DIESELGEN – Wed/Thu 27/28-Aug-25
Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6566 (33048) was attached to the head of the 10:00 Minehead to Bishops Lydeard service that was being worked by D6575 (33057) at Williton on Sunday 24th August 2025. The pair worked in multiple (with a single crew) to Bishops Lydeard where D6566 (33048) was required to stand in for a steam loco on the ‘Quantock Belle‘ dining service. Photo by Tom Courtney © CC BY-NC 3.0
The continued spell of warm and dry weather has resulted in a decision to substitute diesel for steam traction for the last two days of the peak summer YELLOW TIMETABLE.
On Wednesday 27th and Thursday 28th August, the following traction will be employed:
- Class 33 D6575 (33057) on the 10:00 Minehead service and subsequent 80-mile diagram
- Class 33 D6566 (33048) on the 10:15 Bishops Lydeard service and subsequent 80-mile diagram
- Class 115 DMU on the 10:55 Bishops Lydeard service and subsequent 40-mile diagram
Please do try to come along and enjoy a diesel day out on the West Somerset Railway !
And a reminder for this coming weekend:
After undergoing an extensive bodywork overhaul at the WSR’s Minehead engineering workshop, Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 has now been ‘outshopped’ and will join her sister D7018 for her RETURN TO SERVICE on SATURDAY 30th AUGUST.
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 returned to Williton on Thursday 15th August 2025 after a 10-month spell at Minehead undergoing a thorough bodywork overhaul and a repaint into the early BR-blue livery that was carried by some ‘Hymeks’ before the rules of standardisation were enforced. Photo by Linda Trott © CC BY-NC 3.0
MANY THANKS to all who have donated to and carried out the work on D7017 to restore her to the standard that we see today.
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of D7017 and D7018 entering preservation, both locos will be in use on SATURDAY AND SUNDAY 30/31 AUGUST working separately and together on an enhanced timetable that includes early and late services originating at Bishops Lydeard, with 120 miles of ‘Hymek’ haulage available each day, 40 miles of which will be DOUBLE HEADED.
Timetables and tickets for this event are available from the WSR by clicking this link.
We look forward to seeing you on board our 50th anniversary train on Saturday 30th and/or Sunday 31st August !
We will have plenty of our new D7017 booklets available for sale on the trains, these are also available from our online store by clicking this link or by clicking on the image below:
Keep an eye on our DIESEL RUNNING DATES page which is regularly updated and carries the list of diesel-hauled public services for 2025. This page is used in conjunction with DIESELGEN to provide a complete picture of diesel locomotive activities on the WSR:
The webcams provide a very good way of watching the action from afar. Click this link: http://www.wsr.org.uk/cams.htm or click on the image below to go to the webcams via wsr.org.uk:
Webcams are available at Bishops Lydeard, Williton (there are now TWO cameras at Williton), Watchet (x2), Blue Anchor, Minehead Seaward Way and Minehead Station. Select the appropriate webcam by clicking on the blue button on the webcam page. Many thanks to Railcam UK and the WSR for providing these webcam services.
Have you considered joining the WEEKLY ROUNDUP e-newsletter list? Click here for details.
VOLUNTEERING OPPORTUNITIES: We are looking for additional engineering help to maintain our fleet of elderly locomotives, so if you have such skills and would like to join the DEPG and come along to Williton for a ‘taster day’, then please use our CONTACT FORM so that we can get in touch with you.
Social media channels:
Go to the Diesel Running Dates page