Mid Hants Railway Operational Matters

Yes I'm sorry, as I said tired typing

 

She has just been and gone at Alresford after a test run to Alton and back, which would explain why the Alresford set was taken off by a couple of twenties earlier!. Could hear the whistle for Bishop's Sutton foot crossing from the top of my road, very atmospheric.

 

I think that is overly optimistic

 

I wonder if there’s a chance 34070 and 35005 could both appear at next years Spring gala. Now that would get my vote.

 

Wrong shade of dirt, the coal used on the Southern in the 1960's gave a very different colour of dirt

 

Just need to crowbar this into the thread somehow…

 

Oh boy, unless my daydream is continuing, it looks like 34070, 35005 and 36001 at the Mid Hants Spring Gala next year.

 

It is the fear of someone producing a contraption like 36001 that spurs me on to work on a Urie loco.
Pat

 

Pat, under the casing, its really one of the class 20's

 

That would have made more sense than what was under there.

 

34070 arrives at Alresford with the second Alton Steam Illuminations service

"Manston" Illuminated by Stephen Morley, on Flickr

 

I’ve seen a couple of videos of Manston running last night.

Quite frankly, covered in lights, in darkness, you wouldn’t know what colour or finish the paint is.

 

Saw it on shed this morning and then going light engine to Alton this evening.
I think it looks flipping ace like that.

Normals won’t notice it’s not freshly polished in the dark.

 

Something else’s no one has mentioned is at this time of year, steam engines in service are normally covered in condensation, which gives the appearance of a dull/Matt paint finish.

Having seen Manston in the flesh I think it looks great, especially covered in lights…!

 

Dear Reader it would seem that December has arrived with a vengance....... it was -4 when Muggin's 'ere arrived atop the hill yesterday, with thick fog to boot along with a hoar frost...... though the sun did break through by 10:00 and by early afternoon, the temperature had risen to a balmy 0 before heading south again!

Still, over a rather tasty breakfast bap from the bakers, our number had swelled to 8, and wresting ourselves from the warmth or the mess room was difficult! Once we finally did, three of our number got lucky working inside with heat...... startting the thankless task of getting the 120 internal cladding planks in to primer, along with getting the vac cylinder for the meat van in to 2nd undercoat, the rest of us lucked out, having to work outside with frozen lumps of metal!

Three others had the task of 6 mth inspections on three of the wagons stabled in Bennett's, the tube wagon passed its exam after having a splitting vac hose changed, but the steel highfit fell foul of its exam and was red carded on the spot due to over excessive play in the brake linkage due to loose brake hangers and both country end inners - not something we can fix in Bennett's, so now that it has been red carded, it will come over to the yard in the new year so that we can address things......

That left Muggin's 'ere & his Oppo to fit the new diagonal braces on to the new C section on the south side London end....... we had only one chance to get this right - ie, amke sure that the two new sections went across the C section seamlessly from top to bottom, as per the original........ all I can say is thank god for G clamps, as the use of these turned out to be a god send in terms of getting the lengths to sit how we wanted them to...... even after many hours previously of show & tell with the new sections, we still had a challenge on our hands, but by the end of the day both lengths had been cut,fettled and welded into position, which now means that next ime, we can finally fit the last of the ply sheets to the corrugated London end and then start to rial fit the external cladding planks with a view to drilling holes.........

A few pics from yesterday, as for the first time in a month I picked up the camera!

It was also good to see @21B for the first time in ages, and have a catch up.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/duty_druid/53373002140/in/dateposted-public/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/duty_druid/53372999930/in/dateposted-public/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/duty_druid/53373000560/in/dateposted-public/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/duty_druid/53372735203/in/dateposted-public/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/duty_druid/53372866274/in/dateposted-public/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/duty_druid/53371639647/in/dateposted-public/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/duty_druid/53372734618/in/dateposted-public/

The vac cylinder for the meat van into 2nd undercoat.



The new angle irons cut and welded into place - front view.



Rear view, that shows to better effect our efforts to get the new pieces to go seamlessly across the C section.......

 

Positively tropical . The only warm things at Ropley were the 26 rivets we put into the Urie tender. Good days work, with most of them being in awkward spots, and finished one (small) part of the rebuild.
Pat

 

along with getting the cac cylinder for the meat van in to 2nd undercoat

Is this a new version of a retention tank?

 

Some gala dates for next year, spotted on a poster at Ropley on Sunday

Spring Steam 26-28 April
Summer Diesel 12-14 July
Autumn Steam 4 - 6 Oct

As always subject to change etc.

 

Is someone extracting the urine?

 

On the website too