Thank you for enquiring further into our appeals for help. We set out below the various projects we have in hand where we would value your help. They vary in priority but we appreciate that your interest may lie in one particular area and so we have set them all out for your consideration.
URGENT DMU APPEAL (Issued 9th November 2011)
The railway has been offered the gift of a class 127 DMU, which we would like to accept if we can raise the transport costs. Currently based on the South Devon Railway this unit is very similar in external appearance to the class 117, and is also a 3 car unit. It will need some work to return it to service, including an engine swap for which a spare engine is available.
We need to raise £6,000 as quickly as possible in order to be able to move the vehicles to Alresford. If we can raise the money in the next few weeks there is the opportunity to take advantage of lower transport costs as a result of a load moving to Devon, and the low loaders being available as a backhaul. Obviously it would be nice to raise a little extra to safeguard the future of the unit and be able to re-instate some seats removed to make a bar area in the trailer car.
Many of you expressed concern about the loss of the DMMUs from the railway, and this is an opportunity to address that worry. The intention is to have the unit available for the Watercress Festival.
Please donate whatever you can , either by cash or cheque to MHRPS or there is a secure online payment facility available here.
Thank you for your support.
Please send cheques made payable to MHRPS to:
The DMU Appeal, The Mid Hants Railway, The Railway Station, Alresford, Hampshire. SO24 9JG
Class history:
The Class 127 DMU is unusual in being a diesel hydraulic design rather than a diesel mechanical like the 117. The units were originally 4 car sets, and spent their entire working life on the Bedford to St Pancras (Bedpan) services.
The Mid-Hants Preservation Society (MHRPS) has long held a policy of aiming to own all our engines and so not be reliant upon hiring engines to run our services. To this end MHRPS has already bought Stanier Black Five 45379 and, thanks to a very successful appeal, the restoration is now complete and the engine has been allocated to the loco roster for use on services and events.
A controlling interest in West Country Class 34007 'WADEBRIDGE' has recently been acquired and the engine is in service with us now. The opportunity also arose to acquire a partly restored BR Standard Class Four locomotive No.75079. This locomotive is in need of extensive restoration but, when they it is in service it will be invaluable in safeguarding our motive power since it will be owned by the MHRPS and not leased from a private owner.
For a full list of our current appeals, please continue to read below. Our thanks in advance for your generosity.
SECURE ONLINE DONATIONS NOW AVAILABLE. PLEASE CLICK HERE.
WEST COUNTRY CLASS 'WADEBRIDGE' No.34007
Money that was allocated to other projects was used to secure this opportunity. We are looking to raise £150,000 from this appeal and we have made progress in achieving this aim through generous donations, but remain short of the target.
If you would like to make a donation, your contribution would be gratefully received. You can contribute in a number of ways:
- Sending us a cheque. Please make cheques payable to The MHRPS. If you could accompany your cheque with a note giving us your post code, this will allow us to claim Gift Aid. You will need to be a UK resident and Taxpayer for us to benefit from this scheme. Please send cheques to WADEBRIDGE APPEAL, The Mid Hants Railway, The Railway Station, Alresford, Hampshire. SO24 9JG
- Online. We have a secure payment process where you can make donations online using a credit card.
- Cash donations can be made at any of our stations.
To contribute towards the fund via secure online payment, please click here.
To find out more about the locomotive, click here to see our Loco Info page.
BRITISH RAILWAYS STANDARD CLASS 4 No.75079
The opportunity arose recently to acquire the partly restored 75079 and although much work has been done on the restoration, there is more to be done and the estimate of the cost of that work currently stands at £200,000.
To contribute towards the fund via secure online payment, please click here. To contribute via other means, please follow instructions as before. Cheques to be made payable to the MHRPS and sent for the attention of the STANDARD 4 APPEAL.
To find out more about the locomotive, click here to see our Loco Info page.
TENNER (OR MORE) FOR CHELTENHAM
National Collection Locomotive Cheltenham returns to its home Works at Eastleigh for overhaul
HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT
No. 925 Cheltenham was built by the Southern Railway at their Eastleigh Works in 1934 costing around £5000.00 and was a member of the 40 strong Schools class, named after the famous public schools of the south of England, the area which the railway served.
The Schools class were the most powerful locomotives of this type to work in this country and were a very successful design.
Cheltenham was one of the last members of the class to be withdrawn from service in 1962, entering Eastleigh Works around this time for a light overhaul before becoming part of the National Collection. Aside from an appearance at Rainhill 150 in 1980, Cheltenham has not steamed since. It is therefore fitting that Cheltenham returns ‘home’ to Eastleigh for a complete overhaul.
Only 3 members of the class were saved for preservation, with only one currently in steam. They are therefore somewhat of a rarity.
Cheltenham has now been moved from the NRM at York to Eastleigh Works for overhaul and this marks another important milestone in the regeneration of the site. The locomotive is being overhauled on site, in the same shed where Lord Nelson was brought back to steam, by specialist contractors as well as a team from the Mid Hants Railway.
As part of the agreement with the NRM to have the locomotive based here at the Mid Hants following overhaul, the railway needs to fund a large part of the overhaul costs. We therefore require your generous donations and contributions towards this project to return this magnificent engine to steam as soon as possible.
For updates on restoration progress, please read our Loco News articles regularly posted to this site.
To contribute towards the fund via secure online payment, please click here.
To find out more about the locomotive, click here to see our Loco Info page.
INTERACTIVE SINGLE LINE WORKING DISPLAY / EXHIBIT
We are actively looking for financial support to help complete an additional attraction for the railway. Some of our regular readers may be familiar with the restoration work at Medstead by our Wagon Group, restoring a PMV wagon in readiness for a new life as an exhibit. The wagon itself is nearing completion in resplendent Southern Railway malachite green.
This special project takes the restoration of this item of rolling stock far beyond the cosmetic as it will lead a new life as an interactive interpretative display in the form of a OO gauge model railway layout. Members of the public will be able to set the line in accordance with single line working, just like we do on the actual railway. Trains will not move unless the road is set safely and the sequence is followed just like the real thing. The display is also intelligent, and will work automatically in absence of human interaction. It will be a unique display and will require a lot of electronic expertise, fortunately sourced through the local Basingstoke Model Railway Club.
The project is clearly scoped out and itemised. We need your help to make it a reality and we are looking to raise the £2,000 required to complete the project.
This will be a very useful addition to our list of attractions here at the Watercress Line and will fill a gap in our offering to the general public. It will help us on our way to becoming 'more than just a train ride' and is equally as important as the steam locomotives themselves. Your help would be gratefully received.
To contribute towards the fund via secure online payment, please click here.
WANTED - Forklift Truck for Ropley Works
Does anybody out there have a Forklift Truck going spare, that they would be prepared to donate, loan or hire at favourable rates?
Lots of FREE publicity given!
If you are able to help, please contact us either via RAILMAIL selecting Donations from the menu, or by calling us on 01962 733810.
Thank you