Photos from the earliest days of Mid Hants Railway: coming back to life in the late 1970s
| MHR held a 30th
Anniversary Weekend event in April 2007 celebrating their
reopening to the public on 30th April 1977
Photo
(1st November 1976): Andy Crespin collection
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Andy
with the only preserved N-Class at Alresford.
The loco was being steamed - for the boiler insurance inspector - for just the second time since overhaul in the open air at Alresford |
| Andy
Crespin
writesfrom New Zealand: My mother took this at Alresford, in April 1974. A couple of us were getting the old studs out of the safety valve pads on top of #31874's firebox. Thats me on the left going to get some more tools. At the end of the siding is Bagnall 0-4-0ST #2 ex Croydon Power Station, the first loco delivered to the MHR in 1973. It never worked on MHR; I am not sure where it is now. |
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Here is the first ever MH train standing at Ropley on the morning of 2nd April 1977. The little Fowler was my baby to look after, as I was a loco driver for the Army Railways at the time. It had come from the army stores depot at Botley, and was purchased by the firm G.A.Day and donated to us. It was an extremely useful loco then and we used it many time to shunt the station at Alresford when all our stock was arriving by road. I trained Mick Austin in the art of driving it, and he and I spent many happy hours on this loco. Here it is at Ropley after its historic run. I am quite proud of the fact that I drove the 'first train'. All went well, and later that day #31874 ran up. The rest, as they say, is history ! Photo
(2nd April 1977): Andy Crespin
This
picture brings back happy memories.
In
the distance you can see the telephone pole and the cable feeding
across to the station building: these were the lines from Alresford
before they went underground and the rabbits attacked them. One
claim to fame for this pole: it was struck by lightning.
The previous home for the loco was the Navy Victualling depot in Burnetts Lane, Botley, if my memory serves me correctly. Chris Hall, 17th March 2007 Chris
Hall is correct in that the loco had come from an RN Depot at Botley,
not Army. It was an Army loco, and on loan to the RN.
Andy, 18th March 2007
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The final train
from Alton; at Medstead delivering stock to Alresford on 6th March 1976
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Fowler #4 and N-Class #31874 at Alresford Station September 1976 |
| View from the cab of Fowler #4, taking the first train up to Ropley, 2nd April 1977 |
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 June 1977: #196 and #31874 at Alresford with, I think, a young Peter Cutler in the background) Test run on 3rd April
1977 to Ropley
for #31874.
Manager David Vidler at the window of the coach. |
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Medstead station, June 1977 Photos from Andy
Crespin's collection
© Andy Crespin & Mid Hants Railway plc |
I was a fireman and driver on the Mid Hants and remember the early days with affection. This photo of me painting the lines on Bodmin's valence was taken by Ron Neal. I did a lot of the lining on Bodmin, the T9 and the S15; others also helped with this task. The picture also shows Bodmin being steamed for safety valve setting. I was the fireman on #196 the day we pushed Bodmin out onto the running line. We travelled halfway to Alresford while the mechanics on the footplate observed that everything was going round OK, then JB opened the regulator and showered us on #196 with a cloud of rusty water; we could not see out of the windows . It was good to see Andy Crespin's pictures; they bought back many memories. As also did the article in Mid Hants News by Mike Pearson*. Mike and I shared the driving and firing on the T9 one day when we were short of a fireman: an enjoyable day. David Bailey *We hope to republish on our website Mike's fascinating article on his "MHR
Career"
once MHR members have had time to read the original ... tw |
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Alresford in 1976, before cattle dock siding points installed Photo and caption (1976):
Chris Hall
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 Ropley, March 1978 |
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| Opening
day train, seen from Alresford box |
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| Gordon the crane, used by the PW for track laying had old artillery shells as ballast | Ropley
station, May 1976 |
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 Erecting signal Ground frame hut at
Ropley
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 Ropley station, May 1976 |
 Ropley shed being
erected
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| Wilton Oct 1982. Box now at Medstead | Delivery train between Medstead and Alton, 6th March 1976 |
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Lyme Regis station building in situ - now Alresford West Country Buffet |
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| Trolley
en route to the railway: Brian Lawes' Land Rover |
S&T
Wickham trolley as restored: damaged, then scrapped |
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 Alresford, 6th March 1976 |
| Photos: Chris Hall |
| #31874
arriving at Alresford from Ropley on the second day of operations on 3rd April 1977 |
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| February
1979 View from the drivers seat of #34016 looking out into the cocoon it was restored in. It kept out the rain, but it was freezing cold in the winter !!! |
Richard
Heather and Les White, wind the lubricators by hand, prior to #34016
doing its first test run down to Alresford on 28th August 1979 |
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| February
1979. The
little Higgs & Hill steam crane helps out with a bit of track work at the new shed site, Ropley. The late Chris Bitton is using a bar on the rails |
Trackwork
in place in February 1979:
Ropley yard starts to take shape |
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| Sid
Weaver tries out the newly fitted regulator handle on #34016. The loco is inside the plastic cocoon in February 1979 |
Two
coaches and a van for MHR, about to be loaded onto road
vehicles at Marchwood Port on 12th
December 1978 The ex-BR suburban coach had had half the compartments removed by the army, and it was used as an Observation Coach for Generals visits, etc. It ended up as 'The Office' at Ropley, later being scrapped when 'Ropley Manor' opened. The van (Army #47777) is ex-SR, and had been converted into a stores/office |
 Photo (June 1977): Ron
Neal (?)
Andy Crespin and John Newman on the footplate #196 before being renamed at Ropley. We used to take water from a fire hose at the headshunt under the overbridge! |
 #506 at Alresford cattle dock, 8th May 1976 |
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Ex-Southampton
Docks Ruston (07) No.D2994
shunts an ex Brighton Belle Pullman car at Alresford in March 1980. The Ruston had been repaired and repainted at Alresford before moving to the West Somerset Railway From: Martin Sims
Sent: 18 March 2007 22:11 Was the Pullman not Bertha? if so this makes it an ex 6-PUL vehicle and not from the Brighton Belle. I remember an article in the Mid Hants News by the owner. Now found on the Bluebell Martin Sims |
 3rd November 1978: Site at Ropley being prepared for the track work on a grotty day |
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3rd
November 1978: Earthworks all flat, and ready for the
foundations.
Bodmin in the 'cocoon' to the right, and Tony Holly with paint tin and brush! |
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| June
1978: #34016 being restored out in the open at Ropley. The framework of old boiler tubes was later covered in plastic sheeting to keep out the elements....Ah, what fun all that was! |
3rd
November 1978: Top of Ropley yard awaiting the first track and ballast. Same grotty November day! |
 April 1986: Track re-laying at the Alton headshunt. Ex-Army diesel No.406 ( North British Loco Co.) and steam crane. This loco, along with our 08, did all the track relaying work from Alton to Medstead. Les White on the ground |
 March or April 1986: #31874
heads down the bank into Alton, on another cold, dull day, the
first time a steam loco had travelled down the line
since1967. The
late Chris Bitton is on the side of
the loco
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 #31806 and the toad, Alresford, 13th October 1976 #30506 at Alresford,
February 1977
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 End of the line. Looking towards Winchester, February 1977 Looking towards
Alresford Station, February
1977
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 Photo (25th March 1978): Keith Adams #196 at Alresford,
being renamed Errol
Lonsdale by the man himself. Former manager Greg
Goodman is seen at bottom left, Andy Crespin in the cab
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| #34016 and #196 between Ropley and Alresford on 28th August 1979, the day that 34016 ran for the first time. It was a cautious run down to Alresford, with #196 pushing for part of the time, as described by Dave Bailey, above | |
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Just arrived from the Kent and East Sussex Railway in November 1976, #196 stands in the rain at Alresford. A team of us had gone to the KESR and put all the motion back together a few weeks before. Never let it be said that you can't fit a crosshead upside down...I am sure the person who did it will remember !! We retubed this loco in the car park before it entered service. The TTT stickers on the front of the tank, show the move was sponsored by Tarmac. #34016 in the background |
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Three
Army locos - # 610 "Lord Robertson", ex Longmoor Military Railway; WD 2-10-0 #90775; and Army #406 at Ropley. #90775 was being readied for its first run on the line on 30th April 1986 |
| WD #90775 works its first train on UK soil since WW2, heading for Medstead with a short goods train on 30th April 1986 |
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 First steam into Alton. #31874 rests at platform 3; Spring 1986 Track-work at Alton:
#406 and steam crane in April
1986
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 No.4 heads out of Alresford for Ropley with the first Mid Hants train on 2nd April 1977 |
 D2994 and Fowler No4 do a spot of shunting at Alresford in March 1980 |
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| Cattle Dock siding. Fowler No4, Army box van, SWTD tanker and #31874 on 27th March 1976 | Later that day, #31874 sits in the loop at Ropley after its first run up the line. Note the Aznar Line nameplate 2nd April 1977 |
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 # 34016 at Ropley alongside the 'cocoon' on 28th August 1979 #31806 in Ropley Yard
in February 1979
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Notes and photos © Andy Crespin or photographers as acknowledged |
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| A late BR/early preservation scene of a
deserted Alresford forecourt Alresford 1976 with
carriage restoration in full swing
Two photos © John H Bird |
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| Photos
by Andy Moody*: *Sole remaining practising Signalman from the initial batch 'passed out' for the reopening in 1977 |
 First train to Ropley, March 1977 |
 N-Class #31874 in steam at Alresford |
 First steam on MHR: #31874 and Toad BV at Bighton Lane |
 First steam arrival at Ropley |
 First run-round at Ropley |
 Awaiting first down departure |
Six
photos: Andy Moody
See also |
From: Tim Rayner
(Sent for our Correspondence page on: 31 May 2005 11:23)
Subject: Old Ropley photos
I thought you might be interested in the enclosed, re-discovered over the long weekend during a clearout. They must have been taken in about 1979 or so.
Yours sincerely
Tim Rayner
Assistant Editor, Railway Modeller One Two Three Four
| 15th June 1989: "The Green Shed" partly dismantled prior to moving it to Butts Junction for storage. The occasion was the 150th Anniversary Celebrations. The bus is a King Alfred's which was dedicated on the day by an American Colonel. Two hundred local school children were in attendance suitably dressed in Victorian clothes. I remember it was an extremely hot day and after the High Sheriff and the Mayor had alighted the coach, the coach was whisked away from the scene, as some distress was caused to the horses. Shortly after this event the Green Shed was completely dismantled and resurfacing work commenced in the car-park. The shed is now (2008) in use as the Building Dept workshop at Medstead & Four Marks station |
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Report and photos (15th June 1989): Clive Warneford
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Wikipedia: History of Mid Hants Railway
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T: 01962 733810 F: 01962 735448 E: information@watercressline.co.uk www.watercressline.co.uk webmaster@watercressline.co.uk |
