Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6575 (33057) was in charge of the ‘Tidy Train’ on Sunday 16th March 2025 and was pictured at the south end of the loop at Crowcombe Heathfield with the ‘orange army’ of volunteers hard at work loading the train. Photo by Chris Darke © CC BY-NC 3.0
The WSR will re-open on SATURDAY 22nd MARCH with three out-and-back services originating at Bishops Lydeard (RED timetable) with the surprise of Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6575 (33057) working the 12:25 departure from Bishops Lydeard, covering for a steam loco that could not be readied in time. The Sunday service will operate to the same timetable but with the WSR’s Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) in action on the 12:25 departure from Bishops Lydeard.
To prepare for the re-opening, a huge amount of work has been carried out along the length of the line, encompassing the track, the trains, the stations, the museums, in fact everything that needed to be ready for the big day. WELL DONE to all involved in this massive effort !
Our locos have been in use on the ‘Tidy Trains’ that work along the length of the line gathering the unwanted items that accumulate at the lineside, and also on the ballast trains that needed to be hauled to the various permanent way worksites. Unfortunately, Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6566 (33048) developed a fault during a ballast working from Dunster to Williton last Saturday, her engine shutting down automatically to protect against low oil pressure, luckily just as she came back into the DEPG yard after completing her duties.
This gave an opportunity for Barclay 578 (ROF 1) to go to the rescue and haul the delinquent ’33’ into the yard for attention. The cause of the issue was a crack that had developed in the oil filter housing, allowing engine oil to leak out and eventually cause a drop in oil pressure. The crack was along the line of an old repair from BR days, so it had lasted a reasonable amount of time – probably more than 30 years !
Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6566 (33048) came to a standstill while entering the yard at Williton on Saturday 15th March 2025. The loco had just returned from hauling a ballast train from Dunster when her engine shut down due to low oil pressure caused by a fracture in the oil filter housing. Photo by Ashley Harris © CC BY-NC 3.0
Elsewhere along the line, DEPG volunteers were at work supporting our WSR colleagues in resolving an issue that was preventing the recently-acquired pre-owned ‘cherry picker’ Road-Rail Vehicle (RRV) from switching from rail to road mode. The issue was traced to water ingress that had resulted in the corrosion of some relays in the electrical circuitry. A temporary repair was made to allow the vehicle to operate in road mode, and a more thorough repair will be effected when the RRV reaches Williton.
The WSR’s ‘cherry picker’ RRV was back in road mode when pictured at Bishops Lydeard on Saturday 15th March 2025. The giant pile of ballast in the background is a reminder of the amount of fresh ballast that is needed every year. Photo by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0
D7017 UPDATE
At the other end of the line, in Minehead, more progress was being made on Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 as a combined team of WSR staff and DEPG volunteers worked on the bodywork repairs that need to be completed before a full repaint can be carried out.
The work being done on both of the ‘Hymek’ sisters is taking a high priority because of the need to have these locos back in use during their 50th anniversary in preservation. The WSR have very kindly allocated the weekend of Saturday 30th and Sunday 31st August for showcasing ‘Hymek’ haulage, and we are working on the event format and hope to make an announcement in conjunction with the WSR very soon. Meanwhile, SAVE THE DATES !
We are delighted to announce that the revised target for donations to the D7017 bodywork overhaul fund HAS BEEN REACHED, so a BIG THANK YOU goes out to the 77 people who have donated to this project so far, keeping it moving forward to ensure that the loco will be back in service in time for the WSR’s Summer Diesel Festival (5-7th June).
THANK YOU FOR YOUR FANTASTIC SUPPORT !
The repair work is going to cost around £15,000 so the amount raised will cover most of the work being done on the loco, the remaining £3,000 being provided from the DEPG’s general fund. The sub-contract route was taken to make sure that the loco gets repaired during the winter and is able to take pole position in the celebration of 50 years of ‘Hymek’ preservation that will take place on 30th and 31st of August this year.
The fund now stands at £12,342 and will remain open until the work is completed to make sure that we have sufficient funding to cover any unexpected costs, so don’t despair if you haven’t yet donated, because we can still accept your donation !
All funds donated via this appeal will be allocated to returning D7017 to service in time for the forthcoming season.
Can you help ? Click here to donate £17 to D7017 !
If you want to help with this short-term appeal, please make a donation via our website (click on the icon above) or by bank app or by sending a cheque to the DEPG at Williton. THANK YOU VERY MUCH !
Here are some photos of the progress being made on D7017 at Minehead:
D7017 – the combined team of WSR staff and DEPG volunteers have been kept busy with the repairs to the bodywork and roof sections, but we are now getting close to the completion of this phase of the work. Pictured at Minehead on Tuesday 11th March 2025 by Neil McCannon © CC BY-NC 3.0
D7017 – no prizes for guessing which section of the roof is being worked on in this picture, taken at Minehead on Tuesday 11th March 2025 by Neil McCannon © CC BY-NC 3.0
D7017 – this roof section covers the former boiler room (or more accurately, the steam generator for carriage heating). We have no further use for the exhaust port, so it is being welded up. Pictured at Minehead on Tuesday 11th March 2025 by Neil McCannon © CC BY-NC 3.0
Many thanks to the WSR engineering team at Minehead and to our volunteers at Minehead for doing such a great job on D7017 !
WSR NEWS
The WSR is preparing for the return of public services on the weekend of 22/23 March and everything is looking good ! The lineside has been cleared of overgrowth in many areas and this will significantly improve the view for the passengers along several wooded areas of the line. The stations are ready, the coaches have been cleaned and inspected, so it’s going to be great to see the railway come back to life !
The WSR have published their running calendar for 2025 on their website and social media channels, and we have updated our DIESEL RUNNING DATES page including provisional loco allocations, some of which are subject to change to align with the availability of the locos and the crews. As the information becomes more refined, we will update our page and send out a DIESELGEN bulletin with the clarification. Click here or on the banner below to view the provisional allocations:
Click here or on the image below to visit the WSR’s timetable page:
The WSR’s SUMMER DIESEL FESTIVALhas been confirmed as being Thursday 5th through Saturday 7th June with a Mixed Traction Day on Sunday 8th. The first two of the visiting locos have been announced and they are D1015 ‘WESTERN CHAMPION’ and Class 45/1 ‘Peak’ 45108 so MAKE YOUR PLANS TO ATTEND and click on the images below to learn more. It is going to be a GREAT event !
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 !
RAILBUS W79978 NEWS:
Although not part of the DEPG fleet, we maintain a link on our website to this very interesting machine from the late 1950s because it is owned by DEPG member Martin Rouse and was used on the Western Region for several years, initially between Swindon and Kemble and then on the Bodmin branch in Cornwall, before moving to Scotland. The Railbus is undergoing a complete and thorough restoration in stages, which is an interesting approach because it allows it to operate on the Swindon & Cricklade Railway from time to time. Click here or on the image further below to read Martin’s latest update.
AC Cars Ltd Railbus W79978 in the restoration shed at the Swindon & Cricklade Railway in March 2025 while undergoing a stage-by-stage restoration. Photo by Martin Rouse © CC BY-NC 3.0
Click here or on the image below to read the full update that has been provided by Martin:
LOCO NEWS:
Class 52 D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’ – with the pressure on to get Class 09 shunter D4107 completed and progress the various tasks on the ‘Hymeks’, the team on D1010 decided to enjoy the fine weather and work on the underframe of the loco, rather than be inside the loco shed – and who could blame them because it was a very nice day indeed. The pace of progress on this loco will pick up once the ‘Hymeks’ have been readied for service in this, their 50th, year in preservation. We will have a larger team on site during the coming weekend, so we hope to include some photos in the next edition of roundup.
Our appeals for MORE VOLUNTEERS are working but WE STILL NEED MORE HELP to get this huge loco back on the rails, so please get in touch by using our CONTACT FORM if you are able to join the team.
As mentioned before, apologies to those D1010 sponsors who have yet to receive the photos and certificates for the patches that they have sponsored. The weather is improving, so it won’t be long before we will be able to re-start the engraving work.
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 the remaining cardan shafts and 32 springs from the suspension system.
MANY THANKS to all who have sponsored and supported the RESTORATION of D1010 !
Class 09 D4107 (09019) – the work on this loco has almost reached a conclusion, but we are left with a snag list comprising a few items that will need to dealt with during this coming weekend. The most significant is an electrical check to confirm that the new Electronic Voltage Regulator (AVR) is actually regulating, and the ‘real life’ testing for this might require the loco to be used to shunt some vehicles within Williton station limits. This will also allow a power check to be carried out, to make sure that all 6 cylinders are firing properly since the overhaul of the fuel system. If all goes well, the loco will leave for Bishops Lydeard during the following week.
D4107 – the loco is almost ready to return to service at Bishops Lydeard, but some snags delayed her departure, so the loco was re-positioned with Barclay 0-4-0DH 578 (ROF 1) going into the loco shed instead, for further attention to her somewhat unreliable starter motor. Pictured at Williton on Sunday 16th March 2025 by Tom Courtney © CC BY-NC 3.0
Class 33 D6566 (33 048) – as already stated, this loco developed an oil leak that was sufficient to cause her to shut down following her work on a ballast train last weekend. The cause of the leak was a fracture in the oil filter housing, in fact this was a failure of a previously repaired fracture dating back to BR days. The loco was itted with a spare housing on Sunday 16th March, but issues with the threads prevented the job from being completed. One more weekend should solve it.
The oil filter housing of Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6566 (33048) developed a fracture along the line of a previous repair from BR days, resulting in a loss of oil pressure which caused the engine to shut down. Pictured at Williton on Saturday 15th March 2025 by Ashley Harris © CC BY-NC 3.0
THIS LOCO WILL BE HEADING FOR THE SPA VALLEY RAILWAY for the weekend of 13th to the 15th June 2025 to participate in their ‘Cuckoo Line Gala’ event !
Class 33 D6575 (33 057) – as already reported, this loco has been very busy and is probably looking forward to swapping places with her sister at some point, so that she can get some rest !
LATE NEWS: this loco has been rostered to work the 12:25 service from Bishops Lydeard to Minehead and return on Saturday 22nd March 2025 to cover for a steam loco that could not be readied for service in time.
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 – covered previously, making good and steady progress.
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7018 – the transmission testing work that was reported in the previous roundup had flagged up a possible issue with the Directional Interlock Contactor, so the team set about investigating the operation of the interlock mechanism to the fullest extent that they could, without the engine running. Another attempt at completing the static testing will be made in the near future, when circumstances permit.
Meanwhile, an oil leak from the transmission heat exchanger had become apparent and resulted in the heat exchanger having to be disassembled in situ, so that a flange seal could be replaced. This work has now been completed and will be tested during the next engine run.
D7018 – transmission team member Geoff is looking very serious as he starts work on removing the end cover of the transmission heat exchanger. Pictured at Williton on Monday 11th March 2025 by Colin Foxhall © CC BY-NC 3.0
D7018 – and this is why – here is a view of the end cover of the transmission heat exchanger, showing just how many bolts had to be undone (some in awkward places) to get the flange apart! Pictured at Williton on Monday 11th March 2025 by Colin Foxhall © CC BY-NC 3.0
D7018 – looking down on the two directional solenoids (marked R1 and R2), the red actuator lever and the linkage for the Directional Interlock Contactor can be seen on the left. This linkage moves when the transmission engages a direction, and if that direction is that same as selected by the driver, it releases the interlock, allowing the transmission to take power. Pictured at Williton on Tuesday 12th March 2025 by Colin Foxhall © CC BY-NC 3.0
Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9518 – no photos this week, but fear not, the team have been actively working on the electrical rewiring and on the body panels that will soon be needed as the loco takes on her final shape. Work on the engine rebuild has also restarted and we will include some photos in the next edition of roundup.
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 make a donation via our website (click on the icon below) or by bank app or by sending a cheque to the DEPG at Williton. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT !
Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9526 – this loco will enter the loco shed this coming Saturday 22nd March and will undergo engine maintenance and receive a paint refresh in time for her appearance at the WSR’s SUMMER DIESEL FESTIVAL 2025.
Class 47 47077 ‘NORTH STAR’ – this loco is based at Grosmont on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway and was in use on Wednesday 12th February 2025 when she worked a rake of Empty Coaching Stock (ECS) from Pickering to Grosmont. We hope to see this loco in regular use this season and we will try to provide advance notice where possible.
Andrew Barclay 0-4-0DH 578 – further trouble with the starter motor on this loco has caused us to invest in a fully reconditioned unit, which is now in our hands and ready to be installed this coming weekend. The unreliable starter motor will then be removed from the loco and sent to specialist overhaulers ICS in Preston for reconditioning. We will then have a spare on the shelf !
CAV starter motor type SP6 24-38M as supplied by specialist CAV overhauler ICS of Preston
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: The sale of books, both new and pre-owned, is a valuable source on income for the DEPG and is a growth area, especially as the search engines regularly return DEPG results on the first page, greatly increasing the chances of making a sale and boosting DEPG coffers.
We are always on the lookout for donations of pre-owned books featuring any class of diesel or electric traction. We often receive mixed donations that include steam-era books as well, but we make sure that the steam titles get passed to our colleagues in other voluntary groups around the WSR, so MANY THANKS to those who have donated and if you have books to pass on, then PLEASE KEEP DONATING !
This week, we feature ‘SEVERN TUNNEL JUNCTION‘ by P D Rendall as a great example of an pre-owned book with an almost new feel, at the excellent price of £7.50.
There are many other pre-owned book titles on our online store – click here for details.
ON SHED: last week, we featured a photo of our very own 47077 ‘NORTH STAR’ in her early blue livery without the BR logo, kindly provided by regular contributor Trevor Tremethick. This week, we are back across the Bristol Channel to Cardiff Central for another photo from the collection of the late Mike Evans, this time featuring Class 45 ‘Peak’ 45070 (D122) about to restart her ‘light engine’ run on the up relief, possibly only as far as the Freightliner terminal at Pengam, a few miles to the East. The ‘Peaks’ were regulars at Cardiff, sometimes on passenger workings from the Midlands but most often on heavy freights including the Milford Haven oil tanks and the various steel trains to and from the North.
Class 45 ‘Peak’ 45070 (D122) has the through road at Cardiff Central, heading East on a wet day in April 1985. This loco was built at Crewe in 1961 and worked through to January 1987 before being retired. Photo by Mike Evans © CC BY-NC 3.0
DEPG NEWS – the activities at Williton and elsewhere on the line may be putting us under pressure, but we are making progress on all fronts, including improvements in infrastructure and equipment. We have just ordered a brand-new hot-wash cleaning machine that will help us improve the standard of cleanliness of our locos and help to extend the periods between re-paints (which are very expensive). We will cover this in the next roundup, once we have had to chance to get familiar with the machine and learned how to use it to the best effect.
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 !