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 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 !