Barking over the ALPS!

The weather was undoubtedly kind during the Mid-Hants Railway’s autumn steam gala over the weekend of October 19-21.

Crowds were drawn to the trains – seat occupancy appeared to be high. Perhaps that was due to the attraction of visiting GWR locomotives in the heart of Southern territory, rubbing shoulders with the line’s residents, performing a plethora of interesting duties over the MHR’s well-known gradients.

For me, the ‘star combination’ was undoubtedly that of Nos. 5199 and 7822 double-heading. Their distinctive bark did not disappoint, especially over the 1-in-60 climb of the ‘Alps’ either side of Medstead and Four Marks station. At around 650ft