MHR Official Website Loco Shed pages comprise the original heritage steam railway 'docu-soap website', often updated several times each day. Follow our volunteers as they work to keep steam alive (much preferable to dead in a museum, we think!) Watch over their shoulders as these wonderful machines are restored, maintained and run; see replacement parts being made and fitted. Visit us to see, hear and again experience for yourself the thrill of powerful steam locos working hard for mile upon mile up our long, steep gradients

8th June 2007: Life has returned !!!   As Info Office assistant I have had many treasured moments on our railway but today I chalked up another: Bittern came to Alresford for the first time under her own power today and then stormed back up the bank to Ropley. She looks and sounds amazing. She is a real credit to all those boys and girls who have put their best into restoring her. My thanks and admiration go out to them all. Another ROPLEY triumph !!!!!!!!!!! - Robin Hughes, 8th June 2007

Photo (8th June 2007): Robin Hughes

7th June 2007:  This afternoon Bittern moved again for the first time under its own steam

27th May 2007:    Demonstration Goods Train     Photos (27 May 07): Henry O'Dwyer:   One   Two   Three               Wagon renovations and restorations at MHR

25th May 2007:   Bittern, its livery now finished with lining and cab-side numbers, underwent a series of tests and certifications today.   Photo (25th May 2007):  Dave Warwick   More details, photos, web-movies

19th May 2007:       Bittern was lit for the first time today     Rupert Drury* did the honours *Rupert is the son of Geoff Drury, who bought the loco from BR
First smoke was captured by Cliff Thomas   Photos (19th May 2007): Cliff Thomas of The Railway Magazine   Cliff also captured the P-Way gang at Medstead & Four Marks watching Wadebridge pass

16th May 2007:     Your webmaster was speaking with our boilersmith in the smokebox of #73096 at Ropley when Wadebridge passed with a service train                     Wagon renovations and restorations at MHR

Chris Cornell (MHRPS Archivist) has completed the display at Ropley station house of a typical stationmaster's sitting room in the mid-1950s, the period our railway depicts.   Chris Churcher (MHR fireman and an early TV and radio enthusiast) has arranged a 1950s TV set to show the black & white programmes of those days in the appropriate 405-line definition!   (I spoke with several visitors who remember those days very clearly, and all were effusive about how convincing the whole room is.  ... tw)       Photos (16th May 2007):  Tony Wood   More about the Ropley station project

13th May 2007:         Photos (13th May 2007):  Gary Soden
	It's usually the magnificent locos and rolling stock that grab the attention, but the staff play a very important role as well.  I hope you like these photos  Regards  Gary Soden

7th May 2007:   Bulleid unrebuilt West Country Class light Pacific #34007 Wadebridge at Medstead & Four Marks with a service train today and approaching Alresford   Photos (7th May 2007):  Matt Allen

Wadebridge warming up on Sunday for service on Bank Holiday Monday Photo (6th May 2007): David Charlesworth

2nd May 2007:   

Standard 5 #73096 passed the magic figure of 100,000 miles in preservation during our Easter Thomas event (in the role of 'Henry')

Many of these miles were amassed whilst hauling Daylight Railtours and Cathedrals Express main line excursions

Meanwhile, Peter was painting the water crane on Ropley up platform  Movie (1.6MB, 2nd May 2007): Tony Wood

29th April 2007:   CP in action at our 30th Anniversary celebration weekend   Photo (29th April 2007):  Matt Allen      See also          Wagon renovations and restorations at MHR

  BBC video report concerning  our  30th Anniversary event and  BBC South Today  article

   See also at Medstead & Four Marks station

28th April 2007:   The railway was abuzz on the first day of the 30th Anniversary event: not only was there a series of displays of cars of the relevant period, free bus trips, Morris dancers, loco shed tours, and an exhibition of our archive of photos, plans and newspaper articles from the very early days of our venture, there was a newcomer at the cattle dock in Alresford.   A hastily-plotted surprise had been arranged for MHR people arriving for the evening's Volunteers Meeting in the Old Goods Shed: the newly-purchased double-chimney Std 4 #75079.   There is no tender, but with typical MHR humour, Bob Deeth had parked the flatbed truck behind it - still with remnants of coal supplied for Percy at our recent Thomas event.   A senior loco shed spokesman said: "Not a problem. We can make a new tender for it. It'll be a high-sided BR1B tender - nothing too complicated there."   Two photos (28th April 2007): Tony Wood

• Click on the Return ticket at the foot of any page (or the logo at the top of the page) to return to the website Index page ?
• Click on some photos to get either an enlarged version or an associated photo ?
• Ensure you are looking at the very latest update of the page by clicking F5 on the top row of your keyboard ?
  
• Find archive pages on this website with  Loco Shed  &  General  news going back continuously to 1998 ?
• See many photos of the earliest days of Mid Hants Railway ?
• Learn how a steam locomotive works ?
• Drive and fire one of our steam locos ?
• Speed up the progress of this railway by getting involved yourself ?
• Now book tickets on-line 24/7 for Mid Hants Railway travel, special events, dining trains, real ale trains, on our tickets (booking) website ?

22nd April 2007:     First day of service at MHR on Sunday 22nd April 2007 for 'unrebuilt' West Country Class: Wadebridge  #34007     Wadebridge departing light engine to Alresford on Sunday     Photo (Ropley, 22nd April 2007): Stephen Leek       More photos   Roger Stronell shot three movies of #34007 in action same day: One (1.2MB)       Two (738KB)        Three (1.1MB)

	(Easter 2007)
Photos and movies from our Easter 2007 Days Out With Thomas       Photo (15th April 2007): Tony Wood

1st April 2007:   Ropley loco yard has a fun feel to it at the moment   Photo (1st April 2007): Henry O'Dwyer

1st April 2007:   #41312 getting a run over the line on Sunday. It might have been sunny but the wind was cold !   Photo (1st April 2007) and report: Dave Warwick Wagon renovations and restorations at MHR

25th March 2007:   Matt Allen was out today to see the new demonstration goods train     Two photos (25th March 2007):  Matt Allen     Letter and another pic     Working Timetable  for enthusiasts. ( .doc format)

Spring Steam Gala  (2nd - 4th March 2007)         2nd March 2007:        Standard Five with 1023 up fast Ropley to Alton           More photos from MHR Spring Gala 2007       Photo (2nd March 2007): Jessica Pearson

    Just follow links like this to access archives of Latest News pages ...            Anything previous?

Alresford Station: a gaslight. Photo: Chris Cornell (1955hr on 8th April 2000)

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Title graphic: Henry O'Dwyer

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