Restoring MHR Stanier Black Five #45379

Mid-Hants Railway has bought Stanier Black Five #45379 and is raising funds for its restoration. Any chance of a donation or an interest-free loan?

MHR Ltd BUYS STANIER BLACK 5

The Mid-Hants Railway Ltd has purchased its first (other than Thomas) steam locomotive, a two-cylinder 4-6-0 Black Five. #45379 was built in 1936/7 for the LMS by Armstrong and Whitworth to a W A Stanier design. The locomotive is capable of sustaining 70 mph on the mainline.

This class was the predecessor to the BR Standard Class 5

#45379 was withdrawn in 1964, rescued from Barry in 1974 and went to Bitton Railway Centre where restoration was commenced. The locomotive eventually moved to Ruddington (Great Central Railway North), from whence it was purchased by MHR Ltd. Although not a Southern locomotive, LMS Black Fives worked on the Mid Hants in BR days.

The photos show the present condition of the locomotive; it is mainly complete with no major components required. Given the present workload in Ropley Shed, it will probably take a couple of years to return it to steam. There will be plenty of work to do, for all levels of ability.

A bank loan will provide the initial funds to pay for this Iocomotive. Your assistance is needed to help pay for the restoration of this valuable addition to the locomotive fleet and to repay the bank loan.

STANIER BLACK FIVE RESTORATION APPEAL

The Mid-Hants Railway Preservation Society has purchased Stanier Black Five No 5379 and an appeal was launched to raise funds to complete the work of restoring the locomotive to main-line running condition. Much of the work had already been carried out before purchase, and we understand that it is essentially complete; nevertheless there is much to do and we are talking hundreds of thousands of pounds before it will steam again. Not only is this engine 'right for our line' - Black Fives are known to have worked over Mid Hants metals - but it is right in its age, having been built in the 1950s. The Black Five will make a valuable addition to our fleet of motive power and its particular merit will be that the Society will actually own it, and will be able to lease it to the Mid Hants Railway Ltd, instead of MHR Ltd having to pay hiring fees to a private owner. We will also have the added security of being able to guarantee it's future availability.

The loco is at our workshops at Ropley, work is progressing and the boiler went away (9th September 2005) for a complete overhaul costing in excess of £40,000.

These days, the Steam Preservation movement has many and varied appeals for restoration projects and, while this may not have the appeal of a famous named engine, it will be a very real attraction to enthusiasts and visitors alike when combined with our resident Bulleid Pacifics, the Standard Five and soon the A4 Bittern

Both the Mid-Hants Railway Ltd and the Mid-Hants Railway Preservation Society Ltd are supporting the project, but we also need your financial help so I am appealing to you now. To give you some small incentive, we are offering Footplate Rides and Family tickets to those who do help, as follows:-

A donation of £100 will earn a voucher for a Family ticket (2 adults+ 2 children). The voucher can, if you so wish, be sent to a person of your choice if you do not wish to use it yourself.

A donation of £250 will earn a voucher for a Footplate Ride, a twenty-mile round trip on a scheduled service on a date to be arranged at your convenience. Again, as a gift to another (16 yrs of age or over) or for your own use.

An interest-free loan of £500 over a period of 5 years or more earns a Family ticket as above.

An interest-free loan of £1,000 over a period of 5 years or more earns a Footplate Ride as above.

If you would like to help in our Appeal, please send your cheque payable to 'MHRPS', along with the name of the person who is to receive the voucher to:-

Mid-Hants Railway
The Railway station
Alresford SO24 9JG

Please mark your envelope 'BLACK FIVE APPEAL'

DEREK SEATON
Appeal Co-ordinator

Please help:

There are three ways in which you can assist:

1. Make a donation to the Preservation Society. If you are a taxpayer and complete the gift-aid declaration included on the application form, then the Preservation Society will be able to claim back the tax on your donation, adding 28p to each pound that you donate. The Preservation Society have pledged their support for both projects and will provide grants to the plc to assist.

2. Make an interest-free loan to MHR Ltd. This will mean that MHR Ltd will save money by not having to pay interest to the bank. It would be helpful if the loans were for a period of three to five years, although a loan for any period would assist.

3. Purchase shares in the Mid Hants Railway Ltd. The Mid Hants Railway Ltd is preparing a formal share offer document, but unfortunately this cannot be completed until after the 2001/2002 accounts have been audited. The share offer will be circulated with the papers for the AGM.

You are welcome to assist in as many ways as you wish. Thank you for reading thus far, and for any help you feel able to give.

STANIER BLACK FIVE RESTORATION FUND - SALE OF PICTURES

I would like to express my thanks to all those who supported the sale of pictures in aid of the Fund, whether by donating or buying. It was a great success and resulted in the sale of virtually every catalogued item and many more besides that arrived too late for inclusion in the list. In all there was a profit of £1,250 to go into the Fund.
During the course of the sale a number of people came in and said that if they had known about it they would have donated something. I was however a trifle nervous when one lady phoned me to say that her husband wanted to donate a number of pictures. I felt it advisable to check with him first before accepting the offer!! If you have something languishing in the loft that could be sold, then hang on to it for now, who knows, I may do it all again next year.
Again, thanks for your support. It made it all worth-while.
Derek Seaton
Appeal Co-ordinator

Please print this page to use it as a form if you'd like to make a donation.
It would help our office if sheets were stapled or pinned together, and if each important sheet showed your full name.

APPLICATION FORM

I wish to make a charitable donation of £ ........................

I enclose a cheque made payable to The Mid-Hants Railway Preservation Society Limited : YES/NO

I am a UK tax-payer and wish the Society to be able to claim back the tax that I have paid on my donation : YES/NO

Please treat as Gift Aid donations all donations (including membership subscriptions) that I make from the date of this declaration until I notify you otherwise. I understand that I must pay Income Tax or Capital Gains Tax at least equal to the tax reclaimed by the Society : YES/NO

I wish to make an interest free loan for ..................... years to the Mid-Hants Railway Ltd for the Stanier Black Five restoration

I enclose a cheque made payable to The Mid-Hants Railway Ltd : YES/NO

Signed: ................................................................

Date: ................................................................

Name: ................................................................

Address: .............................................................

..............................................................

Postcode: ..............................

Tel no: ................................................................

Please return application form by post to:

The Mid Hants Railway, The Railway Station, Alresford, Hampshire UK, S024 9JG

If you need any further information please contact us:

The Watercress Line, The Railway Station, Alresford, Hampshire, England, SO24 9JG

Tel 01962 733810 Fax 01962 735448 information@watercressline.co.uk