Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 was pictured while undergoing surgery at Minehead on 20th December 2024 to deal with the corrosion that was breaking through the skin from the inside. The rusty metal has been cut out and new sheet steel will be welded in before repainting takes place. Photo by Neil McCannon © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

Some GREAT NEWS – the fundraiser for the bodywork repairs for ‘Hymek’ D7017 has passed the halfway mark with a total of £5,875 being raised in the seven weeks since launching the appeal.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR FANTASTIC SUPPORT !

We are aiming to reach £10,000 to cover the cost of the work that is well advanced and taking place inside the WSR’s workshops at Minehead. This sub-contract route was taken to make sure that the loco is repaired during the winter and is ready to take pole position in the celebration of 50 years of ‘Hymek’ preservation that will take place in 2025.

The work also includes the overhaul of the two cardan shafts that connect the transmission to the dynastarter and the Serck pump, both of which have now been returned to the loco after thorough overhaul at FIROW PROPSHAFTS in Crewe – with thanks for their excellent service and fast turnaround time !

Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 is being fitted with two fully-refurbished cardan shafts, recently overhauled by FIROW PROPSHAFTS in Crewe. Pictured at Williton on 14th December 2024 by Terry Deacon © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

Can you help us reach our target of £10,000 ? Times are hard and money is tight, but if you love the sight, the sound and the sparkling performance of the ‘Hymeks’ then please do what you can to support our efforts. This is a short-term appeal so please give this your attention and help by making a donation via our website (click on the icons below) or by bank app or by sending a cheque to the DEPG at Williton. THANK YOU VERY MUCH !

        

 

Another MAJOR MILESTONE was reached with the overhaul of the Mekydro transmission from sister ‘Hymek’ D7018 with a successful conclusion of the static testing that took place at Williton on Saturday 14th December. The demonstration and test was the culmination of months of work by Colin F and his team, as they worked through a test plan that had been carefully derived to ensure that all 30 valves in the control system were exercised as much as possible in the absence of the engine itself, the ‘motive power’ being provided by new volunteers, the father and son team of Jason and Ethan !

D7018 – the static transmission test rig was being powered by Jason on the ‘input’ side (nearest the camera) and Ethan on the ‘output’ side. Both had some work to do to keep up with the many changes of rotation direction and power flow that were required to complete the test program. Extract from a video taken at Williton on 14th December 2024 by Martin Howard © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

The testing was filmed by Martin so that the evidence of each test being performed and the results obtained can be reviewed and verified as part of the sign-off, but all reviewers on site agreed that there were no causes for concern and the ‘transmission team’ could move on and complete the re-assembly work. The next phase of testing will take place with the transmission back in the loco and the engine providing the driving force.

D7018 – the transmission team wasted no time and soon had the torque converter and input shaft assemblies re-installed in the transmission, as evidenced by this photo of Tim guiding the top housing down onto the transmission. Pictured at Williton on Tuesday 17th December 2024 by Colin Foxhall © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

STOP PRESS: We heard today that team leader Colin F has suffered a stroke and was hospitalised, but has now returned home. He has been in touch with his fellow volunteers and it is evident from his messages that he is doing very well and the outlook is GOOD. We wish Colin all the best for a speedy and full recovery !

 

 

Away from all this excitement, the SANTA EXPRESS and PANTO TRAIN services were in and out of Williton station on a regular basis, with entertainment both on the trains and on the platforms. The loadings this year are thinner than in previous years, so the railway will need every ounce of support to reach its financial objectives. If you were sitting on the fence and thinking that you might give it a try, then PLEASE DO because a lot of effort has gone into preparing and offering these services, and they deserve the patronage of WSR supporters. PLEASE HELP MAKE A DIFFERENCE by booking your tickets now !

 

Something NEW and very SPECIAL is the NEW YEAR’S DAY WHISTLE-UP which will celebrate the start of the RAIL 200 celebrations ! Click here or on the link below to find out more, and PLEASE JOIN IN and start the year with a blast !

 

 

DIESEL RUNNING DATES for 2025

We don’t yet have the details available for 2025 but we understand that the running pattern will be very similar to that of 2024, so the 2024 DIESEL RUNNING DATES page can be used as a guide, temporarily. Good news – the WSR’s SUMMER DIESEL FESTIVAL has been confirmed as being Thursday 5th through Saturday 7th with a Mixed Traction Day  on Sunday 8th of June 2025.

 

Click here to join the DEPG

Click here to go to our DIESEL RUNNING DATES page

Click here to go to our ONLINE SHOP

Thank you very much for your support !

 

LOCO NEWS:

Class 52 D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’ – the team concentrated on the ‘A’ cooler group last weekend to get it painted and ready for a move to another part of the shed, to allow Class 14 D9518 to be moved in connection with the re-mounting of her cab assembly. There is a lot of work still to be done on the bogies, the next step will be to test the springs and determine if they are fit for further use or if they need to be reconditioned or replaced. Meanwhile, the cardan shafts are out at FIROW PROPSHAFTS for inspection and repair as necessary. We will be making an appeal for MORE VOLUNTEERS to work on this loco in 2025 so that we can pick up the pace. Please get in touch by using our CONTACT FORM if you are able to join the team.

D1010 – volunteers Roy (foreground) and Ian F continued their work on the cooler group of many colours, in this case for the ‘A’ end of the locomotive. Pictured at Williton on 14th December 2024 by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

D1010 – the camera flash captures the hi-vis stripes of ‘Tuesday Team’ volunteers (L-R) Nick and Mark B with the ‘B’ bogie in the foreground. Pictured at Williton on 11th December 2024 by Terry Deacon © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

 

Apologies to those D1010 sponsors who have yet to receive the photos and certificates for the patches that they have sponsored. We did do some more engraving last Saturday, but the bitterly cold wind made it a very uncomfortable process, so we had to curtail the effort to maintain the quality of the markings.

Rest assured that every sponsor will receive their certificate and the details of where to find their sponsored patch. We will be making a further push for funds soon, because we have some big ticket items for refurbishment, including 14 cardan shafts and 32 springs.

MANY THANKS to all who have sponsored and supported the RESTORATION of D1010 !

 

 

Class 09 D4107 (09019) – the team returned their attention to this loco last weekend with more progress made on preparing the overhauled compressor for re-installation, and the delivery of a complete set of reconditioned fuel injection components that will be installed during the Christmas holiday period.

The corrosion in several areas of the bonnet and side panels has been assessed and the worst areas will be dealt with during this visit to the ‘works’. Some cosmetic areas will have to be left for next winter, the priority being to get the loco back into service without a long and protracted stay at Williton. She is needed at Bishops Lydeard !

D4107 (09019) – a view along the cantrail shows that corrosion is becoming established. This will require further attention next winter. Pictured at Williton on Saturday 14th December 2024 by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

D4107 (09019) – this section of bonnet above the cantrail is too far gone and will need to be patched before the loco is released back into service. Pictured at Williton on Saturday 14th December 2024 by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

Class 33 D6566 (33 048) – this loco is outstationed at Bishops Lydeard where she has the role of duty loco. The ’33’ will be available to support the WSR Christmas services that originate from Bishops Lydeard.

 

Class 33 D6575 (33 057) – this loco is now back at Williton and is undergoing some planned maintenance, mostly in relation to oil leaks that keep on cropping up. This loco is fully serviceable and is available to support WSR services if called upon.

 

Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 – already covered, but here are a few more photos of the work that is being carried out at Minehead:

D7017 – work has already started on preparing the bodyside for a repaint, with attention being given to rusty areas as and when they are discovered. Pictured at Minehead on Friday 13th December 2024 by Rich Hiscox © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

D7017 – with the corrosion being more advanced on the other side of the loco, the skirt panels had to be removed for repair and this has allowed access to the electrical conduit beneath. Pictured at Minehead on Friday 13th December 2024 by Rich Hiscox © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

D7017 – there is plenty of work to do, but progress is rapid because of the resource being applied to the job. Pictured at Minehead on Friday 13th December 2024 by Rich Hiscox © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7018 – already covered.

 

Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9518 – the team have been preparing the loco frames for the re-mounting of the cab assembly by cutting, drilling and fitting the special ‘Tico‘ insulating gasket material that forms the interface between the cab and the frames. The frames have been coated with thick black paint to resist the inevitable pooling of rainwater, and this work is almost complete. The cab assembly has been weighed and the method of lifting is being worked out and will ideally be when we have a crane on site to do other lifting jobs, thereby making the most of the fixed costs of the crane travelling to and from site. In parallel, other members of the team have been steam cleaning the engine block to prepare it for re-assembly, a task that is guaranteed to transfer some of the dirt from the engine to the operator !

D9518 – the cab underframe has now been painted with thick black protective paint, to resist the pooling of rainwater that will occur if the loco is stabled outdoors and not in regular use. Pictured at Williton on Tuesday 11th December 2024 by Colin Girle © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

D9518 – the ‘Tico‘ insulation strips have been trimmed to size and drilled to match the cab mounting bolts, four of which can be seen in this picture, taken at Williton on Tuesday 11th December 2024 by Colin Girle © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

Quality work needs to be funded, so we will continue to appeal for funds to support the work, right up to the point where the loco is completed. Any surplus will then be used to ensure her proper care and upkeep. If you like what we are doing, please help us by making a donation via our online store (click here or on the image below) or by sending a cheque to the address at the bottom of this email. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT !

 

 

Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9526 – no change – this loco is now stabled outside on Number 1 road at Williton and is likely to remain there until the new year. When space becomes available in the loco shed, she will be going ‘indoors’ for some maintenance work, which will include attention to her engine and her bodywork, to make sure that she is in good shape for the 2025 running season.

 

Class 47 47077 ‘NORTH STAR’ – this loco is based at Grosmont on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway and has been in use on several occasions, working ‘top and tail’ with a steam loco on their version of the ‘Santa Express’. Our local correspondent Martin Fisher was on hand to capture the following image of the loco at work on Saturday 14th December 2024. Many thanks to Martin for sharing his work with us !

47077 (D1661, 47613, 47840) ‘NORTH STAR’ was in use between Grosmont and Pickering on Saturday 14th December 2024 and was pictured approaching New Bridge on the last leg of the journey. Photo by Martin Fisher © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

A very interesting YouTube video featuring 47077 has been brought to our attention by several readers and the link is well worth sharing. This video shows that the loco is being very well looked after by the team based at Grosmont. Click here or on the image below to go to YouTube.

 

 

Andrew Barclay 0-4-0DH 578 – this loco is fully serviceable and is stabled in the South Yard on number 2 road.

 

If you can help by donating your time to any of these projects, then please JOIN US and come along to the depot for an introduction to what we do and how we do it. We currently have people on site from Saturday through to Tuesday and we can open on other days if we can be sure of getting at least two volunteers on site at all times, so there is plenty of scope. We have tasks of all types to suit most capabilities, both skilled and unskilled.

Many thanks to all of our volunteers who give up so much of their time to work on the cleaning, painting, maintaining, restoring, managing and fund raising for our fleet of heritage locomotives !

 

 

BOOK REVIEW: As the year is quickly running to a close, we also need to give a final push to the sales of our 2025 DEPG calendar and to point out that stocks are limited and strictly on a first-come-first-served basis. To give a taste of what is waiting inside the calendar to adorn your walls throughout the coming year, we have put together an animation that flips through the pages. Click here or on the image below to launch the animation:

 

Alternatively, here is a different presentation with a thumbnail of each page brought together into a single sheet. The actual calendar has one A3 page for each month.

The DEPG 2025 CALENDAR is now available for mailing, comprising 14 printed pages of A3 (twice A4 size) glossy paper on a spiral wire binder. This calendar features the DEPG’s locomotives, both in service and in preservation, with all of the photos being so kindly provided by members and supporters. Click here or on the image above to GET YOUR COPY – WHILE STOCKS LAST – for £14 plus p&p.

 

 

ON SHED: as the year 2024 comes to a close, it seems appropriate to ‘re-gift’ the Christmas Card that was send to the DEPG by regular contributor Trevor Tremethick, being a rare image of Class 50s in the Cornish snow in their unrefurbished state and before receiving their nameplates. This photo has a particularly festive feel to it and we use it (with Trevor’s permission) to wish all of our members and supporters all the best for Christmas and the New Year !

Many thanks to Trevor for sharing his photo with us all.

English Electric Class 50s 50024 (D424, later ‘Vanguard’ front) and 50025 (D425, later ‘Invincible’ behind) were pictured in Truro Yard in March of 1978, before receiving the nameplates which were fitted in the summer of that year. Photo by Trevor Tremethick © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

 

DEPG NEWS – that’s all we have for this year, we are going to take a break and we will be back with the ROUNDUP OF THE YEAR 2024 so keep an eye on your emails and on our website and social media channels. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT !

 

The DEPG is a charity and is run entirely by volunteers, many of whom give both their time and their money to the continuance of work on the locos in the DEPG fleet. If you have been enjoying the roundup for free, have you considered joining us for just £1 a month ? You can then add your name to all of those helping out on the above projects and play your part in the future of our locos for a lot less than the price of a cup of coffee!

 

JOIN US using whichever membership class is appropriate for your situation and means. CLICK HERE or on the image below or use the QR code to get the details.

     

 

If you would like to go one step further and come along to help with the work on the locos in our fleet, then please use our CONTACT FORM to let us know that you would like to volunteer and we will respond with more details.

We look forward to hearing from you !

 

Go to the previous Weekly Roundup post

Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6566 (33048) was pictured at Barnstaple Junction, alongside the Bristol to Exeter main line, while working a line inspection special in the aftermath of Storm Darragh on Sunday 8th December 2024. Photo by Tom Courtney © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

This violence of Storm Darragh was felt by the WSR and the DEPG last Saturday, with debris from eight trees blocking the line and gusting winds causing damage to the doors of the Old Goods Shed at Williton. The railway had rightly decided to suspend all operations on Saturday 7th December because of the high risk of injury from falling objects and flying debris, but the wind reduced as forecast on Sunday, giving hope for the booked workings – subject to a line inspection.

This inspection took the form of Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6566 (33048) crewed by WSR Diesel Traction Inspector Paul Fleet and the DEPG’s Tom Courtney hauling a brake van with WSR Assistant General Manager Seb Welsh as Guard and WSR Infrastructure Manager Pete Chilcott in charge of six volunteers, all of whom had reported for duty in the early hours to be ready for departure at first light. The ’33’ ran from Bishops Lydeard to Williton at reduced speed, with the infrastructure team clearing the debris as they encountered it, then the loco ran around the brake van within Williton station limits and waited for the incoming ‘Santa Express‘ service that had been given the ‘all clear’ to depart from Bishops Lydeard, thanks to the efforts of the team.

Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6566 (33048) soon encountered the first blockage as she climbed Watts Bank towards Watersmeet Bridge, one mile north of Bishops Lydeard Station, on Sunday 8th December 2024. Photo by Tom Courtney © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6566 (33048) paused on Castle Hill, one mile south of Williton Station, while the team dealt with the seventh line blockage encountered on the 10-mile journey from Bishops Lydeard. Pictured on Sunday 8th December 2024 by Tom Courtney © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

The ’33’ then ran to the southern extent of the WSR, to Barnstaple Junction alongside the Bristol to Exeter main line, clearing another tree from the line to allow this section of the route to be used later in the day for the ‘Quantock Belle‘ dining train. The Sunday services had been saved !

MANY THANKS TO ALL who had an early start and worked so hard to allow the railway to operate and to delight the children (and adults) on the ‘SANTA EXPRESS‘ !

 

Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6566 (33048) was waiting at Williton to depart for Norton Fitzwarren when Santa and a trainload of hopeful children arrived behind WSR 2-6-0 ‘Mogul’ 9351. Pictured on Sunday 8th December 2024 by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

At Williton, we faced a different issue, where the wind had blown in the doors at the northerly end of the Old Goods Shed and blown one of the west side doors off it’s rails, bringing it crashing down and breaking it into pieces. The small team on site at Williton on Sunday dealt with the clean-up as far as was possible in the strong winds that were still blowing through the building that day, and erected barriers around the broken door while arrangements were being made to deal with it.

Built in 1862 to a standard broad gauge pattern, the future of the Old Goods Shed was already under review as part of the site lease renewal that is being negotiated between the DEPG and the WSR, so we expect to be able to outline a restoration plan some time in 2025 to make the most of this Brunel-designed building.

Many thanks to the volunteers Ben, Neil C and Ian R who helped tidy up the Old Goods Shed at Williton after Storm Darragh blew the northerly doors in and the resultant sudden gust blew one of the loading bay doors off it’s tracks. Pictured on Sunday 8th December 2024 by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

Just a reminder, the format of the Christmas services has changed this year, so our diesels will not be rostered for duty, but they will be on standby and available to provide support if needed. Click here or on the image below to review the new WSR Christmas seasonal offerings:

 

 

DIESEL RUNNING DATES for 2025

We don’t yet have the details available for 2025 but we understand that the running pattern will be very similar to that of 2024, so the 2024 DIESEL RUNNING DATES page can be used as a guide, temporarily. Good news – the WSR’s SUMMER DIESEL FESTIVAL has been confirmed as being Thursday 5th through Saturday 7th with a Mixed Traction Day  on Sunday 8th of June 2025.

 

Click here to join the DEPG

Click here to go to our DIESEL RUNNING DATES page

Click here to go to our ONLINE SHOP

Thank you very much for your support !

 

LOCO NEWS:

Class 52 D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’ – with no volunteers able to attend on site on Saturday, it has been left to the ‘Transmission Team’ to demonstrate the progress that they have made on the overhaul of the Serck motor from the ‘A’ cooler group. This motor had a failed bearing resulting from water ingress, and required new bearings and a sleeve to be fitted to provide a good smooth surface so that the double row oil seal could do its job. The motor is now ready to be painted and then it can be re-fitted to the cooler group and the fan re-attached. Many thanks to Colin F, Geoff and Tim for getting this overhaul done.

D1010 – the Serck hydraulic motor has been overhauled and is now ready to be painted and then re-installed in the ‘A’ cooler group. Pictured at Williton on 2nd December 2024 by Colin Foxhall © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

D1010 – the fan is being cleaned up and repainted prior to re-mounting it on the overhauled Serck motor. Pictured at Williton on 30th November 2024 by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

The weather raised concerns about the security of D1010’s bodyshell, being on stands at the northern end of the yard. To set everyone’s mind at ease, the loco is fine and has not moved at all, as witnessed by the red paint lines that were sprayed onto the stands by Colin F shortly after the loco body was placed on them.

D1010 – the loco body is up on stands in the northern end of the yard at Williton, devoid of engines and transmissions, but still weighing 40 tonnes spread over four support points. Pictured on Sunday 8th December 2024 by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

D1010 – each of the four support points carry red paint lines where the loco support column meets the top surface of the stand. These lines were spray painted shortly after the loco was placed on the stands in July 2024 and show that there has been no movement since. Pictured on Sunday 8th December 2024 by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

Apologies to those D1010 sponsors who have yet to receive the photos and certificates for the patches that they have sponsored. After ‘almost’ catching up in the Spring, the lifting of the loco and subsequent need to get the bogie overhaul project underway has depleted the resource for the patch engraving and a backlog has built up again, the weather being the latest impediment to progress.

Rest assured that every sponsor will receive their certificate and the details of where to find their sponsored patch. We will be making a further push for funds soon, because we have some big ticket items for refurbishment, including 14 cardan shafts and 32 springs.

MANY THANKS to all who have sponsored and supported the RESTORATION of D1010 !

 

 

Class 09 D4107 (09019) – with no volunteers on site last Saturday and other tasks that had to be covered on the Sunday, there has been no change in the status on this project this week. Hopefully, we will pick up the pace again shortly.

 

Class 33 D6566 (33 048) – as already reported, this loco was in use for line inspection purposes in the aftermath of Storm Darragh. After completion of the inspection, the loco returned to Bishops Lydeard where she resumed the role of duty loco for that end of the line. The ’33’ will be available to support the WSR Christmas services that originate from Bishops Lydeard.

 

Class 33 D6575 (33 057) – this loco is now back at Williton and is undergoing some planned maintenance, with care being taken to keep her close to readiness in case she is called into action. On Sunday 8th December, volunteers Ben, Neil C and Ian R set about resolving a series of small but annoying oil leaks that have contributed to making a mess in the engine room of the loco. The cause of several of the leaks has been traced to the specially-shaped rubber component that seals the rocker cover around the fuel injection pipework. The photos show that these have become hardened and have cracked, allowing oil to leak past. All eight will be replaced.

Volunteer driver Neil C was hard at work on Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6575 (33057) at Williton on Sunday 8th December 2024, attending to oil leakage from the rocker covers. Photo by Ben Elvey © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

D6575  – one of the specially-shaped rubber sealing components (dark red colour) is visible in this view of a disconnected fuel injection pipe at Williton on Sunday 8th December 2024. Photo by Ben Elvey © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

D6575  – the deterioration of the rubber is clearly visible in this view at Williton on Sunday 8th December 2024. Photo by Ben Elvey © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 – after launching a short-term fundraiser on the 1st November 2024, we are delighted to announce that the supporters of this wonderful locomotive have already raised more that £5,000 in five weeks, which takes us halfway to our target of £10,000 so THANK YOU FOR YOUR FANTASTIC SUPPORT !

The fundraiser is short-term because the WORK IS IN PROGRESS, with the WSR engineering team at Minehead having been contracted to do the repairs. This ensures that the loco receives the bodywork corrosion repairs that she needs before a repaint can be carried out. Although the loco looked quite good from a distance, a closer inspection revealed that corrosion is taking place from behind the skin panels, and this will soon result in perforations and rapid deterioration. A stitch in time saves nine, which is why we are getting the work done NOW.

We don’t have any photos to share this week, but we will have some for the next roundup, showing the progress that the full-time engineering team are making as they apply resources to the loco five days per week.

Here’s the basis of our appeal for funds:

As the first locomotive to be saved for preservation by the Diesel & Electric Group (the forerunner of the DEPG) back in 1975, Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 has built up a significant following and is very much loved. This loco has had an excellent year, working public service trains on 10 separate days and achieving 100% availability, although she has started to look rather shabby of late. As D7017 is now approaching her 50^th year in preservation, it will be appropriate to have her bodywork overhauled and repainted in time for her 50^th anniversary, so arrangements have been made to have the work carried out at the Minehead workshops of the West Somerset Railway.

The work involves a number of areas around the body where corrosion has taken hold from the inside and resulted in perforations of the body panels. The metalwork behind the corroded panels will need to be cut out and replaced, so this is not a quick job. The DEPG’s volunteer welders are tied up on other projects that would be unfairly affected by queue-jumping D7017, so the opportunity was taken to follow-up on an offer from the Minehead team and a repair and repainting contract has been agreed. The work has already started and the loco will be back with us in a matter of months so that other maintenance work can continue at Williton.

We need help raising funds for the work that is about to be carried out. This is a short-term appeal so please give this your attention and help by making a donation via our website (click on the icons below) or by bank app or by sending a cheque to the DEPG at Williton. THANK YOU VERY MUCH !

        

 

Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7018 – the ‘transmission team’ have been making excellent progress with the static testing of the transmission control system as they worked through the agreed test plan. The objective of the plan is to test the functionality of each of the valves in the control block, a total of 30 valves and six actuators, each of which must function in a defined way to ensure the correct outcome. Some of the valves can be tested easily, others depend on multiple factors and their function can only be approximated.

All was going well until the testing of Valve 15. This is the ‘directional interlock’ and generates a ‘standstill pressure signal’ that is used to control other functions such as preventing any attempt at changing direction until the locomotive has come to a complete stop. It also has a secondary function, which is to prevent the selection of a direction other than the one in which the loco is travelling, should the engine be started when the loco is being towed (an unlikely occurrence in preservation, but a function nonetheless).

Internal diagram of Valve 15, the ‘Directional Interlock Valve’

 

The detection of movement depends on the ‘interlock pump’ which is driven from the output shaft which is directly connected to the loco wheels. Any movement of the loco causes the interlock pump to rotate and create oil pressure in the interlock circuit, which is then detected by the lower chamber of Valve 15.

Diagram of the interlock pump that is driven from the output shaft

 

When the team tested Valve 15, they found that it did not respond to the rotation of the output shaft, which is the simulation of the loco being in movement. Turning the shaft faster resulted in some oil coming through to Valve 15 but mostly air bubbles, signalling that there was an air leak on the suction side of the interlock pump. Reversing the direction of rotation caused the opposite side of the valve to exhibit bubbles, so that showed that both sides of the pump were leaking on the suction side.

As the pump is immersed in oil when in normal operation, the air had to be entering both circuits somewhere above the sump oil level, and one such place would be the mating flange between the transmission housing sections, where a flat gasket seal is held in place by two bolts. These bolts were found to be insufficiently tightened and once the joint had been re-made and re-tightened, the system worked as it should !

This showed the value of static testing, because the fault may not have otherwise been detected until further damage had been done, and the leaking flange would have been inaccessible once the transmission had been put back into the loco.

WELL DONE ‘TEAM TRANSMISSION’ !

 

On Saturday 14th December, the team will be demonstrating all of the functionality that is possible to test with a fairly simple setup, to gain approval to move to the next test stage, which can only take place when the transmission is back inside the loco, so this will be a major milestone for the project.

 

Meanwhile, here are some photos of the interlock pump and the flange that caused the issue:

D7018 – the interlock pump is visible in the lower right, with the two pipes that carry the oil in opposite directions, depending on the direction of travel of the locomotive. Pictured at Williton on Monday 2nd December 2024 by Colin Foxhall © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

D7018 – the flange joint was the source of the suction leak affecting both pipes and the issue was addressed by re-seating the joint and tightening the bolts to a higher torque. Pictured at Williton on Tuesday 3rd December 2024 by Colin Foxhall © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

 

Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9518 – the team have been busy planning the re-installation of the cab assembly and preparing for the delivery of the special insulating gasket material that forms the interface between the cab and the frames. The component parts of the engine have now been overhauled and the next step is to steam clean the engine block and prepare for re-assembly. This requires the engine block to moved out of the loco shed, which is a bit of challenge given the presence of D1010’s bogie and Class 09 D4107 (09019) on the adjacent road in the loco shed. More on this in the next roundup !

 

Quality work needs to be funded, so we will continue to appeal for funds to support the work, right up to the point where the loco is completed. Any surplus will then be used to ensure her proper care and upkeep. If you like what we are doing, please help us by making a donation via our online store (click here or on the image below) or by sending a cheque to the address at the bottom of this email. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT !

 

 

Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9526 – no change – this loco is now stabled outside on Number 1 road at Williton and is likely to remain there until the new year. When space becomes available in the loco shed, she will be going ‘indoors’ for some maintenance work, which will include attention to her engine and her bodywork, to make sure that she is in good shape for the 2025 running season.

 

Class 47 47077 ‘NORTH STAR’ – this loco is based at Grosmont on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway and is in good running order. We hope that she will pick up some work on the Christmas specials, even if only on the empty coaching stock (ECS) movements. We look forward to a very successful 2025 running season !

 

Andrew Barclay 0-4-0DH 578 – this loco is fully serviceable and is stabled in the South Yard on number 2 road.

 

If you can help by donating your time to any of these projects, then please JOIN US and come along to the depot for an introduction to what we do and how we do it. We currently have people on site from Saturday through to Tuesday and we can open on other days if we can be sure of getting at least two volunteers on site at all times, so there is plenty of scope. We have tasks of all types to suit most capabilities, both skilled and unskilled.

Many thanks to all of our volunteers who give up so much of their time to work on the cleaning, painting, maintaining, restoring, managing and fund raising for our fleet of heritage locomotives !

 

 

BOOK REVIEW: Not a book, but a printed item nonetheless, we are pleased to be able to offer Wendy Howard’s latest creation, a WSR and DEPG-themed Christmas Card with the subtle outline of a blue-liveried diesel locomotive. This will get the speculators going, wondering if this is the ghost of Christmas past or of Christmas future. What do you think ?

This delightful card is available via our online store by clicking on the image above or by clicking on this link. MANY THANKS to Wendy for creating and donating these cards for the benefit of the DEPG !

 

As the year is quickly running to a close, we also need to give a final push to the sales of our 2025 DEPG calendar and to point out that stocks are limited and strictly on a first-come-first-served basis. To give a taste of what is waiting inside the calendar to adorn your walls throughout the coming year, we have put together an animation that flips through the pages. Click here or on the image below to launch the animation:

 

Alternatively, here is a different presentation with a thumbnail of each page brought together into a single sheet. The actual calendar has one A3 page for each month.

The DEPG 2025 CALENDAR is now available for mailing, comprising 14 printed pages of A3 (twice A4 size) glossy paper on a spiral wire binder. This calendar features the DEPG’s locomotives, both in service and in preservation, with all of the photos being so kindly provided by members and supporters. Click here or on the image above to GET YOUR COPY – WHILE STOCKS LAST – for £14 plus p&p.

 

 

ON SHED: once again we draw upon the work of Trevor Tremethick and showcase another form of motive power that was active in the West Country from the early 1960s through to the 1980s, appearing initially on passenger turns from the Midland Region and gradually covering a wide range of duties including the famous China Clay Hoods !

The photo shows 46018 (D155) standing on the former through road at Exeter St Davids station with a rake of empty clay hood wagons, while undertaking a crew change. This loco was delivered new from BR-Derby works on 16th February 1962 and was based in the midlands until moving to the Western Region in 1969, spending time at Bristol Bath Road and Cardiff Canton depots before transferring to Plymouth Laira, where she was based when this photo was taken.

Those with a head for important dates will recognise the date of this photo as the date of the ‘WESTERN TRIBUTE‘ railtour – but you will have to wait until February 2025 to get to see those photos !

Many thanks to Trevor for sharing his photo with us all.

BR-Derby ‘Peak’ 46018 (D155) was pictured standing on the through road at Exeter St Davids on Saturday 26th February 1977 while undertaking a crew change before continuing to Cornwall with the ‘down’ china clay hoods. Photo by Trevor Tremethick © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

 

DEPG NEWS – we are out of time and space this week, but we have already covered the news about the Old Goods Shed and will come back with more information as soon as we have assessed the storm damage and formulated a plan to deal with it.

 

The DEPG is a charity and is run entirely by volunteers, many of whom give both their time and their money to the continuance of work on the locos in the DEPG fleet. If you have been enjoying the roundup for free, have you considered joining us for just £1 a month ? You can then add your name to all of those helping out on the above projects and play your part in the future of our locos for a lot less than the price of a cup of coffee!

 

JOIN US using whichever membership class is appropriate for your situation and means. CLICK HERE or on the image below or use the QR code to get the details.

     

 

If you would like to go one step further and come along to help with the work on the locos in our fleet, then please use our CONTACT FORM to let us know that you would like to volunteer and we will respond with more details.

We look forward to hearing from you !

 

Go to the previous Weekly Roundup post

Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6566 (33048) was pictured as it approached the platform in fading light, just after 4pm, heading back to Bishops Lydeard after a day of driver and secondman training with sister D6575 (33057) in the South Yard at Williton. Photo by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

The WSR came alive again last weekend, with steam-hauled ‘Minehead Christmas Market’ specials and several operational moves that involved both steam and diesel locomotives. The yard at Williton was busy with the ‘multiple working’ training that was being given to drivers and secondmen to renew their competencies for the operation of locomotives when connected ‘in multiple’ rather than operating ‘in tandem’. The difference is that tandem requires two crews but when the inter-connecting jumper cables are attached, the control system allows two (or three) locomotives to be operated by a single crew from the leading cab. Adding this capability will open up new options for special trains and will allow for some interesting combinations at gala events.

 

This coming weekend, in anticipation of Storm Darragh, the WSR have suspended all operations for Saturday 7th December to ensure that non-essential travel is kept to a minimum. There is a significant risk of damage to trees and fences along the line in the wake of the gale force winds that are forecast for Saturday, so Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6566 (33048) has been rostered to run ‘light engine’ from Bishops Lydeard to Williton and back at low speed at first light on the Sunday morning to confirm that the line is clear of obstructions and safe for the operation of the ‘SANTA EXPRESS‘. The WSR will be posting updates on their website and on their Facebook page, so keep an eye on these information sources before travelling to the WSR on Sunday.

 

Just a reminder, the format of the Christmas services has changed this year, so our diesels will not be rostered for duty, but they will be on standby and available to provide support if needed. Click here or on the image below to review the new WSR Christmas seasonal offerings:

 

 

DIESEL RUNNING DATES for 2025

We don’t yet have the details available for 2025 but we understand that the running pattern will be very similar to that of 2024, so the 2024 DIESEL RUNNING DATES page can be used as a guide, temporarily. Good news – the WSR’s SUMMER DIESEL FESTIVAL has been confirmed as being Thursday 5th through Saturday 7th with a Mixed Traction Day  on Sunday 8th of June 2025.

 

Click here to join the DEPG

Click here to go to our DIESEL RUNNING DATES page

Click here to go to our ONLINE SHOP

Thank you very much for your support !

 

LOCO NEWS:

Class 52 D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’ – after the progress on the bogie springs reported in the previous edition of Roundup, the focus shifted to the ‘A’ cooler group while several volunteers were involved with training and other essential depot duties. One of the cooling fan motors had been running very roughly when rotated, so the ‘Transmission Team’ kindly took time out from their usual duties to separate the hydraulic motor from the fan to replace the bearings. The job started a week or two ago and was completed last week when the new bearings and seals were installed. The motor now runs as smoothly as when new, although the pump itself looks quite sad and is in desperate need of attention from Roy’s paintbrush.

D1010 – the Serck hydraulic motor before repair, showing evidence of water ingress with the consequent damage to the bearing, leading to rough running and gradual failure. Pictured at Williton on 18th November 2024 by Colin Foxhall © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

D1010 – the Serck motor after repair, with shiny new bearings on the inside, but in dire need of cosmetic treatment on the outside ! Pictured at Williton on 25th November 2024 by Colin Foxhall © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

The ‘A’ cooler group is in need of welding repairs to add patches to areas that have corroded through and to re-weld earlier repairs that were not quite as water-tight as had been hoped. This work will be tackled by volunteer Tony over the coming weeks. Meanwhile, the restoration of the ‘good’ parts of the cooler group continued with Ian F doing the sanding and priming while D1010 herself was outdoors and too wet to be worked on. Well done Ian !

 

D1010 – the ‘A’ cooler group is now receiving attention, with corroded areas left unpainted and marked up to attract the attention of volunteer resident welder Tony. Pictured at Williton on Saturday 30th November 2024 by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

D1010 – evidence of a previous repair that has not stood the test of time and now needs to be cut out and replaced with fresh metal. Pictured at Williton on Saturday 30th November 2024 by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

Apologies to those D1010 sponsors who have yet to receive the photos and certificates for the patches that they have sponsored. After ‘almost’ catching up in the Spring, the lifting of the loco and subsequent need to get the bogie overhaul project underway has depleted the resource for the patch engraving and a backlog has built up again, the weather being the latest impediment to progress.

Rest assured that every sponsor will receive their certificate and the details of where to find their sponsored patch. We will be making a further push for funds soon, because we have some big ticket items for refurbishment, including 14 cardan shafts and 32 springs.

MANY THANKS to all who have sponsored and supported the RESTORATION of D1010 !

 

 

Class 09 D4107 (09019) – with the driver and secondman training taking priority and affecting most of those who work on this loco, there has been little change in the repair status this week. The status of the key tasks are as follows:

1. Repair or replace the Westinghouse 3CV50 compressor due to excessive wear in the pistons and bores.
   1. The worn out compressor has been removed from the loco. The replacement compressor is of the opposite ‘hand’ and is undergoing alteration to match the loco fittings. The compressor has been separated from the sub-frame which will now be cleaned and painted in readiness for fitting to the new compressor.
2. Remove the front ‘Oleo‘ buffers and send them out for overhaul. Clean up the buffer beam and re-paint in readiness for fitting the overhauled buffers.
3. Remove the batteries and repair the corroded battery boxes.
   1. The batteries have been removed, the corroded metal has been cut out in preparation for welding-in of new metal.
4. Assess the loco for other bodywork repairs and arrange the repairs as necessary.
   1. IN PROGRESS – the cab roof requires welding repairs. The cab interior roof lining needs to be removed to allow access. This task will be deferred until the other priority tasks have been completed.
5. Inspect the running gear, repair or replace worn parts as necessary.
6. Perform scheduled maintenance (engine and auxiliary machines, switchgear)
7. Remove the carbon pile voltage regulator, replace with an electronic type.
   1. The electronic AVR is in stock. The changeover will only take place after completion of roof repairs.
8. If sufficient time is available, refresh the paintwork.

Quite a list, but this loco is an essential tool for the WSR so we have a duty to keep her reliable and dependable. She will be returned to Bishops Lydeard in time for the start of the 2025 operating season.

 

Class 33 D6566 (33 048) – this loco took part in the ‘multiple working’ training for drivers and secondmen in the South Yard at Williton on Saturday 30th November. After completion of the training, the loco returned to Bishops Lydeard where she resumed the role of duty loco for that end of the line. The ’33’ will be available to support the WSR Christmas services that originate from Bishops Lydeard, a perfect example being the line check prior to re-opening on Sunday 8th December.

 

Class 33 D6575 (33 057) – this loco had been outstationed at Minehead but returned to Williton on Saturday 30th November after performing banking duties on an 8-coach Empty Coaching Stock (ECS) movement. The ’33’ assisted from the rear as far as Crowcombe Heathfield and then ran ‘Light Engine’ to Williton to participate in the ‘multiple working’ training session. The loco will remain at Williton so that planned maintenance work can be carried out.

 

Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 – after launching a short-term fundraiser on the 1st November 2024, we are delighted to announce that the supporters of this wonderful locomotive have already raised more that £4,500 in four weeks, which takes us 45% of the way to our target of £10,000 so THANK YOU FOR YOUR FANTASTIC SUPPORT !

The fundraiser is short-term because the WORK HAS ALREADY STARTED, with the WSR engineering team at Minehead having been contracted to do the repairs. This ensures that the loco receives the bodywork corrosion repairs that she needs before a repaint can be carried out. Although the loco looks quite good from a distance, a closer inspection reveals that corrosion is taking place from behind the skin panels, and this will soon result in perforations and further deterioration. A stitch in time saves nine, which is why we are getting the work done NOW.

D7017 – the bodywork overhaul was well under way at Minehead when pictured on Saturday 16th November 2024, with WSR resident welder Buzz hard at work, cutting out rusted metal. Photo by Neil McCannon © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

D7017 – on the other side of the loco, Julie worked on loosening the screws that held the valance while Paul tackled the radiator grille fastenings. Pictured at Minehead on Saturday 16th November 2024 by Neil McCannon © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

D7017 – at the far end of the loco, well known steam loco preservationist and volunteer Andy F joined in, to deal with the corroded metal around the cab steps. Thank you Andy ! Pictured at Minehead on Saturday 16th November 2024 by Neil McCannon © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

Here’s the basis of our appeal for funds:

As the first locomotive to be saved for preservation by the Diesel & Electric Group (the forerunner of the DEPG) back in 1975, Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 has built up a significant following and is very much loved. This loco has had an excellent year, working public service trains on 10 separate days and achieving 100% availability, although she has started to look rather shabby of late. As D7017 is now approaching her 50^th year in preservation, it will be appropriate to have her bodywork overhauled and repainted in time for her 50^th anniversary, so arrangements have been made to have the work carried out at the Minehead workshops of the West Somerset Railway.

The work involves a number of areas around the body where corrosion has taken hold from the inside and resulted in perforations of the body panels. The metalwork behind the corroded panels will need to be cut out and replaced, so this is not a quick job. The DEPG’s volunteer welders are tied up on other projects that would be unfairly affected by queue-jumping D7017, so the opportunity was taken to follow-up on an offer from the Minehead team and a repair and repainting contract has been agreed. The work has already started and the loco will be back with us in a matter of months so that other maintenance work can continue at Williton.

We need help raising funds for the work that is about to be carried out. This is a short-term appeal so please give this your attention and help by making a donation via our website (click on the icons below) or by bank app or by sending a cheque to the DEPG at Williton. THANK YOU VERY MUCH !

        

 

Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7018 – the ‘transmission team’ have started developing their test setup so that they can perform a functional test on the control block and also confirm that the dog clutches along the gear train are engaging and disengaging smoothly. The hydraulic fluid pressure is being provided by an electric pump instead of the massive V16 diesel engine that is normally coupled to the transmission, and the action of the torque converter is being simulated by a volunteer turning a crank handle one way or the other (accelerating or retarding), according to the presence of the forward or backward blading pressure. Photos are limited at the moment because the team have their hands full, but a demo is being set up for a week Saturday (delayed due to the weather – now planned for 14th Dec) and more photos should be available then.

Watch this space !

 

 

Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9518 – work continues on the engine overhaul and the cab rebuild, but this week we feature the ‘Dagger Valve’, which is a simple device that admits air into the vacuum pipe when pushed downwards, with the immediate consequence of applying the train brake. As this valve became redundant on D9518 when she moved from the BR network to the NCB Ashington Colliery network, the vacuum brake components were gradually removed to simplify maintenance, so this valve was missing from D9518.

A spare valve has been obtained and a bracket fabricated along the lines of the BR original for incorporation into D9518. Here are some photos:

This view shows the ‘Dagger Valve’ as installed in sister loco D9526. Being part of the vacuum brake system, these valves (and almost the whole of the vacuum brake system) were removed from D9518 during her years at work on the NCB network at Ashington Colliery. Pictured at Williton on 5th November 2024 by Terry Deacon © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

D9518 – a spare ‘Dagger Valve’ was obtained and overhauled, and is now ready to be installed in the cab. Pictured at Williton on Tuesday 19th November 2024 by Terry Deacon © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

D9518 – the mounting bracket for the ‘Dagger Valve’ was fabricated based on the dimensions of the original BR-Swindon part that is fitted to sister loco D9526. Pictured at Williton on Tuesday 19th November 2024 by Terry Deacon © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

Quality work needs to be funded, so we will continue to appeal for funds to support the work, right up to the point where the loco is completed. Any surplus will then be used to ensure her proper care and upkeep. If you like what we are doing, please help us by making a donation via our online store (click here or on the image below) or by sending a cheque to the address at the bottom of this email. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT !

 

 

Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9526 – no change – this loco is now stabled outside on Number 1 road at Williton and is likely to remain there until the new year. When space becomes available in the loco shed, she will be going ‘indoors’ for some maintenance work, which will include attention to her engine and her bodywork, to make sure that she is in good shape for the 2025 running season.

 

Class 47 47077 ‘NORTH STAR’ – this loco is based at Grosmont on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway and has been enduring the heavy snowfalls that are typical of the area (as our opening photo shows). The loco is now in good running order and we hope that she will pick up some work on the Christmas specials, even if only on the empty coaching stock (ECS) movements. We look forward to a very successful 2025 running season !

 

Andrew Barclay 0-4-0DH 578 – this loco is fully serviceable and is stabled in the South Yard on number 2 road.

 

If you can help by donating your time to any of these projects, then please JOIN US and come along to the depot for an introduction to what we do and how we do it. We currently have people on site from Saturday through to Tuesday and we can open on other days if we can be sure of getting at least two volunteers on site at all times, so there is plenty of scope. We have tasks of all types to suit most capabilities, both skilled and unskilled.

Many thanks to all of our volunteers who give up so much of their time to work on the cleaning, painting, maintaining, restoring, managing and fund raising for our fleet of heritage locomotives !

 

 

BOOK REVIEW: Not a book, but a printed item nonetheless, we are pleased to be able to offer Wendy Howard’s latest creation, a WSR and DEPG-themed Christmas Card with the subtle outline of a blue-liveried diesel locomotive. This will get the speculators going, wondering if this is the ghost of Christmas past or of Christmas future. What do you think ?

This delightful card is available via our online store by clicking on the image above or by clicking on this link. MANY THANKS to Wendy for creating and donating these cards for the benefit of the DEPG !

 

As the year is quickly running to a close, we also need to give a final push to the sales of our 2025 DEPG calendar and to point out that stocks are limited and strictly on a first-come-first-served basis. To give a taste of what is waiting inside the calendar to adorn your walls throughout the coming year, we have put together an animation that flips through the pages. Click here or on the image below to launch the animation:

 

Alternatively, here is a different presentation with a thumbnail of each page brought together into a single sheet. The actual calendar has one A3 page for each month.

The DEPG 2025 CALENDAR is now available for mailing, comprising 14 printed pages of A3 (twice A4 size) glossy paper on a spiral wire binder. This calendar features the DEPG’s locomotives, both in service and in preservation, with all of the photos being so kindly provided by members and supporters. Click here or on the image above to GET YOUR COPY – WHILE STOCKS LAST – for £14 plus p&p.

 

 

ON SHED: and now for something completely different – we draw upon the work of Trevor Tremethick once again and showcase some of the other forms of motive power that have been regular performers in almost all areas of the UK over the last 60+ years – this week, it is the venerable English Electric Type 3 Class 37 !

These locos took over from the ‘Westerns’ on the Cornish clay traffic and were very successful, finally being displaced themselves by the then-new ‘standard’ freight locomotives the Class 66s. The featured loco is 37304, formerly D6604, which was delivered new to Swansea Landore depot in September of 1965, complete with steam boiler for mixed traffic working in West and Mid Wales.  The loco moved from the Western Region to Tinsley depot near Sheffield in 1987, one year after this image was taken, and worked for another 10 years before being withdrawn as surplus to requirements, therefore having a working life of over 31 years.

Many thanks to Trevor for sharing his photo with us all.

English Electric Class 37 37304 (D6604) was pictured on Wednesday 10th September 1986 while waiting for the ‘road’ at Plymouth with the ‘up’ clay hoods. Photo by Trevor Tremethick © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

 

DEPG NEWS: with the Christmas special services and the new Panto Trains descending upon Williton once again, the station staff wanted to do a tidy-up on the footbridge but some rust had started to form around some of the bolted areas around the handrails. So, the ‘Williton Infrastructure Division‘ came to the rescue with a portable needle gun to de-scale the bolts so that the station staff could easily prime and paint the formerly rusty areas. Well done Graham for dealing with the issue so swiftly!

The Williton Station footbridge handrail bolts received some attention from Graham and his portable needle gun on Saturday 30th November 2024. Photo by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

The DEPG is a charity and is run entirely by volunteers, many of whom give both their time and their money to the continuance of work on the locos in the DEPG fleet. If you have been enjoying the roundup for free, have you considered joining us for just £1 a month ? You can then add your name to all of those helping out on the above projects and play your part in the future of our locos for a lot less than the price of a cup of coffee!

 

JOIN US using whichever membership class is appropriate for your situation and means. CLICK HERE or on the image below or use the QR code to get the details.

     

 

If you would like to go one step further and come along to help with the work on the locos in our fleet, then please use our CONTACT FORM to let us know that you would like to volunteer and we will respond with more details.

We look forward to hearing from you !

 

Go to the previous Weekly Roundup post

 

DEPG ‘celebrity’ 47077 (D1661, 47613, 47840) ‘NORTH STAR’ was pictured at Grosmont on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR) on 20th November 2024 while resting ‘on shed’ during a snowstorm. Photo by Josh Smith © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

The WSR re-opens this coming weekend (30th Nov and 1st Dec) with a steam-hauled special running from Bishops Lydeard to Minehead in support of the Christmas Market that will be taking place on the platform at Minehead Station. As the coaches have been at Minehead being prepared for the seasonal services, a steam-hauled Empty Coaching Stock (ECS) movement will precede the first public service, with Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6575 (33057) at the rear to assist the 8-coach train on the gradients from Minehead as far as Crowcombe Heathfield, where the diesel will uncouple to run back down the hill to Williton. The steam loco will take the ECS to Bishops Lydeard to form the fully-booked Saturday special service (some tickets are available for Sunday – click here for details).

Sister Class 33 D6566 (33048) has been based at Bishops Lydeard for a while and will run to Williton early on Saturday morning, so that the two ‘Cromptons’ can be used for training the drivers and secondmen in the practice of multiple running, where two (or more) locomotives are connected together using jumper cables, so that they can be driven from the leading cab as if they were one high-powered locomotive. Running in multiple only requires one crew, and differs from running in tandem where separate crews are in charge of each locomotive. Adding this capability will open up new options for special trains and will allow for some interesting combinations at gala events.

 

Just a reminder, the format of the Christmas services has changed this year, so our diesels will not be rostered for duty, but they will be on standby and available to provide support if needed. Click here or on the image below to review the new WSR Christmas seasonal offerings:

 

 

DIESEL RUNNING DATES for 2025

We don’t yet have the details available for 2025 but we understand that the running pattern will be very similar to that of 2024, so the 2024 DIESEL RUNNING DATES page can be used as a guide, temporarily. Good news – the WSR’s SUMMER DIESEL FESTIVAL has been confirmed as being Thursday 5th through Saturday 7th with a Mixed Traction Day  on Sunday 8th of June 2025.

 

Click here to join the DEPG

Click here to go to our DIESEL RUNNING DATES page

Click here to go to our ONLINE SHOP

Thank you very much for your support !

 

 

LOCO NEWS:

Class 52 D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’ – the removal of the secondary springs and their associated hangers from the ‘B’ bogie represented another major step forward and was achieved after weeks of effort by volunteers Gordon, David, Tony and Martin, who worked for many hours to prepare and eventually succeed in freeing-up the massive 50mm (2-inch) nuts that control the tension in the secondary spring system.

The bogies of the ‘Westerns’ do not have centre pivots because the cardan shafts and gearboxes that power each axle occupy the space that would normally be used for a pivot. Instead, each end of the locomotive is provided with two columns that transfer the weight onto the outer edges of the bogie, as shown in yellow on the photo below (approximately 18 tonnes per column when in operating condition).

The concept of the pivotless bogie was developed by Krauss-Maffei in Germany and licensed to BR who used it as the basis for the ‘Western’ bogies. One such bogie was pictured at Swindon Works in March 1975 and the photo has had yellow arrows added to show the load-bearing pads that carry the weight of the loco body. Photo by R C H Nash © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

The load is transferred to the so-called ‘elephant’s feet’ bearing plates, then to the bogie frame via the secondary spring system which comprises one huge inverted leaf spring directly underneath each bearing plate and four coil springs on each side of the bogie. The complication is that the whole arrangement must be able to move to allow the loco to negotiate tight curves, so a system of self-restoring rocking pivots is also involved. This not as complicated as it might sound, but it is different to almost any other type of locomotive, the Krauss-Maffei ML4000 being the only other production loco that used this arrangement (the four prototype ML2200s debuted this design, but most other diesel-hydraulics had two-axle bogies).

From the bogie frame, the load is transferred to the axles via the primary springs, which are conventional leaf springs, except that they sit within the bogie frame and are not normally visible (and have already been removed from D1010’s ‘B’ bogie – see the roundup from 01-Sep-24). These springs sit directly on top of the axle boxes, thereby transferring the load to the individual axle and through the wheels to the rails.

As simple as it sounds, the component parts are massive and heavy. The secondary suspension leaf springs each weigh 220kg (almost 500 lbs) and the nuts that are used to set the tension in the springs are 50mm across the flats (2 inches). Add 50 years of rust and dirt, and the result is that they don’t want to come off !

As the photo below shows, where there is a will there is a way, and the application of localised heat causes the nut to expand and relax its grip on the hanger bolt. The individual component parts have now been removed and will be cleaned and inspected, then subjected to non-destructive testing (NDT) before being considered for use again. Any parts exhibiting signs of damage or excess wear will need to be repaired or replaced. Nothing was found to be obviously broken when the parts were being disassembled, so the outlook is good.

MANY THANKS to our volunteers for their efforts and ingenuity, and many thanks to our members and supporters for sponsoring this work and allowing us to make such good and steady progress !

D1010 – the careful application of heat allowed the 50mm (2″) nuts to be removed, releasing the hanger bolts after 50 years of being held in tension. Pictured at Williton on Saturday 23rd November 2024 by Martin Howard © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

D1010 – one of the hanger bolts is pictured along with the associated ‘knife edge’ parts after being removed from the bogie at Williton on Saturday 23rd November 2024. Photo by Martin Howard © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

D1010 – one of the caps from the tandem coil spring arrangement is pictured after being removed from the bogie at Williton on Saturday 23rd November 2024. Photo by Martin Howard © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

D1010 – the tandem coil spring arrangement is now exposed and the guide tube of the right hand spring has been lifted out, revealing plenty of grease (which is a good sign!). These tubes control the lateral movement of the coil springs, ensuring that they remain vertical when loaded. Pictured at Williton on Saturday 23rd November 2024 by Martin Howard © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

D1010 – the ‘B’ bogie has now had the secondary spring system removed completely, giving a clear view of the centre axle and allowing clean-up work to take place in these otherwise impossible-to-access areas. Pictured at Williton on Thursday 21st November 2024 by David Oswald © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

D1010 – at the end of the week, a stillage was completely filled with the component parts of the secondary suspension system from the ‘B’ bogie, include the two massive springs. Pictured at Williton on Saturday 23rd November 2024 by Martin Howard © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

Apologies to those D1010 sponsors who have yet to receive the photos and certificates for the patches that they have sponsored. After ‘almost’ catching up in the Spring, the lifting of the loco and subsequent need to get the bogie overhaul project underway has depleted the resource for the patch engraving and a backlog has built up again, the weather being the latest impediment to progress.

Rest assured that every sponsor will receive their certificate and the details of where to find their sponsored patch. We will be making a further push for funds soon, because we have some big ticket items for refurbishment, including 14 cardan shafts and 32 springs.

MANY THANKS to all who have sponsored and supported the RESTORATION of D1010 !

 

 

Class 09 D4107 (09019) – work continues on the repairs and maintenance of this loco, which is now inside the loco shed at Williton. The status of the key tasks are as follows (green = completed, yellow = in progress):

1. Repair or replace the Westinghouse 3CV50 compressor due to excessive wear in the pistons and bores.
   1. The worn out compressor has been removed from the loco. The replacement compressor is of the opposite ‘hand’ and is undergoing alteration to match the loco fittings. The compressor has been separated from the sub-frame which will now be cleaned and painted in readiness for fitting to the new compressor.
2. Remove the front ‘Oleo‘ buffers and send them out for overhaul. Clean up the buffer beam and re-paint in readiness for fitting the overhauled buffers.
3. Remove the batteries and repair the corroded battery boxes.
   1. The batteries have been removed, the corroded metal has been cut out in preparation for welding-in of new metal.
4. Assess the loco for other bodywork repairs and arrange the repairs as necessary.
   1. the cab roof requires welding repairs. The cab interior roof lining needs to be removed to allow access. This task will be deferred until the other priority tasks have been completed.
5. Inspect the running gear, repair or replace worn parts as necessary.
6. Perform scheduled maintenance (engine and auxiliary machines, switchgear)
7. Remove the carbon pile voltage regulator, replace with an electronic type.
   1. The electronic AVR is in stock. The changeover will only take place after completion of roof repairs.
8. If sufficient time is available, refresh the paintwork.

Quite a list, but this loco is an essential tool for the WSR so we have a duty to keep her reliable and dependable. She will be returned to Bishops Lydeard in time for the start of the 2025 operating season.

D4107 (09019) – the sub-frame that the compressor sits upon was released from the old compressor and will now be cleaned and painted in readiness for fitting to the new compressor. Pictured at Williton on Saturday 23rd November 2024 by Martin Howard © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

D4107 (09019) – the front pair of ‘Oleo‘ buffers have been removed from the loco and have been sent out for specialist repair. The buffer beam now needs to be cleaned up and painted in readiness for the return of the overhauled buffers. Pictured at Williton on Saturday 23rd November 2024 by Martin Howard © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

D4107 (09019) – having removed all of the engine bay doors, we get to see the English Electric 6KT six-cylinder diesel engine that lurks within. This engine design dates back to the 1930s and is noted for its rugged simplicity. Pictured at Williton on Saturday 23rd November 2024 by Martin Howard © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

 

Class 33 D6566 (33 048) – this loco will move from Bishops Lydeard to Williton on Saturday 30th November to take part in ‘multiple working’ training for drivers and secondmen. After completion of the training, the loco will return to Bishops Lydeard where she will resume the role of duty loco for that end of the line. The ’33’ will be available to support the WSR Christmas services that originate from Bishops Lydeard, should the need arise.

 

Class 33 D6575 (33 057) – this loco has been outstationed at Minehead but will return to Williton on Saturday 30th November after performing banking duties on an 8-coach Empty Coaching Stock (ECS) movement. The ’33’ will assist from the rear as far as Crowcombe Heathfield and will then run ‘Light Engine’ to Williton to participate in the ‘multiple working’ training session. The loco will then remain at Williton so that planned maintenance work can be carried out.

 

Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 – after launching a short-term fundraiser on the 1st November 2024, we are delighted to announce that the supporters of this wonderful locomotive have already raised more that £4,500 in four weeks, which takes us 45% of the way to our target of £10,000 so THANK YOU FOR YOUR FANTASTIC SUPPORT !

The fundraiser is short-term because the WORK HAS ALREADY STARTED, with the WSR engineering team at Minehead having been contracted to do the repairs. This ensures that the loco receives the bodywork corrosion repairs that she needs before a repaint can be carried out. Although the loco looks quite good from a distance, a closer inspection reveals that corrosion is taking place from behind the skin panels, and this will soon result in perforations and further deterioration. A stitch in time saves nine, which is why we are getting the work done NOW.

 

Here’s the basis of our appeal for funds:

As the first locomotive to be saved for preservation by the Diesel & Electric Group (the forerunner of the DEPG) back in 1975, Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 has built up a significant following and is very much loved. This loco has had an excellent year, working public service trains on 10 separate days and achieving 100% availability, although she has started to look rather shabby of late. As D7017 is now approaching her 50^th year in preservation, it will be appropriate to have her bodywork overhauled and repainted in time for her 50^th anniversary, so arrangements have been made to have the work carried out at the Minehead workshops of the West Somerset Railway.

The work involves a number of areas around the body where corrosion has taken hold from the inside and resulted in perforations of the body panels. The metalwork behind the corroded panels will need to be cut out and replaced, so this is not a quick job. The DEPG’s volunteer welders are tied up on other projects that would be unfairly affected by queue-jumping D7017, so the opportunity was taken to follow-up on an offer from the Minehead team and a repair and repainting contract has been agreed. The work has already started and the loco will be back with us in a matter of months so that other maintenance work can continue at Williton.

We need help raising funds for the work that is about to be carried out. This is a short-term appeal so please give this your attention and help by making a donation via our website (click on the icons below) or by bank app or by sending a cheque to the DEPG at Williton. THANK YOU VERY MUCH !

        

 

Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7018 – the ‘transmission team’ have started developing their test setup so that they can perform a functional test on the control block and also confirm that the dog clutches along the gear train are engaging and disengaging smoothly. The hydraulic fluid pressure is being provided by an electric pump instead of the massive V16 diesel engine that is normally coupled to the transmission, and the action of the torque converter is being simulated by a volunteer turning a crank handle one way or the other (accelerating or retarding), according to the presence of the forward or backward blading pressure. The photo below shows a simple LED light system being driven from pressure switches in the ‘WA’ and ‘WE’ pressure lines, which in turn signal the volunteer to apply forward or backward torque. Photos are limited at the moment because the team have their hands full, but a demo is being set up for a week Saturday (7th Dec) and more photos should be available then.

Watch this space !

D7018 – Transmission Team volunteer Tim gets to grips with the crank handle that will be used to simulate the torque converter input to the geartrain of the Mekydro K184u transmission while undergoing static testing. The brightly-lit LED indicates the direction in which to apply the torque. Pictured at Williton on Tuesday 19th November 2024 by Colin Foxhall © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9518 – as we get closer to the point where the refurbished cab assembly can be re-fitted onto the loco frames, the effort that is going into the preparation for the lift is increasing. The cab assembly has been rubbed down and painted with primer and will be painted with several more coats before being deemed ready to go back on the loco. The frames have been prepared to receive it and the special ‘Tico‘ sound and vibration absorbing material is close to being delivered, and will soon become the pacing item.

In parallel, work is continuing on the engine overhaul, with the crankshaft now removed for cleaning and inspection. The engine will be the next major component to be re-installed after the cab, so the priority will soon swing in that direction.

D9518 – the cab assembly has now been rubbed down and painted in primer, which is drying slowly in the high humidity that is typical for November. Pictured at Williton on Saturday 23rd November 2024 by Martin Howard © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

D9518 – the crankshaft of the Paxman 6YJXL engine was lifted out of the crankcase at Williton on Tuesday 19th November 2024. Photo by Terry Deacon © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

D9518 – the crankshaft of the Paxman 6YJXL engine shows the substantial balance weights that are essential for the smooth running of this 60-degree V6 engine design. Pictured at Williton on Tuesday 19th November 2024 by Terry Deacon © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

D9518 – the crankcase can now be cleaned up, inspected and prepared for the rebuilding phase, which won’t be far away, given the recent progress. Pictured at Williton on Tuesday 19th November 2024 by Terry Deacon © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

Quality work needs to be funded, so we will continue to appeal for funds to support the work, right up to the point where the loco is completed. Any surplus will then be used to ensure her proper care and upkeep. If you like what we are doing, please help us by making a donation via our online store (click here or on the image below) or by sending a cheque to the address at the bottom of this email. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT !

 

 

Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9526 – no change – this loco is now stabled outside on Number 1 road at Williton and is likely to remain there until the new year. When space becomes available in the loco shed, she will be going ‘indoors’ for some maintenance work, which will include attention to her engine and her bodywork, to make sure that she is in good shape for the 2025 running season.

 

Class 47 47077 ‘NORTH STAR’ – this loco is based at Grosmont on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway and has been enduring the heavy snowfalls that are typical of the area (as our opening photo shows). The loco is now in good running order and we hope that she will pick up some work on the Christmas specials, even if only on the empty coaching stock (ECS) movements. We look forward to a very successful 2025 running season !

 

Andrew Barclay 0-4-0DH 578 – this loco was last in use on Saturday 2nd November for driver training at Williton, resulting in Paul Tucker and Neil McCannon being passed as drivers.

 

If you can help by donating your time to any of these projects, then please JOIN US and come along to the depot for an introduction to what we do and how we do it. We currently have people on site from Saturday through to Tuesday and we can open on other days if we can be sure of getting at least two volunteers on site at all times, so there is plenty of scope. We have tasks of all types to suit most capabilities, both skilled and unskilled.

Many thanks to all of our volunteers who give up so much of their time to work on the cleaning, painting, maintaining, restoring, managing and fund raising for our fleet of heritage locomotives !

 

 

BOOK REVIEW: As the year is quickly running to a close, we need to push the sales of our 2025 DEPG calendar and to point out that stocks are limited and strictly on a first-come-first-served basis.

To give a taste of what is waiting inside the calendar to adorn your walls throughout the coming year, we have put together an animation that flips through the pages. Click here or on the image below to launch the animation:

Alternatively, here is a different presentation with a thumbnail of each page brought together into a single sheet. The actual calendar has one A3 page for each month.

The DEPG 2025 CALENDAR is now available for mailing, comprising 14 printed pages of A3 (twice A4 size) glossy paper on a spiral wire binder. This calendar features the DEPG’s locomotives, both in service and in preservation, with all of the photos being so kindly provided by members and supporters. Click here or on the image above to GET YOUR COPY – WHILE STOCKS LAST – for £14 plus p&p.

 

 

ON SHED: last week, we featured Mark Bladwell’s photo taken at Meldon Quarry near Okehampton, Devon, in May of 1975. The loco was D1063 ‘WESTERN MONITOR’ and the railtour was the ‘ATLANTIC COAST EXPRESS’ that ran from Paddington to Meldon Quarry (the extent of the former LSWR route to Plymouth) before returning to Crediton where a pair of Class 25s took the train on to Torrington (beyond Barnstaple) and back to Exeter St Davids. This week, we feature the ‘Rats’ that worked the special over the ‘withered arm‘ of the former LSWR on what must have been a very interesting day out. Many thanks to Mark for sharing his photo with us all.

Class 25 ‘Rats’ 25224 (D7574, leading) and 25161 (D7511) were pictured at Barnstaple Junction, Devon on the 17th May 1975 after working the ‘ATLANTIC COAST EXPRESS‘ railtour from Crediton. The ‘Derby Sulzers’ worked the railtour to Torrington then back to Exeter St Davids where D1063 took over again and returned the special to Paddington. Class 119 DMU set P587 also adds to the picture, taken by Mark Bladwell © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

 

DEPG NEWS:  the recently-acquired 20-ft ISO containers at Williton were already fitted with lights and power sockets when purchased, but still needed to be connected to the main shed power supply. This work is being carried out by volunteer Richard who has been busy fitting the required safety devices into the containers, with more work to be done in the older containers during the coming weeks. This will be a significant improvement, with bright LED strip lights fitted in each of the containers at long last. Well done Richard !

The local distribution panel was being wired up in one of our recently-acquired 20ft containers by career electrician and DEPG/WSR volunteer Richard at Williton on Saturday 16th November 2024. Photo by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

The DEPG is a charity and is run entirely by volunteers, many of whom give both their time and their money to the continuance of work on the locos in the DEPG fleet. If you have been enjoying the roundup for free, have you considered joining us for just £1 a month ? You can then add your name to all of those helping out on the above projects and play your part in the future of our locos for a lot less than the price of a cup of coffee!

 

JOIN US using whichever membership class is appropriate for your situation and means. CLICK HERE or on the image below or use the QR code to get the details.

     

 

If you would like to go one step further and come along to help with the work on the locos in our fleet, then please use our CONTACT FORM to let us know that you would like to volunteer and we will respond with more details.

We look forward to hearing from you !

 

Go to the previous Weekly Roundup post

 

 

A typical November scene, with dismal weather and an engineering possession of the line, allowing Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6566 (33048) to pause with an infrastructure train so that volunteers could unload new sleepers in readiness for track relaying. Pictured at Higher Ker Moor near Dunster on 9th November 2024 by Paul Davies © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

The month of November can usually be relied upon to deliver a broad range of mostly dismal weather, from mist and fog to snowfalls and periods of heavy rain, and this year is no exception. The railway is closed to the public during November and this allows engineering activities to predominate, with track relaying work in progress in and around Blue Anchor. Work of another kind is taking place in the background to deliver a new and varied programme of Christmas activities, some based on familiar themes and others more daring, all with the common objective – to entertain and to raise money to get the railway through the winter and in good shape for the 2025 season that is not that far away. Please do what you can to support the new Christmas services – and have a very enjoyable day out at the same time !

 

Just a reminder, the railway is closed to the public until the start of the Christmas special services from 30th November onward. The format of the Christmas services has changed this year, so our diesels will not be rostered for duty, but they will be on standby and available to provide support if needed. Click here or on the image below to review the WSR Christmas seasonal offerings:

 

 

DIESEL RUNNING DATES for 2025

We don’t yet have the details available for 2025 but we understand that the running pattern will be very similar to that of 2024, so the 2024 DIESEL RUNNING DATES page can be used as a guide, temporarily. Good news – the WSR’s SUMMER DIESEL FESTIVAL has been confirmed as being Thursday 5th through Saturday 7th with a Mixed Traction Day  on Sunday 8th of June 2025.

 

 

Click here to join the DEPG

Click here to go to our DIESEL RUNNING DATES page

Click here to go to our ONLINE SHOP

Thank you very much for your support !

 

LOCO NEWS:

Class 52 D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’ – the need to clear some more space in the loco shed placed the focus on the completion of the ‘B’ cooler group so that the whole assembly could be made ready to move out of the shed and stored elsewhere until ready for the cooling elements to be re-fitted (this final step will only be done when closer to the date for re-installation into the loco body).

D1010 – the ‘B’ cooler group has now been completed and is ready to be moved out of the loco shed. The access doors were fitted at Williton on Saturday 16th November 2024. Photo by Jon Tooke © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

This in turn allowed more effort to be directed to the ‘A’ cooler group which is in need of a similar level of repair and refurbishment, with the added need to overhaul one of the Serck hydrostatic motors that drive the cooling fans. The delinquent motor was found to be suffering from water ingress and the corrosion on the outside of the motor showed that it had been sitting in a pool of water for a long time. The design of the fans and housings is based on the assumption that the loco is in regular use, but long periods out of use has allowed water to gather underneath one of the fans and has penetrated the motor. The fan put up quite a fight but our ‘transmission team’ had the solution and the fan separated from the motor after receiving some mechanical ‘persuasion’. The corroded motor will now be stripped down and overhauled with new bearings and seals.

D1010 – a pulling fixture was made up by the ‘transmission team’ and used for separating the fan from the motor shaft. Pictured at Williton on 11th November 2024 by Colin Foxhall © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

D1010 – with the fan separated from the motor shaft, the corroded bearing is now visible, along with the heavily corroded fastenings. Pictured at Williton on 11th November 2024 by Colin Foxhall © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

D1010 – the corroded fastenings were ground away then carefully drilled out by Colin F to release the two halves of the motor housing. Pictured at Williton on 16th November 2024 by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

Meanwhile, the first batch of newly refurbished cardan shafts arrived from specialist subcontractor FIROW PROSHAFTS and were placed in store. These are the smallest shafts on the loco and are used for the auxiliary machines such as the dynastarter and the Serck pump. MANY THANKS to all who sponsored a patch or donated to the D1010 Restoration Fund to facilitate the overhaul of these shafts.

D1010 – the first batch of overhauled cardan shafts arrived back at Williton from specialist subcontractor FIROW PROPSHAFTS and were moved to the container for storage on Saturday 16th November 2024. Photo by Terry Deacon © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

Apologies to those D1010 sponsors who have yet to receive the photos and certificates for the patches that they have sponsored. After ‘almost’ catching up in the Spring, the lifting of the loco and subsequent need to get the bogie overhaul project underway has depleted the resource for the patch engraving and a backlog has built up again.

Rest assured that every sponsor will receive their certificate and the details of where to find their sponsored patch. We will be making a further push for funds soon, because we have some big ticket items for refurbishment, including 14 cardan shafts and 32 springs.

MANY THANKS to all who have sponsored and supported the RESTORATION of D1010 !

 

Class 09 D4107 (09019) – this loco is now inside the loco shed at Williton where work is progressing on the lengthy schedule of work that includes repairs as well as winter maintenance. The key tasks are as follows:

1. Repair or replace the Westinghouse 3CV50 compressor due to excessive wear in the pistons and bores.
   1. IN PROGRESS – the worn out compressor has been removed from the loco. The replacement compressor is of the opposite ‘hand’ and is undergoing alteration to match the loco fittings.
2. Remove the front buffers and send them out for overhaul (or replace them).
3. Remove the batteries and repair the corroded battery boxes.
   1. IN PROGRESS – the batteries have been removed, the corroded metal has been cut out in preparation for welding-in of new metal.
4. Assess the loco for other bodywork repairs and arrange the repairs as necessary.
   1. IN PROGRESS – the cab roof requires welding repairs. The cab interior roof lining needs to be removed to allow access. This task will be deferred until the other priority tasks have been completed.
5. Inspect the running gear, repair or replace worn parts as necessary.
6. Perform scheduled maintenance (engine and auxiliary machines, switchgear)
7. Remove the carbon pile voltage regulator, replace with an electronic type.
   1. The electronic AVR is in stock. The changeover will only take place after completion of roof repairs.
8. If sufficient time is available, refresh the paintwork.

Quite a list, but this loco is an essential tool for the WSR so we have a duty to keep her reliable and dependable. She will be returned to Bishops Lydeard in time for the start of the 2025 operating season.

D4107 (09019) – this loco was the centre of attention at Williton on Saturday 16th November 2024 as our volunteers tackled the lengthy list of repair and maintenance tasks. Photo by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

D4107 (09019) – this view of the engine bay door shows the faded paintwork and the corrosion that is developing at each of the door hinges and catches, nothing major, but something else that needs attention to prevent further deterioration. Pictured at Williton on Saturday 16th November 2024 by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

 

Class 33 D6566 (33 048) – this loco has now moved to Bishops Lydeard where she will act as the duty loco for that end of the line. The ’33’ will be available to support the WSR Christmas services that originate from Bishops Lydeard, should the need arise. This loco will be in use for crew training in the South Yard at Williton on Saturday 30th November, returning to Bishops Lydeard in the afternoon.

 

Class 33 D6575 (33 057) – this loco is outstationed at Minehead and is available to support engineering and infrastructure workings and any other duties that may come along. The loco will return to Williton on Saturday 30th November for crew training and will remain at Williton so that planned maintenance work can be carried out.

 

Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 – after launching a short-term fundraiser on the 1st November 2024, we are delighted to announce that the supporters of this wonderful locomotive have already raised more that £4,000 in three weeks, which takes us 40% of the way to our target of £10,000 so THANK YOU FOR YOUR FANTASTIC SUPPORT !

The fundraiser is short-term because the WORK HAS ALREADY STARTED, with the WSR engineering team at Minehead having been contracted to do the repairs. This ensures that the loco receives the bodywork corrosion repairs that she needs before a repaint can be carried out. Although the loco looks quite good from a distance, a closer inspection reveals that corrosion is taking place from behind the skin panels, and this will soon result in perforations and further deterioration. A stitch in time saves nine, which is why we are getting the work done NOW.

 

Here’s the basis of our appeal for funds:

As the first locomotive to be saved for preservation by the Diesel & Electric Group (the forerunner of the DEPG) back in 1975, Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 has built up a significant following and is very much loved. This loco has had an excellent year, working public service trains on 10 separate days and achieving 100% availability, although she has started to look rather shabby of late. As D7017 is now approaching her 50^th year in preservation, it will be appropriate to have her bodywork overhauled and repainted in time for her 50^th anniversary, so arrangements have been made to have the work carried out at the Minehead workshops of the West Somerset Railway.

The work involves a number of areas around the body where corrosion has taken hold from the inside and resulted in perforations of the body panels. The metalwork behind the corroded panels will need to be cut out and replaced, so this is not a quick job. The DEPG’s volunteer welders are tied up on other projects that would be unfairly affected by queue-jumping D7017, so the opportunity was taken to follow-up on an offer from the Minehead team and a repair and repainting contract has been agreed. The work has already started and the loco will be back with us in a matter of months so that other maintenance work can continue at Williton.

We need help raising funds for the work that is about to be carried out. This is a short-term appeal so please give this your attention and help by making a donation via our website (click on the icons below) or by bank app or by sending a cheque to the DEPG at Williton. THANK YOU VERY MUCH !

        

 

Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7018 – the ‘transmission team’ have completed their assembly work and confirmed that all of the necessary clearances and tolerances have been achieved. The next phase is the static testing, where an electric hydraulic pump will be used to provide fluid pressure to the control block, so that the basic functionality of the control block and gear train can be tested. The action of the torque converter will be simulated by a volunteer turning a crank handle one way or the other (accelerating or retarding), according to the presence of the forward or backward blading pressure. More on this very interesting phase of work next week !

D7018 – preparations are being made to perform static testing of the control block and gear train actuators, before the transmission gets closed up and returned to the locomotive. Pictured at Williton on Tuesday 5th November 2024 by Colin Foxhall © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9518 – we are getting closer to the point where the refurbished cab assembly can be re-fitted onto the loco frames. The exact date will depend on some other lifting tasks being ready, so that cost of hiring a crane can be shared between several projects. An essential component will be the authentic ‘Tico‘ material that is used as a sound and vibration insulation layer between the cab and the frames. An order totalling £1,500 has been placed and the specially-cut material should be with us any day now.

D9518 – the loco frames have been prepared for the re-fitting of the cab, with needle-gunning followed by priming and several coats of thick black paint. Pictured at Williton on Saturday 16th November 2024 by Terry Deacon © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

D9518 – remnants of the original ‘Tico’ vibration isolation material have been pieced together to make templates for the new material that should be delivered during November. The new and authentic material will fit between the cab and the loco frames. Pictured at Williton on Saturday 16th November 2024 by Terry Deacon © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

D9518 – progress also on the cab roof, which has been carefully rubbed down by Andy P and is now ready for priming and painting. Pictured at Williton on Saturday 16th November 2024 by Jon Tooke © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

D9518 – this small spool-and-sleeve valve is an essential component in the pneumatically-controlled transmission reverser system. The valve was cleaned externally before being disassembled. Pictured at Williton on Tuesday 12th November 2024 by Terry Deacon © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

D9518 – and after disassembly and internal cleaning, the valve is ready to be re-assembled, having been fitted with new cup seals. Pictured at Williton on Tuesday 12th November 2024 by Terry Deacon © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

Quality work needs to be funded, so we will continue to appeal for funds to support the work, right up to the point where the loco is completed. Any surplus will then be used to ensure her proper care and upkeep. If you like what we are doing, please help us by making a donation via our online store (click here or on the image below) or by sending a cheque to the address at the bottom of this email. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT !

 

Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9526 – no change – this loco is now stabled outside on Number 1 road at Williton and is likely to remain there until the new year. When space becomes available in the loco shed, she will be going ‘indoors’ for some maintenance work, which will include attention to her engine and her bodywork, to make sure that she is in good shape for the 2025 running season.

 

Class 47 47077 ‘NORTH STAR’ – this loco is based at Grosmont on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway and has now been put back into service just in time to see action on the last day of the 2024 timetable. The loco is now in good running order and we hope that she will pick up some work on the Christmas specials, even if only on the empty coaching stock (ECS) movements. We look forward to a very successful 2025 running season !

 

Andrew Barclay 0-4-0DH 578 – this loco was in use on Saturday 2nd November for driver training at Williton, resulting in Paul Tucker and Neil McCannon being passed as drivers.

 

If you can help by donating your time to any of these projects, then please JOIN US and come along to the depot for an introduction to what we do and how we do it. We currently have people on site from Saturday through to Tuesday and we can open on other days if we can be sure of getting at least two volunteers on site at all times, so there is plenty of scope. We have tasks of all types to suit most capabilities, both skilled and unskilled.

Many thanks to all of our volunteers who give up so much of their time to work on the cleaning, painting, maintaining, restoring, managing and fund raising for our fleet of heritage locomotives !

 

 

BOOK REVIEW: Instead of a book review this week, now would seem to be a good time to mention our 2025 DEPG calendar and to point out that stocks are limited and strictly on a first-come-first-served basis. To give a taste of what is waiting inside the calendar to adorn your walls throughout the coming year, we have put together an animation that flips through the pages. Click here or on the image below to launch the animation:

 

The DEPG 2025 CALENDAR is now available for mailing, comprising 14 printed pages of A3 (twice A4 size) glossy paper on a spiral wire binder. This calendar features the DEPG’s locomotives, both in service and in preservation, with all of the photos being provided by members and supporters. Click here or on the image above to GET YOUR COPY – WHILE STOCKS LAST – for £14 plus p&p.

 

 

ON SHED: this week, we feature another photo from Mark Bladwell’s collection, this time at Meldon Quarry near Okehampton, Devon, in May of 1975. The loco was D1063 ‘WESTERN MONITOR’ looking rather shabby for railtour duties, but standing-in for the booked loco D1053 ‘WESTERN PATRIARCH’ that had been prepared for the purpose but had de-railed at Old Oak Common while shunting her stock !

The railtour was the ‘ATLANTIC COAST EXPRESS’ and ran from Paddington to Meldon Quarry before returning to Crediton where a pair of Class 25s took the train on to Torrington and back to Exeter St Davids. The ‘Western’ returned the train to Paddington from Exeter to complete a very interesting and memorable day out for all involved.

Many thanks to Mark for sharing his photo with us all.

D1063 ‘WESTERN MONITOR’ was pictured at Meldon Quarry near Okehampton, Devon on the 17th May 1975 after working the ‘ATLANTIC COAST EXPRESS‘ railtour from Paddington. Photo by Mark Bladwell © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

 

DEPG NEWS:  the next edition of the DEPG NEWSLETTER has been completed by editor MARK BLADWELL and has now been distributed to all DEPG members (let us know if you haven’t received your copy). The newsletter contains information that is not available via the roundup or via the website, and is sent to DEPG members by email or post, according to the preference stored in Membermojo. To receive the newsletter, all you need to do is to become a member of the DEPG !

 

The DEPG is a charity and is run entirely by volunteers, many of whom give both their time and their money to the continuance of work on the locos in the DEPG fleet. If you have been enjoying the roundup for free, have you considered joining us for just £1 a month ? You can then add your name to all of those helping out on the above projects and play your part in the future of our locos for a lot less than the price of a cup of coffee!

 

JOIN US using whichever membership class is appropriate for your situation and means. CLICK HERE or on the image below or use the QR code to get the details.

     

 

If you would like to go one step further and come along to help with the work on the locos in our fleet, then please use our CONTACT FORM to let us know that you would like to volunteer and we will respond with more details.

We look forward to hearing from you !

 

Go to the previous Weekly Roundup post

A very untypical form of motive power was undergoing maintenance at Williton on Saturday 9th November 2024 – the WSR Infrastructure Team’s Geismar cart was in need of some TLC which was duly provided by Martin with help from big Darren and the Fork Lift Truck. Photo by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

With no public trains running on the WSR until the end of November, the WSR infrastructure team have been gearing up to make the most of the lack of trains and get the maximum amount of work done. One of the tools that saves a lot of time when engineering possessions are in place and the engineers have full control of the line is the Geismar cart, a simple portable petrol-engined cart that can take four people from the nearest access point to the site of the work in a quick and easy (but bumpy) way. If only it worked properly. Enter the DEPG and our Chairman Martin, who enlisted the help of fellow volunteer Darren and set to work to find and fix the issue. After cleaning out the fuel system and applying some overall TLC, the engine was starting easily and running more smoothly, but there is more work to do so we will have the cart back at the yard again in the near future to complete the task. Meanwhile, it was declared as OK to use with care and is back in action.

The WSR Infrastructure Team’s Geismar rail cart was pictured outside the Swindon Shed on Friday 8th November prior to receiving attention from the DEPG. Photo by Martin Howard © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

Last week, we reported that DEPG Treasurer PAUL TUCKER had been passed as a driver of our Class 09 shunter D4107 (09019) but in fact two of our Trustees were passed on that day with NEIL McCANNON also getting his WSR ticket for both the ’09’ and Barclay 578 (ROF1). This provides us with a lot more flexibility and allows these two experienced drivers to shunt the yard using our smaller locomotives when the need arises. Well done both !

Class 09 shunter D4107 (09019) was in use for driver refresher training at Williton on Saturday 2nd November 2024, with WSR Traction Inspector John Leach pictured assessing DEPG volunteer and driver Neil McCannon. Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6566 (33048) and Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9526 complete the line up. Photo by Jon Tooke © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

Another loco type that Neil has his eye upon is the visiting GWR ‘Castle’ HST set comprising power cars 43154 and 43155 and four Mark 3 coaches, which has been in store on the WSR since the summer. The HST is being kept in main line running condition and undergoes regular inspection and routine maintenance from GWR volunteers. To take advantage of the knowledge and expertise of the GWR staff, Neil went along to Bishops Lydeard on Friday 8th to ‘learn the ropes’ so that he can assist with looking after the set while it is on WSR metals.

Although slightly outside the date range of this roundup, the HST needed to be moved to Minehead on Monday 11th November so Neil went along for the journey and will probably be wanting to add the HST to the long list of traction types for which he already holds a driver’s ticket !

Former GWR ‘Castle’ HST set 43154 & 43155 was pictured at Blue Anchor on Monday 11th November 2024 while en route to Minehead for winter storage. DEPG volunteer and Trustee Neil McCannon was on board, familiarising himself with the engineering aspects of the GWR engine care and maintenance regime. Photo by Janice Miles © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

Just a reminder, the railway is closed to the public until the start of the Christmas special services from 30th November onward. The format of the Christmas services has changed this year, so our diesels will not be rostered for duty, but they will be on standby and available to provide support if needed. Click here or on the image below to review the WSR Christmas seasonal offerings:

 

 

DIESEL RUNNING DATES for 2025

We don’t yet have the details available for 2025 but we understand that the running pattern will be very similar to that of 2024, so the 2024 DIESEL RUNNING DATES page can be used as a guide, temporarily. Good news – the WSR’s SUMMER DIESEL FESTIVAL has been confirmed as being Thursday 5th through Saturday 7th with a Mixed Traction Day  on Sunday 8th of June 2025.

 

 

Click here to join the DEPG

Click here to go to our DIESEL RUNNING DATES page

Click here to go to our ONLINE SHOP

Thank you very much for your support !

 

 

LOCO NEWS:

Class 52 D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’ – the focus moved to the assessment of the primary suspension components so that we could determine the repair plan and get the necessary parts on order. First, the spring hangers were separated from the compensating beams and the various spacers and bushes separated from each other (where possible – some were locked solid !). The Swindon drawing provides the detail but it is very hard to use and even harder to reproduce in a small file size because the drawing itself is huge, the full size of the drawing boards of old. To make it easier to understand, we have also included the exploded drawings from the CAD model created by our engineering volunteer Barry Quest.

D1010 – BR Swindon drawing SW/SL/3626 issue F dated 1st November 1967 entitled MODIFIED COMPENSATING BEAM & SPRING HANGER. Photo from the DEPG archive © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

D1010 – an extract from page 5 of document DEPG-TS-004 that shows the arrangement of the primary suspension. Drawn by Barry Quest © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

D1010 – an extract from page 9 of document DEPG-TS-004 that shows the detailed breakdown of the compensating beam within the primary suspension. Drawn by Barry Quest © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

D1010 – two of the four spring hangers attached to the compensating beams showed only slight wear, but the other two had worn bearings and seized pins, such as item B30 above. All four spring hangers will be overhauled and repaired or replaced as necessary. Pictured at Williton on Saturday 9th November 2024 by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

The outcome of the investigation was that two of the four spring hangers had serviceable bearings, but the other two did not, the bearings having seized up due to corrosion, with the bushings taking over the work of the bearings, the result being worn bushings. All of these ‘wear parts’ will be replaced as a matter of course.

Meanwhile, Gordon finished off a ‘good day at the office’ by fitting new hydraulic hoses to the ‘B’ cooler group. The refurbishment of this major assembly has now been completed, all bar some paintwork, which will be finished off next weekend. WELL DONE TEAM !

D1010 – the refurbishment of the ‘B’ cooler group is almost complete, all except some paintwork. New hydraulic hoses were fitted at Williton on Saturday 9th November 2024. Photo by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

 

Apologies to those D1010 sponsors who have yet to receive the photos and certificates for the patches that they have sponsored. After ‘almost’ catching up in the Spring, the lifting of the loco and subsequent need to get the bogie overhaul project underway has depleted the resource for the patch engraving and a backlog has built up again.

Rest assured that every sponsor will receive their certificate and the details of where to find their sponsored patch. We will be making a further push for funds soon, because we have some big ticket items for refurbishment, including 14 cardan shafts and 32 springs.

MANY THANKS to all who have sponsored and supported the RESTORATION of D1010 !

 

Class 09 D4107 (09019) – this loco is now inside the loco shed at Williton where work has already started on a lengthy schedule of work that includes repairs as well as winter maintenance. The key tasks are as follows:

1. Repair or replace the Westinghouse 3CV50 compressor due to excessive wear in the pistons and bores.
   1. IN PROGRESS – the worn out compressor has been removed from the loco. The replacement compressor is of the opposite ‘hand’ and needs alteration to match the loco fittings.
2. Remove the front buffers and send them out for overhaul (or replace them).
3. Remove the batteries and repair the corroded battery boxes.
   1. IN PROGRESS – the batteries have been removed. The compressor housing needs to be removed next, to allow access for bodywork repairs.
4. Assess the loco for other bodywork repairs and arrange the repairs as necessary.
   1. IN PROGRESS – the cab roof requires welding repairs. The cab interior roof lining needs to be removed to allow access.
5. Inspect the running gear, repair or replace worn parts as necessary.
6. Perform scheduled maintenance (engine and auxiliary machines, switchgear)
7. Remove the carbon pile voltage regulator, replace with an electronic type.
   1. The electronic AVR is in stock. The changeover will only take place after completion of roof repairs.
8. If sufficient time is available, refresh the paintwork.

Quite a list, but this loco is an essential tool for the WSR so we have a duty to keep her reliable and dependable. She will be returned to Bishops Lydeard in time for the start of the 2025 operating season.

D4107 (09019) – the worn-out Westinghouse 3CV50 compressor has now been removed from the loco. Pictured on Sunday 10th November 2024 by Ian Robins © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

D4107 (09019) – the replacement is a reconditioned Westinghouse 3CV50 compressor from our spares stock. The only minor detail is that this is the opposite hand to the one that has been removed, so we need to swap parts from side to side to make it compatible. Grrrrrrr ! Pictured on Sunday 10th November 2024 by Ian Robins © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

D4107 (09019) – the corrosion that is evident between two compartments will result in both compartments having to be stripped of their contents before welding can be carried out. Pictured on Sunday 10th November 2024 by Tony Austin © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

 

Class 33 D6566 (33 048) – this loco has now moved to Bishops Lydeard where she will act as the duty loco for that end of the line. The ’33’ will be available to support the WSR Christmas services that originate from Bishops Lydeard, should the need arise.

 

Class 33 D6575 (33 057) – this loco is outstationed at Minehead and is available to support engineering and infrastructure workings and any other duties that may come along. The loco will return to Williton at some point for planned maintenance work to be carried out.

 

Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 – after launching a short-term fundraiser on the 1st November 2024, we are delighted to announce that the supporters of this wonderful locomotive have already raised more that £3,500 which takes us a third of the way to our target of £10,000 so THANK YOU FOR YOUR FANTASTIC SUPPORT !

The fundraiser is short-term because the WORK HAS ALREADY STARTED, with the WSR engineering team at Minehead having been contracted to do the repairs. This ensures that the loco receives the bodywork corrosion repairs that she needs before a repaint can be carried out. Although the loco looks quite good from a distance, a closer inspection reveals that corrosion is taking place from behind the skin panels, and this will soon result in perforations and further deterioration. A stitch in time saves nine, which is why we are getting the work done NOW.

 

Here’s the basis of our appeal for funds:

As the first locomotive to be saved for preservation by the Diesel & Electric Group (the forerunner of the DEPG) back in 1975, Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 has built up a significant following and is very much loved. This loco has had an excellent year, working public service trains on 10 separate days and achieving 100% availability, although she has started to look rather shabby of late. As D7017 is now approaching her 50^th year in preservation, it will be appropriate to have her bodywork overhauled and repainted in time for her 50^th anniversary, so arrangements have been made to have the work carried out at the Minehead workshops of the West Somerset Railway.

The work involves a number of areas around the body where corrosion has taken hold from the inside and resulted in perforations of the body panels. The metalwork behind the corroded panels will need to be cut out and replaced, so this is not a quick job. The DEPG’s volunteer welders are tied up on other projects that would be unfairly affected by queue-jumping D7017, so the opportunity was taken to follow-up on an offer from the Minehead team and a repair and repainting contract has been agreed. The work has already started and the loco will be back with us in a matter of months so that other maintenance work can continue at Williton.

We need help raising funds for the work that is about to be carried out. This is a short-term appeal so please give this your attention and help by making a donation via our website (click on the icons below) or by bank app or by sending a cheque to the DEPG at Williton. THANK YOU VERY MUCH !

        

 

 

D7017 – work has already started on the bodyside corrosion repairs which are being carried out under contract by the WSR Engineering team. Pictured at Minehead along with some steam loco tender wheelsets on Friday 8th November 2024 by Rich Hiscox © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7018 – the ‘transmission team’ have now moved to to the examination and reassembly of the control block stack that is the ‘hydraulic brain’ of the transmission. Once reassembled, this assembly will be subjected to static testing using an electric hydraulic fluid pump so that we can simulate the various input and output conditions and ensure that the transmission takes the appropriate action without any issues. The testing phase will take several weeks to get the test equipment and test method right, so that we can be confident of the outcome.

MANY THANKS to our Transmission Team for taking such care with this precious transmission !

D7018 – with the high level of care and attention to detail that have become the trademarks of the transmission team, volunteer Tim reassembles the top control block before returning it to the transmission for testing. Pictured at Williton on Tuesday 29th October 2024 by Colin Foxhall © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

D7018 – the control block is built up in layers, each face of each layer carrying grooves which form the circuits for the hydraulic fluid when the corresponding block is bolted on top. Cleanliness and flatness are essential ingredients. Pictured at Williton on Monday 4th November 2024 by Colin Foxhall © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

D7018 – with the third and fourth layers added, the control block stack is now complete and is ready to be hooked up to the test rig for static testing. Pictured at Williton on Monday 4th November 2024 by Colin Foxhall © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

 

 

Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9518 – plans are being drawn up for the re-fitting of the cab assembly onto the loco frames, hopefully before the end of November. This will allow work to resume on the electrical wiring, specifically the interconnections between the equipment that is already fitted to the loco frame and the control cubicle that is already installed in the cab.

An essential component will be the authentic ‘Tico‘ material that is used as a sound and vibration insulation layer between the cab and the frames. An order totalling £1,500 has been placed and the specially-cut material should be with us in a week or two, fingers crossed !

Quality work needs to be funded, so we will continue to appeal for funds to support the work, right up to the point where the loco is completed. Any surplus will then be used to ensure her proper care and upkeep. If you like what we are doing, please help us by making a donation via our online store (click here or on the image below) or by sending a cheque to the address at the bottom of this email. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT !

 

Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9526 – no change – this loco is now stabled outside on Number 1 road at Williton and is likely to remain there until the new year. When space becomes available in the loco shed, she will be going ‘indoors’ for some maintenance work, which will include attention to her engine and her bodywork, to make sure that she is in good shape for the 2025 running season.

 

Class 47 47077 ‘NORTH STAR’ – this loco is based at Grosmont on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway and has now been put back into service just in time to see action on the last day of the 2024 timetable. The loco is now in good running order and we hope that she will pick up some work on the Christmas specials, even if only on the empty coaching stock (ECS) movements. We look forward to a very successful 2025 running season !

 

 

Andrew Barclay 0-4-0DH 578 – this loco was in use on Saturday 2nd November for driver training at Williton, resulting in Paul Tucker and Neil McCannon being passed as drivers.

 

If you can help by donating your time to any of these projects, then please JOIN US and come along to the depot for an introduction to what we do and how we do it. We currently have people on site from Saturday through to Tuesday and we can open on other days if we can be sure of getting at least two volunteers on site at all times, so there is plenty of scope. We have tasks of all types to suit most capabilities, both skilled and unskilled.

Many thanks to all of our volunteers who give up so much of their time to work on the cleaning, painting, maintaining, restoring, managing and fund raising for our fleet of heritage locomotives !

 

 

BOOK REVIEW: the FOURTH volume in ‘THE BEATEN TRACK’ series by Andy Chard is now available and in stock at Williton. The standard set by Andy’s first volume was repeated admirably in the second and third volumes, and the success of the format continues with high levels of advance sales for this much-anticipated volume 4.

GET YOUR COPY FROM THE DEPG and help us maintain your favourite loco fleet while enjoying a very good read !

Click here or on the image below to go the DEPG online store where this book is available from stock for £34.95 per copy.

 

 

ON SHED: this week, we feature another photo from Mark Bladwell’s collection, this time at Bristol Bath Road in October of 1974. The subject of his camera was D1064 ‘WESTERN REGENT’, still looking quite smart more than two years after receiving the dual brake conversion at Swindon. This loco was a fairly early casualty of the culling of the flagship hydraulics, being withdrawn at the end of 1975 when only 12 years old. The reason for the early withdrawal was a minor collision with sister D1046 ‘WESTERN MARQUIS’ at Laira depot, resulting in both locomotives being withdrawn due to there being no budget to cover the repair work.

Many thanks to Mark for sharing his photo with us all.

D1064 ‘WESTERN REGENT’ was pictured on shed at Bristol Bath Road depot, directly opposite the platform at Bristol Temple Meads, on 10th October 1974. This loco was delivered new to Cardiff Canton depot from Crewe works in May 1963 and was withdrawn from Laira depot in December 1975 after colliding with a sister loco. Photo by Mark Bladwell © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

 

DEPG NEWS:  the next edition of the DEPG NEWSLETTER has been completed by editor MARK BLADWELL and has now been distributed to all DEPG members (let us know if you haven’t received your copy). The newsletter contains information that is not available via the roundup or via the website, and is sent to DEPG members by email or post, according to the preference stored in Membermojo. To receive the newsletter, all you need to do is to become a member of the DEPG !

 

The DEPG is a charity and is run entirely by volunteers, many of whom give both their time and their money to the continuance of work on the locos in the DEPG fleet. If you have been enjoying the roundup for free, have you considered joining us for just £1 a month ? You can then add your name to all of those helping out on the above projects and play your part in the future of our locos for a lot less than the price of a cup of coffee!

 

JOIN US using whichever membership class is appropriate for your situation and means. CLICK HERE or on the image below or use the QR code to get the details.

     

 

If you would like to go one step further and come along to help with the work on the locos in our fleet, then please use our CONTACT FORM to let us know that you would like to volunteer and we will respond with more details.

We look forward to hearing from you !

 

Go to the previous Weekly Roundup post

Barclay 578 (ROF 1) and Class 09 shunter D4107 (09019) (L-R) were both in action at Williton on Saturday 2nd November 2024 for driver training purposes. The ’09’ is normally based at Bishops Lydeard but has come ‘home’ for repairs and maintenance during the winter. Photo by Jon Tooke © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

Sunday 3rd November marked the end of the running season on the WSR and at many of the heritage railways across the UK, the next four weeks being devoid of public trains, giving the engineering and infrastructure teams an opportunity to get their tasks prioritised.

It also gave the DEPG an opportunity to recall Class 09 shunter D4107 (09019) to Williton from her operational base at Bishops Lydeard, so that she can undergo some major repairs and enjoy a double dose of care and attention, administered by our volunteers.

Re-positioning the ’09’ from Bishops Lydeard presented a training opportunity for DEPG Treasurer PAUL TUCKER, who already held a driving ticket on the Great Central for Class 08/09 but had never driven the type on the WSR. That was remedied on Saturday 2nd and followed up by a session on Williton yard pilot Barclay 578 (ROF1) meaning that Paul now has a WSR ticket for both types of shunter in addition to his list of larger types. Well done Paul !

Taking advantage of the quiet period, the infrastructure team are running one of their ‘TIDY TRAINS‘ on Saturday 9th November, 2024 with Class 33 ‘Crompton D6566 (33048) booked to depart from Bishops Lydeard at 0815 to go to Norton Fitzwarren to collect a flat wagon, then running the length of the line to Minehead and back. There will also be a steam loco out on test and an Empty Coaching Stock (ECS) working on Saturday, so the line will still be alive with activity. And in case that is not enough, the ‘Castle’ class HST that is currently in storage at Westridge near Bishops Lydeard is being re-located to Minehead on Monday 11th and there will also be a steam loco working on an ‘eco coal’ evaluation ! All of these workings are subject to change or cancellation at short notice, but will be welcomed for the interesting sights and sounds that they bring to the railway.

Former GWR ‘Castle’ HST set 43154 & 43155 was pictured with BR(W) 4-6-0 7828 ‘ODNEY MANOR’ at Westridge near Bshops Lydeard on Sunday 3rd November 2024. Photo by Dave Fowler © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

Just a reminder, the railway is closed to the public until the start of the Christmas special services from 30th November onward. The format of the Christmas services has changed this year, so our diesels will not be rostered for duty, but they will be on standby and available to provide support if needed. Click here or on the image below to review the WSR Christmas seasonal offerings:

 

DIESEL RUNNING DATES for 2025

We don’t yet have the details available for 2025 but we understand that the running pattern will be very similar to that of 2024, so the 2024 DIESEL RUNNING DATES page can be used as a guide, temporarily. Good news – the WSR’s SUMMER DIESEL FESTIVAL has been confirmed as being Thursday 5th through Saturday 7th with a Mixed Traction Day  on Sunday 8th of June 2025.

 

Click here to join the DEPG

Click here to go to our DIESEL RUNNING DATES page

Click here to go to our ONLINE SHOP

Thank you very much for your support !

 

 

LOCO NEWS:

Class 52 D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’ – with the need to make space in the loco shed for Class 09 shunter, the ‘B’ cooler group was finished off so that it could be moved out of the way, then the ’09’ was brought into the shed and  positioned between the shed doors and D1010’s ‘B’ bogie. This still left enough room for the cooler group to be stored inside the loco shed, which is where it will stay until another suitably safe and dry place is found for it. The end result was a very unusual sight that could easily be mistaken for a giant snowblower !

Class 09 ‘snowblower’ D4107 (09019) was pictured in the loco shed at Williton on Saturday 2nd November 2024 with D1010’s ‘B’ cooler group in front of it. Photo by Martin Howard © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

The excellent restoration work that has been carried out on the ‘B’ cooler group is now to be repeated on the ‘A’ cooler group, with repair work already in progress. One of the hydraulically-powered fan motors was found to have a failed bearing, so the fan unit will be removed for overhaul. This is the only one of the fan units that has exhibited any kind of trouble, which is very good considering their age.

In the background, work continued on the clean-up and inspection of the many parts that have now been removed from the ‘B’ bogie. More on this next week.

D1010 – a view of the restored ‘B’ cooler group from the inside. The 48 individual cooling elements will be re-fitted at a later date. Photo by Jon Tooke © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

D1010 – a view of the as-yet unrestored ‘A’ cooler group after removal of the fan grilles and the walkway. The fan motor on the right hand side needs to have a new set of bearings and seals. Photo by Jon Tooke © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

Apologies to those D1010 sponsors who have yet to receive the photos and certificates for the patches that they have sponsored. After ‘almost’ catching up in the Spring, the lifting of the loco and subsequent need to get the bogie overhaul project underway has depleted the resource for the patch engraving and a backlog has built up again.

Rest assured that every sponsor will receive their certificate and the details of where to find their sponsored patch. We will be making a further push for funds soon, because we have some big ticket items for refurbishment, including 14 cardan shafts and 32 springs.

MANY THANKS to all who have sponsored and supported the RESTORATION of D1010 !

 

Class 09 D4107 (09019) – this loco is now inside the loco shed at Williton where work has already started on a lengthy schedule of work that includes repairs as well as winter maintenance. The key tasks are as follows:

1. Repair or replace the Westinghouse 3CV50 compressor due to excessive wear in the pistons and bores.
2. Remove the front buffers and send them out for overhaul (or replace them).
3. Remove the batteries and repair the corroded battery boxes.
4. Assess the loco for other bodywork repairs and arrange the repairs as necessary.
5. Inspect the running gear, repair or replace worn parts as necessary.
6. Perform scheduled maintenance (engine and auxiliary machines, switchgear)
7. Remove the carbon pile voltage regulator, replace with an electronic type.
8. If sufficient time is available, refresh the paintwork.

Quite a list, but this loco is an essential tool for the WSR so we have a duty to keep her reliable and dependable. She will be returned to Bishops Lydeard in time for the start of the 2025 operating season.

Class 09 shunter D4107 (09019) is now inside the loco shed at Williton and will undergo repairs and maintenance before returning to Bishops Lydeard in the Spring. Pictured on Saturday 2nd November 2024 by Martin Howard © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

Class 09 shunter D4107 (09019) has two compressors, the larger of which was fitted during the conversion to dual braking (vacuum and air) in 1969. This Westinghouse 3VC50 machine has now become worn out and is in need of repair or replacement. Pictured while undergoing disassembly at Williton on Sunday 3rd November 2024 by Ian Robins © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

Class 33 D6566 (33 048) – this loco has now moved to Bishops Lydeard where she will act as the duty loco for that end of the line. The ’33’ will be available to support the WSR Christmas services that originate from Bishops Lydeard, should the need arise.

 

Class 33 D6575 (33 057) – this loco is outstationed at Minehead and is available to support engineering and infrastructure workings and any other duties that may come along. The loco will return to Williton at some point for planned maintenance work to be carried out.

 

Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 – after launching a short-term fundraiser on the 1st November 2024, we are delighted to announce that the supporters of this wonderful locomotive have already raised more that £2,500 which takes us 25% of the way to our target of £10,000 so THANK YOU FOR YOUR FANTASTIC SUPPORT !

The fundraiser is short-term because the WORK HAS ALREADY STARTED, with the WSR engineering team at Minehead having been contracted to do the repairs. This ensures that the loco receives the bodywork corrosion repairs that she needs before a repaint can be carried out. Although the loco looks quite good from a distance, a closer inspection reveals that corrosion is taking place from behind the skin panels, and this will soon result in perforations and further deterioration. A stitch in time saves nine, which is why we are getting the work done NOW.

 

Here’s the basis of our appeal for funds:

As the first locomotive to be saved for preservation by the Diesel & Electric Group (the forerunner of the DEPG) back in 1975, Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 has built up a significant following and is very much loved. This loco has had an excellent year, working public service trains on 10 separate days and achieving 100% availability, although she has started to look rather shabby of late. As D7017 is now approaching her 50^th year in preservation, it will be appropriate to have her bodywork overhauled and repainted in time for her 50^th anniversary, so arrangements have been made to have the work carried out at the Minehead workshops of the West Somerset Railway.

The work involves a number of areas around the body where corrosion has taken hold from the inside and resulted in perforations of the body panels. The metalwork behind the corroded panels will need to be cut out and replaced, so this is not a quick job. The DEPG’s volunteer welders are tied up on other projects that would be unfairly affected by queue-jumping D7017, so the opportunity was taken to follow-up on an offer from the Minehead team and a repair and repainting contract has been agreed. The work has already started and the loco will be back with us in a matter of months so that other maintenance work can continue at Williton.

We need help raising funds for the work that is about to be carried out. This is a short-term appeal so please give this your attention and help by making a donation via our website (click on the icons below) or by bank app or by sending a cheque to the DEPG at Williton. THANK YOU VERY MUCH !

        

 

D7017 – a very unusual sight – a diesel in the steam shed at Minehead ! Pictured while being assessed for the required repair work on 26th October 2024 by Adrian Read © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7018 – the ‘transmission team’ have made tremendous progress in the rebuilding of the Mekydro K184U transmission, with their focus now being on the careful setting-up of the clearances around the six clutch actuator pistons and their associated lever arms. Each has adjustments in three planes that require shims to be added (or subtracted) to get the levers in exactly the right place. This is important for reliable operation, because care taken on the bench now will minimise the risk of jamming when in service. This phase of work involves a lot of assembly then measurement then disassembly then adjustment – then repeat that cycle multiple times to get it right and make sure that it stays right !

MANY THANKS to our Transmission Team for taking such care with this precious transmission !

D7018 – with the aid of the torch lighting up the gaps either side of the ‘stress bolt’ that is an extension of the actuator piston, the clearance in the ‘fore and aft’ direction can be seen to be equally shared either side of the contact surfaces. Pictured at Williton on Tuesday 28th October 2024 by Colin Foxhall © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

D7018 – in this case, the adjustment washers are of precise thickness and are often referred to as ‘shims’ even though this term is generally reserved for flat strips of sheet metal or foil. The brass shims were not up to the job, as can be seen from the fractures. The replacements will be made from stainless steel. Pictured at Williton on Tuesday 28th October 2024 by Colin Foxhall © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

 

Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9518 – work continued on preparing the frames for the re-fitting of the cab assembly. A visit to a specialist supplier in Cornwall was made to obtain the authentic ‘Tico‘ material that is used as a sound and vibration insulation layer between the cab and the frames. An order totalling £1,500 was placed and the specially-cut material should be with us in a few weeks from now.

Quality work needs to be funded, so we will continue to appeal for funds to support the work, right up to the point where the loco is completed. Any surplus will then be used to ensure her proper care and upkeep. If you like what we are doing, please help us by making a a donation via our website (click here or on the icon below) or by bank app or by sending a cheque to the DEPG at Williton. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT !

 

Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9526 – no change – this loco is now stabled outside on Number 1 road at Williton and is likely to remain there until the new year. When space becomes available in the loco shed, she will be going ‘indoors’ for some maintenance work, which will include attention to her engine and her bodywork, to make sure that she is in good shape for the 2025 running season.

D9526 – stabled outdoors on number 1 road at Williton, this loco will undergo an engine ‘top end’ service when she gets her turn to go inside the loco shed, probably in the New Year. Pictured on Friday 1st November 2024 by Jon Tooke © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

Class 47 47077 ‘NORTH STAR’ – this loco is based at Grosmont on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway and has now been put back into service just in time to see action on the last day of the 2024 timetable ! The loco put in a spirited performance to recover time when she took over the Whitby to Pickering service at Grosmont from BR Standard 9F 2-10-0 92134 which was 25 mins late arriving at Grosmont. The 47 crew executed a slick changeover and the train left 15 minutes down, leaving a smoke trail of its own (this was the first piece of hard work since the engine and exhaust repairs were carried out).

Apologies to DAVE Tibbett for wrongly crediting his photo to ‘Phil’ last week. Our photos this week are from regular contributor MARTIN FISHER, so thank you very much for sharing your work with us all.

Martin also drew our attention to a YouTube video that features ‘NORTH STAR’ and that spirited departure, which can be found by following this YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHMeWRhEuFA

47077 (D1661, 47613, 47840) ‘NORTH STAR’ was pictured at Grosmont on Sunday 3rd November 2024 while waiting to take over the late-running 14:30 Grosmont to Pickering and return service. Photo by Martin Fisher © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

47077 (D1661, 47613, 47840) ‘NORTH STAR’ was hard at work on the NYMR on Sunday 3rd November 2024 when pictured departing Grosmont for Pickering on the last day of the 2024 running season. Photo by Martin Fisher © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

Andrew Barclay 0-4-0DH 578 – as previously stated, this loco was in use on Saturday 2nd November for driver training at Williton, resulting in Paul Tucker being passed as an additional driver.

 

If you can help by donating your time to any of these projects, then please JOIN US and come along to the depot for an introduction to what we do and how we do it. We currently have people on site from Saturday through to Tuesday and we can open on other days if we can be sure of getting at least two volunteers on site at all times, so there is plenty of scope. We have tasks of all types to suit most capabilities, both skilled and unskilled.

Many thanks to all of our volunteers who give up so much of their time to work on the cleaning, painting, maintaining, restoring, managing and fund raising for our fleet of heritage locomotives !

 

 

BOOK REVIEW: the FOURTH volume in ‘THE BEATEN TRACK’ series by Andy Chard is now available and in stock at Williton. The standard set by Andy’s first volume was repeated admirably in the second and third volumes, and the success of the format continues with high levels of advance sales for this much-anticipated volume 4.

GET YOUR COPY FROM THE DEPG and help us maintain your favourite loco fleet while enjoying a very good read !

Click here or on the image below to go the DEPG online store where this book is available from stock for £34.95 per copy.

 

 

ON SHED: last week’s rare and interesting photo of North British Class 41 D601 ‘ARK ROYAL’ derailed at Menheniot (near Liskeard), Cornwall generated several responses and appears to have been new information for all of the respondents. The photo was provided by DEPG member David Hingston and we very much appreciated being able to share it.

This week, we featured another photo from Mark Bladwell’s collection, with a wonderful lineup of heavy haulers, pictured at Westbury Stabling Point in June of 1974. Happy times indeed! Many thanks to Mark for sharing his photo with us all.

A lineup of ‘Wizzos’, D1070 ‘WESTERN GAUNTLET’, D1055 ‘WESTERN ADVOCATE’, D1036 ‘WESTERN EMPEROR’ and D1051 ‘WESTERN AMBASSADOR’ were pictured while at rest between heavy haulage duties on Saturday 29th June 1974. The location was Westbury Stabling Point, a great place to find the Class during the twilight of their careers. Photo by Mark Bladwell © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

 

DEPG NEWS:  the next edition of the DEPG NEWSLETTER has been completed by editor MARK BLADWELL and will be ready for distribution to all DEPG members next week. The newsletter contains information that is not available via the roundup or via the website, and is sent to DEPG members by email or post, according to the preference stored in Membermojo. To receive the newsletter, all you need to do is to become a member of the DEPG !

 

The DEPG is a charity and is run entirely by volunteers, many of whom give both their time and their money to the continuance of work on the locos in the DEPG fleet. If you have been enjoying the roundup for free, have you considered joining us for just £1 a month ? You can then add your name to all of those helping out on the above projects and play your part in the future of our locos for a lot less than the price of a cup of coffee!

 

JOIN US using whichever membership class is appropriate for your situation and means. CLICK HERE or on the image below or use the QR code to get the details.

     

 

If you would like to go one step further and come along to help with the work on the locos in our fleet, then please use our CONTACT FORM to let us know that you would like to volunteer and we will respond with more details.

We look forward to hearing from you !

 

Go to the previous Weekly Roundup post

Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6575 (33057) was basking in the autumn sunshine while positioned over the pit at Minehead for an underframe examination on Saturday 26th October 2024. Photo by Tom Courtney © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

With the 2024 running season drawing to a close, Minehead steam depot was less crowded than is usually the case, so the opportunity was taken to position Class 33 ‘Crompton D6575 (33057) over the pit to undergo an underframe examination while the steam engines were busy working the BLUE timetable services. Everything was found to be in good order so the ’33’ will remain at Minehead for a while longer, but will return to Williton at some point to undergo winter maintenance, to keep her in the condition that has allowed her to achieve 100% availability for the third consecutive year. An OUTSTANDING achievement, so well done to ‘Team Crompton’ for looking after her so well !

 

This coming weekend brings the 2024 running season to a close with the BLUE timetable featuring all-steam workings on Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd. The railway will then close until the start of the Christmas special services from 30th November onward. The format of the Christmas services has changed this year, so our diesels will not be rostered for duty, but they will be on standby and available to provide support if needed.

 

DIESEL RUNNING DATES for 2025

We don’t yet have the details available for 2025 but we understand that the running pattern will be very similar to that of 2024, so the 2024 DIESEL RUNNING DATES page can be used as a guide, temporarily. Good news – the WSR’s SUMMER DIESEL FESTIVAL has been confirmed as being Thursday 5th through Sunday 8th of June 2025.

 

Click here to join the DEPG

Click here to go to our DIESEL RUNNING DATES page

Click here to go to our ONLINE SHOP

Click here to support D1010

Thank you very much for your support !

 

 

LOCO NEWS:

Class 52 D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’ – the focus continued to be on the tidying up and organising of the many parts that have already been removed from the ‘B’ bogie, but some opportunities did arise to allow work to be carried out on other things. The fine weather allowed Ian F to get back to the hard work of rubbing down and filling the loco bodyside, a task that he never seems to tire from. We can safely say that there is not one inch of D1010 that Ian hasn’t already rubbed down personally and painted, and he is going around again, so he deserves a medal for his diligence !

In an effort to clear some floor space, six more cardan shafts (there are 14 in total on a ‘Western’) were prepared for shipping out to the specialist subcontractor for cleaning and inspection. As none of the bogie shafts have been changed in preservation, all six examples are from the BR-era and are around 50 years old, so we might get a big bill to have them brought up to the required standard. From the limited inspection that we could perform, they appear to be in remarkably good condition, so our strategy is to send them for inspection rather than replace them automatically. This is the ‘on condition’ approach that we are taking with the overhaul of D1010.

In the coming weeks, we will be performing inspection and dye penetrant testing on some of the key components that have been removed from the ‘B’ bogie so that we can formulate a detailed repair plan for each part. This will take a while to do, but will allow us to get the process moving and we can then start to plan the re-assembly, which will be a turning point for the project.

Many thanks to our volunteers for progressing the work on this massive loco !

D1010 – volunteer Ian F was pictured while taking a well-earned break to enjoy the sunshine at Williton on Saturday 26th October 2024. Ian has already worked his way around the complete bodyside at least once, rubbing down and filling and painting, and is now making another round. Such dedication! Photo by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

D1010 – six more cardan shafts were prepared for shipment to the specialist subcontractor for overhaul. Each shaft in this batch is from BR days and is around 50 years old. Pictured at Williton on Saturday 26th October 2024 by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0 

 

D1010 – viewed through the fan covers of the ‘B’ cooler group, Gordon could be seen releasing the hydraulic hoses from the fan motors. All of the flexible hoses are way past their expiry dates and will be replaced as a matter of course. Pictured at Williton on Saturday 26th October 2024 by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

Apologies to those D1010 sponsors who have yet to receive the photos and certificates for the patches that they have sponsored. After ‘almost’ catching up in the Spring, the lifting of the loco and subsequent need to get the bogie overhaul project underway has depleted the resource for the patch engraving and a backlog has built up again.

Rest assured that every sponsor will receive their certificate and the details of where to find their sponsored patch. We will be making a further push for funds soon, because we have some big ticket items for refurbishment, including 14 cardan shafts and 32 springs.

MANY THANKS to all who have sponsored and supported the RESTORATION of D1010 !

 

Class 09 D4107 (09019) – this loco is normally based at Bishops Lydeard but will move to Williton on Saturday 2nd November to undergo body repairs and a list of other maintenance tasks that will hopefully still leave time for a repaint. This loco is an essential tool for the WSR so we have a duty to keep her reliable and dependable. She will be returned to Bishops Lydeard in time for the start of the 2025 operating season.

 

Class 33 D6566 (33 048) – this loco is stabled at Williton but will be moving to Bishops Lydeard on the afternoon of  Saturday 2nd November, to cover for Class 09 shunter D4107 (09019) while that loco is at Williton for attention. The ’33’ will be available to support the WSR Christmas services that originate from Bishops Lydeard, should the need arise.

Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6575 (33057) was trundling through Williton with a train of Empty Coaching Stock for Minehead on Wednesday 23rd October, passing her slightly older sister D6566 (33048) in the process. Photo by Tom Courtney © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

Class 33 D6575 (33 057) – after hauling an ECS move from Bishops Lydeard to Minehead on Wednesday 23rd October, this loco underwent an underframe examination over the pit at Minehead on Saturday 26th with no issues arising. The loco will return to Williton at some point in the near future for repairs to the corroded rainwater gutter in the engine room and possibly some other bodywork repairs, but work on Class 09 D4107 (09019) will take priority.

 

Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 – after having an excellent season and achieving 100% availability, this loco is currently stabled at Minehead and has now been assessed for body repairs and repainting, the cost of which is going to reach £10,000. In addition to bodywork, the loco will need to have her auxiliary cardan shafts overhauled due to excessive wear in the joints and splines. Several other maintenance tasks are also on the list for this winter.

 

As the first locomotive to be saved for preservation by the Diesel & Electric Group (the forerunner of the DEPG) back in 1975, Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 has built up a significant following and is very much loved. This loco has had an excellent year, working public service trains on 10 separate days and achieving 100% availability, although she has started to look rather shabby of late. As D7017 is now approaching her 50^th year in preservation, it will be appropriate to have her bodywork overhauled and repainted in time for her 50^th anniversary, so arrangements have been made to have the work carried out at the Minehead workshops of the West Somerset Railway.

The work involves a number of areas around the body where corrosion has taken hold from the inside and resulted in perforations of the body panels. The metalwork behind the corroded panels will need to be cut out and replaced, so this is not a quick job. The DEPG’s volunteer welders are tied up on other projects that would be unfairly affected by queue-jumping D7017, so the opportunity was taken to follow-up on an offer from the Minehead team and a repair and repainting contract has been agreed. The work is about to start and the loco will be back with us in a matter of months so that other maintenance work can continue at Williton.

We need help raising funds for the work that is about to be carried out. This is a short-term appeal so please give this your attention and help by making a donation via our website (click on the icons below) or by bank app or by sending a cheque to the DEPG at Williton. THANK YOU VERY MUCH !

       

 

Some photos of the work required:

   

   

D7017 – the Great British weather has taken its toll on the bodywork of our long-serving and much loved ‘Hymek’. A contract repair has been arranged, with the work being done by the WSR’s Minehead Engineering team to include welding work and a repaint. The above five photos were taken at Minehead on 31st October 2024 by Andy Palk © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7018 – the ‘transmission team’ continued their VERY careful and diligent work on the re-building of the Mekydro K184u transmission, with special attention being given to each of the six clutch actuator mechanisms to ensure they each have smooth movement and security. Anything going wrong in this area will result in damage to the dog clutches, of which we only have a few precious spares remaining. We need to give the team time and space to work on this to get it right, so we are limiting our coverage of this phase of the work. We have every confidence in the team and we know that they will deliver the goods.

The whole process has been helped along by close support from leading diesel-hydraulic preservationist Paul Koch, who happened to have a complete set of technical bulletins and manuals that have now been loaned to the team to allow us to follow the revised procedures that were developed in 1964, after the initial period of teething troubles had settled down. The revisions to settings and tolerances have now been applied to the rebuild, giving us a much better chance of getting a reliable outcome. Step by step, we are getting there. Many thanks to Paul and our own Transmission Team for their careful work !

D7018 – the clearance between the clutch operating arm and the ‘stress bolt’ that is an extension of the actuator piston is defined in three planes, x, y and z, the ‘z’ axis being measured in this view. Each clearance needs to be checked and adjusted by shimming. Pictured at Williton on Tuesday 21st October 2024 by Colin Foxhall © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

D7018 – Transmission Team member Geoff and team leader Colin F (L-R) study some of the many documents delivered by Paul and Kay Koch during their visit to Williton on Monday 21st October 2024. Photo by Kay Koch © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

 

Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9518 – the focus has shifted to the loco frames to make them ready to receive the refurbished cab assembly. We hope to be ready to lift the cab back onto the frames at the end of November or in early December. One task that was dealt with last weekend was the installation of the Standstill Detector, a small but essential item that prevents changes of direction from taking place until the loco has come to a complete stop. This device is very hard to access, so it has been re-installed before the cab goes back on, while it is still possible to get at it to wire it up.

Meanwhile, the work in the cab itself has set a new standard, a real labour of love that is instantly recognisable from the quality of the work and the excellent finish. Marvellous indeed !

D9518 – the driver’s desk in the restored cab is a clear display of the quality of the work that is taking place. It is going to be as good as the day it was built ! Pictured at Williton on Saturday 26th October 2024 by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

D9518 – the attention to detail and the quest for authenticity comes from the restoration team members themselves. Colin G was pictured sitting between two examples of his work in the restored cab at Williton on Saturday 26th October 2024. Photo by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

D9518 – this restored Standstill Detector was made by Westinghouse in 1964 and is still fully functional today. It has now been re-installed on the loco frames, underneath the cab. Pictured at Williton on Saturday 26th October 2024 by Terry Deacon © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

Quality work needs to be funded, so we will continue to appeal for funds to support the work, right up to the point where the loco is completed. Any surplus will then be used to ensure her proper care and upkeep. If you like what we are doing, please help us by making a a donation via our website (click here or on the icon below) or by bank app or by sending a cheque to the DEPG at Williton. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT !

 

Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9526 – no change – this loco was is now stabled outside on Number 1 road at Williton and is likely to remain there until the new year. When space becomes available in the loco shed, she will be going ‘indoors’ for some maintenance work, which will include attention to her engine and her bodywork, to make sure that she is in good shape for the 2025 running season.

 

Class 47 47077 ‘NORTH STAR’ – this loco is based at Grosmont on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway but has been out of service because of a coolant leak from the liner of cylinder B3. The repair work has now been completed by specialist contractor HERITAGE RAIL and the loco has had a test run and been passed as ready to resume her duties. It is rumoured that she might make an appearance on the NYMR diesel diagram this coming Sunday, 3rd November (it is just a rumour, so don’t travel without getting confirmation from the NYMR).

47077 (D1661, 47613, 47840) ‘NORTH STAR’ was out and about on a test run on the NYMR on Tuesday 22nd October 2024. Photo by Dave Tibbett © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

Andrew Barclay 0-4-0DH 578 – this loco will be in use on Saturday 2nd November for driver training activities that will take place in the South yard at Williton. The more drivers that are passed to drive her, the more useful she will be.

 

If you can help by donating your time to any of these projects, then please JOIN US and come along to the depot for an introduction to what we do and how we do it. We currently have people on site from Saturday through to Tuesday and we can open on other days if we can be sure of getting at least two volunteers on site at all times, so there is plenty of scope. We have tasks of all types to suit most capabilities, both skilled and unskilled.

Many thanks to all of our volunteers who give up so much of their time to work on the cleaning, painting, maintaining, restoring, managing and fund raising for our fleet of heritage locomotives !

 

 

BOOK REVIEW: the FOURTH volume in ‘THE BEATEN TRACK’ series by Andy Chard is now available and in stock at Williton. The standard set by Andy’s first volume was repeated admirably in the second and third volumes, and the success of the format continues with high levels of advance sales for this much-anticipated volume 4.

GET YOUR COPY FROM THE DEPG and help us maintain your favourite loco fleet while enjoying a very good read !

Click here or on the image below to go the DEPG online store where this book is available from stock for £34.95 per copy.

 

 

ON SHED: last week, we featured another photo from Mark Bladwell’s collection, with the infamous D1007 ‘WESTERN TALISMAN’ pictured at the head of a Paddington express … and we asked where and when ? … but received no correct replies ! Mark came to the rescue with full details of his photograph, revealed in the updated caption below. Many thanks to Mark for sharing his photo with us all.

Class 52 D1007 ‘WESTERN TALISMAN’ was pictured at the head of the 1A15 service to Paddington, due to depart from Swansea High Street station at 12:53 on Saturday 25th August 1973. Photo by Mark Bladwell © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

 

This week, we have a wonderful and rare image of North British Class 41 D601 ‘ARK ROYAL’ derailed at Menheniot (near Liskeard), Cornwall and receiving attention from the re-railing team and from uniformed ‘experts’, no doubt each providing helpful advice. The photo belongs to DEPG member David Hingston and features his father, and we are very grateful to him for sharing it with us all. Here is what David has to say about his photo:

    “A few weeks ago you were asking for photos of Class 22s and I knew I had one somewhere which might be of interest as it featured a derailment. I hunted high and low but couldn’t find it … until now! That’s what happens when you move house. Actually I haven’t found the original, but have discovered that I had already scanned it and saved it to my PC. So here it is.

    Turns out not to be a Class 22 at all, but D601 ‘ARK ROYAL’. The location is the west end of Menheniot Station in East Cornwall and I have labelled it 1963, although I am not sure how I know that, unless it is written on the back of the missing photo. Certainly it would have been around that time as it was withdrawn at the end of 1967.

    My father was the ganger of that length and he was called out on a weekend to attend – that’s him in front of the nearest buffer with his foot resting nonchalantly on the rail, probably in an attempt to convey that everything was under control (for the photographer?).

    It appears that the derailment occurred while crossing back from the down to the up line, maybe because of some weekend workings requiring “wrong line” running between there and Liskeard. The branch in the background went into the adjacent quarry and from the shine on the rails looks to be still in use at that time.”

Many thanks to Dave for sharing his photo with us all.

North British Class 41 D601 ‘ARK ROYAL’ was pictured while receiving urgent attention from the re-railing team at Menheniot, Cornwall some time in 1963. The loco was five years old at the time but only had four more years in service before being withdrawn with the other four of her classmates in December 1967. Photo from the David Hingston collection © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

DEPG NEWS:  work continues on the planning of the yard and depot in support of the lease renewal process that is moving along in the background. More news on this in the near future. The future of the Old Goods Shed is a major consideration and ideas for the re-purposing of this Grade II listed building are also ‘in the works’.

 

The DEPG is a charity and is run entirely by volunteers, many of whom give both their time and their money to the continuance of work on the locos in the DEPG fleet. If you have been enjoying the roundup for free, have you considered joining us for just £1 a month ? You can then add your name to all of those helping out on the above projects and play your part in the future of our locos for a lot less than the price of a cup of coffee!

 

JOIN US using whichever membership class is appropriate for your situation and means. CLICK HERE or on the image below or use the QR code to get the details.

     

 

If you would like to go one step further and come along to help with the work on the locos in our fleet, then please use our CONTACT FORM to let us know that you would like to volunteer and we will respond with more details.

We look forward to hearing from you !

 

Go to the previous Weekly Roundup post