Mid Hants Railway Operational Matters

It’s only the little LSWR posts between Alresford and Ropley which are a problem. How on earth we saw them on the main line in the days of stream is a miracle though one of our number walked the track from Brookwood to Basingstoke and painted them all white! And of course linesides were kept under control then

 

Crimbo arrived early this year. (Apologies for the C word so early!)
A bit of déja vu for @Ploughman.
Pat

 

I hope its in better condition than the brakes

 

And the bed by the looks of it, the buffer ends don't look to good, is that peeling paint, or rotting wood?,
still its nothing the Wagon group ( Dave and his little helpers) can't work their magic over, i hope he hasn't run out of fairy dust yet,

 

At first, and second, sight the deck is OK for now, just 2 iffy boards. The headstocks are solid but not beautiful, possibly jarrah, which would help to explain the paint lifting. Both axleboxes on the other side were full of water, which will be due to wherever Shildon had dumped it. (Interestingly, the GA drawing refers to the buffers as 'GWR type'.)
Before I even started to take a picture my Chairman offered to bribe me to not post these pictures before our internet wallah had done the Facebook thing. Easiest pasty I ever won, as I didn't get home for a couple of hours after the FB posting!
Pat

 

For those interested D8188 vice 41312 tomorrow on the Alton diagram. No issues with the ivatt before anyone asks!

 

Annnnnnnd........ I'm Back!!!
Supposedly refreshed from me Holibob Oop North....... though being back at work has soon put paid to that!!!

Any road, with me oppo being away 'imself in foreign climbes, it were left to Muggin's 'ere & three others to make some more progress on LMS van M517317, atop the hill yesterday.......

After a long catch up over breakfast - well, there was a lot to talk about given I've been away...... it was time to start work!

The first two lads had the task of starting to take the south side uprights & angle irons back to bare, as this has paid didvidends on the north side - their progress was hindered by having only one angle grinder between them, the other one could not be located, so its either in the bin or away for repair.........

That left Muggin's 'ere & his mucker to work out if it was possible to weld in a new piece of steel on the London end wrap round........ after much inspection and discussion, the answer was a resounding NO! It'll take a lot more work, and more bodies to remove everything in the way, than were currently present!!!

Sooooo........ it was decided that we carry on from a few weeks ago, and cut the remaining internal cladding planks down to size...... 50 planks later, job done - next up was to start the process of chopping 120 planks into 5" widths.......

By close of play, approx two dozen had been done - that only leaves another 90 odd to go & then the fun starts....... painting them & screwing them in place! Elsewhere, the other two had managed to take back to bare one upright & some angle and get them into red oxide!

BTW @Steve, we usually do paint the tongue as well, but on that occasion, missed it - not a problem in the great scheme of things, as there's still a lot of priming to do!!

Right, as its gala time next weekend - I'll me tuppence in early, so that folks have no excuse not to come and see the good folks of the wagon group atop the hill at Medstead, where our sales stand will be in the dock platform, probaly inside two of the S&D Trusts vehicles - the road van & box van....... where we'll have all sorts of goodies inc stocking fillers on offer for you to part with some hard earned, but also help us with the ever increasing costs of keeping the troublesome trucks operational for you all to enjoy......... which leads me niely into........ brake van rides will also be available in the QMB on the freight rake - so go on, treat yourself to a ride with a difference, and at the same time help boost our fighting fund!!

For some reason, I didn't pick the camera up yesterday - was having too much fun chopping up wood........

More metal work taken back to bare & into red oxide.



Before & after...... planks in the foreground - chopped down to 3' & those behind finished off into 5" widths.....

 

No. 72 'Fenchurch' is pictured on the low loader ready to leave Sheffield Park for her journey to Hampshire earlier this afternoon, to star in their Autumn Steam Gala this weekend:

 

Booked my tickets for the Gala last Friday. I will be attending on Saturday. Tickets for the special round trip hauled by Fenchurch have sold very well for Saturday. Only 22 left this evening.

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I'm glad you posted that as hadn't realised they were reservation only. I had wondered why it was shaded on the timetable but there was nothing on the timetable explaining why. As we can't commit to attendeing (thanks to the rescheduled VT trip to Lincoln) we can't book in advance as it might be too much for dad to do both in one weekend.

However looking at the TT, it seems very difficult to get to Alresford in time, with only the 2 coach shuttles aarriving before departure of the Fenchurch round trip at either 1153 or 1053. That said, according to the TT Fencurch will be in Ropley at the time its supposed to be leaving Alresford, having arrived there at 1115 with the Coal Tank brining the shuttle back to Alrestford arriving at 1153. There must be LE moves not shown as 41312 also appears to only get as far as Ropley on the down before brining the Freight out of Alresford on the up at 1200.

 

I've looked at the WTT and 72 comes down on the shuttle with the coal tank at11:45. 41312 runs light from Ropley to Alresford to work the ft out of Alresford at 12:00 Fenchurch then departs at 12:20. There are trains from Ropley to Alresford at 08:45, 09:30, 09:45 10.35 10.45 and 11.45, the xx.45 ones being shuttles

 

I'm now just picturing a Terrier/Coal Tank double header...

 

Top and tail surely

 

Yes indeed

 

They are indeed TnT, but one can dream. I believe the Bahamas Loco Group aren’t fond of double headers with 1054 being the inside loco, but what a pleasure it would have been to see those two late 1800s tank engines double heading.

 

Likewise with Fenchurch. The Bluebell's rules say that when a class 0 loco (i.e. Fenchurch) double-heads a train of more than twice its weight it should "where possible" be the leading engine if the other loco is class 1 or 2; and must be the leading engine if the other loco is class 3 or above. Obviously those are our rules and what happens on the MHR is ultimately governed by their rule book, not ours; but I am sure that the local working instructions with regards loads, double-heading etc. would have been agreed between the two railways, just as I am sure the MHR will have come to similar operating agreements with regard 1054.

Tom

 

What is the reasoning behind these policies?


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I think it is primarily to avoid over-stressing the frames by putting excessive loads through them. (As a thought experiment - imagine a "cold" Fenchurch sandwiched between a 9F and 12 coaches - the 9F could easily pull the train but all the drawbar loads would go through the 150 year old Terrier).

Tom

 

Some of these old locos have lighter couplings and drawbars and lighter means weaker. Couplings have got heavier and stronger as the tractive force of locos has gone up. Just look at couplings on big diesels and compare them with steam loco era couplings.

 

Day two of our Gala