I had another Sunday outing - this time, a day trip to the district of Hampshire towards the South West of London. Why Hampshire? that's where the Mid-Hants Railway was, and they were having a Gala Weekend of steam trains from the 13th to the 15th. So I visited on the 15th, and was able to get there relatively easily by tube and then train. What's a Gala? basically a Festival weekend where quite a number of engines are running. There's been quite a few Gala's in the last month or so, 2 of which seriously tempted me but I decided to forgo them in favour of just visiting this one which had wider array of engines that interested me more. I hadn't been to the railway before so part of the trip was "scoping and fact finding" - in the end I thought I did a good job ascertaining where photo opportunities were to be had on the line. Rather than describe the day, I'm going to let some pictures paint the scene - not necessarily the best pictures I took, but a combination of pictures I like and ones which are representative of the day. So here is the "dirty dozen" from the Mid Hants Spring Gala. One of the star locos of the Gala was the recently overhauled 70000 "Brittania", which I rode behind the length of the line from Alton to Arlesford and then I watched it depart for Alton again, as seen here. This engine is about to become a star on main line tracks once again replacing another star... ...no less than the streamlined A4 4464 "Bittern", which will spend a year away from main line duties visiting the Mid Hants Railway and then it will go for overhaul. The green engine behind is 850 "Lord Nelson", which was not in action this day due to some kind of brake problem. Another drawcard for me was to see a 9F freight engine in action - this is that 9F, 92212 but very much parked up for the weekend at Ropley. Turns out it needed some minor boiler work which they didn't finish in time for the Gala, so it sat it out. A bit disappointing, but this engine is based at Mid Hants (although owned by the same owners as the previous two engines pictured) so no doubt I'll get a chance to see it going yet. You could wander into the workshop - or so it seemed, there were no barriers unlike everywhere else yet they were still performing work on restoring engines, using grinders and welders and all which I wouldn't have thought would be good while having the public wander around in the same space. This is a Class 4 Standard, being restored from scrapyard condition for the first time while on the right is the smokebox of a Bulleid West Country/Battle of Britain type. This is 925 "Cheltenham" - the Mid Hants line was once a part of the Southern Railway, and 925 is a Southern Engine and the carriages are all painted in Southern Region green. I for one am not fond of the looks of 925 or the similar 850 "Lord Nelson" nor really any of the pre-Bulleid main line locos of Southern - they all look like the designer was stuck in the Victorian era when designing this loco and its compatriots, despite being built in 1930. They come across to me as quite backward for their era. When it comes to Southern engines, this is more my thing - the streamlined 34007 "Wadebridge", designed in 1945 by the New Zealand born Oliver Bulleid who seemingly drew Southern out of being 50 years behind the times when it came to locomotive technology but threw it right into the forefront of steam locomotive technology at the time, pioneering many innovations at the time - some successful, some not quite so much. "Wadebridge" was only being used between Ropley and Arlesford pulling a freight train, and I found a path alongside the railway line which took me to this spot to take photos from - neat. Brittania on its passenger train, much from the same place as the above photo but with the sun now deciding to come out from the cloud and backlight the scene and then doesn't go away. Time to find a new spot. Having moved across to the opposite side of the railway and having found a suitable spot where I wasn't shooting into the sun, the sun decides to dive behind cloud just at the wrong time as "Bittern" comes along. Pop goes the diesel - I think I saw 3 of these 08 Class shunters at the Mid Hants. Black Five 45379 arrives into Ropley with its train - I've always had a soft spot for the Black Fives, no doubt in part due to the fact that they are what Henry from Thomas the Tank Engine was based on although I always thought they were a neat looking engine before I found that out. How to make a big engine look small - photograph it from an absurdly tall bridge. "Brittania" heads tender first towards Medstead & Four Marks Station The same spot as the previous photo - this time with Black Five 45379 heading towards Alton through the deep cutting. My first Steam Gala - I quite liked it, and its a neat railway too. I was most impressed by "Brittania" - I hadn't seen its type before and unlike some British engines it actually sounds powerful and purposeful even at rest in a station. I think I'd quite like to ride behind "Brittania", or its only other surviving classmate 70013 "Oliver Cromwell" on the main line as I dare say they'd sound and look very impressive at 75mph. Was good to see "Bittern" and get to ride behind it, but I didn't get as many good photos of it as I would have liked. No matter - since it will be at the railway till the end of the year, there will be other opportunities.
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A Kiwi out travelling in the UK and surrounding countries Archives
August 2019
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