Mid Hants Railway Operational Matters

No. Too early in the week.

Now back to more imports matters. I think the problem on the narrow gauge is that there is less room between the fences. Mostly (though apparently not for certain trains on Saturday) the sheep move off to the side where the grass is. Which used to be the problem on the WLLR im the 80s and 90s…. The best grass was between the rails!

 

Considering the people we have on some lines, I'm mildly surprised some lines don't have the same problems with people.

Noel

 

Sheep on the line, now that brings back memories, Dumb as you know what, I can remember one sticking to the 4ft, as we approached Medstead cutting, It did finally get out of the way, so no Lamb special, that day, As regard someone saying, " give it one " Must be a Welsh thing , but saying that, Many's the times, i've heard a driver say, Damn ,I've left my wellington's in the car, I remember being on the footplate with Smithy, and he got a strange glint in his eye, whilst watching a sheep running in front of us,

 

At Swanage it is deer and pheasant, we dine well

 

I do remember as a young cleaner having to deal with a sheep that didn't get out of the way quickly enough at Ponderosa once. I've never seen a Driver and Fireman go so green at the gills as when I chucked the remains up onto the front of the loco!

 

I once came across half a dog at the level crossing on my way home from primary school. Not pleasant!

 

:-( Poor dog!

Noel

 

@gricerdon @The Gricing Owl This weekend should be 30506 and 41312, subject to the usual caveats.

 

S15 due on Photo Charter, Alresford and RAT, Ivatt Alton and evening Belle.

Stinch

 

Ok thanks so I will give it a miss

Don

 

Thanks very much guys, your posts have been very helpful and greatly appreciated. Very sadly I won't be coming down this weekend - going to miss whatever my narrow focus could have got from the S15 photo charter I booked for, and then the 4-6-0 on passenger trains.

But at least my A & E visit yesterday gave me a clear result, but a strong suggestion from my lovely daughters to slow down a bit. So at best it will be a coffee or three at Groombridge station on my nearest heritage line (Spa Valley Railway), and a few miles behind 34053.

Bryan - in the dinosaur news again - B

 

Look after yourself Bryan - none of us are as young as we used to be. <BJ>

 

Many thanks. It's that damned calendar again - every year the four figure number at the top gets one added - and I am beginning to think there is a direct correlation between that happening and the tiredness I feel after each successive grice!

Bryan

 

Black RAT tonight.

 

Lit up at 0400 for a photo charter, worked the Alresford service train and then on to the nights RAT, picture shows this Grand Old Lady at midnight the end of of her long shift
Well Done Old Girl!

 

Great photo, many thanks. Still the same workhorse as I saw the class working in the 1960s. Passenger, parcels and freight trains.

Bryan

 

It was a case of SSDD atop the hill yesterday..... I'd post the same pic as last week, but there' no point, as that was the sight that greeted us as we convened for breakfast!

Still, we had stuff to do elsewhere, and for a change we took the company transport, so a leisurely morning was had until the 10:50 rolled into Alton, and down to Alresford we went, we been asked to look a couple of wagons down there, one had been recently overhauled, but failed its FTR due to corrosion in the dragbox, which had been missed, so it was a case lifting the floor planks above it, to expose it, easier said than done, when you can only drop the north side door only to find out there isn't enough clearance to drop it all the way & the south side door not being an option, as it's rather snug & we'd never get ot back up!

The other wagon is one owned by the S&D Trust who would like to see one of their assets back to all its glory, but finding it was an exercise in elimination, and even then we found the wrong one until crawled out the other side of it, only to discover the one we really wanted hidden from direct view all the way down the headshunt!!!

It's going to need a complete rebuild, as the body sides and floor are gone or going, so the roof will probably be in the same state, as to when it will come into the yard is anyone's guess.......

Our task down at Alresford complete, it was back to base for a quick lunch before getting the company transport up to Alton for a quick trip up to Alton to do some remedial work on one of the Dogfish, then heading back to base & home!

@Stinch, was good to see you yesterday mate, and have a quick chat for once!!!

Just a couple of pics from yesterday.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/duty_druid/54881143353/in/dateposted-public/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/duty_druid/54881213585/in/dateposted-public/

 

Made a spur-of-the-moment visit to the Mid Hants today, for the first time in a few years. The railway seemed quite busy with families (at one point, one of the station staff at M4M asked us, middle-aged couple without children in tow, "so did you deliberately choose to come during Wizard week?"

506 and the Ivatt tank were in charge of the trains, which ran pretty close to time all day. Somewhat amazingly, this is the first time I have seen 506 in steam, it always seems to have been something else on previous visits. It's a fine looking engine that could be improved only by painting in a less drab livery

The timetable seemed to work quite well - basically three round trips available from each end of the line. We spent all day at the railway, starting and finishing at Alresford, and covered the entire line twice, and the Ropley - M4M bit three times, but still had time for an extended look round (and lunch) at Ropley, and in the afternoon at M4M. One thing that struck me was how much interpretation material there was at each station.

A couple of rubbish photos; it was a bit of a grey day and the sun seemed always in the wrong place.



All in all, an enjoyable day out.

Tom

 

Steady on James . It's now running as 30506 and in a decent livery - maybe waiting to become weathered for a real 1960s look.

Bryan

 

Yes the only one I ever saw like 30506 was 30512 on a railtour in 1966 or thereabouts. Otherwise they were filthy and work stained as 30506 should be

Don