Mid-Hants Railway Loco Shed

Recent News

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
team classics

15th November 2003:
Your webmaster spent a most interesting afternoon in Aldershot hearing Fred Dibnah explain how his working life progressed from joiner to steeplejack to TV personality, including steam roller, blacksmith, and pit-head gear anecdotes.
One job, unusually more than 20 miles from his home in Bolton, required an overnight stay, and he memorably described his hotel as: "So posh I hardly dared go down to breakfast, you know". d:-)
He signed one of our cards:

11th November 2003:
Shirley Thornton (left) and Muriel Attfield were presented with bouquets by Jim Russell on behalf of the Mid-Hants Railway on Sunday 9th November, 2003. Both ladies were retiring from the railway after having served meals at Ropley Manor for over 17½ years. They will be greatly missed by the many volunteers who benefited from their fine meals over this period.
Photo (9th November 2003): John Feltham

	6th November 2003: Gerald and Tilly soak up surprisingly warm November sunshine today. Gerald has lived at Ropley station house for 68 years View from bedroom of station house: Chris Cornell
We know who squashed the oil pumper, and we know the number of the loco he did it with. David Sibley tackles repairs
	#73096 is out on the main line* on Saturday, so was lit this afternoon ready for its fitness-to-run exam tomorrow. Resco had already done it's annual exam today. Bob Cartwright brings up the shine on its chimney in evening sunlight
Your webmaster had cleaned the rest of it, and took this on his way to the car park Photos (6th November 2003): Tony Wood *Ruth Cooper sent her photo of #73096 hauling the Green Train through the gate at Alton on 8th July 2003

Restoration of Gresley A4 #60019 "Bittern"

3rd November 2003:

- Autumnal scene in the yard today (92 Squadron tender remains at Ropley whilst loco is at Chatham for boiler repairs);

- Clive working on routine service of Class 11 shunter;

- Pumpkin left on a Bodmin lamp bracket after Wizard Week;

- A Bittern crosshead and dummy gudgeon pin to blue-in the taper;

- Roger and Steve discuss detail of the second front window to be installed in the P&OSNC cab they are renovating (a contract job)

*Copper-rivetting the roof sheets onto the cab of P&OSNC

Six photos (3rd November 2003): Tony Wood
*Copper rivets pic (25th September 2003): Tony Wood

Loco Status Sheet

NewsExpress

A cold, damp dawn this morning at Ropley produced an ice stalagmite from a drip under #41312's right-hand injector.

Your webmaster stood on the Ivatt's watertank to catch reflections off the A4's smokebox and chimney

Photos (21st October 2003): Tony Wood

12th October 2003:

Class 27 diesel #27007 engine strip with help from steam crane DS414 at Ropley

Photo (12th October 2003): Tony Wood

'Diesel Corner'

9th October 2003:

Bittern's outer cylinders arrived yesterday.

Bodmin's journal is OK, but the axlebox which had run hot is being re-white-metalled. Neil yesterday was removing the old metal on the big slotter. Once everything has been blued-in and hand-scraped to fit, the wheels can be re-fitted and the 'dangly bits' (sorry, 'rods') can be replaced.

The builders are making good progress with the concrete base of the wheeldrop shed

Drawing of the wheeldrop shed (126KB)