Mid Hants Railway Operational Matters

This is one of four books I have on the end of Southern Steam. They are all good in their own way. This one is OK, but bear in mind that only about half the book is narrative, the rest is tables of which loco hauled which train on certain dates etc... The photos are interesting in that I don't think I've seen them published elsewhere but this is probably not the best pictorial record you will find.

Our friend from Swanage recommends "Southern Steam Sunset" by John H Bird and "Twilight of Southern Steam" by Donn Benn ("Gricerdon"). I have both - the former is excellent and is the one I would recommend for a comprehensive view. Don's book is very interesting but is very much a personal account of what he and his friends got up to in pursuit of Southern steam in the last few months. A lot of the book contains timing logs which is great if you like that kind of thing - I do but it may not be what you're looking for.

If you want an incredible amount of detail there is also "Southern Steam Operations 1966/7" by Ian C Simpson.

Hope that helps!

 

I think the other side to consider too is that overhauling something and then using it hard means your next overhaul will be another expensive one. 30506 has had needed a fair bit of work and my impression there is concern it might not make it to the end of its ticket if it is continued to be used 100+ days a year as it has these past few (compared to the 70-80 days estimated to be the right balance in the article) which, given the Ivatt is out of ticket end of this year, will leave the railway on shaky ground with just two resident locos for a while.

Like everything, there's a balance to be struck. Your £1million overhaul might have the loco in exceedingly good form. If used right, your next overhaul might be £100,000 (example figure picked at random). If worked overly hard, that may become a £300,000+ overhaul (again, random figure), but your not gaining any extra "time" out of it (I.e. still restrained by the ten year certification). With the right fleet in terms of numbers and capabilities, the really expensive overhauls become, in theory, more spread apart and you should (again, theoretically) get more for money in terms money spent Vs time used.

(Hoping that makes sense - I know what I'm trying to say but struggling to find the exact words to convey it.)

 

Thank You

 

Would a Bulleid on the Mid-Hants ever be worked hard?

 

It was not a panic buy. It was bought because the railway required motive power. The loco was in ticket, but near the end of a mainline cert, and the price was attractive.
It was always (in my view) an overly expensive locomotive to overhaul, which was known to have a number of boiler issues, though the actual extent and nature was it turned out greater even than thought. That it would also cost more to run was also well known.
The overhaul of 34007 came about because someone was prepared to fund the overhaul, and there was a majority of the board who were enthusiastic about Bulleids.
It should be of zero surprise that the S15s and the std4 should be the mainstay of the future fleet. That was recommended in a loco strategy compiled over 8 years ago now, and subsequently confirmed several times. The nature of the line, the service and the locos available don’t change all that much. It is a shame that 76017 moved away.
For a lot of the year 41312 is the ideal Alton loco, so it is a pity it is having a period out of traffic. Without covered accommodation that will probably increase the overhaul cost a little. But, given the resources and all the other demands, it’s unavoidable I think.
Unless a very big donor or grant comes along I don’t see how 80150 could ever climb to the top of the queue, but I hope the team find a way.
45379, did have frame cracks. They were welded and the cracks did not reappear. The key seems to be keeping the horn clips very tight. A modification was made to some locos by the LMS (someone will correct me her if I misremember) involving a one piece cast steel horn arrangement I think. However, that may not be necessary. What will be is sorting out the valve gear and possibly the quartering. It need not be an insanely expensive overhaul, but it isn’t without a bit of risk.

 

That is not the question. In my experience the question tends to be how much effort does it take to keep a Bulleid able to do the work compared to other types.
The Jarvis rebuilds are tons better in this regard. The originals are difficult to maintain. We can go around and around on this, but I state only what I have seen in the accounts of the railway. Most jobs take longer to do on a Bullied, and need doing more often. 34007 was an absolute resource drain in this regard. A two cylinder outside valve gear engine built like a outdoor masonary convenience has lot going for it…
The S15 506 is mechanically very sound. It has stood upto a degree of use we haven’t achieved out of any of our Bulleids yet.