Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6575 (33057) was shunted to number 2 road at Williton on Saturday 11th May 2024 to allow sufficient space on number 1 road for Barclay 578 (ROF1) to collect BR ‘Standard 4 Tank’ 80064 from the display area and return it to the ‘Swindon Shed‘. Photo by Natalie Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0
The return to ‘normal’ following the WSR’s ‘Spring Steam Spectacular’ event was completed on Saturday 11th May by a yard shunt undertaken by Colin G and Terry using Williton Yard Pilot Barclay 0-4-0DH 578 (ROF1) to return BR ‘Standard 4 Tank’ 80064 to the WS Restorations ‘Swindon Shed’ so that it could be prepared for its forthcoming overhaul.
It’s not very often that a steam loco gets to be pictured in the DEPG yard, but in this case the loco was more than welcome as it had provided an attraction that encouraged visitors to stop at Williton and look and learn about the DEPG while passing through.
For the forthcoming WSR ‘SUMMER DIESEL FESTIVAL’, we will also be placing interesting exhibits in our yard, including major components that have been removed from Class 52 D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’ during her overhaul. We will also have locos of several different classes on shed for cab visits, so be sure to allow time to visit our depot and take a close look at the displays. NEW FOR 2024, our lineside viewing area will be set out with chairs and tables where visitors can relax and enjoy drinks and snacks from the mobile catering van ‘Irie 7’. We look forward to seeing you at Williton !
DIESEL LOCO RUNNING ON THE WSR:
The next scheduled diesel running will take place on Sunday 19th May when Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6566 (33048) will be back in action with the 1230 from Bishops Lydeard to Minehead and the return service under the RED timetable.
The following weekend will feature two days of diesel haulage using Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6575 (33057) with 80 miles each day, under the BLUE timetable.
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 has been rostered for two weekends in June, the 15/16th and the 29/30th being under the BLUE timetable with 80-mile diagrams both days, originating from Minehead. Keep an eye on our DIESEL RUNNING DATES page for details of diesel-hauled public services and sign up to our DIESELGEN email bulletin service to get advance notice of non-public service running.
D1015 ‘WESTERN CHAMPION’
It is great to see D1015 out and about on the main line again. Her latest outing was to Swanage to participate in their Diesel Gala, where she proved her worth and helped to draw in the crowds. CONGRATULATIONS to the DTG for bringing her back into mainline operating condition !
Mainline registered Class 52 D1015 ‘WESTERN CHAMPION’ was pictured when on the approach to Corfe Castle Station while participating in the Swanage Railway’s Diesel Gala on Sunday 12th May 2024. Photo by Gary Lemon © CC BY-NC 3.0
MESSAGE FROM MARK BLADWELL, DEPG Publicity Officer
The Diesel & Electric Preservation Group are collecting Coins and Banknotes from anywhere in the world, modern and any vintage, as part of their fund raising activities.
We can use any of the following:
– The old (large) 50p, 10p and 5p, together with ½ p
– Old £1 coins together with any old £1, £5 and £10 notes
– Euros & Cents; US, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand Dollars / cents coins and notes
– Pre-decimal coins (pre 1971)
– Isle of Man, Guernsey and Jersey coins and notes.
– In fact, any coins and notes from around the world.
A collection jar is at Williton Depot but we will be happy to receive items in the post. Contact Mark at publicity@depg.org or write to Mark at The Old Goods Shed, Williton Station, Somerset, TA4 4RQ
Please bring your ‘sock drawer treasure’ along to the ‘SUMMER DIESEL FESTIVAL‘ and donate it in support of the DEPG. Thanks !
VERY IMPORTANT DATES:
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. Our Williton depot will be open to the public from Thursday through Sunday, with a number of unusual and interesting exhibits on display. We are also offering a viewing area with a mobile catering van, so make a plan to spend an hour or two at Williton !
The visiting locomotives are:
- English Electric Class 50 50033 (D433) ‘Glorious’
- BR-Derby Class 46 ‘Peak’ D182 (46 045)
- English Electric Class 20 ‘Chopper’ 20189 (D8189)
- English Electric Class 20 ‘Chopper’ 20142 (D8142) ‘Sir John Betjeman’
- BR-Derby Class 24 D5054 (24054) ‘Phil Southern’
MAKE A NOTE OF THESE DATES and do your best to attend. It is definitely going to be a great event !
An additional bonus on Saturday 8th June will be a presentation by former BR Fleet Manager GEOFF HUDSON entitled ‘FIFTY YEARS WITH FIFTIES‘, taking place inside Williton Diesel Depot with 50033 (D433) ‘Glorious’ stabled outside the shed as a backdrop. Click here or on the image below for more information about this special event.
DEPG SUMMER RAFFLE 2024
Last summer’s DEPG Raffle was reasonably successful and resulted in donations to our two main restoration projects D1010 and D9518 totalling around £1000, but this year we want to DO MUCH BETTER and we have opted for cash prizes that will be of interest to all.
As you will see from the ticket image above, the draw will be made on the Saturday 8th June at Williton Diesel Depot at 16:00 on the DEPG sales stand inside the main shed. Click here or on the ticket image to buy your tickets online, or use our CONTACT FORM to request paper tickets by post. THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR SUPPORT !
LOCO NEWS:
Class 52 D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’ – work continued on the disconnection of the two Bristol Siddeley Maybach MD655 engines to prepare them for lifting out of the loco, to reduce the body weight. The lower the body weight, the lower the stresses that will be placed on the structure while the lift is being undertaken. By the end of Saturday, the air intake ducting had been removed along with various other pipework and connections, so there is not much left to do in this area now.
In addition to the engine work, one of the set of eight lifting brackets that have kindly been loaned by the WLA has been trial fitted to D1010 by volunteers James and Thomas. The trial involved cleaning out the two 5/8″ BSW threaded holes that are needed to hold the lifting bracket in position when not under load, and removing the dirt and debris from the area to make sure that the bracket was properly engaged. The remaining seven locations around the loco will be dealt with by the ‘Tuesday Team’ and will be reported upon in the next roundup.
As previously reported, our objective is to lift the loco body and roll out the bogies for overhaul, then lower the body onto stands. When completed, this will result in a sight NOT SEEN SINCE BR SWINDON IN THE SEVENTIES. We will try and get this work done before the diesel gala, but such things cannot be rushed and we will not take any shortcuts, so we can’t commit to this at the moment. Safety first, not just for the sake of people but also for the sake of our irreplaceable locomotive !
D1010 – volunteers James (L) and Thomas (R) seemed both happy and relieved to find that the lifting bracket fitted exactly as intended (after a bit of preparation work!). Pictured at Williton on Saturday 11th May 2024. Photo by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0
D1010 – a closer view of the lifting bracket, showing the through hole for the lifting shackle and the integral base plate under which is a concave recess that is designed to mate with the domed head of a re-railing jack. Many thanks to the WLA and DTG for the loan of these essential pieces of specialised hardware. Pictured at Williton on Saturday 11th May 2024. Photo by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0
As stated previously, 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 THIS WORK ! There is a wide range of tasks that need to be done, so simply reply to this email or use the CONTACT FORM on our website if you can lend a hand.
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 this coming weekend.
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 during the WSR SUMMER DIESEL FESTIVAL. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT – and your PATIENCE !
Click the image below to sponsor a patch:
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 09 D4107 (09019) – this loco is stabled at Bishops Lydeard and is in regular use as the station pilot.
Class 33 D6566 (33 048) – this loco will be in use on Sunday 19th May on the 12:30 Bishops Lydeard to Minehead and return service, after which the loco will head for Williton with the Empty Coaching Stock (ECS) and will then hand over to sister D6575 (33 057) who will then take the ECS forward to Minehead in preparation for the start of the BLUE timetable on Tuesday 21st May.
D6566 (33048) – this loco was in use on public services on Sunday 12th May and will be in use again on Sunday 19th May. Pictured at Minehead on 12th May 2024 by Darren Hill © CC BY-NC 3.0
Class 33 D6575 (33 057) – currently stabled at Williton, this loco will take over the role of Duty Loco when sister D6566 (33048) hands over the baton at Williton at approx 17:00 on Sunday afternoon, 19th May. This loco will operate the weekend services from Minehead on the 25th and 26th May. See our DIESEL RUNNING DATES page for details.
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 – this loco is ready to return to service apart from a very short list of minor issues that will be addressed at Williton over the next few weeks. We have rostered this loco for two weekends of public services in June, the first being 15/16th June and the second being 29/30th June, under the BLUE timetable. Additional dates will be allocated ASAP. Keep an eye on our DIESEL RUNNING DATES page or sign up to our DIESELGEN email bulletin service to get the news as soon as it is released.
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7018 – the ‘transmission team’ have re-assembled the gear trains and completed the checks to ensure that everything at this level of the assembly is OK and fit for further service. The required spare parts have been taken from the transmission that was previously in use in D7018 until 1995. One bearing is beyond further use and will have to replaced, and quotations are being sought for this rather large and expensive part, but the good news is that this is a standard off-the-shelf part. Work continues !
D7018 – the No. 5 clutch has been rebuilt by using parts taken from D7018’s previous transmission. Volunteer Tim was pictured while checking the operation of the clutch actuator fork at Williton on Tuesday 7th May 2024. Photo by Colin Foxhall © CC BY-NC 3.0
D7018 – the complete geartrain was trial assembled and checked over before proceeding to the next stage. Pictured at Williton on Tuesday 7th May 2024 by Colin Foxhall © CC BY-NC 3.0
D7018 – the only bearing that is so far showing evidence of damage is the large diameter roller type at the input end of the primary shaft. The photo shows the significant amount of damage that is evident on one of the rollers. Pictured at Williton on Tuesday 9th April 2024 by Colin Foxhall © 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 – the re-wiring and re-equipping of the driver’s desk continues, with more parts and more wiring being added every week. The quality of the restoration work is evident in these photos, with almost all of the parts being refurbished from the original 1960s components. Quite a task indeed !
D9518 – the raised centre section of the driver’s desk includes a row of three warning lights with a shroud arrangement that can be flipped over, according to the side that the driver is working from. Simple and effective ! Pictured at Williton on Saturday 11th May 2024 by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0
D9518 – more wiring and more components get added to the desk each week. Pictured at Williton on Saturday 11th May 2024 by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0
D9518 – the grey ‘Formica‘ covering has been bonded to the opposite side of the driver’s desk and is covered up to keep it in pristine condition while work proceeds around it. Pictured at Williton on Saturday 11th May 2024 by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0
D9518 – the cab bulkhead is trimmed with grey-painted pegboard and adorned with orange electrical conduits, a caged lightbulb holder and a red fire bell, all of which are original parts that have been restored to a very high standard by Colin G and the team. Pictured at Williton on Saturday 11th May 2024 by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0
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 now stabled at Williton and is ready for action. Keep an eye on our DIESELGEN postings for details of any workings involving this locomotive.
Class 47 47077 ‘NORTH STAR’ – this loco has worked several services between Pickering and Grosmont on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway recently and we continue to received plenty of feedback on our social media channels, proving that this loco is actually the most popular member of our entire fleet ! We would welcome some more photographs though !
Andrew Barclay 0-4-0DH 578 – this useful little loco continues to be busy almost every Saturday, handling the various shunt moves in the yard.
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 – both of our recently-added books are selling very well and making useful contributions to our loco funds, so if you haven’t already got your copy, then click on the images below to go to our online store to get yours now !
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Price : £19.95 |
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The new book by BERNARD MILLS is a very nice piece of work and is available at £19.95 per copy. We have now replenished our stock so that we can continue to meet the demand. This book provides ESSENTIAL READING for anyone interested in diesel-hydraulics and diesel-electrics of the South-Western varieties.
We also recommend the new book by ROGER GEACH entitled ‘HYDRAULIC MEMORIES’ and we have a BOOK REVIEW from regular contributor Neale Long on this title, and have posted it to our website; click on this link to find out what Neale thinks of this new book.
In the pre-owned category, we have posted several new titles and they are selling as fast as we are posting them, so PLEASE DONATE YOUR SURPLUS BOOKS so that we can replenish our stocks and keep the funds flowing in. Click HERE for our contact form.
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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ON SHED – last week, we featured a photo by Gary Lemon of Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7026 from 50 years ago, and Gary has kindly provided us with more information about his photo. Many thanks to Gary for providing us with this photo and for the related information.
“I’ve just browsed the latest weekly roundup, for which many thanks, and noticed my shot of 7026 taken at Ealing Broadway back on Thursday 2nd May 1974. My school was closed that day for local elections, so off I went to Maidenhead/Burnham for a linesiding session. I recall seeing 1059 ‘WESTERN EMPIRE’ on the 08.00 Paignton to Paddington and 1034 ‘WESTERN DRAGOON’ on the 11.30 Paddington to Penzance that day too.”
This week, we return to the 1980s photo album of ROB CRISPIN to remind ourselves of the days when blue locos were in abundance. The location of the below photo is Bescot, between Walsall and Wednesbury in the West Midlands, which in my experience always held plenty of loco interest, but often they were too far away from the platform to be able to identify them positively. Here’s the story that accompanies the two photographs:
“Growing up in Gloucester in the early 1980s, there were several depots and stabling points in close proximity, like Bristol Bath Road, Cardiff Canton and Severn Tunnel Junction. However, by far my favourite ‘local’ place to visit was Bescot because it offered much more variety and interest, in my opinion. I remember taking the photo of 40085 as the driver clearly thought I was too close to the edge of the platform! It was running light towards me at what turned out to be a fair speed and the horn sounded very close! I also remember a noticeable lean of the 40 into the bend when focusing! The locos in the background include 25188 which arrived, also light engine, minutes earlier, and a row of three class 85s, the front one of which was 85027. Second photo is a more close up view of 25188. Photos taken on 14th April, 1982.”
Many thanks to Rob for sharing his photos with us all.
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Above – Class 40 ‘Whistler’ 40085 was pictured approaching Bescot station (now Bescot Stadium station) at speed on 14th April 1982. This loco started life as D285 on 16th July 1960 and worked for almost 24 years before being withdrawn on 30th March 1984. Photo by Rob Crispin © CC BY-NC 3.0 |
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Above – Class 25 ‘Rat’ 25188 (D7538) arrived at Bescot Yard on 14th April 1982 and took up a stabling position in front of the Class 40 on the adjacent line. Typical ! This Type 2 Derby Sulzer had only another four months of service remaining, being withdrawn in August of that same year. Photo by Rob Crispin © CC BY-NC 3.0 |
DEPG NEWS – thank you very much to all of the new members and new volunteers who have come forward to support the DEPG during the last few months. We are very grateful of the additional help !
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 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 !
