Back on the train

Life regained a little more normality this weekend. Last week my youngest son asked when we could go on steam train again so, with various railway now opening up, I suggested that we book a couple of seats on our local Mid-Hants Railway for the Sunday afternoon. What an absolute pleasure it was to be rolling through the English countryside behind a steam locomotive again after so many months in lockdown.

                                    Eastleigh's finest. The NRM's 30925 Cheltenham runs round at Ropley.

Like other lines the Mid-Hants is offering a somewhat different service from normal, with pre-booking of allocated seats on specific trains. Although this is much more restricted than what one would normally get for a full-line return (in reality a day-rover that can be used to travel and get on/off as much as one pleases) the railway has gone to some trouble to offer  the best deal it can in the current circumstances.

The two-train service offers trains starting from both ends of the line. We started our journey at Alresford and ran non-stop to Alton (that in itself was a first for me). After running round, the train returns to Ropley where a forty-minute lay over gives visitors time to have a look round the loco yard and buy refreshments etc. During this time the locomotive again runs round and the onward journey sees another run uphill to Medstead & Four Marks before the returning to Alresford. All in all a really enjoyable three hours and excellent value at £16.00 for an adult ticket.

 

Ivatt Class 2-6-2T 41312 passes with the second train service at Ropley.

The simple pleasure of train travel is one that I have never tired of but, given the months of lockdown, yesterday’s little trip was, perhaps, even more enjoyable than normal. Given the length of time without a steam ’fix’ I would have been more than happy with any locomotive hauling our train but the fact that we had Schools class 30925 Cheltenham making easy work of our five coach train really added to the occasion.

                                           

Interloper (1). Somerset & Dorset Railway Trust Peckett 0-4-0ST Kilmersden is now resident on the Mid-Hants.

Interploper (2). 64xx Pannier tank 6435, normally resident at the Bodmin & Wenford Railway, seen on shed at Ropley. The locomotive is a special guest for the railway's forthcoming Spring Steam Gala. 

Thank you Mid-Hants Railway, I hope a full normal service can be resumed soon.

 

Flashback Friday

Remembering the Plastic Pigs

 

                                 2420 in familiar surroundings at London Waterloo on 13th September 1992.

This week we learned that South Western Railway have taken the decision to withdraw their allocation of Class 442 EMUs. It seems the thirty year old units (despite being the subject of an extensive, and expensive, ongoing refurb and upgrade) have reached the end of the road thanks in part to the reduced demand for passenger travel caused by Covid 19. See story at https://economyclassandbeyond.boardingarea.com/2021/04/05/south-west-railway-bids-farewell-to-the-class-442-wessex-electrics/

I won’t try to tell the history of the ‘Plastic Pigs’ here, there are far better online resources for that at https://www.bloodandcustard.com/BR-5WES-442.html and http://extra.southernelectric.org.uk/features/rolling-stock/442/index.html for example. 

The news has made me dig out a couple of  images of the class from what was arguably their heyday in the early 1990s.

Introduced from 1988 for use on the Southern Region’s Waterloo to Weymouth route which had recently seen the third rail extended west from Bournemouth. The new Class 442/5WES units were based on the BR Mk 3 carriage design and incorporated electrical equipment from the Class 432/4REP units which had provided the front tline motive power on this route since the end of steam in 1967. While they weren’t everybody’s cup of tea, replacing as they did the popular REPs and bringing to an end the practice of operating Weymouth bound trains with push-pull fitted Class 33/1s beyond Bournemouth, they gained popularity over the years that followed as they provided comfortable and efficient travel in modern, air-conditioned, surroundings.

2421 waist at Eastleigh on a London bound service on 28th February 1993.

Although built for the Waterloo-Weymouth route they also appeared on Portsmouth line workings as well, again proving a big contrast to the 4CIG and 4BEP units that normally operated fast services over the hilly route. It was on these services that I had the majority of my early experiences with the 442s. They provided a reliable service for BR’s Network South East sector until the onset of rail privatisation, after which they continued to work for South West Trains in the new era. Withdrawal from SWT services came as the 24 units were not compatible with the new generation of Siemans built  Class 444 and 450 units. Amazingly they went on to find a new lease of life on the Brighton line, operating the Gatwick Express Service for several years, before the plan to return some units to their old haunts on the Portsmouth Direct Line with the new South Western Railway franchise were announced. There was also a proposal to use some on a new open access service from Waterloo to Southampton.

It seems time has finally run out for the Plastic Pigs. Their non-standard equipment combined with the current down turn in passenger figures has finally sealed their fate. Perhaps it won’t be long before overcrowded trains on the routes from Waterloo will return and make those in authority regret this decision. Time will tell.