MHR Restorations and Overhauls

anyone know what's going on with 30499?

 

Follow the link http://www.watercressline.co.uk/News/Loco/View/426

 

Have a look at the MHR website Locomotives News blog. There has been a post about 30499/30506 today.

 

Посмотреть вложение 2255 The Goods working this weekend was with 73096 into its last few months of use .Grotty weather but the train looked great as usual and with 3 or 4 more wagons due into it in the next few months a different looking train will appear.
The rest of the days pics are here with a few more to add this evening . Well done Chris and the boys (thanks also for not running the Presflow!)
http://lineside.photos.preserved.fotopic.net/c1946840.html

 

Thanks for that David, a nice collection of Pics and nice to see it at M&FM, the home of the wagon group. Role on the next one and 31806 at the head of it!

Mark

 

Great pictures David. I chickened out from coming down as I got a soaking (From the rain!) whilst washing my car in the morning. It stayed very foul for the rest of the day so I didn't bother heading out. Even though 73096 is my favourite I would have come down for 31806 as I have loads of pics of 73096 on the freight. Lets hope the weather is good for the Gala.

 

When 31806 does make its out it will be nice to see it with the 3500 gallon loan tender for a short time as it will revert back to the rave sided 4000 gallon one when that returns from The Flour Mill and has been painted.
So make the most of it whilst its like it now. David

 

I think 73096 looks stunning in green, they should use that colour on more loco's! :evil: :nod: :tea: arty:

Go green for 2011!

 

Of course there is the issue with 73096 as its Henry on the Thomas events! Will we see the Black 5 painted bright green as Henry is a Black 5 I wonder .....Ducks and Runs for cover...

 

Lots going on at Ropley yesterday - where to start....? Day one of the new building project and the contractors have already made major inroads into clearing the site in front of the shed. The U class is having a few minor tweaks before going into service and Nellie is coming back together nicely - fingers crossed she can finally realise her full potential now. Swanage and 75079 are now in the shed and work has started on both, whilst the Standard Mogul is coming on in leaps and bounds.
There's a real air of optimism and positivity about the place which is incredibly infectious; so many midweek volunteers turning up on some days that the messroom has had to be extended.
If you haven't been to the Mid Hants for a while then it's a "must visit" this year because there is just so much good stuff going on.

 

Just looking on the Urie Society's first update - is the tender on the frames back to front, or were the frames altered in their post-locomotive service and yet to be restored to having buffers at one end only?

I'm interested in 850 Lord Nelson - it's reliability since overhaul hasn't been very good, undeniably (not pointing the finger at anyone at all) - I was wondering, what various problems have there been?

 

Going by the comments at last years AGM there were rather a lot! The MHR didn't go into detail though.

 

Looking back at all the blogs, it would appear that Nellies first problems were with the boiler. Once that had been fixed other problems appeared mehanically, and rather than just fix as problems came up , it was decided I think to resolve what was needed once and for all for this boiler ticket.

Looking forward to seeing her in traffic again.

Regards
Chris:

 

The tender chassis was used as a test bed for Hampshire unit engines in the test house at Eastleigh Works after overhaul, so it has buffers both ends which for the time being is fine as its then mobile for ease of shunting .. Im sure the Urie group know which end is which !.

 

The S15 was a handsome beast without its smoke deflectors, I have to say.

 

Regarding 925 Cheltenham, the MHR Eastleigh team have reached another milestone today, read all about it in Blog 14.

Cheltenham Blog (no. 14) has been sent in, and will probably be posted tomorrow.

 

I offered to spend much of the day in the boiler shop on Wednesday, and was put to work scraping out scale from 925 Cheltenhams firebox - between the inner and outer sides, accumulated in a tightly packed wad on the foundation ring. It took a bit of freeing but I finished the day with about 3/4 of a bucket full. Its hard to see if there wasn't some more matted together up amongst the stays, so there may be more to come. I'm an absolute novice in these matters but it did look to be in very good condition.

Some of the Wednesday gang were engaged in dismantling the sump from 34105 Swanage and removing various bits from the smokebox area, whilst others were fettling the valve slide bars for 850 Lord Nelson. That will allow the valves to go back into Nellie, which may be the last big job before it can run again.

The carriage shop is almost ready for occupation, and the builders have been levelling the ground at the rear of the main shed, revealing a really nice tarmac surface - which was being broken up. The area previously occupied by the turntable is also being levelled ready for containers to be re-located, and the access drive to be slewed.

More detail in the Ropley Scribe (Dave)s blog.

 

30850 Lord Nelson: Spent the day yesterday fitting the inner valves and running plate etc - others were connecting RH and inside valve gear. Not too much more to do.

34105 Swanage: Sump removed last week and casing panels and boiler insulation being removed this week.

76017: I think we're waiting for wheels to return from turning before re-assembly continues.

More details on the MHR web site.

 

Hello Colin.

Is it possible for members of the public to look around the yard at Ropley during the week and with all the building work or is it off limits at the moment?

Many thanks,

Tom.

 

Generally the yard is open to the public, except when theres something hazardous to the public going on - eg crane work, high-pressure water cleaning, etc. We are just moving into an intensive phase of building work in the station forecourt area so this could be a more common than usual in the next few weeks. The ground is muddier than usual, so be prepared.

Where a closure is planned in advance its usually notified to the information office (in my experience) so possibly best to phone ahead.

Most emphatically though - the Ropley station forecourt area is closed to vehicles (except deliveries). There is no access to that area for visitors to park, and its really quite difficult to turn a car around once the closed gates are encountered.