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

9th September 2005: The yard was cleared yesterday afternoon ready for the lifting and despatch today of the boiler of our Black Five for restoration. Ray Sully's photos of the lift from the frames: One Two The 45-ton steam crane also lifted a carriage off one bogie and wheels were changed Restoration of MHRPS Black Five #45379 from arrival to date

	Rod is making progress with the newly acquired loader Six photos (9th September 2005): Tony Wood

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Lifting the water tank into the roof-space of the Pullman car would have been a far more awkward task without the services of our (surprisingly high-lift) fork truck. Your webmaster on the coach roof guided it into position. Duncan did the tricky bit of securing it as shown here. This view is from the door steps, and the end-corridor is on the left.

A ceiling will conceal such vulgar artifacts from our posh customers.

Keith and Andy were replacing several superheater elements in #73096, and at the end of the afternoon tw lit it (and #45231) to warm up for service tomorrow

Rod Tye was titivating his new toy today: this loader will lift coal high enough for the operation to be performed anywhere in the yard, not just at the coaling stage.

It came with two buckets, and a set of forks

Three photos (8th September 2005): Tony Wood

3rd September 2005: All Bittern's wheels are now in position; next job is to fit the horn stays for leading and trailing drivers, then fit and set the springs.
We'd been cleaning the 9F ready for duty on a service train, and I thought it looked rather fine as I headed back to it after taking the above Bittern photos. Excellent engine with free-steaming boiler. After a happy day we handed it over to the evening dining train crew. Three photos (3rd September 2005): Tony Wood

31st August 2005: The Pullman looks rather fine now that the signwriting has been completed.
	New safety valves for Bittern on Andy's bench
Steve and Frank were getting a horn stay to fit properly in readiness for fitting the remaining driving wheels.
With one of Bittern's axles already on the wheeldrop ...
	... Dave Sibley and three Rangers move the last one on its trolley ready for refitting Six photos (31st August 2005): Tony Wood Restoration of Gresley A4 #60019 Bittern
28th August 2005: A group of Rangers clears a set of points in the loco yard Photo (28th August 2005): David Charlesworth

11th August 2005:

The really good news is that Chris Wrathall is back at work after his heart bypass operation, looking very much his old self again

Duke of Gloucester #71000 came back to Ropley under its own steam* (see 5th August report, and also)

Click photo for close-up of the r.h.s. core plug which was being checked today. Just as well as it turned out - it was 'ready to go' like the l.h.s. one which blew out on the run on 3rd August

Photos (11th August 2005): Tony Wood

'Diesel Corner'

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3rd August 2005:

Duncan was putting transfers on the Pullman

Photo (3rd August 2005): Tony Wood

Ropley Shed Carriage Restorations and Maintenance