MHR Restorations and Overhauls

Do you need to ask? Tch tch ...

Tom

 

I wasn't asking!

 

Is there any news on locos such 75079 , 76017 or 41312

 

Why not? The story of railways in wartime is a very important one. If anything I reckon the NRM would be all in favour of it. And with the MHR building up a suitable rake of Bulleid coaches...!

Seriously though - although I'm not a fan of BR green, I don't think I can begrudge the BR livery lobby a chance to see "Nelson" in their chosen colours, after two spells in SR green. And it would match the MHRs Mk 1. sets perfectly...

 

I have seen 850 in BR livery(admittedly well worn) and wasn't alive in the 1960s.....when it arrived at Carnforth.

 

I just checked my Nelson book and you are correct it wasn't until 1977 when Nellie arrived at Steamtown Carnforth that the livery was changed to Southern Green.

 

There you go then, no excuses, back to SR green please

 

And a very strange interpretation of Southern Green it was.

 

We used to use grottos on the platforms, and for my sins I used to do the odd stint selling chestnuts on the various stations....the experience was that long queues of possibly cold and wet parents and children waiting for their two minutes with Santa was often not a pleasant experience. The revised system with having two Santa's (sshhh., don't tell the children there is more than one!) per train mean that everyone stays warm and dry, and gets a lot longer with the Jolly red coated man!

Back on topic(ish) the new maroon TSO that arrived from WCR was being lifted by Mr Chambers' big crane yesterday, for a bogie swap and work on the steam heat, as dispite having been sold to the MHR as dual heated, the steam heat has been blanked off/had the couplings removed, so a bit of emergency wrk needed before the being put into use on the Santa set!

 

Why not? The story of railways in wartime is a very important one. If anything I reckon the NRM would be all in favour of it. And with the MHR building up a suitable rake of Bulleid coaches...!

Whilst the story of the war-time railways is indeed very important, I don't think the Bulleid coaches contribute much to the war-time story as most were built post-war! (Rather like the LNER's Thompsons and the GWR Hawksworths.)

 

That sounds like another reason for an "Off Topic" wander about how do different Railways do Santas:

1. Static Grotto reached by the train ride
2. On-board Grotto visited during the train ride
3. Santa visits the passengers during the journey

Sounds like Mid-Hants used to be a 1 but is now a 3.

NYMR is 2 - but we have 1 day of operation this year which is a 3 and have done a couple of "specials" in the past as a 3 (picture posted on another topic!)

Steven

 

On the Gwili we use a static grotto and hire a massive marque for people to wait and keep warm in.

 

I was under the impression that most were number 3. When I was a kid my parents took me on the Bluebell's Santa Special and it was a visit by Santa during the train journey itself but given that was the late 90's it may have changed. I also remember ITV Meridian's Southern Steam did part of an episode around Swanage at Christmas which also had a visit by Santa during the journey which was also late 90's/early 00's.

 

Yes, but for many locomotives wartime black livery lingered into the post-war years, so the idea of a black "Nelson" running with Bulleid stock is, at least, plausible.

 

GWSR's Santa trains run from Cheltenham to "The North Pole" AKA Winchcombe where there is a converted coach in the bay in platform 1 which has 3 grottos and 3 santas in (again, shh, don't tell anyone, it's all carefully stage managed to no one can see, we even lock a coach out of use!) half the train are instructed to see Santa first, the other half to go and get their free mince pie and drink first, with the groups gradually swapping round.

People waiting to see Santa queue in the "Elf centre" building on P1 just before the grotto coach which is nicely decorated, anyone waiting for food isn't waiting long as it's all free and mostly nothing needs doing to it (grab a mince pie, squash and biscuits for the children, pour a tea or coffee out, that's it) so of course most people have got some food to keep them busy whilst they're waiting, definitely a military operation!

In the last few days before Christmas the DMU runs around Toddington to Laverton like it did during the slip period with Santa actually on the train with everyone, going from family to family. the former is most popular, although probably mainly due to the steam element. Casting my mind back a decade or so and I can remember seeing Santa and Thomas at the sme time at the Buckingham railway centre which was brilliant, Sant was, IIRC, on the train going from compartment to compartment handing our presents. In my mind Santa on the train works better with compartments. that was probably my favourite, although probably mainly because it combined Thomas and Santa in one which was great at the time! Unfortunately I don't remember much of the SVR's one, did they do it all at Arley still 10 - 15 years ago? In my mind at the time I may have thought we were going from Kidderminster to Bridgnorth, but that might only be because I'd visited before and assumed that, all very hazy. It's frightening how little I can remember of something I must have really enjoyed at the time only 10 - 15 years ago...

 

War time black or Southern malachite green and sunshine yellow with British Railways on the tender. Gets my vote for 850 Lord Nelson.

 

Thanks, Steve, you've just shattered My belief there is only one!

Who..... Santa?.........

 

To make everyone happy we could paint one side of Nelson in BR Green the other side in wartime black.... everybody wins

 

I like the idea of malachite green with British Railways Sunshine lettering - a compromise? Can't say that plain black does it for me, although the model of 925 in Cheltenham model shop in fully lined BR black looks rather fetching - until you see the price tag of course!

On the subject of multiple Santas, I remember having to be told from a very early age that in actual fact not all the Santas were real, but in fact some of his elves dressed up as Santa as I quickly caught on that Santa couldn't be in every department store/heritage railway/other. It satisfied me at the time anyway...