Mid Hants Railway Operational Matters

The MHR does seem to be short of locos these days, but aren't they reassembling 92212 following overhaul - is that a possible replacement for 41312?

 

92212 is:
a) a long way from being finished;
b) a contract job for Mr Hosking;
c) no idea what his plan for it is.
Pat

 

I think 75079 is more likely to be completed first. Perhaps sometime in 2027. In the latest Ropley round up on the Watercress Line film units, In the loop series on YouTube. Will gives an up to date progress report.
It appears the boiler is now coming on well and the firebox rebuild is progressing nicely. Although there is still a way to go.

I for one are really looking forward to its completion, it has been a long time coming. I remember seeing it regularly in its early preservation days at the Plym Valley Railway in the 1980's. One volunteer I spoke to at the time optimistically expected it to be running down there in about 3 to 4 years! Incidentally they'd only just started restoring 34007 then.

 

I would probably also suspect that once 75079 is up and running it'll probably be the loco out the most frequently. Good size for the line, regardless of the service, cheaper to run I would expect then some of the other locos on the line and if it's just come out of a major overhaul it'll be in good shape.

 

Hopefully thos isn't too "political" a question, but why has the MHR found itself short of locos as traditionally Ropley has been a good "churner outer" of overhauls? Have the current / recent ones just taken longer than planned?

 

I would put it down to mainly Can Pac being such a huge undertaking and probably took up more time then expected and then Covid. It really set alot of Railways back, Mid Hants is no exception.

 

Ok, so how many steam engines are fit to run on the MHR?

 

Five:
35005 CanPac
30506
41312 (until end of the year)
Dave
Kilmersden

 

We also "lost" a couple of operational locos when 31806 and 76017 were taken away from the railway by the owners.