Weekly Roundup – 20-Apr-25
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7018 and Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6575 (33057) moved to Minehead on Saturday 19th April 2025 to join their sisters D6566 (33048) (just visible behind D7018) and D7017 (in the loco shed behind D6575) in readiness for air system inspections that took place the following week. Photo by Martin Howard © CC BY-NC 3.0
The WSR’s steam stronghold at Minehead was subjected to a diesel invasion on Saturday 19th April when Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6575 (33057) arrived from Williton with Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7018 in tow. These two locos were in addition to D6566 (already at Minehead as the Duty Loco) and D7017 (in the loco shed at Minehead undergoing a bodywork overhaul and a repaint), the purpose of the gathering being to use the pit to facilitate the air system inspections that had been arranged for the following week.
When taking resident Class 03 shunter D2133 and Barclay 579 (ROF2) into account, plus the WSR’s Class 115 Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) plus the Class 255 ‘Castle Class’ HST (power cars 43154 and 43155) that is in storage at Minehead, we counted 8 diesel-powered locos/train sets with 12 diesel engines totalling more than 12,000 horsepower!
The two Minehead-based shunters (L-R) Class 03 shunter D2133 and Barclay 579 (ROF2) were taking a break when pictured on Saturday 19th April 2025 while in the company of the Class 255 ‘Castle Class’ HST (power cars 43154 and 43155) and visiting GWR ’28xx’ 2-8-0 number 2807. Photo by Josh Brinsford © CC BY-NC 3.0
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7018 and Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6575 (33057) were pictured at Blue Anchor on Saturday 19th April 2025 while waiting for the ‘up’ service to arrive so that they could proceed to Minehead. The weather-dulled paintwork on D7018 is going to take a bit of elbow grease to sort out, but we will make her shine in time for the gala. Photo by Robin Wichard © CC BY-NC 3.0
The next event coming up on the WSR is the SPRING STEAM SPECTACULAR which runs from Friday 2nd May through Monday 5th May and features an intensive steam-only timetable with a whole host of visiting locomotives. The DEPG loco depot at Williton will be OPEN TO THE PUBLIC on all four days of the gala and we will have our sales stand operating alongside ROD’S MODEL RAILWAY SALES stand as usual. We will also have the mobile catering van ‘Irie 7‘ in our yard again, offering hot snacks and drinks, and hopefully repeating the success of last year when visitors chose to stay a while at Williton and enjoy some hot food while watching the proceedings from our lineside viewing area. This event does prevent us from working on our locomotives for one weekend, but it provides an additional attraction for the gala as well as being an important annual fund-raising opportunity for the DEPG.
ON SATURDAY 10th MAY: HST RUNNING DAY
We have been advised that the ex-GWR ‘Castle’ class HST will be in use on the WSR on Saturday 10th May. This will involve two return trips from Minehead to Bishops Lydeard and back, calling at all stations, using the HST “Castle” class set which has been stored at Minehead for some time (power cars 43154 and 43155 plus four Mk 3 coaches). For reasons outside the WSR’s control, the set will probably leave the railway earlier than previously anticipated, so this may be the last time for a while to experience an HST on the WSR.
On Sunday 9th June 2024, a ‘Castle’ Class HST set comprising power cars 43155 (formerly ‘Rougemont Castle’, leading) and 43154 (formerly ‘Compton Castle’, trailing) and four Mark 3 coaches made an interesting and unusual picture at Stogumber Station. Photo by Mark Ireland © CC BY-NC 3.0
On Saturday 10th May, the train will leave Minehead at 0920, returning from Bishops Lydeard at 1055, and then leave Minehead again at 1315, returning at 1505. All standard WSR tickets and passes are valid on this train. The train will operate in addition to all other BLUE timetabled trains. We hope that as many DEPG members and supporters as possible will take this opportunity to travel on this iconic train whilst it is available to the WSR.
From Saturday 10th May through to the end of September, the DEPG’s Class 33 ‘Cromptons’ and Class 35 ‘Hymeks’ are booked to cover 34 of the 80-mile diagrams that originate from Minehead under the BLUE timetable so we are going to be kept busy ! The YELLOW timetable in the peak of the season will also see appearances by Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9526, fresh from the repaint that is taking place at Williton at the moment. The recent announcement of the visit by the ‘FLYING SCOTSMAN‘ is going to have an impact because several diesel-loco-hauled services will have to be moved to other dates to allow the famous loco to maximise her earning potential, but this is in the interest of the railway and we will need to flex to accommodate this. Our DIESEL RUNNING DATES page provides the information about upcoming diesel-hauled services on the WSR. Click here or on the image below for details:
Just a reminder – our two ‘Hymeks’ D7017 and D7018 are celebrating their 50th year in preservation, with both locos being among the last four of the Class to be withdrawn from service by BR in March 1975. The WSR have kindly agreed to allocate the weekend of August 30th and 31st to showcase the ‘Hymeks’ and we hope to have both locos available for service for that mixed traction event. Please keep the date free and make plans to come along. We will announce the timetable as soon as possible, but it will be based on the BLUE timetable (not yellow as previously advised) that can be reached by clicking on the appropriate days in the WSR timetable (click here or on the graphic below):
Read more about the history of the DEPG and the long association with the ‘Hymeks’ on our ABOUT US pages.
D7017 UPDATE
The depth of affection for this loco has been demonstrated by the £16,572 that has been donated in a matter of months to cover the cost of bodywork repairs that will give the loco another lease of life to add to the 50 years she has already spent in preservation. A BIG THANK YOU goes out to the 95 people who have donated to this project, 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 !
This funding will ensure that the loco gets repaired in time to be 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 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. Any excess will be carried over to 2026 but still allocated to D7017.
Would you like to help ? Click here to donate £17 to D7017 !
If you want to make your contribution towards the repair work on D7017, 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 !
The WSR’s SUMMER DIESEL FESTIVAL will take place from Thursday 5th through Saturday 7th June with a Mixed Traction Day on Sunday 8th. The first three of the visiting locos have been announced and they are D1015 ‘WESTERN CHAMPION’, Class 45/1 ‘Peak’ 45108 and Class 50 50015 ‘Valiant’ so MAKE YOUR PLANS TO ATTEND and click on the images below to learn more. It is going to be a GREAT event !
The Bury Valiant Group’s Class 50 50015 ‘Valiant’ will be participating in the WSR’s Summer Diesel Festival ! Photo by Tom McAtee © CC BY-NC 3.0
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’ – our team are continuing their work underneath the loco, chipping away at the dirt and grime and getting closer to the point where we can start to apply some fresh paint. The underside of the loco is in very good condition and is only going to need cleaning and painting, but there is a lot of it and we are only working on the exposed surfaces at the moment. Digging 50-year-old dirt out from parts of the structure that are above one’s head is going to be more of a challenge!
After sharing images of the carefully decorated ‘A’ cooler group last week, several comments have been received, pointing out that the correct colour for the Serck hydrostatic system pipework is BROWN. The pink colour that we used is reserved for lubricating oil. Oh well, another task goes back on the list !
The work on evaluating the many components that have been removed from the ‘B’ bogie continues in the background, with a view to creating the ‘shopping list’ of new or refurbished parts that we will need to have around us before we start the re-assembly phase. Both bogies are currently outdoors but sheeted over, while the loco shed is occupied by a pair of Class 14s. Preparation work for the dye penetrant Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) has been paused until the bogies get back into the shed, because the bare metal surfaces will quickly develop a layer of surface rust and have to be prepared again. There is a sequence of processing that must be followed.
D1010 – the ‘B’ bogie has been stripped of most of the smaller component parts and is now waiting for a chance to go back inside the loco shed to be further prepared for dye penetrant testing (crack detection). Pictured at Williton on Friday 11th April 2025 by Jon Tooke © CC BY-NC 3.0
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. With two gala events coming up, we will be engraving the patches during the open days and will soon catch up – and hopefully attract some additional sponsorship !
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) – this loco is now back at work and is in regular use Bishops Lydeard. The Transmission Team have been overhauling the Westinghouse compressor that was removed from D4107 last winter and are close to returning it to our spare parts store. Some o-rings are needed before the work can be considered complete and then there will be a period of testing, but so far, so good.
D4107 – the Westinghouse compressor has been reassembled and is awaiting delivery of some o-rings that will then allow the valve covers to be re-fitted, so that testing can begin. Pictured at Williton on Wednesday 16th April 2025 by Colin Foxhall © CC BY-NC 3.0
Class 33 D6566 (33 048) – this loco has been stabled at Minehead as the ‘Duty Loco’ but will hand over to sister D6575 (33057) and will return to Williton for planned maintenance.
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) – this loco was called into use at short notice on Friday 18th April to cover for a steam loco that had developed an issue and was struggling to keep time. Luckily, our volunteers were working on the loco at Williton when the call for help came through, so the response was as quick as it possibly could be, complete with DEPG driver and secondman. Very useful engines, these ‘Cromptons’.
As already reported, this loco was used to tow ‘Hymek’ D7018 to Minehead on Saturday 19th so that both ’33s’ and both ’35s’ could be positioned over the pit in turn and have their air receivers examined by subcontractor Matt Higham (to be reported upon in the next roundup).
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 – the work on this loco is moving along steadily, with attention being given by the WSR welder Buzz and WSR painter Harry, with mechanical work being done by Neil and internal paintwork handled by Jeffrey and Graham. Additional resources are required to get the work back on to the timetable, the planned release date being tight but not yet out of sight – so the pressure is on to prevent further slippage !
The work on both ‘Hymeks’ is scheduled to be completed a few weeks before the diesel gala, so we are working on two parallel paths for risk mitigation.
D7017 – the bodyside steelwork below the radiator elements was beyond redemption so it has been cut out and a completely new section fabricated. Pictured at Minehead on Friday 18th April 2025 by Neil McCannon © CC BY-NC 3.0
D7017 – the replacement bodyside steel profile has been fabricated and is ready to be welded into place. Pictured at Minehead on Friday 18th April 2025 by Neil McCannon © CC BY-NC 3.0
D7017 – the underside of the cooler group roof section was being painted by DEPG volunteer Jeffrey at Minehead on Friday 18th April 2025. Photo by Neil McCannon © CC BY-NC 3.0
D7017 – and as he appeared to be enjoying his work, we asked him to paint the topside as well ! Pictured at Minehead on Friday 18th April 2025 by Neil McCannon © CC BY-NC 3.0
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7018 – this loco was towed (dead) to Minehead by Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6575 (33057) on Saturday 19th April to undergo air receiver and air safety examinations during the following week. This loco has some inspection stages to be completed and will then undergo further ‘yard exercise’ at Williton before being sent out on a test run. The date and time of the test movements cannot be announced via DIESELGEN because they have to be fitted in with operational requirements and are likely to be carried out at short notice, but keep an eye on the WSR Railcams and hopefully you will get lucky.
Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9518 – the need to prepare sister D9526 for her period of occupation of the loco shed has drawn resources away from D9518 temporarily, but work continues on the electrical rewiring and on the restoration of component parts such as the headcode indicator boxes, which were not used at Ashington Colliery and are now in need of complete refurbishment – as the following photos show:
D9518 – the mechanism that rotates the roller blinds to display the desired headcode was found to be completely seized up after many years out of use. Pictured at Williton on 27th March 2025 by Colin Girle © CC BY-NC 3.0
D9518 – this chain was found to be corroded to the point of separation after 50+ years out of use, with obvious signs of water ingress and a complete lack of lubrication. Pictured at Williton on 27th March 2025 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 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 – work on this loco is absorbing most of the effort of the ‘Small Engine Division’ because of the need to get the loco completed and tested before the end of May. The engine work had to take a back seat while other tasks were progressed, but the team will be back on that case next week. Meanwhile, the bodywork repairs moved forward with the engine bay doors being given their first coat of primer after being cleaned up and having the rust dealt with. We look forward to having this loco outshopped in pristine condition in time for her appearance at the WSR’s SUMMER DIESEL FESTIVAL 2025.
D9526 – the engine bay doors have been cleaned up and painted in primer. These doors will be fully finished on both sides before being replaced on the loco. Pictured on 20th April 2025 by Colin Girle © CC BY-NC 3.0
Class 47 47077 ‘NORTH STAR’ – this loco is based at Grosmont on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway and has been out and about on most days in the last two weeks because the NYMR had to switch to an all-diesel service in the face of an elevated lineside fire risk. That issue was dealt with by the return to more ‘normal’ weather, but not for long ! Meanwhile, there is an impromptu ‘BR-blue’ diesel event taking place there, almost every day.
47077 (D1661, 47613, 47840) ‘NORTH STAR’ was pictured at Grosmont on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway on Thursday 17th April while resting between duties. Photo by Anthony Cooper © CC BY-NC 3.0
Andrew Barclay 0-4-0DH 578 – this little loco is fully serviceable and ready for action when called upon.
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 ‘THE LAST YEARS OF THE WESTERNS‘ by A. Wyn Hobson as an example of a book that definitely won’t sit on our shelves for very long. This pre-owned Ian Allan booklet is offered at the excellent price of £5.00
There are many other pre-owned book titles on our online store – click here for details.
ON SHED: this week, we feature a photo that has been shared by DEPG member Andy Galpin and depicts one of the North British Type 2 Class 22 diesel-hydraulic locomotives (click here for books about these locos). This loco entered service at Plymouth Laira depot on 16th May 1960 and received a repaint into BR blue in May of 1970, just a few months before this picture was taken, probably following a heavy overhaul at Swindon Works. The loco was withdrawn from service the following year.
Andy provides the following information with his photograph:
“Please bear in mind that this photo was taken on holiday by a then 14 year old with just an Instamatic, a notebook and little idea of the underlying workings. Class 22 6326 was seen at Didcot on 13th August 1970, it is coming from the Reading direction and heading off into the yards – this was one of only two Class 22s I ever saw!
‘Hymek’ D7054 was at Reading the following day, it remained in more or less the same spot and I assumed it was some sort of station pilot? Happy Days!”
Many thanks to Andy for sharing his photo and his memories with us all.
If you have photos that you would like to share, please let us know via contact@depg.org and we will happily include them in future editions.
North British Type 2 Class 22 diesel-hydraulic 6326 was pictured arriving at Didcot Station from the Reading direction on 13th August 1970 and was heading for the station yard with the 8A44 service … but from where, and to where next ? Photo by Andy Galpin © CC BY-NC 3.0
DEPG NEWS – we are preparing for several events this year, the first being the Spring Steam Spectacular where we will have an ‘open shed’ and welcome gala visitors who have an interest in engineering and restoration in addition to steam or diesel locos. We will have a sales stand in operation with new merchandise and many other attractions and facilities such as tea,coffee and hot snacks, but all of this takes organising and we are rushed off our feet making sure that our locos are made available for booked services. CAN YOU HELP ? WE NEED VOLUNTEERS TO HELP WITH SALES ! If you can help, please use our CONTACT FORM and let us know. Thanks in advance !
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 !
