Carriage Restoration and Maintenance at MHR Loco Shed

2000 - 2003

Carriage Restoration News 2003 onwards

Latest Carriage Work at Ropley Loco Shed

13th June 2003:

The signwriter came and did this today

Photo (13th June 2003): Tony Wood

12th June 2003:

New bar coach on its reconditioned bogies today.

Oval yellow Resco plate above buffer shows it is certified for main line use

Photo (12th June 2003): Tony Wood

3rd June 2003: Duncan has painted the NNX, adding 'custard' to SR Green. It is to be our new Real Ale Bar on the RAT
Duncan fits a handle Two photos (3rd June 2003): Tony Wood

14th January 2003:

The TTO has been sheeted and moved out (13th Jan) awaiting a specialist contractor to fit new exterior panelling both ends. Its place in the shed has been taken by NNX #80223 which started life as a Mk1 BSK, but was converted by Royal Mail for carrying high value goods. MHR are now converting it into a bar coach. It has roller shutter doors both sides, and had had the windows either side of these blanked off with sheet steel, removed yesterday. In the foreground, Paddy is preparing windows for fitting, whilst Clive Holliday prepares the holes to receive them. Clive Meech has already flatted a third of a side of the paintwork, and Duncan is inside removing old security grilles.

Photo (Yard, 13th January 2003): David Couchman
Photo (NNX, 14th January 2003): Tony Wood

10th January 2003:

Two views inside the TTO

Window surrounds and panelling are finished on one side

Photos (10th January 2003): Tony Wood

6th January 2003:

Someone had forced a window and damaged the lazy-tongs gubbins that takes the weight. There are coil springs inside the round housings. Tom straightened it, got it working properly, and and after clearing debris from the bottom of the door (right) put it all back together.

Photos (6th January 2003): Tony Wood

28th October 2002:

Clive Meech and Tom Turner were in the PMV in Ropley yard, reassembling a carriage brake cylinder after maintenance.

They then connected it up to Tom's test rig for the mandatory checks with weights. (Tom's PMV was already coupled to the 08 for vacuum.)

The vacuum must be held. Tom sets the required test time on a 'Tala' kitchen timer. The gauges show no loss in the specified 15 minutes.

Three photos (28th October 2002): Tony Wood

25th October 2002:

Paddy was sanding finishing strips for the TTO (and covering Bittern's bogie in a fine oak dust) and Roger Thornton was varnishing them inside the coach.

Three photos (25th October 2002): Tony Wood

11th September 2002

Paddy Tarrant showed me work in progress on the TTO to restore the panels and seats to varnished wood.
These had previously been painted white.

Windows are always a hassle, especially if any of the 2BA fixing screws had been replaced by self-tappers!
Photos (11th September 2002): Tony Wood

25th June 2002: Graham Varney made a coach corridor-end by cut-&-shut ...
	... and Duncan Richardson shows where it will fit Photos (25th June 2002): Tony Wood
23rd July 2002: 'First one we've had to make from scratch' - said Duncan Photo (23rd July 2002): Tony Wood

14th March 2001: "Alresford Traincare" Most of the routine maintenance (brakes, lubrication, mainline fitness-to-run inspections, upholstery, electrics, steam-heating, etc.) on MHR stock has been performed in the open air at our Alresford depôt by Tom Turner and Jim Lawrence with their team of volunteers.
Tom has been renovating the frames to battery boxes, corroded over the years by battery acid fumes. Report and pics from our Alresford Correspondent, Chris Cornell

16th January 2001:

Inside the guard's van

9th January 2001:
Duncan's done one side in SR Green gloss, and Roger Thornton is brightening up the guard's van interior.

4th January 2001:
Keith Hoddy and Duncan Richardson check the repaired end of the BSK

Photos: Tony Wood