Weekly Roundup – 07-Nov-25

The WSR’s Class 115 Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) worked the last scheduled service to Minehead on Sunday 2nd November 2025 while BR(WR) 4-6-0 7828 ‘ODNEY MANOR’ worked the ‘up’ service towards Bishops Lydeard, to bring the 2025 running season to a close. Both were pictured at Williton by Mike Lanning © CC BY-NC 4.0

Click here to go to the WSR’s Timetable page then click on the day of interest then click VIEW TIMETABLE.

All of the Christmas Specials are rostered for steam haulage, but keep an eye on our DIESEL RUNNING DATES page or sign up to our DIESELGEN bulletin service for advance notification of unplanned or diesel-assisted services.

LOCO NEWS:

Class 52 D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’– the weather interfered with progress on the removal of the secondary springs of ‘A’ bogie at Williton last weekend, but some springs were eventually removed and the rest will be tackled during this coming weekend, the weather forecast being much more favourable – if it turns out to be correct, of course !

In parallel with the work on the bogies, attention is being given to planning some remedial work on the ‘A’ engine, which exhibited some coolant leakage from between some of the cylinder heads when cold, before the last engine run, back in November 2021. Our friends at the DTG have advised that the upper cylinder liner seals are probably the cause, this being a known issue on this type of diesel engine and for which there is a known fix. However, the engine is currently mounted on a stand on a Boiler Trolley along with the ‘B’ engine, so it cannot be worked on until it is brought back down to ground level. This is going to take some planning and will involve a crane lift. The engine work also needs to be thought through so that we come up with a remediation plan that does not go further than necessary, the engine being otherwise OK.

Here’s a reminder of the last time that the ‘A’ engine was run-up, which was just before the electrical systems within the loco were disconnected as her bodywork overhaul progressed. Click here or on the image below to go to the Weekly Roundup of 07-Nov-21 and scroll down to the D1010 section.

D1010 – click here or on the image above to go to the Weekly Roundup from 7th November 2021 to view video clips from the last occasion when the ‘A’ engine was run up. Video clips by Leroy Ford  © CC BY-NC 4.0

D1010 – the two stored Bristol Siddeley Maybach MD655 engines from D1010 dominate the corner of the shed at Williton. Pictured along with John C on Saturday 8th March 2025 by Jon Tooke © CC BY-NC 4.0

The funding that we already have in place for D1010 is sufficient to carry us through for the time being, but we will be needing to top up to get the loco completed in time for the 2027 running season.

Before asking for more funding, we will be writing up a report on how much has been raised, how much has been spent and on what, and provide the estimates to get the job done. We expect to remain within the £100,000 that was originally set as a target.

Several sponsors have been reminding us that we still haven’t completed the marking of a number of patches, and some certificates have yet to be sent out. Apologies for this, but we will be straightening this out over the coming weeks and getting up to date with the administration of this very successful fundraising scheme.

Class 09 D4107 (09019) – outstationed at Bishops Lydeard in support of WSR operations. This loco will move to Williton at the end of the operating season so that the most urgent of the bodywork repairs that were started last winter can be continued. Class 14 D9526 will be moving to Bishops Lydeard to cover for the ’09’.

Class 33 D6575 (33 057) – this loco has also returned to Williton and will undergo an oil change this coming weekend. The downside is that her Sulzer 8LDA28 engine requires 105 gallons of oil, which converts to 400 litres, which costs around £2,000 these days !

We carry out regular oil condition monitoring and only change the oil when necessary (the previous oil change on this loco was in December 2021) but the latest sample report stated that the time has come again. The oil filters will also be replaced and then there will be 400 litres of used oil and three dirty filters that will have to be disposed of, which will be another expense that has to be offset against the running income.

The loco will then move to Bishops Lydeard where she will remain ‘on duty’ and under cover throughout the winter.

Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 – this loco is stabled on number 1 road at Williton and will undergo some light maintenance work before being ‘winterised’ later this month.

Here are the running dates:

On Saturday 22nd November, a charter has been organised by DTG and DEPG member STEVE FULCHER. Here are the details (D7018 services show as ‘Loco D2‘ and are highlighted in yellow), please contact Steve directly using the details below if you would like to ride on this special train. WELL DONE STEVE for arranging this. PLEASE DO TRY AND SUPPORT THIS EVENT because that is the way to ensure that this will be the first of many such ‘Hymek’ charters on this and other lines!

Steve has advised that the Griddle Car will be included in the train and will be open all day, and will offer CURRY in the evening, so if you were in two minds about going along, then this should clinch it. GET ON THE PHONE to Steve or email him and book your ticket now !

Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9518 – work on the electrical system re-wire has resumed and further progress has also been made on the rebuild of the Paxman ‘Ventura’ 6YJXL engine that last served in sister loco D9526. The photos below show two more pistons being installed by the ‘Tuesday Team’, after which the engine received a coat of light grey gloss, courtesy of Colin G:

Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9526 – this loco is currently indoors on No. 2 road at Williton and is undergoing an underframe cleanup and repaint in the careful hands of Colin G, and the results are in line with his usual high standard. This loco will move to Bishops Lydeard later in November to cover for Class 09 shunter D4107 (09019).

Class 47 47077 ‘NORTH STAR’ – this loco continues to be in regular use on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway and was recently the subject of a social media post by the West Somerset Railway – click this link to go the WSR Facebook page.

Andrew Barclay 0-4-0DH 578 – this little loco is stabled outdoors on Number 3 road at Williton and was used to move Class 08 shunter 08401 (D3516) from the North Yard to the South Yard on Saturday 25th October.

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:

Good news – we believe that our supplier is now up to date with deliveries, so if you think otherwise then please get in touch with us by using our CONTACT FORM.  So, now is the time to place your NEW order via our ONLINE STORE, just 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 we now have the new design for the Class 33 ‘Cromptons’ featuring two locos side by side, one in green livery and the other in blue, or both in blue. Please let us know if you would like to order a combination that is not obvious on our online store – we are adding more options on a weekly basis.

New design for the DEPG Class 33 ‘Cromptons’. Click here to place your order !

We hope to have a new design for the Class 14 ‘Teddy Bears’ soon. Here’s a review of what is on offer and available to order NOW via our website:

Polo shirt in Black with 50 YEARS of HYMEKS logo	Polo shirt in Royal Blue with D7018 in blue FYE and D1010 in maroon SYP
Polo shirt in Burgundy with 47077 ‘NORTH STAR’ logo	Polo shirt in Seal Grey with D7017 in green SYP and D1010 in maroon SYP
T-shirt with D7018 and D1010 design (this type of printing is only available on a T-shirt)	Sweatshirt with D7018 in blue FYE and D1010 in maroon SYP

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:

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 – this week, we feature something different, a loco of a fading Class pictured when almost new at a location that once boasted a huge marshalling yard but has long since closed down, namely Healey Mills, near Wakefield in West Yorkshire. Here’s the narrative that was provided by the photographer, Rob Crispin:

     “As South Devon Railway have announced a 2 day diesel gala (8-9th November), and their guest locos are two Class 56s, I thought I’d dig out a photo of one of those from the 1980s.

     56109 was less than a year old when I took this photo of it at Healey Mills in February, 1983. The memories of this trip were that it was the worst trip due to the fog not lifting at all, the fact that hardly anything was visible, and the freezing cold temperature which teenagers were never going to be fully prepared for.

     This was the only photo that made it to an album. I can remember seeing the outline of an 08 coupled to a brake van, which clearly had a fire raging inside, as well as probably half the depot staff!

     56109 managed just over 20 years in service before being withdrawn. It then managed another 8 years before it was scrapped. Although cases can be made for other places, if I could time travel and revisit another school trip location again, I’d probably pick Healey Mills as I only ever visited there on that day.

Class 56 ‘Grid’ 56109 was less than one year old when pictured through the fog at Healey Mills depot on a very cold and dismal Friday 25th February 1983. Photo by Rob Crispin © CC BY-NC 4.0

NEW BOOKS ON SALE

Not one but THREE new books were added to our online store last week, with varied themes but all of great interest. The publishers have confirmed that the new books have arrived in their stock and we expect to receive our allocation during next week, so GO AHEAD AND PLACE YOUR ORDERS !

Part 1 of a 3-part series by Bernard Mills, this new book is sure to be a big success. Click here to place your order (for shipment in mid-November).

Volume 2 of a 3-volume series by Michael Rhodes, this new book is going to be of great interest to many readers. Click here to place your order (for shipment in mid-November).

A rugged A5 wirebound booklet that will be essential reading for operators and crew of the popular Class 33 ‘Cromptons’, this book will also be of value to those with a broader technical interest. Click here to order your copy.

There are many other new and pre-owned book titles on our online store – click here for details.

The DEPG 2026 A3 CALENDAR is available for sale and the recent uptick in shipments has prompted us to include it in the roundup ! Click here or on the following image to see a mini-presentation that steps through each page and gives the flavour of the contents. MANY THANKS to all of the photographers who donated their work for the benefit of the DEPG !

DEPG NEWS: our Publicity Officer Mark Bladwell has been busy again, this time producing another edition of the DEPG Quarterly Newsletter, right on time as usual!

This 32-page edition will be sent out to all DEPG members who were on the membership register on 3rd November, either by mail or email according to the preferences set in your membership account. Please let us know by using our CONTACT FORM if you are a member but haven’t received your copy by the end of the coming week. Not a member ? Then click here to sign up to become a member or to re-join!

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 !

Go to the previous Roundup post