Restoration of Gresley A4: #60019 'Bittern'
at the Mid Hants Railway

Bittern arrives Ropley, crosses with Wadebridge, departs for Alton     (MOVIE, 12½MB, 1st August 2007): Tony Wood

Bittern arrives at Ropley from Alresford with the first service train of the day     (MOVIE, 3.5MB, 19th July 2007): Tony Wood
 
Bittern departs Ropley with 1116 for Alton. MPD staff observe, as you can hear!     (MOVIE, 8.3MB, 19th July 2007): Tony Wood

10th July 2007:    Bittern's cylinder drain cocks were being cleaned out. Visitors to our 40th Anniversary event* will have seen and heard° the effect of crud finding its way into those valves and holding them partly open   Photo (10th July 2007): Tony Wood   * 40th Anniversary     ° End of Steam on Southern Railway  (MOVIE, 2.7MB, 7th July 2007): Jon Bowers

3rd July 2007:     Bob Preston has made and fitted a flat firedoor flap to replace the battered dished one         Photo (3rd July 2007):  Tony Wood

	Two photos (14th June 2007):  Henry O'Dwyer

25th June 2007:     Bittern performed exceptionally well in a series of load tests - 9 coaches + 'dead' Class 33 - under possession rules on Friday 22nd June 2007.  There are still some adjustments to be done (e.g. to loco axle loadings) and a tender spring will be replaced. Introduction of Bittern on MHR service trains:  Inaugural runs will be during MHR 40th Anniversary of the End of Southern Steam special event on 7th  - 8th July 2007

19th June 2007:     Bittern was having the eight wheel-springs of its bogie changed to slightly softer ones today. Movie  (2.8MB, 19th June 2007): Trevor and Bob work two-handed on a spanner to tighten the rear right-hand-side spring on the leading bogie axle. The loco was in steam with donkey-pump running for Kim to do more braking system checks. The tender brake binding problem was diagnosed as too little side-play in the leading tender axle's brake rigging.   Bodmin was having safety valves set and a 'Part 2' boiler inspection.   Jack and Rod were using an infrared laser thermometer to monitor spot temperatures on the rebuilt big shed compressor after changing the grade of its lubricating oil.   Hugh completed the machining of eccentrics for Douglas (see 13th June)   Photos and movie  (19th June 2007):  Tony Wood

   
8th June 2007:  Bittern visits Alresford for the first time
   

7th June 2007:     This afternoon Bittern moved again for the first time under its own steam.   Bittern moves again  (MOVIE, 11.7MB, 7th June 2007): Tony Wood   Lots of steam drama because gland packings have not yet been put in so any debris will now have been cleared out. Only problems apparent were the leading tender axle brake which is not releasing completely and a rather stiff reverser.       Late afternoon, after Frank had temporarily removed rubbing brake blocks from the leading tender axle, Bob Cartwright drove Bittern (still without its gland packings) up to Medstead and back - with his camcorder in the other hand!  None of the bearings got warm.  Movie  (14.2MB, 7th June 2007): Bob Cartwright

Your webmaster was taking this unusual shot of Bittern     when the cry went up: "Tender's full"        Photo (7th June 2007): Tony Wood

30th May 2007:   Frank pulled Bittern out this afternoon up to the head shunt and back to settle the springs which he and quite a few of volunteers had set to the correct ride height.   Report and two photos (30th May 2007): Dick Chapman
	"You have to paint the screwheads or we'll end up with rust streaks down the cladding", said Duncan: "Tell them I'm painting Bittern with this"     He'd got the precise colour he wanted for the speedometer sensor by mixing three paints together     Bob Preston made this toolbox to fit just below Bittern's firehole door
	Frank and Steve were being creative today to install the spark arresting gear they've devised.           Photos (30th May 2007):  Tony Wood

25th May 2007:     Three sets of inspectors were all over the loco today, but all I know so far is that all aspects of the boiler and fittings passed all inspections and tests. At full pressure there's not a hint of steam leaks anywhere   Andy and Keith (MHR Boiler Dept) posed on the footplate   A valve in the braking system was found to have a porous casting, and was replaced with a spare. I didn't hear the air pump operating at all: a big compressor was providing air for more braking system tests
	Three photos (25th May 2007): Tony Wood

 
24th May 2007:  
 
At Ropley late this afternoon the signwriter had finished and the loco looks really good. Kim Malyon and colleagues had coupled up a compressor and were checking the air-braking system. Some restrictors need some fine-tuning so that the brakes apply and release a little bit faster, and a one-way valve deep in the control chest was suspected of letting-by. The loco will be hauled out and lit up with a warming fire rather later than was planned today.

Restoration of A4 'Bittern' at MHR:  Index

History of 'Bittern'

Overhaul of A4 'Sir Nigel Gresley' at Grosmont

    Very Latest News from Mid-Hants Railway's Loco Shed

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