Recent News from Ropley Motive Power
Depot: showing work-in-progress of interest to the steam railway
enthusiast
Reports and photos by your webmaster,
or by others where acknowledged
Follow our restoring of heritage steam engines
from Barry wrecks to high performance, mainline certified steam classics
| 12th May 2003: MN #35018 (the first of
the Bulleid Pacifics to get the rebuilding treatment) has left MHR for Portland
Photo (12th May 2003): Tony Wood
#35018 British India Line was stored
on the Mid-Hants Railway (free of charge) for many years. During the early
days the locomotive was occasionally in the works to enable it to be worked
on by volunteers. However, over the past few years, no progress was made
in the restoration of 35018. |
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| 2nd May 2003:
Ivatt #41312 passed its annual boiler examination today. We'd taken the opportunity to do a full piston and valve examination, and we're replacing valve rings (assembled with plastic tabs to hold them compressed for fitting - click pic) |
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| 2nd May 2003:
Bittern's cab is being disassembled. In the bottom left corner you can see part of this rack in the machine shop |
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| 2nd May 2003:
Steve Humby was bolting up Bittern's motion bracket (green paint) between the frames. The bolts have a countersunk head and beating sixteen of them into the frames is a bit knackering when you can't get a decent swing with the copper hammer. You can see that for the top (1" Whitworth) nuts, access for the chunky pneumatic tool is impossible - we had to extend an open-ended spanner with a 3' steel tube |
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| 2nd May 2003:
Meanwhile, Kim and Brian were fabricating the brake cross-shaft for the front of Bittern's tender, and hoped to get it bolted in place today |
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| 2nd May 2003: Duncan was fitting new hardwood door-checks
to the new steel curved pillars on the passenger door-frames of the
NNX. The new threshold pieces too, and striker-plates
and locks
Before he starts the exterior painting, the carriage bogies will be changed
Photos (all 2nd May 2003): Tony Wood |
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| 2nd May 2003:
Outside, Thomas has had ten boiler tubes replaced - routine maintenance. The air blower in the chimney draws air through the firebox whilst work is done in there. |
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| A new long-distance volunteer record was set when Leo Kennedy
arrived on 4th April 2003 at Ropley Loco Shed from
Melbourne, Australia, on a five day visit to lend us a hand
Photo: Andy Netherwood |
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21st March 2003: Andy was making Monel stays for Bodmin's firebox
Photos (21st
March 2003): Tony Wood |
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... and the Alderney shunter wheels
have been retyred
Ian Kirby scrapes a crown to fit one of the Alderney shunter axleboxes Photo (April 2003): Andy Netherwood |
13th March 2003:
David Couchman took these photos at Ropley
(13th March) :
Bittern wheels
(64KB);
Douglas
(71KB)
(The rust marks are from the
MPI...tw)
Restoration of Gresley A4 #60019 Bittern (index to pages) Restoration of former SR Bulleid 'West Country Class' #34016 Bodmin (index to pages) MHR loco and carriage stock details More information about MHR locos' history "I'd love to help but I haven't any spare time ..... Anyway I live too far away" Links to other recommended websites
Archive of previous Loco Shed News
pages of this website
MHR Ropley Shed website in Japanese is on-line
here
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Webmaster: tonywood@watercressline.co.uk
Copyright © 1997, 1998, 1999,
2000, 2001, 2002, 2003: Tony Wood
http://www.watercressline.co.uk/tw
| The Watercress Line, The Railway Station, Alresford, Hampshire,
England, SO24 9JG Tel 01962 733810 Fax 01962 735448 info@watercressline.co.uk www.watercressline.co.uk/tw |
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