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

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5th February 2008: Rebuilding of the cab of #34007 Wadebridge after the footplate fire: Movie (4½MB, 5th February 2008): Tony Wood
	Ivatt #41312 had a formal Part 2 boiler inspection Very latest progress with Stanier Black Five #45379
The last of the wheeldrop shed cladding (delayed until the 'temporary' signalbox was removed) has now been installed. Preparations under the scaffolding are for extending the down platform Photos (5th February 2008): Tony Wood

3rd February 2008:

Fifty-six members of the Heritage Railway Association paid a visit to MHR and were given a full tour of Ropley MPD including the new Ropley signalbox.

Members came from UK, Austria, Germany and Ireland and included was HRA Chairman, David Morgan.

We split this large group so they could see more: half was taken by MHR Chairman Colin Chambers and half by your webmaster.

Here 'my' group are shown the wheeldrop ...

... and here some speak with volunteers at
work on MHRPS Black Five #45379

Very latest progress with #45379

They also saw the progress with
U-Class #31806 in the wheeldrop shed.

Four photos (3rd February 2008): Henry O'Dwyer

28th January 2008:

Ivatt #41312 warming up for safety valve setting and test run Photo (28th January 2008): Tony Wood

Movie (5.3MB, 28th January 2008: Tony Wood): Ivatt #41312 first test run after maintenance work

Cylinder drain cocks blowing a little (dirt, probably; small job) but otherwise all seems well

Another movie (28th January 2008) at Diesel Corner

24th January 2008:

Routine piston exam done, attention now turns to the valves of #73096.
New rings have been made and hang ready to fit.

Outside, Thomas is back from his travels and now faces towards Alresford.

Photos (24th January 2008): Tony Wood

Photo (Ropley, 22nd January 2008): Henry O'Dwyer

21st January 2008: Trevor was machining another adaptor for mounting the cylinder-boring machine on loan from the Bluebell Railway. This one is for use on #10 Douglas, and adaptors have been made for U-Class #31806. (Bluebell loaned adaptors to fit for our Std4 #75079) Meanwhile, in the wheeldrop shed, Frank and a small team were preparing to re-fit the left-hand piston into Std 5 #73096. Strips of polythene are inserted under the piston rings to hold them in place whilst the piston goes into the cylinder. These later vaporise when the cylinder receives superheated steam, leaving the rings free to move and do their job. The safety chain ensures the assembly doesn't slip and fall on someone! Movie (6.3MB, 21st January 2008): Tony Wood
Duncan was measuring and masking powercar #51405 for lining: 1" at the top; 1½" inches at the waist - he said. The cab on the left is for #45379
	Black Five #45379 as seen from the bufferbeam of #34007 Photos (21st January 2008): Tony Wood

15th January 2008: Bob Preston today finished re-metalling the thrust faces on the six axleboxes for the driving wheels of U-Class #31806 and they are ready for machining. The wheels have been re-profiled, journals cleaned up and wheel-bosses skimmed. We're currently painting the frames and wheels.
	Duncan and the DMMU powercar #51405
	Annual boiler exam today on Std 5 #73096 - it will have the routine valve and piston exam whilst it's stopped for that. Right-hand valve spindle was already out and looks good; all the rings were free and intact. Here's a MOVIE (4.4MB) showing removal of the left-hand valve spindle using a sliding hammer as usual More about valves Photos and movie (15th January 2008): Tony Wood

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7th January 2008:

Chris (foreground) wears his 'fox hat' again d:-) and Greg is working at a vice nearby. Roger and Duncan were painting a power car of the DMMU

John Redgrave did a routine pad exam on #35005 and its tender. Also in the wheeldrop shed Trevor and Steve put the piston back in #41312.
The Ivatt has had a complete valve and piston exam, the drain cocks have been fettled and it's due a Part 2 boiler exam on 15th Jan.

Photos (7th January 2008): Tony Wood

The world's first trainspotter

3rd January 2008: UK Government policy on continued use of Imperial Measures

28th December 2007: Wagon renovations and restorations at MHR

21st December 2007: Some of our Loco Shed Rangers were busy as Junior Helpers on Santa Special trains

20th December 2007: Up the yard in the boiler shop, the riveting on the foundation ring and the firehole door ring on Douglas's boiler is complete. Andy, perfectionist as ever, was trimming the rivets with a curved pneumatic chisel. You can hear the din in the distance in the Movie of a Santa Special departing Ropley for Medstead today. (2.2MB, 20th December 2007): Tony Wood
The water-blasted frames and wheels of U-Class #31806 are now back inside the shed (see movie of 11th December 2007, below)
Bittern's back. Gavin warms his hands as he passes Rod's bonfire. In the wheeldrop shed, Matt and John were preparing to reassemble Ivatt #41312 Movie (2MB, 20th December 2007): Tony Wood Photos (20th December 2007): Tony Wood

11th December 2007:

Wheels of U-Class #31806 in the shed

In the boiler shop, Andy, Spud and Gavin were starting rivetting the foundation ring of Douglas's boiler Movie (6.8MB, 11th December 2007)

Frames of U-Class #31806 were being cleaned with high pressure water by a contractor

Movie Hand-held with 10x zoom from the boiler shop. (2.5MB, 11th December 2007)

Beside the shed, under the rookery, cattle and rooks were content Movie (5.9MB, 11th December 2007)

Photo and three movies (11th December 2007): Tony Wood

5th December 2007:

A day of torrential showers, very loud on the shed roofs.
Andy was drilling holes for the foundation ring rivets of Douglas's firebox, and hopes to start riveting next week. Trevor and Pete were working on Douglas's brake rigging. Morley and Jim were converting the wheeldrop from temporary (9 years!) pneumatic power to 600vDC and Ron Mersh dropped by after lunching with the Wednesday Gang to see how they were progressing.

Steve was drilling the (temporarily installed) dragbox on U-Class #31806 Movie (2.7MB, 5th December 2007): Tony Wood

30th November 2007:

On this damp and dull day two locos were lit with warming fires for tomorrow's start of the Santa Special services.

The dots in the photo are the local starlings, playing through the smoke

See also

Photos (30th November 2007): Tony Wood

28th November 2007: Contractor (Metalok) fitted the new cylinder liner to Ivatt #41312 with help from shed staff. After cooling the new stepped cast iron liner in 120 litres of liquid nitrogen (which shrank its diameter by 20 thou) it slipped easily into position and quickly warmed enough to lock in place. It will be allowed to normalise for 24 hours before we measure the bore.
All very well using Bittern's codsmouth as shelter from a sudden shower but, as Jim remarked, you can get kippered if you have to open the smokebox door. The loco had just been lit to warm in readiness for its FTR exam for the York run on Saturday Photo (28th November 2007): Tony Wood Comfort - in a smokebox ?
Thomas was raising steam to test steam heating on carriages at Alresford so Diesel and his driver, David Sibley, were helping Thomas to take water - Movie (6.3MB, 28th November 2007): Tony Wood

22nd November 2007:
Bittern is now fully certified for the main line and had been steamed up for its FTR to go out on 24th November 2007 but sadly could not because of routing problems. Kim Malyon (who had been under the loco in the pit in fetching carrier bag headgear!) was briefing loco crews on the loco's dual (air and vacuum) braking system. #60019 is due to go out on Saturday 1st December for a run to York
	The tender tank for Urie S15 #31499, so long stored beside Ropley Manor, was craned across the station house garden this week to rest on what will be its frames
Boiler for Maunsell S15 #828 had been ultrasound tested. Sadly, in this rare bastion of Imperial Measure, the figures show metal thickness in .... mm !
	Flanged profiles for new dragbox for U-Class #31806 were up on the borer to machine the holes
Valve-chest covers for MHRPS Black Five #45379
	In the boiler shop, busy on 9F #92212, Kevin (foreground) and Spud working on the firebox tubeplate and Andy in the smokebox. Movies: Boiler of #92212 seen from on top (1.9MB) Firebox tubeplate being fettled seen from inside the boiler barrel (4.8MB) Firebox tubeplate being fettled seen from the firebox (1.6MB) Tidying front tubeplate holes seen from inside boiler barrel (2.7MB) Four movies (22nd November 2007): Tony Wood More about #92212's preparation for boiler inspection

	Left-hand cylinder rear cover of #10 Douglas had a poor repair in its previous life, so this will be ground out and stitched for a proper job "Stitched"? Photos (22nd November 2007): Tony Wood

18th November 2007: Andy Netherwood visited Crewe and reports on progress there with the boiler of Black Five #45379

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Stanier Black Five #45379*

... is under restoration

*Photo: Frank Boait

Final run of 5379

Photo at Bighton Bridge: Tony Wood

Restoration to date

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