5th Jan 2021 in Urie Blogs
The Standard 4 75079 has always been rather a Cinderella despite being fully owned by the MHRPS and one of the potentially most useful locos for the Watercress Line. Luckily, not just one, but two Princes Charming (Messrs Ellick and Drinkwater) realised that ...
22nd Dec 2020 in Carriage Works
It comes as something of a relief, with an ample amount of confusion, to find myself sitting down to write the December carriage workshop blog. I’m always a little surprised to find another year has gone by, and this particular ...
16th Dec 2020 in Buildings
December The work on the buffet counter and redecoration has managed to be continued in stages and the final unveiling in situ of the counter has taken place, just in time for the Illuminations trains starting. The room has been greatly transformed ...
19th Nov 2020 in Buildings
November With the end of running trains after the half-term holiday week, the Building Department descended on the West Country Buffet at Alresford to install the new serving counter. The new counter units, screen and worktop had been taken to site earlier ...
13th Nov 2020 in Wagon Group
Yes it's been 6 months or so since the last Wagon Group blog, and as some people seemed to be missing it on social media, and we are unable to work on wagons in the current November lockdown....it gives a bit ...
9th Nov 2020 in Can Pac Blogs, Carriage Works
Carriage workshop blog, November 2020 The carriage workshop is in production line mode at the moment, involved in a very different sort of screen time to that which has swept the nation over the last few years! We are working flat ...
6th Nov 2020 in Buildings
October Well the seasonal weather is affecting the work schedule of the Building Department a little more now, restricting progress on some of the outside jobs due to wind and rain but in between the worst we have managed to continue, ...
23rd Oct 2020 in
We had a great time at the Autumn Gala last weekend, it was great to see the railway pulling together to put on an event again after such a long time and its been lovely to hear so much positive feedback ...
23rd Oct 2020 in Can Pac Blogs, Carriage Works
Well, what can I say other than welcome back? Before we go any further, I’d like to thank on behalf of all of us, everybody who has stepped up to the plate during this crazy year, especially our heroes in ...
16th Oct 2020 in Buildings
September Just as an example of the many ‘bits and bobs’ we get involved in along the line was the replacement of a glass panel in one of the bridge lanterns at Ropley footbridge. One of the glass ...
10th Sep 2020 in Buildings
August Having prepared the spiked railing panels and posts for the upside if the Northside Lane foot crossing we took all the items to site by Wickham Trolley to begin installation. We thought we would have a good number in the ...
5th Aug 2020 in
1 August Well, where were we. Since the lockdown came in rather suddenly, things have been a little quiet on the building and maintenance front, but that’s not to say everything was on hold. Some preparatory work was carried on with ...
15th Jul 2020 in Loco Wednesday Gang
Ropley; Wednesday 15th July; the "New Normal" is becoming the normal normal as a smaller but a no less enthusiastic numbers of both staff and volunteers set about a slightly delayed deep Spring clean around the yard and the sheds.. Mr Sibley ...
10th Jun 2020 in Loco Wednesday Gang
Ropley; 10th June. A very strange environment these days though with a lot more life about the place than last week as the railway starts to ready itself for welcoming passengers and volunteers in the not too distant future. Last week there ...
8th May 2020 in
Today, 8th May 2020 marks the 75th Anniversary of VE Day. We had planned a bank holiday event full of 1940s music, dancing, picnics and of course steam, instead we're marking the occassion online. One of our lovely volutneers Pete Reynolds ...
3rd Apr 2020 in Carriage Works
An exciting landmark in the life of the Watercress Line happened at the turn of March, when the first part of the Canadian Pacific Project was launched into traffic in the shape of Bulleid open third carriage, No. 1456. Built in December 1947 ...