MHR Restorations and Overhauls

Sorry miss read the roster and got the wrong day. This weekend should be 31806. Also should be out 21st and 23rd,24th according to the web site.

 

Thanks guys, weather permitting I think I know where I'll be spending my Sunday!!!

Matt

 

with regard to LSWR T3 4-4-0 No.563 in the national collection,
the recent excellent book 'Macloed's Other Island' has a pic on p.93 from A.B. Macloed's collection of this loco undergoing restoration at Eastleigh on 28th May 1948 with the tubes being changed in the boiler. A.B. Macloed's own notes for its restoration are also reproduced including its selection from the Adams locos at Kimbridge, removal of Drummond chimney and making of new stovepipe chimney, and alterations to the external boiler pipework, and repainting in LSWR livery.
the retubing of the boiler would indicate that 563's restoration was not just cosmetic.

 

Work has evidently been continuing a pace on 92212.
Her LHS motion appears to be now back together.

 

This interesting bit of MHR loco history has recently appeared on YT:


Was it really 1993 that she steamed for the first time Crikey that makes me feel old!

 

Great video. Just wonder what will happen to it now.

 

Almost made the ELR festival of steam August that year but wasn't quite ready. Did feature 35005 and 30506 though.

 

She is booked to be running during the August Thomas event so guess she will be out before then on test….

 

Wow the Ropley Platform 2 Shelter has come on loads…..
https://www.flickr.com/photos/timw1...JC-ofpqw2-nVGyUt-oa8dvm-nSL9vQ-nRrWd7-nVMFcS/

 

Was there much wrong with her? It doesn't appear to have been out much since the return from BB and the Mid Hants News I picked up yesterday didn't refer to anything serious.

I had a great afternoon yesterday managing to get a full round trip in behind 31806 and almost the same behind 'Nellie'. The U certainly looked the part in the sun with a couple of green MK1s.

I even had a chance to wander around the yard at Ropley and M4M in between changing trains. The railway has certainly changed since my last visit about 10 years ago and I was very impressed. The MHR is certainly going places.

Well done to everyone concerned.

Matt

 

Love the video. Especially the interview with J.B. He didn't seem at all comfortable doing it! His face at the end says it all really.

 

Magnificent paint job. One of Duncan's ? Nice to see JB again! He was always a big fan of keeping his locos in BR black. As Frank the old foreman once said to me when one of the moguls was wheeled out for the first time in a beautiful BR lined black - "Feast your eyes now - it will never look like that again!"

 

I don't think it was Duncan that did the paint jobs back then. I cant remember the name of the guy prior to Duncan, that used to do them but his last loco that he outshopped was possibly 41312.

I think he left around the time of all the MHR upheaval and went to Swanage for a while and I don't know if he is still involved in preservation.

I also seem to remember that the MHR used to spray paint their locos at that time, something that Duncan does not tend to do by and large nowadays if at all.

 

The painter extraordinaire is Mick Austin. He didn't leave MHR at the time of the "upheaval". He left a few years prior due to low wages at MHR.....

 

Arh, Mad Mick Austin thats one name that brings back memories in his view there was only one way to drive a loco, and that was to put the regulator through the roof ,Im sure he was about at the time of the"Troubles" and left shortly afterwards, due to the wages, he did indeed go to swanage for a while ,whilst at Ropley i used to do a lot of work with him preparing locos and coaches for painting, repainting the N 3 times was fun, first red, then black, then less than a month later back into red ,

 

No, no, no, no, no.
Mick Austin went to Swanage in autumn 1999.
MHR went for JB a year or so after that!

 

92212 is now rostered for 5th,6th,7th,8th August and for the Thomas event 9th to 17th August.

 

Ah, there's nothing like planning (and that sounds nothing like planning!)

Tom

 

the repaint into black was for the gala, because it ran with 31625 in black, then we had to put it back into Sodor Red very soon afterwards for Thomas duties as to the exact date mick left, it was a long time ago now and my memory isnt what it was,