Mid-Hants Railway Loco Shed

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Recent News from Ropley Motive Power Depot: showing work-in-progress of interest to the steam railway enthusiast
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10th March 2004:

Some visiting locos for our South Western Branch Weekend

Water tanks hold only 450 gallons on #30587, so we won't risk taking it beyond M4M. (Note that it also points up the hill)

Rod lit up the Terrier at Alresford and it later steamed up to Ropley*. Today Rod is an especially happy bunny* (That's not a suicide attempt, he's checking the sandboxes)

*Two photos (Alresford, 10th March 2004): Chris Cornell

A Light Prairie arrived today too

Four photos (10th March 2004): Tony Wood

2nd March 2004:

With the temperature at -6°C this morning, the coal in Douglas's tender had turned white

Photo (2nd March 2004): Tony Wood

27th February 2004: Terry captures Bodmin in late-afternoon sunlight He'd never been in a firebox, so was invited to inspect* that of #30506 Photos (right, 27th February 2004): Tony Wood and *John Childs
Yard dummy at Ropley
	Cladding Bittern Four photos (27th February 2004): Tony Wood 'Diesel Corner'
	Standard 5 departs from Ropley to turn at Guildford ready for next day's Cathedrals Express Photo (27th February 2004): John Childs

25th February 2004: Urie S15 #30506 in the running shed with its boiler in the background
Barry and John were needle-gunning and sanding air tanks for Bittern (braking system) ready for priming and painting A cold day, so later they moved to a sunnier spot
	This close-up shows the curve in the cladding of Bittern where it blends to the running plate. Welded seam will be ground flush Inside Ropley shed today (25th Feb) with Chris in that fox hat
Neil Davis heats the chill he made in preparation for white-metalling this, the first of the 9F axlebox crowns All photos (25th February 2004): Tony Wood except picnic area (Mike Pearson)

Did you miss anything?

18th February 2004: Progress with the renovation of another TSO, the first Duncan has done with black ends.

Progress with Bittern outside and inside the crinoline and cladding Bittern's bogie and rhs cylinder Restoration of Gresley A4 #60019 Bittern Heavy general overhaul of A4 #60007 Sir Nigel Gresley at Grosmont
	9F axleboxes have had thrust faces white-metalled and are stacked by the vertical borer ready for machining.
ex-MHRplc Chairman Phil Marsh visited Ropley today and addressed Keith Loughlin via Douglas's speaking tube d:-) Six photos (18th February 2004): Tony Wood

15th February 2004:

Bittern's bogie was fitted today, and Frank recorded the event

Two photos (15th February 2004): Frank Boait

and Bittern's wheels in the snow at Ropley

(132KB, 29th January 2004): Frank Boait

Restoration of Gresley A4 #60019 Bittern

11th February 2004:

Chris Wrathall is one of the unsung heroes of the loco shed: he does short lathe production runs of simple items needing great precision. Recently he was making large driven-fit bolts to secure the cylinders of Bittern, but today he was making small pins for the hinges of access doors in Bittern's cladding. I asked him about this and recorded his response in a short movie (11th February 2004, 1.7MB): Tony Wood

The crowns were being pressed out of the 9F's axleboxes by Frank Boait and Mike Burke this morning. Before you re-metal an axle bearing, you need to remove old white metal, so Neil Davis (helped by Clive Holliday) was removing thrust face metal*, using a propane torch. *Movie (11th February 2004, 2.8MB): Tony Wood

More web-movies (includes guidance for those who have difficulty viewing these movies)

11th February 2004:

New coaling device for the Ivatt created a stir at Ropley today

Alright then, this was one of the machines being demonstrated at MHR by Hydrex to their potential customers, who travelled the line on a special dining train hauled by #73096 to see plant demonstrations at all our station sites (including the huge cherry-picker at the far end of the shed)

Some of the more curious wandered up into the running shed where we were working on Canadian Pacific

Photos (11th February 2004): Tony Wood