Mid Hants Railway - Autumn Steam Gala - 03/10/21

Описание: The first weekend of October saw the Mid Hants Railway host their 'Autumn Steam Gala', which for 2021 would run to the theme of the Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway.

The first guest to be announced was SR Unrebuilt West Country No. 34092 'City of Wells', which arrived in Hampshire from its usual base at the East Lancashire Railway. The loco is a unique example of Oliver Bulleid's Pacific class, with the Pacific being given the addition of a Giesl ejector in 1986, which improved draughting and visibility for engine crew. The same device was also fitted to 34064 'Fighter Command' 24 years earlier, in 1962. As a result of some rather impressive main line performances, 'City of Wells' was dubbed 'The Volcano' by enthusiasts - a nickname which still stands to this day.

The second guest arrived from the Bluebell Railway, in the shape of BR Standard 4MT No. 80151. This would be the first time that the loco had ventured away from Sussex since 1998!

The duo joined the home fleet, which consisted of BR Standard 4MT No. 76017, LMS Ivatt 2MT No. 41312 and SDJR 7F No. 53808. There was also an appearance from Hunslet 0-6-0ST No. 3781, which is known as 'Dave' by MHR Volunteers! The Saddle Tank would pilot the first train of the day from Ropley, before being utilised on brake van rides at Alton throughout all three days.

The Gala would include an intensive timetable, consisting of freight and passenger services, as well as shuttles between Alresford and Ropley. There were also recreations of the famous 'Pines Express', with a 9 or 10 coach service running non stop from Alresford to Alton on the Saturday and Sunday. This was double headed with 80151 and 34092 'City of Wells' on the Saturday, with the Sunday trip being piloted by the latter, with 41312 providing assistance at the rear.

The lineup for the event:

Visiting:

BR Standard 4MT 2-6-4T No. 80151 (Bluebell Railway)
SR Unrebuilt West Country 4-6-2 No. 34092 'City of Wells'
(East Lancashire Railway)

Resident:

BR Standard 4MT 2-6-0 No. 76017
LMS Ivatt 2MT 2-6-2T No. 41312
SDJR 7F 2-8-0 No. 53808
Hunslet 0-6-0ST No. 3781

Note: 3781 was used on brake van rides at Alton, after piloting the first service from Ropley to Alton on each day, double heading with 80151 or 34092 'City of Wells'.

All scenes were captured on Sunday 3rd October 2021. The event was marred by some awful weather, which is evident in the final clip!

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro
00:20 3781 & 34092 - Bowers Grove Lane
02:34 80151 - Wanders Curve
04:53 41312 - Horse Lane
07:35 34092 - Rookwood
08:44 53808 - Rookwood
10:36 80151 & 76017 - Rookwood
12:22 76017 - Soke Hill
13:53 34092 and 41312 - Rookwood

With the weather taking a turn for the worse after 2pm, we decided to abandon any further filming, so this video is much shorter than what was originally planned. However, it does provide a record of the day's proceedings leading up to the early afternoon.

As ever, credit and thanks go to the volunteers at the Mid Hants Railway, along with the relevant organisations involved, in making this event possible.

A great event indeed, paying homage to the S&D in style! Just a shame that the forecast wasn't too kind in Hampshire.

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