Weekly Roundup – 29-Jun-25
The scene on the platform at Minehead on Saturday 28th June 2025 as the UK’s most famous locomotive performed the simple task of running around her train, shortly after arriving at the seaside terminus. Gresley’s 1923-built A3 Pacific 60103 ‘FLYING SCOTSMAN’ once again demonstrated her ability to draw the crowds and fill the trains ! Photo by Mike Lanning © CC BY-NC 3.0
The WSR is having a taste of ‘FLYING SCOTSMAN‘ fever and enjoying the sight and sound of full trains and busy platforms as the public clamour to get a ride behind – or at least a close look at – the most famous locomotive in the UK and the 102-year-old crown jewel of the National Railway Museum‘s collection.
The entire operating timetable of the WSR has been re-drawn to accommodate the huge demand for haulage behind this machine, with special express trains running non-stop for the 20-mile length of the line between Bishops Lydeard and Minehead along with additional evening services that have proved to be very popular. The special services use a rake of seven Mark 1 coaches with a seating capacity of around 400 passengers per trip, so a small number of tickets might still be available. It is worth clicking this link to find out more.
On non-running days, the loco is stabled at Bishops Lydeard in light steam and is available for close-up viewing, subject to special ticketing that can be obtained by clicking on this link to the WSR’s website. The need for tickets to view is dual-purpose, combining the need for crowd control with the need to bring some income to the railway’s coffers, because the cost of hosting this ‘celebrity’ loco at the WSR is significant.
Also required to support the ‘FLYING SCOTSMAN‘ is Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6566 (33048), currently the duty loco at Bishops Lydeard and on standby with her engine running in case the long-legged ‘Pacific’ needs a push up the hills. As a mainline express locomotive, the ‘SCOTSMAN‘ is not built for low-speed hill climbing and will tend to slip if high power is used during a climb, especially on a wet or slippery rail, and might need to be ‘rescued’. Manning the ‘Thunderbird’ rescue loco on a hot and sunny day is both an uncomfortable and boring duty for the crews, but DEPG Publicity Officer MARK BLADWELL lightened the mood by offering up an appropriate nameplate, one that would suit the duty – as you will see below:
Class 33 D6566 (33048) was pictured on standby duty at Bishops Lydeard on Wednesday 2nd July 2025 with the DEPG’s Publicity Officer Mark Bladwell offering up a suitable nameplate from his collection, in this case SCOTT TRACY of the 1960’s TV series ‘THUNDERBIRDS‘. Photo by Mark Bladwell © CC BY-NC 3.0
Here’s a table of JULY dates to show what is running and when:
| Day | Date | Type of Service | Notes |
| Saturday | 5th | Special Blue TT | Steam, Diesel and HST in use, D6566 starting at BL |
| Sunday | 6th | Special Blue TT | Steam and Diesel in use, D6566 starting at BL |
| Monday | 7th | Flying Scotsman static – No other services | At Bishops Lydeard |
| Tuesday | 8th | Flying Scotsman services | Six services, some sold out |
| Wednesday | 9th | Flying Scotsman services | Six services, some sold out |
| Thursday | 10th | Flying Scotsman services | Four services, some sold out |
| Friday | 11th | Flying Scotsman services | Six services, some sold out |
| Saturday | 12th | Flying Scotsman services | Six services, ALL SOLD OUT |
| Sunday | 13th | Standard Blue TT and Flying Scotsman static | Steam and Diesel in use, D6566 starting at MD, FS static at Bishops Lydeard |
| Monday | 14th | Flying Scotsman static – No other services | At Bishops Lydeard |
| Tuesday | 15th | Yellow TT | Class 14 D9526 on the 1055 BL-MD and return |
| Wednesday | 16th | Yellow TT | Class 14 D9526 on the 1055 BL-MD and return |
| Thursday | 17th | Yellow TT | Class 14 D9526 on the 1055 BL-MD and return |
| Friday | 18th | No services | |
| Saturday | 19th | Standard Blue TT | Steam and Diesel in use, D6566 starting at MD |
| Sunday | 20th | Standard Blue TT | Steam and Diesel in use, D6566 starting at MD |
| Monday | 21st | No services | |
| Tuesday | 22nd | Yellow TT | Class 14 D9526 on the 1055 BL-MD and return |
| Wednesday | 23rd | Yellow TT | Class 14 D9526 on the 1055 BL-MD and return |
| Thursday | 24th | Yellow TT | Class 14 D9526 on the 1055 BL-MD and return |
| Friday | 25th | No services | |
| Saturday | 26th | Standard Blue TT | Steam and Diesel in use, D6566 starting at MD |
| Sunday | 27th | Standard Blue TT | Steam and Diesel in use, D6566 starting at MD |
| Monday | 28th | No services | |
| Tuesday | 29th | Yellow TT | Class 14 D9526 on the 1055 BL-MD and return |
| Wednesday | 30th | Yellow TT | Class 14 D9526 on the 1055 BL-MD and return |
| Thursday | 31st | Yellow TT | Class 14 D9526 on the 1055 BL-MD and return |
Key to abbreviations: BL = Bishops Lydeard MD = Minehead TT= Timetable
THIS WEEKEND:
On the weekend of 5th and 6th July, Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6566 (33048) will be working the diesel diagram under the BLUE timetable but starting at Bishops Lydeard, with steam on the Minehead departure on both days.
ALSO IN USE ON 5th July will be the ex-GWR ‘HST’ set that has been stored on the WSR for some time. The HST will carry out two complete out-and-back runs with 80 miles of quiet and comfortable haulage on offer, starting from Minehead at 0920.
Under the present arrangements, it is not clear if this HST will operate again on the WSR after Saturday 5th July, so try and attend this Saturday to take the opportunity while it is available. Click on this link to go to the WSR’s HST RUNNING DAY page.
Sounding fine but in need of a wash, a GWR ‘Castle Class’ HST with 43097 ‘Castle Drogo’ leading and 43186 ‘Taunton Castle’ trailing was pictured departing from Teignmouth on the 15:27 Exeter St Davids to Plymouth service on Sunday 29th June 2025. This is the last season for HSTs on these services. Photo by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0
Click here to go to the WSR’s Timetable page then click on the day of interest then click VIEW TIMETABLE.
For details of planned diesel-hauled services, please click here or on the banner below to visit our DIESEL RUNNING DATES page and sign up to our DIESELGEN bulletin service for advance notification of unplanned services.
LOCO NEWS:
Class 52 D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’ – the intermediate gearbox from the ‘B’ bogie was carefully opened up for inspection purposes by the ‘Transmission Team’ at Williton and the results were very encouraging indeed. No water, no debris, no evidence of corrosion, and an oil pump that was working well in both directions. So far so good,
The oil pump was removed for a more thorough inspection but found to be in very good condition, so the decision was taken to put it all back together and hand it over to the painters for cleaning up and painting, and move on to the next task !
The painters drew our attention to the remains of some overhaul date information that was barely discernible after more than 50 years under the loco. The photos below appear to show the date of last overhaul as 9-75 and another date which appears to be 5-3-74 (the meaning of which is unknown). Regardless of the precise interpretation, this is a long time ago and the gearbox is in excellent internal condition considering the 50+ years of elapsed time.
This coming week, attention will focus on the ‘B’ bogie to prepare the bogie frame for Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) using the Dye Penetrant (DP) method, as covered in the roundup last week.
D1010 – the date painted on the upper left side of the intermediate gearbox casing of the ‘B’ bogie is thought to be ‘5-3-74’ although the text painted above the date is illegible after 50+ years under the loco. Pictured at Williton on Saturday 28th June 2025 by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0
D1010 – the much larger date painted on the upper right side of the intermediate gearbox casing of the ‘B’ bogie is thought to be ‘9-75’ but again the text painted above the date is illegible after 50+ years under the loco. Pictured at Williton on Saturday 28th June 2025 by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0
D1010 – the oil pump was removed from the bottom of the intermediate gearbox of the ‘B’ bogie and was found to be in excellent condition ! Pictured at Williton on Tuesday 24th June 2025 by Colin Foxhall © CC BY-NC 3.0
D1010 – the view through one of the inspection ports of the intermediate gearbox of the ‘B’ bogie showed the internals to be clean, smooth and free from corrosion, which is quite remarkable considering the sporadic use over the last 48 years since withdrawal from BR service. Pictured at Williton on Tuesday 24th June 2025 by Colin Foxhall © CC BY-NC 3.0
D1010 – the intermediate gearbox of the ‘B’ bogie was handed over to the painters on Saturday 28th June 2025 and Roy was straight onto the job, with the cleaning completed on Saturday morning and the green primer coat completed by the end of that same day. Class 14s D9526 (left) and D9518 (left of centre) and the ‘A’ cooler group (centre) form the backdrop. Photo by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0
As mentioned before, apologies to those D1010 sponsors who have yet to receive the photos and certificates for the patches that they have sponsored. We have re-started engraving the patches but there is quite a backlog, so please bear with us while we catch up.
MANY THANKS to all who have sponsored and supported the RESTORATION of D1010 !
Class 09 D4107 (09019) – outstationed at Bishops Lydeard in support of WSR operations.
Class 33 D6566 (33 048) – attention was given to a leaking seal on the fuel pump while the loco was at Williton last weekend and the loco then swapped roles with sister D6575 (33057) to take over the ‘Thunderbird’ duties in support of the ‘FLYING SCOTSMAN‘ services. D6566 will be in charge of the 1015 service from Bishops Lydeard and the associated 80-mile diagram on both Saturday and Sunday of this coming weekend, 5th/6th July 2025.
Class 33 D6575 (33 057) – this loco is now back at Williton and is available for service if called upon.
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 – the re-painting of this loco is being carried out by the WSR’s Harry Spencer but working as a volunteer in his own time. This very kind offer from Harry will help the DEPG conserve funds following the unexpectedly high amount of work that had to be carried out on bodywork corrosion repairs. The roof panels need lifting back on, for which the WSR’s ‘Atlas’ rail-mounted crane will need to be used, but another kind offer from well-known railway preservationist Andrew Forster will allow this to be done with an entirely voluntary workforce, at minimal cost. We are planning to do this work on Tuesday 15th July, subject to availability of volunteers.
We are very grateful to both Harry and Andrew for their kind offers of help and support !
We are planning on getting D7017 back to Williton during July so that she can be worked up to readiness for her return to service during August. This will involve some test running with sister loco D7018.
The fund for the bodywork overhaul of D7017 has TOPPED £20,000 but we will need to keep it open a while longer to cover the cost over-run. MANY THANKS to all who have contributed to this amazing result and in doing so, have secured the future of this locomotive.
The cost of this bodywork overhaul continues to increase, so we have had to keep the fund open to help reduce the impact on other DEPG projects. Please consider contributing if you can. THANK YOU VERY MUCH !
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7018 – this loco has returned to Williton to undergo some basic maintenance work that will keep her in good running condition. Her next booked date for public service was going to be Saturday 9th August, but crew availability will result in that day being handed over to one of the Class 33s. The need to keep drivers available for test running of sister D7017 is impacting other running opportunities during August, as we build up to our 50 YEARS of HYMEKS weekend, the 30th and 31st August, where we expect to have both of our ‘Hymeks’ in use, both singly and together.
Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9518 – in addition to the progress on the wiring, work continues on the engine overhaul and we hope to include some photos in the next roundup.
D9526 – on Tuesday 10th June 2025, the Paxman 6YJXL engine was still in the early stages of re-assembly. Pictured at Williton by Terry Deacon © CC BY-NC 3.0
D9526 – by the following week, Tuesday 17th June 2025, the camshaft had been re-installed along with the timing gears. Pictured at Williton by Terry Deacon © CC BY-NC 3.0
D9526 – by the following week, Tuesday 24th June 2025, the engine re-build had progressed a lot further. The water pump (grey) and drive shaft have been re-installed in this view from the output end of the engine, with Tuesday Team volunteer Nick just getting into the frame. Pictured at Williton 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 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 is inside the loco shed at Williton so that her re-paint can be completed. The loco ran in a mixture of undercoat and gloss during the gala, so she now has to stay indoors until the job is completed, which will be in time to allow her to take up her first booked working of the YELLOW timetable on Tuesday 15th July.
D9526 – on Saturday 28th June 2025, only the ‘A’ nose end and bonnet remained in undercoat, the rest of the loco gleaming with a carefully applied gloss coating. Pictured at Williton by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0
Class 47 47077 ‘NORTH STAR’ – this loco continues to be in regular use on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway and is definitely a firm favourite for passengers and crews alike. Please continue to send in your photographs of our ‘celebrity’ loco while she is at work on the Moors. Thanks !
Andrew Barclay 0-4-0DH 578 – this little loco is available for service as required.
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 !
NEW CLOTHING RANGE:
The new range of clothing that was launched at the SUMMER DIESEL FESTIVAL was a massive success and we quickly sold all of our gala stock. This is OK because the new clothing is highly configurable so it is made to order anyway. We expect to be able to deliver within two weeks of an order being placed via our ONLINE STORE, so click this link to give it a go !
So far, we have launched the 50 YEARS of HYMEKS range and a configurable HYMEK and WESTERN range, and in the works are similarly configurable ranges covering the Class 33 ‘Cromptons’ and the Class 14 ‘Teddy Bears’ with those garments likely to be available later in July or August. Here’s a taster of what is on offer and available to order NOW via our website:
The range of colours has now been expanded and the range of sizes now includes LADIES SIZES. Please let us know via our CONTACT FORM if the colour and size combination that you want is not showing as an option online.
The new designs are available in the following garment types, some of which have not yet been added to our website, so again please use our CONTACT FORM to let us know what you want. Here are the prices:
| Garment type | Price |
| T shirt | £22 |
| Polo shirt | £25 |
| Sweatshirt | £35 |
| Hoodie | £37 |
| Fleece | £40 |
| Other ? Tell us what you want ! | Use our CONTACT FORM |
Although the prices of the new range are higher than before, the prices are competitive and are in line with the quality of the garments. These are really nice pieces of work and the ability to personalise your choice is another definite advantage.
We look forward to receiving your order, the profits from which will directly support the DEPG !
ON SHED
Apologies, but we will have to skip this popular feature this week due to a chronic lack of time. Please continue to send in your photos of locos on shed, at the platform or in action, because we appreciate them all, any Class, any place, any time. Use our CONTACT FORM to get in touch. Thanks !
NEW BOOKS ON SALE
A new book has arrived in stock, the second in the three-part series ‘The Railways of South Wales 1975-1995‘ by Michael Rhodes, and we have high hopes that it will be as successful as the first in the series. We have added this book to our online store and will start shipping THIS WEEKEND.
We also have stock of the companion series ‘RAILWAYS OF THE NORTH EAST 1975-1995‘ by the same author and this very interesting book is also available via our online store.
Although we have only just started to promote the NEW BOOK entitled ABSOLUTELY WESTERNS that has been compiled by Roger Geach from photos taken by the late Peter Crawley, we need to ask Roger to share the limelight with our Publicity Officer MARK BLADWELL because he has just completed the production of a new booklet covering DEPG ‘Hymek’ D7017 and his work is currently IN STOCK and available for sale at the WSR bookshops and via our online store.
This new booklet has 64 printed pages of glossy A4 and includes information about the ‘Hymeks’ and about D7017 in particular, covering both phases of her life – the first 13 years in BR service and the last 50 years in the care of the DEPG. Priced at £15 per copy, this book can be ordered from our website NOW.
Don’t forget to consider adding Roger’s new book to your shopping basket as well ……
Click here or on the image above to get your copy (priced at £17.50 per copy) and in doing so, supporting the restoration of D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’. A BOOK REVIEW on this new publication has been provided by regular correspondent NEALE LONG and will be posted online during the next few days. Please check this link periodically until the review appears. Thank you Neale !
There are many other new and pre-owned book titles on our online store – click here for details.
DEPG NEWS:
The DEPG Board of Trustees held a scheduled Board Meeting at Williton on Saturday 28th June 2025 and decided that the date of the ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING (AGM) will be Saturday 13th September at Williton. We will be sending the AGM information package out in early August, along with the next edition of the DEPG Quarterly Newsletter.
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 !