MHR Restorations and Overhauls

not as much as when you can field 34105 , 34007 and 35005 the next few years should be very interesting with 2 standards and Swanage hopefullly coming back into service and having your own schools class availible also

 

Drain cock design - bits of valve ring / crud able to prevent the cocks from closing and then the seat gets cut. Believe the LMS valve heads area slightly different and that the rings are narrower and more prone to break.

 

Pfftt, that young Stanier chap, should have paid a bit more attention to detail in his Swindon days. Only 9 out of 10, I'm afraid.

 

Delight wasnt the word lol ! However its an A4 I have not photted yet at the Mid Hants so I will be there as usual .Looking forward to seeing Tornado in BR Brunswick .Hopefully 34007 will have had its work done by then so we can look forward to some nice Lineside action its just a shame 31806 and 34007 face in opposite directions at the moment.

 

I think 35005 is a long way off yet as she seems to get nudged further back in the overhauls queue. 34007 might just be still in ticket when 34105 emerges.

MHR featured on local news last night:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-12829610

 

Now that 31806 is done what's the primary focus on now? Is it 34105 or the Standard 4s?

 

Ironically, the quickest one is probably neither of those. My understanding is this (I could be wrong!):

Cheltenham looks the quickest as its in very good condition (if there are no surprises).

Std 4 (76017) is waiting for the wheels to come back from turning and I know its boiler is going to need a lot of work but it could be finished late this year

Swanage will follow the Std 4 and I think the aim is to get it out next year.

Std 4 (75079) might be a few years away yet - it needs a tender.

These will all go along in parallel with one another as Cheltenham and 75079 have dedicated teams.

Then waiting in the wings in the longer term are 35005, 34058 and 80150 - no idea when/if anythings planned for them.

I'm not speaking for the MHR here, butI think this is more-or-less right.

 

Thanks Colin - interesting times at the MHR.

 

Sorry for my confusion but is that 76017's boiler will be finished this year or the locomotive will be finished. Either way its still good and be nice to see 76017 back after those years in the Ropley headshunt.

 

Please dont forget as many seem to have done so is 3 more 4.6.0s 30506 30828 and 30499 we may well see 30506 in two years time and 30828 could follow on soon after money permitting as in all the cases.
Money is always the issue with all things. 30506 boiler is away at Crewe at the moment.
David

 

David is quite right about the "forgotten 4-6-0s" (forgotten by me, that is!).

The Urie Loco Society owns and is working on 30499/30506 - they caught the "blogging bug" and posted an update on the MHR web site a couple of weeks ago, with promises of future updates.

The Eastleigh Railway Preservation Society owns and is working on 30828 - I just checked their web site and their last update was a few months ago - perhaps they can be tempted into doing an update on the MHR site now and then. As these are separate bodies from the MHRPS and their folks tend to be at Ropley at different times from me, I'd personally like to hear more about what they do. No doubt they are constrained by finances and resources like the rest of us.

And just to add a bit more, there are several other locos at the MHR which are also owned by separate individuals or groups.

To answer Dan Hill's question: I did mean that I think we might see the loco 76017 finished this year. The boiler does need a lot of work and the boiler shop is only just getting into full operation, so this could be on the critical path. The components have been cleaned, inspected, serviced and stored as the loco was dismantled, so hopefully it should go back together quite quickly once the boiler is sorted out. Keep in mind I'm a newbie at this so I could be over-optimistic!!

If you want to keep track of whats going on at Ropley, we try to post a weekly update on the MHR web site. The intention is to show whats happening to the locos and - just as importantly - to give an insight into what its like to be a volunteer working on this stuff. The latest posting is at http://www.watercressline.co.uk/News/Loco/View/462 If theres anyone out there who'd like to step forward and join our happy gang, don't be too concerned about a lack of skills. I doubt that anyone could have less relevant skills/experience than me, and I believe I'm making a modest contribution and enjoying every minute of it.

Incidentally, if you saw BBC South Today yesterday, I'm the green teletubby cleaning 5224 smokebox door (for the 4th time that morning). The piece was done to promote the Great Spring Steam Gala, which starts tomorrow (Friday) - 9 locos in steam!

 

That you for clearing that up for me Colin.

 

76017 finished this year? You're having a laugh.......

 

That timespan depends on what work is needed, i guess that if they have already overhauled a lot of the parts and only have to bolt them back on , it s certainly do able .it helps that everything is already there parts wise and that the funding is in place

it looks like Cheltenham could be another fast job so i would not rule anything out it depends on the mechanical work being done and finished when both boilers are ready so that one workflows keep to scedule , what often holds back restorations or overhauls is when you have the chassis ready but the boiler isnt done or vise versa

 

As I frequently mention - I'm new to this and can only go by what I see and what others tell me. I did say "late this year" and my limited experience tells me that can often mean "just in time for the spring gala next year".

Do you know of anything specific thats likely to hold it up - apart from the extent of firebox repairs?

 

Whats the progress with 76017 i see the frames have been painted and the cab is back on i also would like to wonder where the wheels have gone...

 

Wheels are going/have gone to the South Devon Railway i believe for tyre turning.

 

Ok then thanks

 

I understand that there was a hold up on the wheel sets whether the tyres were to be turned or replaced, this has now been resolved.

Regards
Chris:

 

So they have been turned them or are going to