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.
April - December 2000
14th December 2000: MHR was not spared by the recent wet weather. A 9-sleeper span of ballast on the line between M4M and Hampshire Hunt Bridge (yes, there again!) was washed from under the line around half-past one on Thursday afternoon, 14th December.
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Frank Twine (Infrastructure Director) was notified whilst he was out Christmas shopping, and the line was back to normal within 24 hours, so the Santa Specials ran normally. |
6th Dec Salisbury run: report & photos. Bodmin seems to have gone rather well !
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Santa Special on 10th December 2000:
Bodmin solo with 6-up approaches Hampshire Hunt Bridge after 3 miles up 1-in-60. Photo: Mike Wells
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| British Main Line Cut Off
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There were several trees across the track on 30th
October 2000 following the torrential rain of the previous night and
morning, but by mid-morning when #1 went to investigate, work had
already begun to clear the trees off the line, and a digger had been
summoned to deal with this landslip between Medstead & Four
Marks and Hampshire Hunt Bridge.
Photo: Tony Wood
Late addition: Line cleared same afternoon. |
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| 29th October 2000: S15
draws the 1117
pick-up goods into the down platform at Medstead & Four Marks
during the Enthusiast Weekend event. Nice slippery rails to test the
driver's skill.
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M-peg videos, filmed 20th October 2000 on the Ivatt during a Footplate Experience Introductory Course, caused unforeseen problems at the editing stage. Our attempts (new ground here) doubled the byte-size of the files, changed the format, and we couldn't solve the problem of 90° rotation in the 'driving' one. In line with this website's policy of 'warts and all' you can see the three unedited clips via links: drive 712KB; fire *1.3MB; lamp 589KB; and share our frustration!
*Note: Video in .wmv format now linked from Footplate Experience page.
| Mainline railtour, 20th May 2000 to Crewe Works Open Day and to Chester. Photos: all 3 taken 20th May by Chris Cornell |
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| 16th May 2000
Alan Day (Day Aggregates) and some business friends had a day out on Canadian Pacific and all learned to drive and fire. Paul Hawley was our guard . Photo: Tony Wood |
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24th
April 2000:
Extracts from Hilaire
Belloc's book of 1904:
"The Old Road" ... because it passes beside MHR.
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Ivatt #41312 at Severn Valley Railway
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Vintage Carriage Group of MHRPS We had e-mail from a past Footplate Experience customer from Japan. How we cook breakfast on the shovel at Mid-Hants Railway Report on the Excursion to Exeter 2nd October 1999 Latest news of the engines (maintenance, restoration, loco shed pictures, etc.) Medstead Millennium Train: project for Medstead village. James The Red Engine gets a new coat of paint Photos from the "Steam at the Met, '99" event. |
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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. |
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The
Watercress Line, The Railway Station, Alresford, Hampshire, England,
SO24 9JG |
Photos: Tony Wood
