Weekly Roundup – 01-Dec-24
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 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:
- Repair or replace the Westinghouse 3CV50 compressor due to excessive wear in the pistons and bores.
- 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.
- 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.
- Remove the batteries and repair the corroded battery boxes.
- The batteries have been removed, the corroded metal has been cut out in preparation for welding-in of new metal.
- Assess the loco for other bodywork repairs and arrange the repairs as necessary.
- 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.
- Inspect the running gear, repair or replace worn parts as necessary.
- Perform scheduled maintenance (engine and auxiliary machines, switchgear)
- Remove the carbon pile voltage regulator, replace with an electronic type.
- The electronic AVR is in stock. The changeover will only take place after completion of roof repairs.
- 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 50th year in preservation, it will be appropriate to have her bodywork overhauled and repainted in time for her 50th 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