Mid Hants Railway - Autumn Steam Gala 2020

Despite the current circumstances surrounding the Pandemic, the Mid Hants Railway made the decision to proceed with their plans for an Autumn Steam Gala in October, becoming one of the few Heritage Railways to host such an event in 2020.

Meticulous planning went into the event, starting with the relevant protocols and procedures. These included temperature checks, mandatory mask wearing on trains and social distancing. Capacity was also limited, with a maximum of 500 tickets being made available per day, with passengers given a seat on a particular set. In the week leading up to the event, all tickets had officially been sold out!

One of the star attractions was LMS Jubilee No. 45596 'Bahamas', which was venturing into Southern England for the first time since 1967! Owned by the Bahamas Locomotive Society, and based on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway, it would also see the 4-6-0 visit another Heritage Railway for the first time in 23 years!

Also becoming the centre of attention was SDJR 7F No. 53808, which has recently arrived on the Watercress Line, as part of a long term agreement, courtesy of the Somerset and Dorset Railway Trust. The 2-8-0 arrived in Hampshire in the early Autumn, having previously been based on the West Somerset Railway. The loco is now a resident on the MHR.

These two locomotives would provide the theme for the event - which was the Somerset and Dorset Railway, and the 'Pines Express'. The latter was a named service that ran from Manchester to Bournemouth via Bath Green Park and the S&D route.

The duo ran alongside the resident fleet, consisting of BR Standard 4MT No. 76017, LMS Ivatt 2MT No. 41312 and LSWR S15 No. 506. Meanwhile, Hunslet 0-6-0 No. 3781 would provide shunting demonstrations at Ropley, whilst SR Schools Class No. 30925 'Cheltenham' was placed on standby, in case of any problems.

The lineup for the event:

Visiting:

LMS Jubilee 4-6-0 No. 45596 'Bahamas'
(Keighley & Worth Valley Railway / Bahamas Locomotive Society)

Resident:

SDJR 7F 2-8-0 No. 53808 *
BR Standard 4MT 2-6-0 No. 76017
LMS Ivatt 2MT 2-6-2 No. 41312
LSWR S15 4-6-0 No. 506
SR V Schools Class 4-4-0 No. 30925 'Cheltenham' ^
Hunslet 0-6-0ST No. 3781 "

Recently arrived at the Railway
^ Spare engine for the event, does not feature
" Provided shunting demonstrations at Ropley

All scenes were captured over the 16th - 18th October 2020.

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro
00:23 45596 - Bishops Sutton
01:23 45596 - Bishops Sutton Watercress Beds
02:29 45596 - Bighton
03:51 45596 - Northside Crossing
04:57 45596 - Northside Lane
06:30 45596 - Ropley
07:57 45596 - Bowers Grove Lane
09:21 45596 - Rookwood
10:18 45596 - Wanders Curve
12:08 45596 - Soke Hill
14:41 53808 - Wanders Curve
17:21 53808 - Ropley
18:05 53808 - Northside Lane
19:04 53808 - Bishops Sutton
20:18 76017 - Bighton
21:03 76017 - Bishops Sutton Watercress Beds
21:50 76017 and 41312 - Soke Hill
23:28 76017 and 41312 - Rookwood
25:24 41312 and 76017 - Bighton
27:08 41312 and 76017 - Bowers Grove Lane
28:40 41312 and 76017 - Rookwood
30:23 41312 and 76017 - Soke Hill
32:49 41312 - Bishops Sutton
33:33 41312 - Bishops Sutton Watercress Beds
34:36 41312 - Northside Lane (Passenger)
36:02 41312 - Northside Lane (Freight)
36:50 41312 - Bighton
37:24 506 - Bishops Sutton
38:22 506 - Northside Lane
40:13 506 - Ropley
43:19 506 - Bowers Grove Lane
44:40 506 - Soke Hill
46:51 506 - Rookwood

The audio from some sequences have been very kindly lent to us by fellow YouTuber 'Speed to the West', after the discovery of microphone issues in the original scenes. You can find the link to their video from the event here:
   • The Hampshire Jubilee: 45596 'Bahamas' On ...  

Full credit goes to everyone involved at the Mid Hants Railway, in particular the organisers and volunteers, who decided to proceed with plans for the Autumn Steam Gala despite the current circumstances.

If you wish to donate to the Railway, the link is here: https://preservation.watercressline.c...

The whole event was a very uplifting moment, in a very unforgiving year.

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