The diesel gala that turned into a battery-powered one!
IT WAS advertised as a diesel gala, but it was battery electric traction that stole the show at the Mid Hants Railway over the weekend of July 15-17.
A lack of available guest locomotives for various reasons, combined with the failure of resident Class 50 No. 50027 Lion, threatened the event’s usual success.
Home fleet locomotives in the forms of Class 47 No. 47579 James Nightall GC, Class 20s D8059 and D8188 working in tandem, and shunters Class 08 D3462 and
No. 08288 Phoenix, and Class 11 No. 12082 looked like they would have their work cut out for them.
The first guests secured were something unusual – Class 419 motor luggage vans Nos. 9001 and 9002, along with BR Class 416 2EPB unit No. 5759, courtesy of the EPB Preservation Group.
Unexpected star
These went on to steal the show, with the set running trips under power from the MLVs up the Arlesford station headshunt in the early afternoon before an afternoon jaunt to Alton aided by another visitor – Class 33 No. 33111 courtesy of the 33/1 Preservation Group and making its first visit away from the Swanage Railway in 14 years.
The set returned to Medstead & Four Marks station before No. 33111 detached, allowing the MLVs and 2EPB to return to Alresford again under power from the MLVs.
The weekend was the first since 2015 that unit No. 5759 had carried passengers, having been stored at Southall since and last making a public appearance at the Ramsgate open day in June 2019.
In addition to the 2EPB, London Transport’s 4TC Class 438 unit was also hired in for the event.
As well as running with the Class 33 for a trip, it spent the majority of the event paired with Class 66 No. 66415 You Are Never Alone which was visiting from Freightliner and named in partnership with the Samaritans. The gala was its first ever passengercarrying allocation, with the ‘Shed’ usually confined to main line freight duties, though some have operated on heritage lines before.
The resident three shunting locomotives each ran a return brake van shuttle between Alresford and Ropley, where in addition to Lion, two
West Coast Railways Class 33s were on show in the yard, having stabled there after towing in either the 4TC or MLV and 2EPB units from West Ruislip or Southall depots respectively.
Lion was open for cab visits, with the sales stand attending to fundraise for the repairs of the main generator.
Ale options
On both the Friday and Saturday evenings, the MHR’s ‘Barn Owl’ also returned to Ropley with real ales and cider available from the station’s Beer Junction outlet and trains running into the evening.
The timing of the event worked out well, with the gloriously hot and sunny weather curtailing steam services on other railways across the same weekend.