Previous Correspondence

From: "P.KONIG"
Date: Mon, 03 Jun 2002 10:35:25 +0100 (BST)
To: tonywood@watercressline.co.uk
Subject: Making molehills out of mountains

Morning!
What was it like on the 9 coach train......One word - phenomenal, or perhaps another - LOUD!!
I was in the second of the 9 coaches behind 6024*, 92212 and Bodmin as they took the bank from Alton and behind 6024 and Bodmin from Alresford*  on their return runs as well.
My ears were still ringing on the way back home a good few hours after the assaults!! I would be interested to hear anyone's timings, but I'm going to stick my neck out and offer some to start the discussion......over the two miles from the TSR to the footbridge a few hundred yards from the Summit (where the locos seemed to shut off) the King stormed it in ..snip.. (1042 train) and demolished it in ..snip.. (1642 train). The 9F seemed to start the bank at a faster pace, taking ..snip.. to cover the distance and Bodmin - the crew put on a real show and crawled over the TSR, opening up (and I mean really opening her up) at the foot of the bank. Her time of ..snip.. doesn't reflect the fantastic sound coming from the WC, the exhaust beats of ear bleeding proportions!! She was eased quite early on, blowing off in defiance to the bank, with power only being applied comparatively gently as she seemed to want to pick her feet up on the s-curves. You got the impression both 6024 and Bodmin could do a lot more, had line speeds permitted, crews really embracing the spirit of the day.
If anyone has any photos/video/audio/timings perhaps a page on the website could be dedicated to recording this event.
The King put in a real show stopper on the last train of the day - the bank reduced to little more than a molehill as she powered up it in just ..snip..- five seconds quicker than with 6 on earlier in the day! She really attacked the grades on the return run to Alton as well, playing with the gradients up from Alresford, away from Ropley and on the approach to M4M with some fantastic main-valve action and exceptional accelerations on adverse grades. It certainly confirmed that the King's back in sparking form, no one on the train, or within about 5 miles of any of the banks could be in any doubt of that!! The run marked the end to a phenomenal day in tingling regal splendour.
I'd like to thank the crews for some excellent displays of enginemanship, loco handling [e.g. Bodmin pulling away from M4M twd Alton with barely a slip] and performance. There was an excellent atmosphere during the day, on the 9er you could feel everyone willing the locos and crew on during the bank climbs, the expectation and excitement palpable. My thanks also to all the volunteers (and whoever thought of the TSR!!) who made the day so enjoyable - if anyone didn't make it for whatever reason - go on the 8th, or you'll regret it for a very long time!!
I've now got to get back to the books as I've got my finals (Master in Mechanical Engineering) over the next week or so-I finish on Monday 10th, so unfortunately I can't come to the 'second round' next weekend. If you can, DO, if you can't...rearrange your plans. The bank climbs may not be a definitive measure of power output, but are truly exhilarating and, as the expression goes, 'miss it, miss out'!!
Thanks for a great day,
Paul.
-----------------
Paul Konig

Webmaster's Note 1:  None of the above locos was fully 'opened up' as doing so would have meant exceeding the line speed limits, even up 1:60. BTW, the performance of Ivatt #41312 up the 1:60 on the Ascot mainline shuttles has also been well up to Ropley standards, I hear. (TSR=temporary speed restriction)  .. tw

*Webmaster's Note 2:  Linked photos by Keith Lawrence are of the item and at the date in the text.. tw

*Webmaster's Note 3:  Other photos (some of which are large-ish files to download) by Keith Lawrence:

Jubilee Gala (1st June 2002):

9F arrives Ropley
9F arrives Alresford (1)
9F arrives Alresford (2)
Bodmin (9-up) departs Alresford
Bodmin departs Ropley
6024 (9-up) departs Alton
6024 arrives Ropley

Ivatt Shuttles (2nd June 2002):

Aldershot
Ash Vale

From: Jayreatric
Date: Sat, 25 May 2002 05:33:31 EDT
To: tonywood@watercressline.co.uk
CC: Jayreatricnospam@aol.com
Subject: CanadianPacificTour18May02
Hi there!
Just thought you might like a quick view of Canadian Pacific as she made up time past East Stoke near Wareham last weekend?
Sorry not as good a download as your Bodmin - but hopefully this will also give some sort of flavour of the event.
2 clips - total 1.3 meg. First showing her going past East Stoke manually operated level crossing gates, and second a frontal shot of her coming up the bank from the stop at Wareham! - great fun chasing!
Hope you enjoy.
Gerry Andrews

  The Video

Subj: Medstead Bank
Date: 08/05/2002 17:33:33 GMT Daylight Time
From: mb4084
Hi Tony
Some thoughts re the proposed 'power trials' next month. Readers may recall my articles on this subject in MHN a few years back.
Firstly, the 10 mph PSR at Butts Bridge will make all-out fast ascents impossible. So the 'winner' will have to be decided by some other means than shortest time up the hill. Acceleration perhaps?
Second, representatives of all 4 types to participate have in the past, though not on the MHR of course, shown themselves capable of power outputs in excess of 2000 edhp. Actually I'm not 100% certain this is true for a rebuilt 'West Country' but the unrebuilt versions definitely achieved this both in the 1948 Exchanges (34006) and more recently ( I had a run with 34092 in the late 1980s when we reached just over 2000 edhp up Saunderton Bank).
Thirdly, although it is fairly steep at 1/60 Medstead Bank is simply not long enough to be a really severe test of power output. There is only just over 3 miles of that gradient from Butts Bridge to Boyneswood Summit. In typical MHR service conditions a time of 4 min 30 sec for this distance with 5 or 6 coaches corresponds to about the best likely to be observed. Heavier trains will obviously require more effort from the engines but even a 9 coach formation is only about 300 tons gross .
Any half decent main line steam locomotive ought to be capable of exerting its maximum power for as short a time as the above. Assuming a competent crew of course.
Fourthly, the operational problem is that if the crews do really make an effort to get higher power outputs, by the time the trains are nearing Boyneswood Summit their speed could well tend to be higher than is normally considered appropriate when approaching M4M station ( and isn't there another 10 mph PSR into the down side platform?). Crews of down trains normally allow for this by easing the locomotives at least 200 - 300 m before reaching Boyneswood Bridge. The unpredictable nature and extent of such easing makes accurate calculation of power outputs almost impossible on the MHR.
Power triaIs are a nice idea, and I hope it pulls the punters in, but I'd say the only realistic way in which the extra power could be achieved and employed in these trials is if the trains can use the up (bi-directional) platform at M4M so as to allow more distance for braking and stopping. And even then it would be prudent for there to be a special instruction to the effect that no up train should be allowed to leave Ropley while a 'power output' train is climbing the bank.
It is definitely not the case that the loco with the highest tractive effort will prove to be capable of the highest power output.
Martin Beckett

Hi Martin
This is all getting a bit too serious for me. My bit about stopwatches was only to whip up a little enthusiasm, as this certainly will not be a time trial or race.
There is a speed limit on MHR which any of these locos could easily breach, even up Medstead Bank, and we wouldn't want to break any regulations of course. Enthusiasts on the train will be in the best position to judge one loco against another, and will feel the acceleration (or should I say exhilaration?) for themselves. Bet they'll be hanging out of the windows, though!   Photo (Ropley, 1st June 2002): Keith Lawrence
rgds
tw

Subj: RE: Medstead Bank
Date: 15/05/2002 22:05:06 GMT Daylight Time
From: kdb
To: tonywood@watercressline.co.uk
I'm afraid Martin's suggestion wouldn't help as the 10mph speed restriction over the London end points at Medstead and Four Marks applies both ways.
Actually I think one of the more interesting aspects of running long trains on the MHR is the opportunity to watch the start away from M&4M towards Alton. Starting from rest against 1 in 200 but with the rear half of the train hanging over the 1 in 60 at the country end of the platforms is quite a test of a driver's skill - particularly on a Bulleid. In fact I'm thinking of opening a book!
By the way, it's just as well that the MHR hasn't replicated one feature of the pre-1967 track layout - a sprung catch-point at the country end of the up loop to trap runaway wagons. If you stalled on that you were stranded until an assisting engine could be brought up from Winchester.
Keith Brown

Robin Pobman is a professional child-minder and visited The Watercress Line with his then little charges. The following exchange of e-mails tells the story:
Subj: Cathedrals Express - 8th May
Date: 01/05/2002 10:58:01 GMT Daylight Time
From: robin

Hi Tony
Bet you don't remember me, Tom & Katherine (both 3 years old), from a couple of years back when you were kind enough to let us see the footplate of Bodmin and show us round the works. Katherine still remembers you letting her pull the water tower and that enormous spanner they both struggled to carry!
Next Wednesday is one of the very rare occasions when we get the pleasure of seeing steam at our local station, when the Steam Dreams run to Portsmouth passes Stoneleigh at 11:44am.
I'll be there with my 'next generation' of children, and I'm expecting our local Playgroup to be there too.
What would really make it special is if we got a 'toot and wave' as the train passed through - any chance you could get a message to the crew that we'll be there?
Cheers
Robin

Subj: Cathedrals Express
Date: 08/05/2002 12:09:46 GMT Daylight Time
From: robin
Hi Tony
Brilliant pass-through - not only did we have the children and their mums (as we expected), we also had a fair spattering of dads and granddads too!
Not only the driver waved and tooted, most of the train was leaning out the windows and waving too!
Many thanks - we're hoping to pop back to Alton sometime in July so maybe see you around then.
Robin 

Subj: Trainspotters Ball 3
Date: 07/05/2002 21:08:20 GMT Daylight Time
From: jday
Dear All at the Watercress Line,
Many many thanks for putting on the excellent diesel loco weekend 26-28 April. Myself and a life-long friend attended on the Saturday and Sunday, re-living late 1970's childhood memories and meeting people with similar avid interests.
And once again thanks to Tony the chef who saved our day by giving us a lift from Ropley to Alton to catch the Brighton Belle. After a long browse around Ropley shed we found ourselves stranded (or rather up-the creek without a paddle); we have certainly lost our technique of tight-knit scheduling of haulage.
I'm a diesel loco fan myself, but the 2 steam locos on shed certainly looked impressive. A trip on one of the main line excursions, with families, is in order.
Here's a select few of the e-photo's we took, perhaps some can be put on the web-site for others to view*.
See you next year.
Jon and Julian

Subj: It's long time!
Date: 14/04/2002 14:19:19 GMT Daylight Time
From: Zinkun1229

Dear Mr. Tony Wood
We are Oshiba family in Japan. Do you remember us?
We have been to Thomas events at Watercress line in summer 2000. And then, we sent you some questions by e-mail and you returned us very useful messages. And more, you pasted our photos in your website. We were very happy!
Today we watched your website. Webpage in Japanese!! How wonderful!!
We are sorry that we have no chance to visit Easter Thomas events this year. But we, particularly (age 6) boy, are eager to enjoy Thomas events again!
Your friends,
Oahiba
e-mail:zinkun1229

From: "Jon Gill"
jon.gill
Sent: Monday, April 01, 2002 4:01 PM
Subject: Video
Hi
I've just put some video footage up on my website from the Thomas Day Out this year. There's a 56k version and a 250k (broadband) version.
If you wish to use it at all, please feel free to do so.
www.wamburg.co.uk/steam
By the way, an excellent day out. My son (4 years old) thoroughly enjoyed it...as did I.
kind regards
Jon Gill

Subj: Website
Date: 11/03/2002 20:54:46 GMT Standard Time
From: Camcameras
I just had to drop you a line to say what a brilliant website. I have always been keen on steam and collect and run a garden railway, but know very little (I am embarrassed to say) about the workings of a locomotive.
I have learnt more from your site in half an hour than from anywhere else.
I will visit your line very soon.
Many thanks
Malcolm Collins
Cambridge

Subj: 'My' Black Five?
Date: 15/02/2002 18:51:31 GMT Standard Time
From: Mike Wells
Hi Tony
I see from the website that MHR have bought a Black Five? According to the E-mail it has come from Bitton near Bristol. If it is the same engine then I can lay claim to having worked on that in about 1974/5 when I was a teenager. My friend and I used to catch a bus from Bath to Bitton each Saturday to work on the Bristol Suburban Railway as it was called then. There was a very derelict Black Five there, along with a couple of tank locos. We mostly did odd jobs like painting shed doors and shoveling ballast but I well remember being inside the smoke box of the Black Five helping to hold a large drill although lord only knows what we were drilling out! Funny to think that it will be working on the Watercress Line in years to come...
Keep up the good work on the website.
Regards
Mike

Subj: Purchase of Loco
Date: 12/02/2002 17:43:09 GMT Standard Time
From: David Snow
Tony
The company has been successful in bidding to buy ex BR Black 5 number 45379 from the present owners 45xxx LocoMotives.  More info
I do not have very much detail. It was based on the Avon Valley Railway at Bitton until a few years ago when it was sold to the current owners. It has never steamed since going to Barry, but much work has been done.
I hope that we can get it to MHR within about 1 month. We have no set timetable for completion of the restoration but it will have to take its place behind the Standard 5 and Bittern as a minimum.
I have seen pics of a Black 5 on our line in BR days in the MH News, so it is not a total stranger to this area.
Regards
David

fern

Subj: four legged member of Ropley station staff
Date: 03/02/2002 19:33:57 GMT Standard Time
From: Stephen and Diane Leek
Tony
I thought the attached picture might be of interest. Her name is Fern and she belongs to Tony Bray who is one of the members of the Ropley station staff. For an eighteen month old bitch she behaved very well. It was unusual to have two Ferns at Ropley today Sunday 3rd, one with four legs one with eight wheels.
rgds
Stephen Leek
SF Ropley

Subj: air brakes
Date: 09/01/2002 21:11:53 GMT Standard Time
From: George Lloyd

What was he making up copper pipework for? Why are the Bullieds being air braked if the Green Train is vacuum braked?
George Lloyd

Mainline requirement from 1st Jan is that we have loco through-piped, with a brake valve in the cab.
Neither train nor loco are air-brake fitted other than this.
rgds
tw

Re: I don't believe it .....
Date: 02/11/2001 00:29:49 GMT Standard Time
From: Henry.T.O'Dwyer (Imagestar)

...snip...
Both shots were taken last Sunday around mid day, looking down towards the A31, between Alresford and Ropley in a field near the roundabout, ( feet caked in mud and chalk ). Bodmin is up on her way to Ropley with the 12.43 off Alresford, and Can Pac is the next service train down, after both passing at Ropley.

It was just a quickie, and I did try to make it appear as a double track bed rather than single track, but if I was to have an A3 copy on my wall, it would need a little bit more time on it.
...snip...

From: Jon Bowers
To: tonywood@watercressline.co.uk
Hi Tony,
I've just had a picture of 35005 with the Cathedrals Express of 17th October developed and thought you might be interested. The location is Vauxhall (no surprises there then !). If the Eurostar had been a tad later, there would have been a nice 'meeting' shot up for grabs !!
Regards,
Jon

Subj: 35005 Canadian Pacific
Date: 17/08/2001 13:28:42 GMT Daylight Time
From: Malcolm Wilton-Jones

Nice to see it back on the main line.
There are some shots of it on my web site at http://steam_loco.tripod.com/S2001part2/

Regards
Malcolm

Subj: Canterbury Cathedrals Express
Date: 16/08/2001 20:37:49 GMT Daylight Time
From: Pam Lawrence
Dear All
Thank you all very much for a splendid day out on 15th, August. We thoroughly enjoyed our day; as regulars on the M.H.R.'s Daylight Railtours, you have obviously had excellent tutors! We wanted to do the Canterbury run because we had previously been on the "Canterbury Belle" and thoroughly enjoyed the route, especially the gradient up to Deal and the coastal run at Dover. The scenery there rivals that at Dawlish on the ex-G.W.R. west of England line but does not seem so frequently photographed. We were not disappointed as the weather was gorgeous and Bodmin was in fine fettle. Looking back at the smoke belching out of Shakespeare Tunnel after the train had emerged seemed to sum up what "Steam Dreams" is all about.
For the stopover in Canterbury, we thoroughly enjoyed the Treasure Hunt which really stretched the "little grey cells" and, as Treasure Hunts do, really makes you look around at details you might otherwise miss. The Guide Book format of the clues was superb and, on finishing, we thought that we had really seen Canterbury this time; some of the details on the old buildings there are most fascinating.
All in all, the trip more than lived up to expectations and we would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone, railway enthusiast or not.
Sadly, the next day was back to work. Fortunately, we finished in time to get to Kimbridge (home, just north of Romsey,and site of the former junction with the Sprat & Winkle) to see the return leg of the Salisbury run. Imagine our surprise to see Canadian Pacific steaming around the bend. If the photo comes out, we'll send it for your gallery.
Congratulations, and we'll be back!
Best wishes,
Yours aye,
Malcolm & Pam Lawrence

Subj: Jack the Dog
Date: 25/04/2001 23:35:21 GMT Daylight Time
From: Daniel, Alan - UK
Tony
It was good to see the photo of Jack in his High Vis. Last week on a visit to Alresford, we saw Jack standing on the platform as his owner worked busily in the six foot.
"The dog has got a PTS", I tried to convince my daughter.
"Why isn't he on the track then?", she queried, doubting my statement.
"Ah, that's because he's the look out. When he spots a train approaching, he barks and the men working on the line raise an arm in the air and move to a place of safety!" I replied.
I'm not sure whether she believed me or not but it was an amusing end to a good day out with Thomas, and when the our train arrived, sure enough Jack started barking.
Keep up the excellent work on the website.
Cheers,
Alan Daniel,
Signalman, Medstead.

(PTS=Personal Track Safety Certificate)       Another photo of Jack

From: "Jason M"
Date: 31/03/01 11:59
RE: Great
Hi All
I would just like to say what pleasure I had seeing Bodmin on it's excursion today (31st), it looked very splendid. As a signalman I had great pleasure in signalling it through Pevensey and Westham on it's way to Eastbourne, of course it had the distant so it flew along very nicely, I also enjoyed seeing the Crompton looking in fine condition.
It makes a great change to see something like this instead of the same old thing all the time. A lot of people turned up to see this train and were all very pleased and happy.
I must try and visit your railway as I have yet to do so far.
Cheers
Jason Morgan

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