Mid Hants Railway Operational Matters

Update today for the diesel Gala from the website:

Latest Visitors Announcement (24/06/2026):

Stealing the spotlight is a true headline maker: Class 60 no. 60099 Ben More Assynt, making history as the first Class 60 ever to operate at The Watercress Line, and the first time Class 60 no. 60099 has ever run on any heritage railway, courtesy of DCRail.

Built between 1989 and 1993 as part of a powerful fleet designed for heavy freight, Class 60s are among the most formidable diesel locomotives in the UK.

No. 60099 is powered by a Mirrlees Blackstone 8-cylinder engine producing around 3,100 hp, built specifically to haul demanding loads with reliability and strength. Today, locomotives like 60099 typically move vast quantities of aggregates for construction projects – from housing developments to major infrastructure such as HS2.

Her appearance at the gala offers a rare chance to see (and hear) this modern freight giant tackle a heritage line.

Joining her is a fellow heavy hitter from DCRail, Class 56 no. 56103, another powerful freight workhorse as she approaches her 50th anniversary.

Built between 1976 and 1984, 135 Class 56 locomotives were produced for heavy freight on the British Rail system. The first 30 were built in Romania, and the remainder being built by British Rail Engineering Ltd., split between Doncaster and Crewe works.

The locomotives were fitted with a Ruston Paxman V16 engine rated at 3200 hp and this was the final
development of the 16SVT engine previously fitted in the Class 50’s and Class 40’s before that.

Both the Class 60 and Class 56 will be running on Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th only, making those days a must for enthusiasts.

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⚠️ Visitor Announcement ⚠️

Due to a lineside fire and the current dry conditions, all remaining train services this weekend will be diesel operated.

We appreciate your understanding and cooperation during this time.

 

Class 47’and class 20 this evening 47 and 150 tomorrow

 

Another update today on the website about the final visitor for the Diesel Gala:

Latest Visitor Annoucement (30/06/2026):

We are delighted to announce that our final visitor will be Class 33 no. 33108, courtesy of our friends at 33/1 Preservation Company.




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From memory you need to go back to 2013 for the last time the railway had a 33/1 and VEP combo at a diesel gala.

 

Remember that well. With trepidation the two were hooked together on the Thursday before the gala. The 33 hadn’t used the MU control in a long time, and probably neither had the unit. However, needn’t have worried it worked perfectly! The vision and engineering excellence of a universal mu control that can control both diesel and electric units and locos is very impressive.

 

All services will be Diesel hauled this weekend due to the risk of lineside fires.

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Well, would you Adam & Eve it, the ply sheets for the body sides on the workshop PMV finally arrived this week!

They were taken in by the midweek guys - cheers lads, and deposited near the PMV, so all we had to do a to the hill yesterday was hoik them into the van for storage, which with six on site especially for this, didn't take that long, as they could pretty much go through the gaps in the body side.

Once that job was done, four of the lads set to red oxiding any bare steel left, and then getting into undercoat, two of the lads left at lunch, leaving two to stay in the shade and get as far as they could.....

That left Muggin's 'Ere & Me Mucker to pluck up the courage and start fashioning the ply sheets to fit...... even though we measured and measured again way back in Jan, we still had to make sure, we'd got things right, before we dared even cut anything - that included showing one board up to the steel work, just to make sure.........

Satisfied, we bit the bullet and cut the sheets to size, but with a bit of excess, just in case - the two sheets were then offered up to see just where we might have to trim...... back on the ground, they were marked out to mimic the T&G, which revealed we'd got our maths right! Plus. it showed us just where we needed to trim the excess, that done, they were offered up, but it revealed that some fettling is required as unseen hurdles on the steel work are preventing them from sitting snugly..... But it's nothing we can't overcome.....

Didn't pick the camera up this week, as too busy with the above, but the phone camera did get some use.......

Found me self up in Yam Yam Land to see George Thorogood & The Destroyers on their final ever visit to these shores!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/duty_druid/55374491327/in/dateposted-public/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/duty_druid/55374492442/in/dateposted-public/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/duty_druid/55374493252/in/dateposted-public/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/duty_druid/55375615564/in/dateposted-public/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/duty_druid/55375569208/in/dateposted-public/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/duty_druid/55374501742/in/dateposted-public/


https://www.flickr.com/photos/duty_druid/55374501742/in/dateposted-public/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/duty_druid/55374503037/in/dateposted-public/

Body sides Ikea style, and no they don't come with instructions!



The Country end steel work now up to first undercoat.



The first two cladding sheets trial fitted....

 

Have you thought about using Tricoya instead of plywood? As it's to be painted it should be indistinguishable and should last virtually forever. Pricey but easy to work with.

 

Going by recent posts on Facebook there are some last minute additions to the line up for the forthcoming Diesel Gala.

There will be a Class 66, 66613 attending on Friday only. A Class 31 is hauling one of the main line movements. The formation will be 31128, leading 31210 and 4VEP 3417. 31128 will be on display at Ropley over the weekend.

The rest of the visitors:
Class 33 33108 will be coming in by road and 56103 and 60099 will arrive by rail on different days.

Hopefully a timetable with allocations will be posted on the website tomorrow. The organisers have had a lot of last minute issues to deal with.


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Some bonus VEP-age.

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:K66387/2026-07-08/detailed

That’s a very long way round to get from Strawberry Hill to Alton!

Tom

 

You just beat me to it! I was about to post this to the thread.
Yes, it is a very long way round.

 

All to avoid a run-round at Guildford, I imagine. Why? No idea - maybe the length is too long for whatever roads are left in the yard.
Pat

 

Why would they need to go via Guildford? Even if they needed to go via Guildford, the simplest way to do it without a run round would surely be Strawberry Hill, Clapham Junction, East Croydon, Shalford?

Edit: just saw the rest of your post.

 

Probably a naive question, but if you stick a class 73 at each end, can’t you reverse in a suitable platform line? Or does nothing have bi-directional working and crossovers?

I’m wondering why you wouldn’t just go Strawberry Hill - New Malden - Wimbledon (reverse) - Woking - Brookwood - Ash Vale - Alton?

(Or if you can’t reverse at Wimbledon, do so at Clapham Junction?)

I should add I don’t know the detailed track layouts / signalling, so I’m sure there’s a reason why not!

Tom

 

Surely 2 x 73's would mean it needs to be a GBRF operation not Hanson & Hall?

 

Ah well, there’s another bit of the minutiae of the modern railway I don’t follow!

I suppose I meant - regardless of the operator, can’t you just stick a loco both ends and therefore do reversals in platform lines without a run round being needed. You can make those two locos HST power cars for all I care!

Tom

 

You need two 73s - and this is being worked by 2 31s (not a GBRF operation this time). This route's probably a bit more out of the way than going via Herne Hill/Croydon/Redhill or Herne Hill/Tulse Hill/Wimbledon to get to Guildford, especially across peak - and there may be route clearance questions lurking in the background. I also believe that the SETG shed exits to face the Windsor Lines, so running via Kingston's not that simple

 

I thought only one of those 31's had a full mainline cert, but do not follow the diesel world that closely.

 

Why would there be any need to run round at any point? Don't 4-VEPs (and the diesels at either end?) have doors on both sides?