Next job, once energy levels had been restored after a brew, it was time to get the south side door on to the van....... just fitting the two rollers had increased its weight by a considerable amount! But, it proved a damn sight eaiser to get up and on to the van than the north side door BUT, it's going to need some serious fettling before its properly in its new home, but that's a job for next week, along with isolating vac cylinders........

Progress, dear reader can sometimes be measured differently depending upon your point of view........ some may see yesterday's as being very little, but to those invloved in actually getting the van back into traffic, it was a major step forward, even though we 'only' hung two doors........ but its the first ime in three years that the van had acutally had two doors!!!

Strange to think that three years ago, when we first took this project on, Me Oppo reckoned we'd have it back in traffic within six months......... until we opened a can of worms - it looks like we got to it just in time before it would've been deeemed an absolute basket case.......... but the same was said of the Gunpowder van & just look what we achieved with that one!!!!!

It was nice to see 506 out to play yesterday with well filled trains & driven by a good friend who passed out as a driver last weekend, but given what we up to, I don't think the other lads would've taken kindly to me buggering off & leaving them in limbo whilst I took pics..........

The North side door back in its rightful home.



The new south side door where it should be for the first time.

 

Photos have surfaced of 35005 in steam in Ropley yard - exciting stuff!

 

It's good to see 35005 in steam again after so many years. Photograph thanks to Jason Shrubb <BJ>

 

With any luck one day the railway may have the following all in steam on Ropley MPD 35005 34007 and 34058. That would be something to look forward too.

 

and maybe even 34105 if issues can be resolved?

 

Well that depends on whether there is still ongoing dialogue between the two parties involved. The last time I heard something from someone close to the disputing party a couple of years ago, it seemed like they were poles apart on the way forward.

 

Just to put the icing on the top. Wouldn’t it be great if 33001 was back in action again and 35011 was restored to unrebuilt and in steam. That would be a sight to behold. That would be a Bulleid gala to attend. I can only dream.

 

Euromillions is £32m tomorrow night…

 

I only ever seem to get two numbers and get a free go. Maybe one day my numbers will come in.

 

This year will be the first time in preservation that four Merchant Navy Pacifics have been in ticket at the same time; 35005, 35006, 35018 & 35028. I wonder if they could meet up somewhere as part of the Railway 200 events (Watercress Line Autumn Gala perhaps?)

I wonder if the NRM would swap 33001 for 850?
Not sure which loco would require the most work to get it back in action though. 850 suffered some boiler problems during her last period of operation.

Sent from my XQ-BT52 using Tapatalk

 

My understanding is that the cylinder block of C1 is life expired. The Bluebell was willing to fund casting and fitting a new cylinder block as part of an overhaul, but only in exchange for a long lease (25 years I think) so that they could get proper value from what would be a very costly repair. The NRM said no to the long lease, so the new cylinders didn't happen. No doubt any attempt by the MHR to overhaul the loco would require similar questions to be explored; the cylinders won't have magically repaired themselves in York ...

Tom

 

From what I remember hearing the reverse osmosis treated water on the MNR settled 850's boiler down. ( There were problems in the first few months on mainline operation.) The boiler should be in comparatively good condition after the heavy rebuilding undertaken by Pridhams at Tavistock.

Cheers, Neil