MHR Official Website Loco Shed pages comprise the original steam railway docusoap website, updated several times each week. Follow our volunteers as they work to keep steam alive - not dead in a museum! Watch over their shoulders as these wonderful machines are restored, maintained and run; as replacement parts are made and fitted; as MHR carries steam enthusiasts, families and footplate students faster, safer, more stylishly, month on month. Visit us, see, hear, and experience the thrill of powerful steam locos working really hard for mile upon mile up our long, steep gradients.
September 2004 - February 2005
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6th February 2005: Jinty #47493 arrived at Alresford today from Spa Valley Railway ready for our Spring Steam Gala
Photo (6th February 2005): David Charlesworth |
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| 3rd February 2005:
Bert Hitchen's Black Five #45231 arrived by road at Alresford today. Finlay and his cousin Edward watched the unloading, fascinated
Movie (4.7MB, 3rd February 2005): Tony Wood |
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| Matt Allen also took some photos (3rd Feb
05): One
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#45231 will be towed to Ropley via the cattle dock siding. Note progress with clearing the embankment: Feb 2001 & Summer 2001 |
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What on earth is that ?
Six photos (all 3rd February 2005): Tony Wood |
Fireman Julie Doel acknowledges the guard's
'Right Away' on a down service train Photo (26th December 2004): Paul Hilton |
24th January 2005:
Winter sunshine at MHR makes superb exhaust
effects photos
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23rd January 2005:
W21236* - former support coach to Maunsell S15 #828 - recently arrived at Alton from Eastleigh. It has been purchased by MHRplc as an addition to our passenger fleet. *Photo (23 January 2005): David Charlesworth
Heritage Railway have an article (p59, Jan 2005 issue )about our young volunteers (Rangers); and others (p6 & p55) on our progress with Bittern. After browsing the magazine in WHS, your webmaster bought a copy. Must be good! d:-)
Christmas Leave (Winter 1944-5 wartime re-enactments)
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#34016 Bodmin at Alton Photo (from a SW Trains cab, 13th December 2004): Phil Marsh |
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13th December 2004:
Two Pacifics in today's mist: Bodmin and Duke of Gloucester doubleheading up towards Medstead & Four Marks Photo (13th December 2004): Ian Banham
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Real Ale Train dates and fares for 2005
| From: Tim Farmer Sent: 09 December 2004 11:58 Subject: 71000 Tony Snapped this waiting for the road at Wokingham last night! Tim
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21st November 2004: Chris Hall (MHR Telecoms Mgr) reports: "First snow yesterday at M4M:
MHR Steam Galas in
2005
The National Railway Museum have (14
Oct 2004) agreed to loan us City of Truro for our Spring Gala,
11/13 March 2005, and Green Arrow for our
Autumn Gala 23/25 Sept 2005.
... Colin Chambers, Financial Director MHR
Movie of City of Truro (1.2MB, June 2004) available here
| Wizard Express approaches Wanders Curve
Photo (31st October 2004): Henry O Dwyer
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| Standard 5 #73096 takes water at Ropley after Wizard Express service
Photo (30th October 2004): Richard Cobbold
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To: Volunteers, Staff,
Shareholders and Members of the Mid-Hants Railway
From: The Directors of the Mid Hants Railway plc
Date: 21st November 2004
Changes to the Board and Management Structure
The Mid Hants Railway plc ("MHR plc") is delighted to announce that Colin Chambers has agreed to accept the positions of Chairman and Chief Executive with immediate effect. Colin looks forward to the challenge of helping shape the railway's future. Colin is well known to the volunteer workforce and we are sure that his appointment will meet with widespread approval. Graham Barber becomes the MHR plc Finance Director in a voluntary role.
David Snow, the previous chairman, has stepped down to enable him to concentrate on the time consuming task of preparing a Heritage Lottery Grant application for the project to develop our Ropley site and will continue to be responsible for marketing and publicity. David continues as a Director of the Mid Hants Railway plc and as a director of the Mid Hants Railway Preservation Society Limited.
The Directors are grateful to David Snow for his efforts
as Chairman of the MHR plc, which have significantly contributed to the Company
recording five successive years of profits for the first time in its history.
They are delighted that David will be leading the Ropley site development
project which is a key part of the MHR's next phase of development.
1st November 2004:
Sale of Main Line Coaches
The board has agreed to sell the mainly Mk II coaches used in the main line
rake, together with other Mk II vehicles, to Fragonset, effective 3rd January
2005. We are delighted with this deal, which we see as very positive for
the Mid Hants Railway - The Watercress Line.
It had been intended to provide a full briefing as soon as possible after
the agreement 'in principle' had been reached, but the inevitable rumours
started going round immediately, which left us with the choice of saying
nothing and leaving the rumours to run or putting out a brief internal statement.
We chose the latter option.
We have been under pressure from some quarters to get out of the main line
business as it was seen as affecting our core business of running the 10
miles of railway between Alresford and Alton. Equally there are people for
whom the main line operation is a key part of their interest in what we do.
This is a good example of how it is not possible to please everyone all the
time!
There have also been many questions about whether the main line services
were profitable or not. These questions are not simple to answer because
of the need to allocate staff and other costs between main line and local
operations, and the uncertainty of when and to what extent major repair costs
might arise that are directly related to this operation.
Our future as an operator of main line coaches has been under consideration
for over 12 months now. We anticipated the need to overhaul many of the Mk
II coaches that originally arrived on the MHR in the early 1990s, and each
vehicle was likely to cost £30-50,000. In addition, changes in regulations
were expected to require central door locking and possibly retention toilets
and air braking to be fitted within the next few years. The cost of all of
this could not be justified against an uncertain revenue stream.
Daylight Railtours have become more difficult to arrange both in terms
of attractive destinations that give rise to good (potentially profitable)
loadings and the path times off Alton. For example our last two trains left
Alton at 06.20 in the morning, and the Avonmouth train only carried some
240 people.
At present we have over 40 coaches on the railway, which is far more than
we need for our internal services. We are unable to do more than 2-3 full
scale coach overhauls per annum and hence it would take us perhaps 15-20
years to work our way through them all. It is also unrealistic to hold onto
2 sets of coaches for dining trains when each set only runs some 15 trains
per annum. A full overhaul would cost at least £100,000 for each train
of 4 coaches and the net revenue of say £10-15,000 per annum does not
support this level of expenditure.
Subject to an agreement with the coach owners, we intend to concentrate all
dining train operations onto the Watercress Belle set suitably
strengthened by the purchase of our new Pullman car. We still intend to operate
both evening and lunchtime dining trains. The agreement with the owners will
cover long term use together with maintenance obligations by the railway.
Kitchen car RBR 1973 will be put through Ropley works this winter for the
brakes and bodywork to be dealt with.
Our interest in selling at this time matched Fragonset's interest in buying,
not least as they had suffered the loss of some key coaches in a recent fire
at Old Oak Common. The primary assets for the sale were the kitchen car,
the RMB and the SO's. Without these coaches the value of the rest of the
rake would have been significantly reduced. The railway is pleased with the
price obtained and now has some money to spend on other aspects of the business.
The Mk II coaches are not popular with many of the customers of our internal
services. They prefer the older 'feel' of the Mk Is. Thus we have agreed
to sell all of the Mk II stock, and operate mainly Mk I vehicles. We shall
acquire some additional coaches for this.
The deal agreed with Fragonset allows them to keep the coaches on our railway
for an initial period of up to one year, during which time we expect to provide
some charged services for routine maintenance, cleaning and operations. A
separate agreement will cover these aspects. The MHR can also make use of
some vehicles for special events during this time (without paying a hire
fee) and may use the rake on the main line for a few times per year at reduced
cost. This will allow us to run a smaller number of Daylight Railtours
when an opportunity presents itself for an attractive loco or destination.
This will enable these Daylight Railtours to be run with precisely
known, rather than undefined, costs.
As a result of this deal it is inevitable then that our previous contract
with Steam Dreams cannot continue, however, we do expect to negotiate
with them for the provision of some services for 2005.
None of the above affects our intention to continue sourcing locos for main
line work where appropriate and subject to not seriously affecting our internal
operations. Thus 34016 Bodmin will be kept as an internal loco only,
whilst 73096 will be made available to Steam Dreams for a limited
number of trips in 2005. In this way we will extend their boiler life and
enable them to run on our own railway for longer. Steam Dreams will
contract for a range of other locos, some of which may be based at Ropley
from time to time. We still expect to run 92212 and 60019 Bittern
on the main line.
David Snow, Chairman MHRplc
1/11/04
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17th October 2004: Up home signal at Ropley, seen from the footplate of #73096
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Hand-signalling at Ropley station (Town end) during Sunday's S&T
work. They were moving the points rodding to accommodate up platform
extension. Wickham trolley in the background
Photos (17th October 2004): Tony Wood |
| Read what Jon Bowers thought
of double-headed Bulleid West Countries climbing Medstead Bank (3
miles of 1:60) as they passed his party of
Bluebell Railway PWay
(guests of MHR for the day)
Photo (Saturday 18th September 2004): Jon Bowers (Bluebell Railway PWay Dept.) |
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| 18th September 2004:
A picture for those bored with looking at pictures of steam engines, or who like looking at Post Office 3000-Type relays: new signal post telephone equipment installed in Ropley signal box ... ch Photo (18th September 2004): Chris Hall (MHR Telecoms Mgr) |
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| The Watercress Line, The Railway Station, Alresford, Hampshire,
England, SO24 9JG Tel 01962 733810 Fax 01962 735448 information@watercressline.co.uk |
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The Watercress Line's own quarterly journal Mid-Hants News is available FREE to all Society members, or £2 plus 50p postage and packing to non-Society members. |
