Weekly Roundup – 25-Feb-24
Bishops Lydeard-based Class 09 Shunter D4107 (09019) has now been acquired by the DEPG and will continue to support the WSR under a combined hire and maintenance agreement. Pictured at Williton following completion of winter maintenance on 1st April 2023 by Jon Tooke © CC BY-NC 3.0
The big news this week is that Class 09 Shunter D4107 (09019) has been acquired by the DEPG !
Click here to read the Press Statement
Bishops Lydeard is the starting point for most journeys on the WSR and is a stabling point for the carriages and locomotives that work the line. It is also the arrival and departure point for most locomotives that visit the WSR, so there is a need for a shunting locomotive to be based there.
The ideal shunting locomotive for heritage railway use is the ex-BR Class 09, which is a derivative of the much more numerous Class 08, but with different gearing to provide a high maximum speed of 27.5 mph (at the expense of hauling ability, but it still has more than enough pulling power for the WSR’s needs). The higher maximum speed makes the loco much more versatile and it is very useful on a long line such as the WSR. The Class 09 is also dual-braked, meaning that it has air brake equipment in addition to vacuum brake equipment. This is important for mainline locos and carriages that may need to be shunted while at Bishops Lydeard.
D4107 was built at BR’s Horwich Works (Manchester) in 1961, entering service at Carlisle Upperby depot on 16th November of that year. The loco moved to the Southern Region from 1968 onwards, being based at Hither Green (Lewisham) along with our Class 33s. The loco acquired dual brakes at that time and continued in mainline service until 2009, entering preservation in 2013 upon arrival at Bishops Lydeard.
This locomotive will continue to be based at Bishops Lydeard under a long-term hire and maintenance arrangement that will ensure that this essential role is covered at all times. We look forward to having D4107 at Williton occasionally so that we can lavish her with the TLC that she deserves.
A WESTERN TRIBUTE:
On the 47th anniversary of the end of the diesel-hydraulic era on BR, GB Railfreight have unveiled their latest Class 69 creation in the classic colours that the majority of the Class 52s carried in the early to mid 1960s. The authentic livery, carefully applied by Arlington Fleet Services at Eastleigh Works, includes cast aluminium name and numberplates, the name chosen being ‘WESTERN CONSORT‘, previously carried by D1065 until her demise in November of 1976. Altogether a fitting tribute to the ‘Westerns’ and no doubt something to do with former DEPG Chairman BOB TILLER ….
New build (based on the chassis of 56060) GBRf Class 69 69009 ‘WESTERN CONSORT’ was unveiled at Eastleigh Works on 26th February 2024 after being painted in the famous 1960s livery of the ‘Westerns’ by Arlington Fleet Services. Photo by GB Railfreight.
IMPORTANT DATES:
The WSR is scheduled to re-open on Saturday 23rd March and the first diesel-hauled service will run on Sunday 7th April. The first major event of the year will be the SPRING STEAM SPECTACULAR which will take place throughout the Bank Holiday weekend, 3rd through 6th May, during which our loco shed will be open to the public, with Rod’s Model Railway sales stand alongside our own DEPG sales stand. Click here or on the image below for more information via the WSR’s website.
WSR DIESEL GALA 2024 – Thursday 6th through Saturday 8th JUNE
The WSR’s Diesel Gala will take place from Thursday 6th through to Saturday 8th June with mixed traction running on Sunday 9th, hopefully with at least one of the visiting locomotives at work.
The first visiting locomotive to be announced was English Electric Class 50 50033 (D433) ‘Glorious’, no doubt to the delight of the many followers of the class, and the second visitor has now been announced as BR-Derby Class 46 ‘Peak’ D182 (46 045), courtesy of the Peak Locomotive Company and a fine example of another well-loved ‘Type 4’ class. A further announcement will be made as soon as arrangements have been finalised. PLEASE MAKE A NOTE OF THESE DATES and do your best to attend. It is going to be a great event !
BR-Derby Class 46 ‘Peak’ D182 (46045) will be attending the WSR’s 2024 DIESEL GALA that takes place between Thursday 6th and Saturday 8th June 2024, courtesy of the Peak Locomotive Company. Photo by Lee Robbins © CC BY-NC 3.0
Our popular ‘DIESEL RUNNING DATES‘ page has been updated to cover the WSR public services that are planned for diesel haulage this year, so CLICK HERE or on the image below to visit the page and see the range of dates available. We will be providing the loco allocations soon and will keep this page up to date as we get clarification on the details.
LOCO NEWS:
Class 52 D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’ – the date of 26th February 1977 is etched into the memories of many followers of the famous Western Region diesel-hydraulics, because that was the occasion of the very last mainline diesel-hydraulic loco working, the ‘WESTERN TRIBUTE‘ railtour – click here to go to the Weekly Roundup from 6th March 2022 for more details about this special working.
This special occasion has been covered in previous editions of Roundup, so our feature this week is a focus on one specific aspect of that railtour, something that still exists today and is now in the possession of the Western Locomotive Association – namely the headboard !
Preserved Class 52 D1013 ‘WESTERN RANGER’ has now been re-united with the last headboard that she carried in mainline service following the acquisition of this original artefact by several members of the WLA. Pictured at Kidderminster on 31st March 2023 by the WLA © CC BY-NC 3.0
Below is a photo of the leaflet that was handed out to every passenger on that special train, offering a raffle ticket for the princely sum of 10p – the winner being the friend of our Chairman Martin Howard who was also on the train that day. Martin recalls having had the dubious honour of helping to carry this massive headboard from Paddington to his friend’s home late at night via the Tube. Not shifty at all !
By means of follow-up, Martin sent a letter to BR to congratulate them for the craftsmanship that had gone into the headboard, and after the customary wait (nothing has changed there), the follow response was received:
So, 47 years later, we offer our congratulations and thanks to Messrs Woods, Coulson, Hughes and Greaney for their success in creating an instantly recognisable headboard that has stood the test of time. A fitting tribute that still looks the part today. Well done indeed !
On D1010 at Williton, the transmission team are waiting for the delivery of some new parts for the oil pump, which will then allow them to complete their overhaul of the ‘A’ transmission. This delay has allowed the team to divert some of their attention to ‘Hymek’ D7018, but they will be back on D1010 when the parts arrive, some time in the next week or two.
Tony has been making good progress on the restoration of the first of the two cooler groups, having now identified the corroded areas and made the decisions as to the best way to repair them. Once the welding has been completed, the cooler group will be pressure tested so that any remaining leaks can be identified and dealt with before the radiator elements are re-installed. Once tested and passed, the whole assembly will go into storage to await re-installation into the loco at a later date.
While Viv continued his work on the bogies, Gordon, Ian F and Roy concentrated their efforts on the many component parts that have been removed from the loco to facilitate the repair of the main sub-assemblies. There is no doubt that the floor space occupied by the component parts is many times greater than the footprint of the loco, and this creates headaches in terms of storage. Some of these parts are very bulky and heavy, so stacking is not an easy option. The best thing for these parts will to get them back on the loco ASAP !
We still have plenty of work ahead of us on other aspects, in particular the bogies, and we will need MORE HANDS to help us get the work done. If you want to see this locomotive back on the rails soon, then PLEASE COME ALONG AND HELP US WITH THE WORK ! There is plenty to do, so simply reply to this email or use the CONTACT FORM on our website if you can lend a hand.
D1010 – wearing a winter bonnet at each end, our example of the famous ‘Western’ Class of locomotives is outdoors enduring the very wet and windy weather that has been a characteristic of this month. Pictured at Williton on 24th February 2024 by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0
D1010 – one of the two cooler groups is currently undergoing repairs involving cutting out and replacing the corroded sections with new metal. Pictured at Williton on 24th February 2024 by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0
D1010 – two pallet loads of parts have been cleaned and painted in primer, ready to move into storage pending further work nearer the time that they are required for re-fitting to the loco. The additional space taken up by a disassembled loco is considerable and is a major challenge. Pictured at Williton on 24th February 2024 by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0
Sponsorships for patches on D1010 continue to come in, for which we are VERY grateful indeed. We have many more patches waiting for sponsors, so please support the CAMPAIGN for CAMPAIGNER and click here or on the image further below to get your name engraved into the metal of the locomotive. We will be having another engraving session as soon as the weather allows.
The certificates are now being emailed to the sponsors and we have hundreds to be sent out, so we are very busy with this work. Here’s an example of what we are sending out (we have changed the photo below compared to the last few weeks, just to show that we do actually have more than one sponsor!):
The marking process involves the use of an ink pen to allocate a patch number and define the patch boundaries, then the sponsor’s name or chosen message is written using the ink pen. The vibratory engraving tool is then used to trace the marking while making a deep impression into the steel of the patch. The patch is then painted over using multiple coats, but the engraving remains in the metal and will withstand many rubdowns and repaints, in fact it is very difficult to remove (which is how we learned to write the text using the ink pen first!). The engraving will last as long as the metal. Here’s a close-up:
Sponsorship includes a photograph and a certificate via email, but we can print the certificates on photo paper and mail them out upon request, in which case we will be asking for an additional £2.50 donation per certificate to cover photo paper, ink and postage (donate via our website or via Membermojo).
The drawings that have been developed in parallel will provide a formal record of the position of each sponsored patch and this will allow sponsors to look up the location of their patch when they visit the depot at Williton. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT – and your PATIENCE !
Click the image below to sponsor a patch:
Details of the work remaining to be done on this restoration project along with a status report of the funding have been included in the new issue of the DEPG Newsletter, which has now been distributed to DEPG members. A summary will be posted via roundup soon, but JOIN THE DEPG to get the information in more detail and more quickly.
See our CAMPAIGN for CAMPAIGNER web page for more details. We still have a lot of work to do on this massive locomotive, so PLEASE DO COME ALONG AND HELP IF YOU CAN !
Class 33 D6566 (33 048) – this loco is currently based at Williton and is available for duty as required. Her next planned working is on Sunday 3rd March on an engineering train.
Class 33 D6575 (33 057) – with all of the reassembly work completed, the loco was started up and carefully checked for leaks from her exhaust system. Unfortunately, an expansion bellows was found to have cracked and will have to be replaced before the loco can return to service. The replacement part was not available from our stock, so a new part has been ordered along with some spares, on a 4-week lead time. Although less than ideal, this will allow other work to be completed and the loco readied for a return to service at the end of March, just in time to take up her role as the Duty Locomotive in support of the re-starting of WSR public services.
D6575 (33 057) – the exhaust system was re-connected to allow an engine start-up, which then revealed a fault in one of the expansion bellows, three of which are visible in the above photo. Pictured at Williton on Saturday 24th February 2024 by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0
D6575 (33 057) – meanwhile, Tony has been busy identifying the areas on the bodyside skin where corrosion has broken through from the inside. These areas will be plated, filled, sanded and painted. Pictured at Williton on Saturday 24th February 2024 by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0
D6575 (33 057) – two further areas on the bodyside skin where corrosion has broken through from the inside, the result of continual exposure to the weather, year on year. Pictured at Williton on Saturday 24th February 2024 by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 – as reported last week, this loco is ready to return to service subject to some test runs that will be used to accumulate hours and ensure reliability. This loco will undergo an oil change when warmer weather returns and will be ready for test running as soon as the WSR re-opens.
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7018 – work has progressed well with the preparations for the removal of the transmission, which will be lifted out of the locomotive some time next week using a hired-in crane. The transmission will then be cleaned externally before moving to our transmission overhaul area where disassembly will commence. The completion of D1010’s ‘A’ transmission times in well with the work needed on D7018.
D7018 – this view through the radiator grille shows Graham at work on the transmission end of the Dynastarter drive shaft. Pictured at Williton on Saturday 24th February 2024 by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0
D7018 – Paul T evidently drew the short straw as he had the job of releasing the bolts from the output flanges of the transmission, under the loco and in the space between the fuel tanks. Not the easiest place to work, that’s for sure. Pictured at Williton on Saturday 24th February 2024 by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0
D7018 – this view through the tunnel formed by the cooler group is dominated by the Dynastarter, the drive shaft for which was being released by Tim when pictured at Williton on Tuesday 20th February 2024. Photo by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0
D7018 – Colin F was on board the loco on Tuesday 20th February 2024, releasing the bolts from the auxillary drive shaft that powers the Serck pump (hydrostatic pump for the radiator fan drive). Photo by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0
Although we hope to be able to use spare parts that we have available, we will still need to replace seals, bearings, gaskets as necessary and we also need to drain the oil and have new oil available. All of these things cost money. PLEASE HELP by making a donation of £10 or by buying our 64-page A4 HYMEK D7018 BOOKLET (£10) which covers the history of this locomotive from build through to her return to service in 2019 following her major overhaul. THANK YOU VERY MUCH !
Click here or on the image above to order your copy of our ‘HYMEK D7018’ booklet, available for £10.
Click here or on the donation image above to go to the donations page on our website. If you feel able to donate more than £10, simply increase the quantity when on the donations page. Thank you in advance for your support !
Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9518 – work continued on the cab assembly with a view to getting the frames and skins primed and painted and ready to start having component parts re-attached. When the cardan shaft issue has been resolved, the assembled cab will then be lifted into place on the loco, minimising the work to be done at footplate level. Here are some photos of the work done at Williton last Saturday:
D9518 – a patchwork of colours, but gradually the complete surface will take on the colour of the primer, then the many colour coats. Pictured at Williton on Saturday 24th February 2024 by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0
D9518 – another long section of electrical trunking has undergone restoration in the hands of Andy P and is now ready for the orange paint that is indicative of electrical items. Pictured at Williton on Saturday 24th February 2024 by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0
Details of the work remaining to be done on this restoration project along with a status report of the funding have been included in the new issue of the DEPG Newsletter, which has now been distributed to DEPG members. A summary will be posted via roundup soon, but JOIN THE DEPG to get the information in more detail and more quickly.
This loco is the subject of a fundraising appeal so please follow this link to find out more. We need your help ! In addition to funds, we also need plenty of HANDS. If you love the ‘Teddy Bears’ and you are not already a member of the DEPG, please join us so that you can become one of the team that is going to return D9518 to fully operational condition as ‘NCB No. 7‘.
Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9526 – this loco is on standby at Bishops Lydeard for use on engineering trains.
Class 47 47077 ‘NORTH STAR’ – after receiving a top-end overhaul at Grosmont Works, this loco has now resumed duties on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. We look forward to seeing her out and about on passenger services in the very near future.
Andrew Barclay 0-4-0DH 578 – this loco is stabled in the yard at Williton, sporting her cabside lettering and looking the part with a gleaming cab, in readiness for the busy year ahead.
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 – this week, we feature one NEW book and two more pre-owned books from a collection that has been very kindly donated to the DEPG. First the NEW HARDBACK BOOK BY ROGER GEACH entitled ‘HYDRAULIC MEMORIES’ and covering that rich period during the history of BR’s Western Region where seven classes of diesel-hydraulic mainline locomotives could be seen at work, covering all four power type classifications. By careful use of the image repository at TRANSPORT TREASURY, Roger has complied this book such as to create a virtual journey from Paddington to Penzance, a journey where many of the hydraulic classes could be seen at work in the wonderful backdrop of the West of England countryside. DEFINITELY A MUST HAVE and very good value at £17.50. In stock now and available from our online store by clicking HERE or by clicking on the image below. By agreement with Roger, all proceeds go to the D1010 Restoration Fund.
In the pre-owned category, we have posted several new titles and they are selling as fast as we are posting them, so PLEASE SEND US YOUR SURPLUS BOOKS so that we can replenish our stocks and keep the funds flowing in. Click HERE for our contact form.
The Modernisation Plan – British Railways’ Blueprint for the Future is another good book by David N Clough, nowhere near as controversial as the title that we featured last week, so it will have a wider potential audience.
LSWR West Country Lines – Then and Now by Mac Hawkins is a very well produced book, packed with information and comparing the railway scene of the 1990s with scenes from bygone days. This is a very interesting read and is a bargain at £10.
All monies gathered from the sale of pre-owned books go directly to DEPG funds for the upkeep of our locomotive fleet, so we would like to say thank you very much to all who have donated and all who have purchased from our online store. Check our online store regularly and change the ‘default sorting’ to ‘sort by latest’ to keep an eye on new postings.
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Book: The Modernisation Plan Author : David N Clough |
Book: LSWR West Country Lines Author: Mac Hawkins |
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Asking price : £20 |
Asking price : £10 |
ON SHED – in this continuing series of photographs from ROB CRISPIN, here’s some completely different – but still a product of the English Electric Company and still in existence today, almost 60 years since it first took to the rails (all three of them).
“I took this photo of 73101 Brighton Evening Argus at Clapham Junction station, 1st December, 1984. What isn’t clear from the photo was it was running using its 600hp diesel engine. Of more interest to me, and probably no one else, was that it was actually moving quite fast! In those pre-digital days, I am not sure what I was thinking even trying to take that photo, especially as I am capable of taking blurred photos of stationary trains! “
Many thanks to Rob for sharing his photos and his memories with us all.
English Electric Class 73 ‘Electro-Diesel’ 73101 (E6007) ‘Brighton Evening Argus’ rushes through Clapham Junction Station on 1st December 1984. Photo by Rob Crispin © CC BY-NC 3.0
DEPG NEWS – the next Board Meeting will take place on Saturday 9th March, so please let us know by using our CONTACT FORM if you have a question that you would like to place before the Board. The synopsis of the January meeting is in the works and will be emailed during the next few days to all DEPG members for whom we hold a valid email address.
The DEPG is entirely run by volunteers and we need to expand our volunteer numbers if we are going to be able to continue making progress on so many fronts simultaneously. If you have some time and feel able to help, please let us know by responding to this email or by clicking this link to use our online CONTACT form. We look forward to hearing from you !
The DEPG depends on the support of all of our members, so please JOIN US and if you are already a member, please make sure that your membership is up to date. If you want to join or are not sure about your membership status, please click here or on the image below to open MEMBERMOJO. It is very quick and easy, and does not require you to remember yet another password. Thank you very much !
