Mid Hants Railway Operational Matters

I'm sure that if you asked DD, the correct answer to "how many is enough" would be n+9 where n= the current number you have.

 

so whats hauling them, how about 2 08's and an 11 shunter, have to give them the line to themselves though, as with a top speed of 15 mph progress up and down the Alps might be rather slow

 

Run this as a special. The name of the Special could be "The Longest Day"

Sent from my I3312 using Tapatalk

 

Or instead of the " Mid Hant's Flyer " the Mid Hants Crawler as each station stop would need to allow for cooling down time for the by then overheating shunters,

 

If you're using all three 350s, then they should not be limited by their load. I am reliably informed that in the past an 08 has run the length of the KESR (for example) without losing time against the schedule overall, losing a few minutes on section times, but recovering time by missing out water stops.

Ten brakevans should be about 200 tons, so only about 67 toons each, that sort of load shouldn't make the engine work hard so I wouldn't expect overheating. Mind you quite labour intensive, three drivers, one Secondman for leading loco, ten guards or handbrake attendants.

 

Pretty certain that an 08 or 11 cannot keep time on the line. We have tried

After all the work done on the power units (not just a paint job) overheating wouldn't be an issue I think.



Sent from my SM-A405FN using Tapatalk

 

Didn't one of the 08's run a round trip at one of the recent steam galas? I have a memory of crawling up the climb from Alton.

 

A single 08 with a complete train (210 tons?), up a 1in60? Definitely a crawl, but well within the load at slow speed.
When I was at Willesden the trips 'through the hole' (low level goods) had a load limit of 410 tonnes for an 08, but I've seen them drag 600 tonnes on the hook up out of hole (PSB warned "she's a slow runner" and given a clear run).

 

Back in the day, when ballasting the Medstead to Alton section 08288 used to haul most of a train of Dogfish from Alton towards Medstead. By the time we were ballasting at the top of the hill the haul would have the engine hot enough for steam to jet out of the water fillers. (Running cab-first probably didn't help!) One way to burn all the clag out of the engine, though!
Pat

 

October 2016

Mid Hants Special by Stephen Morley, on Flickr

I remember working on a "Belle" a few years back during a steam ban caused by prolonged dry weather (!) Diesel haulage booked, but only one of the shunters available. We proceeded sedately from Alresford to Ropley and back, stopping for about 40 minutes on Northside lane bridge to enable the diners to watch the lovely sunset. Only problem was, the drought broke that morning and it absolutely bucketed down all day! Auntie Sandra was not a happy bunny.

 

In fairness it was supposed to be a 37 I think that evening, but the spare broke and an 08 on the RAT was really not an option.

As I said we have tried 08s on trains and we cannot keep time. They get there, but a calendar is more use than a watch!

Sent from my SM-A405FN using Tapatalk

 

Oh I realise it was unfortunate timing, it was just the rain that was really upset me! In contrast we had a very successful evening with (planned) haulage bry 47579 in lovely sun a few years ago. Much apprecciated by all aboard, including the loco owners family.
47579 at Alresford by Stephen Morley, on Flickr

 

Very nice. My favourite class of DL for what they did back in the day and what they still do. Although we cursed them when they came to the Southern in the autumn of 1966 to help with a motive power crisis, I had many good rums with them across the network including a number of 100 mph plus speeds and one which kept HST timings on a Paddington to Cardiff train in the early days of the HSTs.

 

Sounds like Matt has been thinking, " umm how many brake vans or road vans do we have, how long would it take to get from Alresford to Alton , and back, then out comes the calculator, 08 , or Dave ? looks across the yard, at another certain other blue engine,

 

From memory two Gronks were used on the Branch Line Society visit a few years ago.

 

I remember I was cooking in 1668 parked in the (old) Belle siding, and these passed up and down 2 or three times, as the members of the BLS wabted to visit each of the sidings in the headshunt.

 

Evening All,

If anyone would like to have a look, I've added a third instalment of my Mid-Hants Gala video to YouTube; hope it's of interest:



TTFN,

Ron.

 

Having got my video editing computer working again, I've been going through a few things from recent years. Here's a short film of 53808 and 45596 at last October's MHR gala.

 

Another Saturday & another working party atop the hill yesterday, and once again it was raining - but we didn't mind because we found that the Gunpowder van roof is finally watertight, as the inside was completely dry, meaning all the fiddly little things we've done to make it thus so have worked!!!

It was a bit of a mixed day, mainly governed by the majority having PTS re tests (all passed) so the morning was a bit of a right off.....

After lunch some small jobs were undertaken, the internal roof of the Gunpowder van was bought up to 1st gloss, the door skin of door #4 had various chunks cut & drilled out to accommodate hinges & screws, and the aforementioned hinges.plus brass screws were cleaned up.

Two of us had other business to attend to up in the Meon siding, so left the others to it.

A couple of pics from there.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/duty_druid/51183588935/in/dateposted-public/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/duty_druid/51182505846/in/dateposted-public/

It looks like we've finally tamed this particular 'troublesome truck' and are now on the home straight....... with any luck it will be in traffic by summers end, and rest assured, its going to look the Mutts!!!

Some pics of yestersdays progress (not mine)

 

Are the loco allocations known yet? Thanks