Two ‘Type 3’ locos from the early 1960s, side-by-side at Minehead on the morning of Saturday 13th July 2024, showing their distinctly different design styles. On the left, Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Co (BRCW) Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6575 (33 057) and on the right, Beyer Peacock (Hymek) Ltd’s Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017. Photo by Mark Bladwell © CC BY-NC 3.0
Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6575 (33 057) was the 76th member of the fleet of 98 locomotives and entered service on 4th November 1961. Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 was the 18th member of the fleet of 101 locomotives and entered service on 8th January 1962. Photos from the DEPG archive © CC BY-NC 3.0
The diesel-hauled services on the weekend of 13th/14th July were shared between two distinctly different locomotives that are almost the same age and were built by private firms (not BR workshops) to do similar work on two distinctly different regions of BR. The diesel-electric Class 33 ‘Crompton’ was built by the Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Company Limited (BRCW) at Smethwick, Birmingham for use on the Southern Region (SR), and the diesel-hydraulic Class 35 ‘Hymek’ was built in Gorton, Manchester by a consortium that was led by the famous Beyer Peacock company with partners Bristol Siddeley and J. Stone, for use on the Western Region (WR).
Both locomotives were built for similar mixed-traffic duties, but with differing specifications. The ‘Cromptons’ (so called because their electrical equipment was supplied by Crompton Parkinson) were designed with Electric Train Heating (ETH) and dual brakes (air and vacuum) to be compatible with the rolling stock on the mostly-electrified network in the South and South-East of the UK. The name ‘Hymek’ is an abbreviation of Hydro-Mechanical, which described the type of transmission, the trade name for which was ‘Mekydro’, hence the use of the Germanic spelling. The ‘Hymeks’ were fitted with steam generators (‘boilers’) because they took over from steam locos hauling steam-heated rolling stock. They were not fitted with train air braking because the vacuum brake was the requirement on the WR at the time, a decision which went against the ‘Hymeks’ in the mid-1960s when air braking was introduced on the new Mark 2 coaching stock and on all new freight vehicles.
Although many locomotives of other classes were converted to dual braking and ETH as they received their major overhauls, these upgrades were not applied to the ‘Hymeks’ because the diesel-hydraulics had been labelled as ‘non-standard’ by BR in 1965 and were to be eradicated by the early 1970s. Our locos, D7017 and D7018, were among the last four of the Class to operate on BR, back in March 1975. The ‘Hymeks’ are rare and powerful beasts, with only four surviving in preservation (click here for details).
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 called at Stogumber on Saturday 13th July 2024 while working the 10:00 service from Minehead to Bishops Lydeard, being the first leg of her 80-mile diagram that day. Photo by Mark Ireland © CC BY-NC 3.0
The ‘Cromptons’ on the other hand, benefited from their forward-looking specification that was to become the BR standard, and the Class was still in use in significant numbers more than 40 years after their introduction, with our D6566 (33048) being retired in 1997 (and almost immediately started her new career on the WSR), whereas D6575 (33 057) continued on the mainline until suffering a bogie fire in 2005, entering service on the WSR in 2012 after receiving extensive repairs. Very useful locos indeed !
Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6575 (33 057) worked the 10:00 Minehead to Bishops Lydeard 80-mile diagram on Sunday 14th July 2024, and was pictured while departing from Washford Station. The volunteer Permanent Way gang have evidently been working wonders in the Station Yard. Photo by Malcolm Anderson © CC BY-NC 3.0
Here’s a message from Mark Bladwell regarding Coins and Notes:
“I would like to thank all who have donated banknotes and coins to the Group. Where a name and address have been provided I have thanked you personally. The proceeds are still providing a very useful income to the Group’s funds which are being used for General Funds. However we still need more !
We require:
– The old (large) 50p, 10p and 5p, together with ½ p’s
– 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.
Please contact me at the depot address or by email to publicity@depg.org “
Many thanks to Mark for organising this fund-raising activity and for handling the work that arises from it. The resulting donations have been very useful for DEPG funds, so thank you ALL !
DIESEL RUNNING DATES
We are entering a quiet period for diesel haulage because there are two events organised for this weekend and next, each featuring steam, with our locos on standby and only likely to be used in the event of an issue arising with one of the rostered steam locos.
Then, on Tuesday 30th July, the peak summer YELLOW timetable commences and runs for five weeks, and will see the welcome return of the WSR’s Class 115 DIESEL MULTIPLE UNIT (DMU), which will be covering the 11:00 departure from Bishops Lydeard and the 15:25 return from Minehead.
Our locos will next be in use on the weekend of 3rd/4th August when a Class 33 will be working the 10:00 departures and subsequent 80-mile diagrams from Minehead on both days, and also in support of the WSRA’s STEAM RALLY that will take place at Norton Fitzwarren, with BRAKE VAN RIDES being hauled by Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9526. There will also be a shuttle service in operation between Bishops Lydeard and Norton Fitzwarren plaform for the use of showgoers, and this will be either the DMU or a rake of coaches with a diesel ‘top and tail’.
We have set another date for Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 to haul the BLUE timetable diesel turn on the Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th of the August Bank Holiday weekend, with 80 miles of haulage available each day. We are currently looking into the options for September’s running and will be sending out a DIESELGEN bulletin ASAP.
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.
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 PHOTO CHARTER:
Sadly, the PHOTO CHARTER that had been organised by DON BISHOP for 22nd July using Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 has not generated a sufficient number of bookings to cover its costs, so it has had to be CANCELLED. This is very disappointing for Don and the DEPG and for all of the supporters who had made a booking, but charters such as this are very expensive and must at least break even. We hope that Don will not be too discouraged and will try again at some point in the near future.
FORTHCOMING EVENTS on the WSR (click on the links below for more details):
Tuesday 16th through Sunday 21st July – 150th anniversary of the WSR extension to Minehead
Saturday and Sunday 27th and 28th July – Grange, Manor and Hall weekend
Saturday and Sunday 3rd and 4th August – the WSRA Steam Rally at Norton Fitzwarren.
Above: The WSRA’s 2024 STEAM RALLY site plan
Saturday and Sunday 14th and 15th September – The Forties event
Click here to go tour 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 an intense period of planning and checking, checking and planning, the lifting and lowering of the loco body went well, the four load columns of the loco body lining up with the four loading pads of the ex-BR Swindon stands to within a few millimetres. As the 40+ ton weight of the loco body came onto the stands, they settled on their levelled beds of aggregate, this time the change being measurable in centimetres in some cases, but still well within expectations. The heights of each loading pad will be checked periodically and if the action limits are breached, action will be taken to jack and pack the relevant corner.
When lifting the loco body from the bogies, the air tank at ‘A’ end snagged with the bogie and delayed the lift while the tank was disconnected and removed. There was no such conflict at ‘B’ end, so that air tank remains in situ. The two photos below show the difference. The most likely reason for the difference is that the ‘A’ end received heavy repairs on three occasions in the period 1962-1972 on account of collision damage (see our D1010 timeline page), so it is likely that the repairs resulted in smaller clearances that caused conflicts when lifting the body.
D1010 – the ‘A’ end of the loco is at the far end when viewed from Williton Station. The removal of the air tank was carried out while the lift was paused to avoid risk of damage due to snagging. Compare this picture to that of ‘B’ end below. Pictured at Williton on Saturday 13th July 2024 by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0
D1010 – the ‘B’ end of the loco is at the near end when viewed from Williton Station. This picture shows the air tank that is mounted underneath the buffer beam (same both ends). Pictured at Williton on Saturday 13th July 2024 by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0
The two bogies are now available for our volunteers to work on, and massive progress has already been made on ‘B’ bogie by the removal of 50 years of dirt, grease and grime that has accumulated to a depth of several inches, in some places. Our new volunteer, David, made very good progress over four consecutive days of work, and this was bolstered by a mass effort from the ‘Tuesday Team’, the result of which is a bogie where we can actually identify the various parts ! MANY THANKS TO ALL OF OUR VOLUNTEERS FOR MAKING SUCH GOOD PROGRESS !
D1010 – the ‘B’ bogie has been the subject of much attention and is already looking much the better for it. With the dirt and grime already removed, Gordon and Leroy (L-R) were able to make a start on removing the air pipes from the inboard end of the bogie, for cleaning and inspection. Pictured at Williton on Saturday 13th July 2024 by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0
D1010 – looking down on the centre axle and the associated final drive of ‘B’ bogie, the yellow cardan shaft provides the driving force via the intermediate gearbox (inside the tall housing on the far right). Pictured at Williton on Saturday 13th July 2024 by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0
D1010 – looking at the leading edge of ‘B’ bogie, the intermediate gearbox is now clearly visible between the leading and centre axles. It is heavy duty stuff ! Pictured at Williton on Saturday 13th July 2024 by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0
The Neil McCannon Show
We are very grateful to the many volunteers and supporters who have provided us with photos and video footage of D1010’s lifting, and we will be putting these together in a YouTube video on the DEPG channel as soon as we can. Meanwhile, there are five videos available on our public Facebook account, which is visible to all, even to those who ‘don’t do Facebook’, by simply clicking on the links below (cancel any requests to log in to Facebook by clicking on ‘x’ or pressing ‘esc’):
Video clip 2 : Neil McCannon explains what is going to be taking place
Video clip 3 : Neil McCannon explains what is taking place
Video clip 4 : Neil McCannon explains what has taken place
Video clip 5 : Neil McCannon explains the most important takeaway
All of the above videos were taken from a position of safety by and posted on social media by DEPG volunteer, Natalie Royal.
Please help us with this very important work by making a donation to the D1010 Restoration Fund and support the repair work that is taking place right now. Thank you in advance for your help.
Class 09 D4107 (09019) – this loco is based at Bishops Lydeard and is in regular use in support of WSR activities, including the loading and unloading of visiting locomotives !
Class 33 D6566 (33 048) – this loco is stabled at Bishops Lydeard as a standby locomotive and will be returning to Williton in the near future.
Class 33 D6575 (33 057) – this loco is on standby at Minehead.
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 – this loco is also at Minehead and is expected to be returning to Williton during the next week or so (next in use at the end of August).
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7018 – the ‘good spare’ transmission that previously ran in D7018 back in 1995 has now been disassembled so that the castings can be used to replace those that were found to be damaged in D7018‘s current transmission. The damaged castings will be kept along with all of the other damaged parts, in case they need to be repaired at some point in the future. These parts are precious because new replacements will be VERY expensive.
One surprise, that explained why it was so difficult to extract a stud from the ‘good spare’ transmission, was the damage to the studs and bolts in the final drive casing at the very bottom of the gearbox housing. The stud was found to have been severely overloaded at some time since the last works overhaul in 1970 and had become displaced at the point where the two casting halves met. The damage is visible in the photograph below, with the upper portion of the stud displaced to the left, and this is taken from the ‘GOOD spare’ transmission ! The equivalent parts on the damaged transmission were sheared off altogether. What a hard life these locomotives have had.
D7018 – the stud that was eventually removed from the ‘good spare’ transmission at Williton on 9th July 2024. The upper portion of the stud has been displaced to the left by severe overloading. Photo by Colin Foxhall © CC BY-NC 3.0
Please help us with this very important work by making a donation to DEPG funds and allowing us to support the repair work that is taking place on D7018 right now. Thank you in advance for your help.
Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9518 – more VERY GOOD NEWS – we now have BOTH of the cardan shafts fully re-installed in the loco, complete with the safety bows ! This aspect of the restoration has taken some time due to the large and expensive nature of the parts involved, but we can now move on, THANKS TO OUR DONORS AND SUPPORTERS !
D9518 – the cardan shaft (green) that connects the engine (out of the picture to the left) to the transmission (grey, on the right) has now been fully installed, complete with the safety bows that protect the loco and its occupants in the event of a shaft failure at high operating speed. Pictured at Williton on Saturday 13th July 2024 by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0
Having these shafts installed allows us to start planning for the day when the cab assembly gets re-mounted onto the frames, after which the loco will return to its characteristic shape and be well on its way to full restoration !
THANK YOU VERY MUCH TO OUR VOLUNTEERS AND ALL WHO HAVE FINANCED THE WORK ON D9518 !
Click here or on the image below to make a donation towards the restoration of D9518. Thank you very much for your support !
Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9526 – this loco is stabled at Williton and is available for service.
Class 47 47077 ‘NORTH STAR’ – this loco was a very popular attraction at the DIESEL GALA that took place on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway recently, but has now been withdrawn from service for a few weeks to allow a leaking exhaust silencer to be repaired and a split turbo input bellows to be replaced. Work is in progress and the loco should be back in service for the peak of summer.
Andrew Barclay 0-4-0DH 578 – stabled outdoors on number 1 road, this loco is fully serviceable and available for yard pilot duties.
BOOK REVIEW: this week, we have a NEW book on offer:THE NORTH BRITISH CLASS 22 by Anthony P. Sayer.
These curious beasts were designed and built by the North British Locomotive Company in the late 1950s and soon gained a reputation for unreliability and erratic performance that was not helped by their builder going into liquidation in 1962. This book tells the story of the origins and development of the NBL Class 22 locos, and covers each member of the class in some detail, in the usual style of the author.
Highly recommended and offered at £26 per copy via the DEPG online store. Click here or on the image above to get your copy and in doing so, support the DEPG !
NOTE: We can supply many other titles from Pen & Sword or Platform 5 upon request. Please use our CONTACT FORM to let us know what you would like us to be offering from our online store. Thanks !
The DEPG 2025 CALENDAR is now available for mailing, comprising 14 printed pages of A3 (twice A4 size) landscape 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 below to GET YOUR COPY NOW for £14 plus p&p.
ON SHED: This one is going way back to August of 1970, when the ‘Warships’ and ‘Hymeks’ were still receiving general overhauls at Swindon Works. The photo shows Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7009 undergoing a heavy overhaul, evidently leaving no stone unturned. The green-liveried loco emerged in BR-blue in November of that year and went on to serve for only 30 months before being withdrawn in May 1973. What a terrible waste ! Even worse was the fate of the loco that is just visible to the left of D7009, maroon-liveried Class 42 ‘Warship’ D805 ‘BENBOW’, also emerging in BR-blue in November 1970, only to be withdrawn just 23 months later. Many thanks to long-term DEPG member PHIL GRAY for capturing these fine locos on film.
Swindon Works on the 10th August 1970 and the heavy general overhaul of diesel-hydraulics was still in full swing. Centre loco is Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7009 in what is left of her original green livery with full yellow ends, while alongside in the shadows to the left is Class 42 ‘Warship’ D805 ‘BENBOW’ in maroon livery. Both locos were released from the works by November of 1970 in BR-blue. Photo by Phil Gray © CC BY-NC 3.0
DEPG NEWS: the next Board Meeting will take place at Williton on Saturday 20th July (apologies for the short notice). If you have a question that you would like to have placed before the Board, please reply to this email or use our CONTACT FORM.
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 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