One of the first in the Boiler Shop

This month’s delve into the Urie Society newsletter archives takes us back a short way to 2009 when focus was on S15 506 and work on her boiler.

No. 19 Autumn 2009

A great change at our site at Ropley has recently taken place. With the recent granting of lottery monies, the Mid-Hants has been able to carry out major works on the shed area at the far north-east of the Ropley site. This work is very much in our interest as it is for a new enclosed boiler shop which will abut the road bridge. The new shed is now in place and concrete floors are in and new tracks being laid in as we write (2009). With a fair number of boilers now requiring attention at the MHR, this new facility will enhance this important site of locomotive restoration and overhaul.

We are pleased to say that our boiler, No. 755, will be one of the first to enter the new shops. As can be seen in the photo on the front cover (See below), our boilers were moved from their current positions via a well wagon. With the boiler now stripped of all the old stays, tubes etc it is now rime top put new ones in to bring 506 back into operation within it is hoped, around two years.

To gain access to, and carry out the work on, the new boiler shop, we had to clear all of our workshop areas and boilers were right in front of the area. Much of the Urie volunteer’s time in recent months has been been spent on preparing for the move and now, putting the working areas back into their new locations slightly closer to the main works and station, but still hugging closely to the southern edge of the site.

With this work progressing, very little has been accomplished on the tender and boiler but it has had to be done and of course there is rarely any gain without any pain! Ironically, it will be the winter months when work can resume once more in any great fashion, but with the boiler in the shops and followed by 506’s frames and tender at some point to the main works, progress really is being made.