Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9526 was out and about on Sunday 12th April 2026 and was pictured during the Stogumber Station stop on the return leg of her journey, while working the 14:30 Minehead to Bishops Lydeard service. Photo by Tom Courtney © CC BY-NC 4.0
Last weekend saw two of our locos in use on the WSR, with an unexpected out-and-back working for Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6575 (33057) on the Saturday – the outbound leg being ’33’ hauled as planned, but the return leg was standing-in for a steam loco that had developed a fault. Luckily, the ’33’ was made available for the return journey by postponing a planned Empty Coaching Stock (ECS) move that would have otherwise taken the loco back to Bishops Lydeard later that day.
Then, on Sunday, Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9526 worked her first passenger turn of the 2026 season, being in charge of the 12:25 Bishops Lydeard to Minehead and the 14:30 return service. This 3-coach service is perfect for the 650hp loco and gave her a chance to stretch her legs after being cooped up on station pilot duty at Bishops Lydeard while Class 09 shunter D4107 (09019) was being lavished with attention at Williton depot. We hope to see the ’14’ in use on this duty several more times this year – keep an eye on our Diesel Running Dates page for advance notice of loco allocations. Note: if these published loco allocations change, we will endeavour to release a DIESELGEN bulletin, provided that we have enough advance notice to make it worthwhile.
Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6575 (33057) worked the 12:25 Bishops Lydeard to Minehead and the 14:30 return service on Saturday 11th April 2026 and was pictured at Williton while volunteer loco manager Ian R and his assistant Ethan W received a loco status update from volunteer WSR and SDR driver John S. Photo by Jon Tooke © CC BY-NC 4.0
There are no diesel services booked for this coming weekend (18/19 April) but on Tuesday 21st April, Class 33 ‘Crompton’D6575 (33057) will be working the 12:25 departure from Bishops Lydeard but NOT the 14:30 return, which will be covered by the WSR’s ‘hybrid’ Class 115/117 DMU, with the DMU also in use out-and-back on the Wednesday. PLEASE COME ALONG AND RIDE BEHIND THESE DIESELS so that we can get more opportunities to use them. Thanks !
Click here to go to the WSR Calendar page, then click on the date of interest.
The WSR’s EVENTS and EXPERIENCES web page gives details of other 2026 events. Click here or on the graphic below to go to the WSR Calendar Page for details and dates.
WSR 50 SUMMER DIESEL FESTIVAL – 4th to 7th June
The WSR have announced two visitors from the Wensleydale Railway in the form of Class 47 47714 (D1955, 47511), wearing the striking ‘Rail Express Systems (RES)‘ livery and Class 37 37250 (D6950) wearing the ‘EWS‘ livery, both locos adding a splash of colour to the greens and blues of the event.
Click here or on an image below to go to the WSR’s event page:
DEPG locos of classes 08, 09, 14, 33 and 35 will also be in use and Class 52 D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’ will be open to visitors at Williton Yard, along with Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9518 and Barclay 0-4-0DH 578 (ROF 1).
The DEPG depot at Williton will be open to the public and will be offering hot drinks and an expanded range of hot snacks from the ever-popular ‘Irie 7’ team, together with a seated viewing area, Rod’s Model Railways sales stand and the DEPG merchandise stand, plus cab visits to locos on shed, depot tours and some SPECIAL EXHIBITS …. DEFINITELY NOT TO BE MISSED !
Click here to go to the WSR’s event page.
Our DIESEL RUNNING DATES page is regularly updated to cover the planned diesel-hauled services for 2026, and we have now added the loco allocations for April and May. The table shows that there is a lot of diesel running planned for the WSR this year. Click here or on the image below to take a look:
LOCO NEWS:
Class 52 D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’ – more progress was made last weekend with a team of six working on the ‘B’ bogie and making progress on two fronts – one being the preparation for the re-installation of the primary suspension springs, and the other being the steady progression of the Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) work that has so far detected one small crack that dates back to BR days (and was made safe back then). We will be carrying out a repair on this crack, hopefully this coming weekend, which will then allow us to re-fit the intermediate gearbox and free up some more working space around the outside of the bogie.
The components that attach to the springs were gathered, cleaned and inspected last weekend, and a few issues detected that will need the attention of a machine shop, but nothing major and nothing that will delay us – we have plenty of other parts to be working on !
Within a week or two, the springs will be back in the bogie and the frame will then be raised up to its normal running height, making it much easier to access the underside of the frames for more NDT work.
We are very happy to report that new volunteer Tim L joined us last week, and another pair of hands makes a real difference, so please come along and help out on D1010. Use our CONTACT FORM if you are able to volunteer on a Saturday or a Tuesday – or both !
D1010 – four of the team at work on the ‘B’ bogie at Williton on Saturday 11th April 2026. From L-R, Gordon was trial-fitting the thrust pieces that sit on top of the axle boxes, Ian F will be applying the dye penetrant as soon as Phil has prepared the surfaces, and Tim L was busy cleaning up the rest of the thrust pieces. Photo by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 4.0
D1010 – missing from the previous picture, Glenn was also working with Gordon on preparing for the primary springs to be re-installed. Pictured at Williton on Saturday 11th April 2026 by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 4.0
D1010 – volunteer Ian F was getting into a corner to apply the dye penetrant to the bogie frame. Pictured at Williton on Saturday 11th April 2026 by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 4.0
D1010 – volunteer Phil was preparing the one remaining area of the upper bogie frame for dye penetrant inspection. Pictured at Williton on Saturday 11th April 2026 by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 4.0
D1010 – new volunteer Tim L was hard at work cleaning up the individual components of the primary suspension in readiness for inspection and re-fitting to the bogie. Pictured at Williton on Saturday 11th April 2026 by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 4.0
Class 08 08401 (D3516) – this loco is fully serviceable in air brake mode and can be used for shunting in the yard or elsewhere, subject to the restriction caused by the lack of vacuum brake equipment. The various piece parts and assemblies are being gathered and we hope to get this loco dual braked before the autumn.
08401 (D3516) – out in the yard, DEPG Chairman Martin was caught while enjoying a quiet moment with a tin of red paint and the buffer beam of the ’08’ – and why not ! Pictured at Williton on Saturday 11th April 2026 by Jon Tooke © CC BY-NC 4.0
Class 09 D4107 (09019) – this loco received some attention to two items that had been flagged when she was subjected to her annual Vehicle Inspection & Brake Test (VIBT) back in March. A sticking brake cylinder was inspected, lubricated and exercised, and some trip hazards on the cab floor were dealt with. The one remaining task is to attend to the compressor safety valve, which appears to be blowing off at too low a pressure. As soon as this is resolved, the loco will be ready to return to service at Bishops Lydeard.
Shunters on shed – Class 09 D4107 (09019) is on the left and Class 08 08401 (D3516) is on the right, showing off her freshly painted bright red buffer beam. Pictured at Williton on Sunday 12th April 2026 by Martin Howard © CC BY-NC 4.0
Class 33 D6566 (33 048) – this loco is indoors on No. 2 road and has now had the worn cylinder head replaced. The next task is to complete the repairs to the engine room roof section and repair or replace the bolted roof catches, many of which have sheared off !
Then, the loco can come out of the shed to have the repaired exhauster lowered back into place, then the engine room roof can go back on, then there is a round of testing and inspection to be carried out before the loco can be released to traffic – hopefully in early May.
D6566 (33048) – a refurbished cylinder head has now been fitted and the exhaust manifold re-attached and lagged with non-asbestos heat insulating wrap. Pictured at Williton on Saturday 11th April 2026 by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 4.0
Class 33 D6575 (33 057) – this loco is the ‘duty loco’ based at Bishops Lydeard and will be in use on Tuesday 21st April 2026 on the 12:25 service from Bishops Lydeard to Minehead but NOT on the return service, because that service will be covered by the WSR’s Class 115/117 DMU.
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 – this loco is fully serviceable and is stabled at Minehead following her participation in the WSR’s 50th ANNIVERSARY EVENT that took place on 28/29 March. This loco will move back to Williton in the near future but will be started up at Minehead on Saturday 18th and then moved over to the pit to have her brake rigging adjusted to compensate for the wear in the brake blocks.
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7018 – this loco will remain at the GCR for their DIESEL GALA that runs from Friday 24th through Sunday 26th April before moving to her next vacationing spot at the Severn Valley Railway, and then to the GWSR in July before returning to the WSR in August.
D7018 will participate at THREE diesel galas on other railways before returning to her home territory in August, in time to feature in the WSR’s DIESELS AT 65 event over August Bank Holiday weekend.
Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9518 – the team continues to work on the engine, with more external parts being re-fitted and the engine getting larger all the time. This week, the coolant manifolds and coolant pump attachments were re-fitted (all painted blue, the standard colour for coolant pipework). The genuine ex-Paxman engine turnover rig is evidently very useful when doing work of this kind, as it brings the work to the technician rather than have the technician having to climb on ladders or staging.
D9518 – the Paxman 6YJXL engine was pictured at Williton on Tuesday 14th April 2026 whilst being held in a horizontal position by the genuine ex-Paxman factory engine turnover rig, to facilitate the re-fitting of the coolant manifolds and coolant pump attachments. Photo by Terry Deacon © CC BY-NC 4.0
Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9526 – this loco was in use on Sunday 12th April 2026 on the 12:25 service from Bishops Lydeard to Minehead and the 14:30 return service, which was comprised of three coaches, a comfortable and efficient load for the 650 hp loco. Upon return to Bishops Lydeard, the ’14’ resumed her role as the station pilot, a duty that she will cover until relieved later this month by Class 09 shunter D4107 (09019).
D9526 – this BR Swindon-built 650hp 0-6-0 diesel hydraulic loco was in use on the 12:25 Bishops Lydeard to Minehead and the 14:30 return service on Sunday 12th April 2026. Pictured before departure from Bishops Lydeard by Steven Beale © CC BY-NC 4.0
Class 47 47077 ‘NORTH STAR’ – this loco is based at Grosmont on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway but has been ‘stopped’ because of an issue with her ‘triple pump’ – which is an electrical machine that is a combined water pump, oil pump and fuel pump, all driven from one big DC electric motor. The spare motor has now been fully reconditioned and is being prepared for shipment to the NYMR for installation into 47077. Once repaired, the loco will then need to go out for tyre turning, which will be a convoy move over the main line from Grosmont with other NYMR diesels, probably in early May.
Andrew Barclay 0-4-0DH 578 – this little loco has now received attention to her fuel system, courtesy of Tony and Gwyn, and her engine was run for a while on Tuesday 14th April to warm through. She will be due for her annual VIBT certificate renewal, but meanwhile, Class 08 shunter 08401 (D3516) is available at Williton and is fully certified for shunting duties.
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 Saturdays and Tuesdays 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:
Still feeling the cold in the evenings and mornings ? Go ahead and order a fleece jacket or sweatshirt via our ONLINE STORE, just click on this link or on the images below 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 intend to offer a Class 14 design in the coming weeks.
The range of colours has 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 |
These garments are really nice pieces of work, and the ability to personalise your choice is another definite advantage. Delivery is currently around ONE WEEK from receipt of order, so place you order now to take advantage of this short lead time.
We look forward to receiving your order, the profits from which will directly support the DEPG !
ON SHED – during the last few weeks, we have featured some photos from DAVID HINGSTON, and these have set us some challenges in identifying the locations and dates, and so far so good, we have managed to determine the places and come close to the dates – with quite a bit of help from our readers and correspondents !
The photo of Class 31 D5847 (31313) at London Liverpool Street continues to generate feedback, including this message from David himself:
“Nice detective work to place D5847 at Liverpool St station. I didn’t think I had ever been there until relatively recently, but a mate and I spent a hectic week in the late ‘60s travelling around the country on a one-week railcard (returning to Plymouth every night!) which included a day in London.
I thought we spent the whole day charging up and down Euston Road to maximise the Kings Cross/St Pancras/Euston copping experience, but obviously not … “
We also received feedback from DEPG volunteer Viv Jones, who wrote:
“Regarding the two Class 31s at Liverpool Street (or Brush Type 2s as I knew them historically), it can be seen the distant one has a BR double arrow logo on its side, despite being in green livery, not the BR lion & wheel the front loco has. I have a colour photo of a 31/Brush Type 2 on Bristol Bath Road shed which I took on 3rd April 1972 with the same BR double arrow logo on green livery. Therefore, I would suggest the Liverpool Street photo is either very late 60s or very early 70s, certainly no later than when proper headcodes and old numbers disappeared, not the mid-,60s as was stated. Both locos have D prefix so late 60s is more likely due to that.”
Last week, we featured a photo of Class 27 D5409 (27116, 27210, 27064) at St Pancras Station with a Class 3 Empty Coaching Stock (ECS) working carrying the headcode 3E12. As this loco was transferred to the Scottish Region in March of 1969, and we now know from David’s earlier feedback that this was the late 1960s, we can set the date for both the Liverpool Street and the St Pancras photos as being no later than March 1969 and probably in the summer of 1968.
Here’s some feedback from DEPG member and regular correspondent Neale Long:
“As regards the Class 27, a nice, rare shot of that Class during their brief spell of employment on the LMR prior to transfer to Scotland. The headcode carried indicated an Eastern Region service from St Pancras, almost certainly to have been Sheffield. Interestingly, ECS services then were then classed as Class 3, this was then subsequently changed to Class 5 and now, wait for it, have returned to Class 3 again. The more things change the more things stay the same.”
Many thanks to David, Viv and Neale for their feedback.
This week, we have another photo from David but also have a photo of the same loco in a different location from DEPG member Robert Dalton. Our subject is one of the North British A1A-A1A ‘Warships’, later allocated Class 41 under TOPS but never known as such because of their very short lives – all five locos were withdrawn from service at the end of 1967, the eldest (D600) being just short of 10 years old at the time.
North British Type 4 ‘WARSHIP’ D602 ‘BULLDOG’ emerges from Shillingham Tunnel, to the east of St Germans, Cornwall, with ‘THE CORNISHMAN’, the 1V33 service from Bradford Exchange to Penzance. This loco was only painted blue for a short while before being withdrawn, so the year has to be 1967. Photo by David Hingston © CC BY-NC 4.0
And now for the photo from Robert (Bob) Dalton, along with his narrative:
“In the weekly update you having been asking for any photographs of diesels on shed. I took these in June 1965 at the former Penzance steam shed. D602 “BULLDOG”, of course, went on to be the only member of the class to be repainted in blue with small yellow panels, shortly before being withdrawn.”
North British Type 4 ‘WARSHIP’ D602 ‘BULLDOG’ was pictured in her earlier BR-green livery while stabled outside the old steam shed at Long Rock, near Penzance, in June of 1965. Photo by Robert Dalton © CC BY-NC 4.0
Many thanks to David and Bob for sharing their photos with us all.
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, the more varied, the better. Use our CONTACT FORM to get in touch. Thanks !
NEW BOOKS ON SALE
A few weeks back, we announced a NEW BOOK compiled by ROGER GEACH based on the photographs of the late STEPHEN MARSHALL entitled ‘The Demise of the Diesel Hydraulics’ and published by Transport Treasury and as expected, this new book is flying off the shelves so CLICK HERE to place your order NOW. This is a hardback book that is LARGER than A4 in size and has 176 pages with 230 images, so the price of £29.95 is well justified.
Here’s some feedback from long-time DEPG member and supporter NEVILLE SLOPER:
“Wow! What can I say ?
I have a very extensive collection of hydraulic-themed books, dating back to my first purchase “Diesels Western Style” by Keith Montague in 1974. On first browse, this is up there with the very best and well worth every penny. If it wasn’t for the fact that we have family round today, I wouldn’t be putting it down !”
Many thanks to Neville for that resounding endorsement !
Hardback, large format 273 x 215 mm (10.7″ x 8.5″), 176 pages, 230 images
Here are the notes that have been provided by the publisher:
“This book is based on the Diesel Hydraulic photographs taken by the late Stephen C Marshall from Devon and supplemented by some of his friends. While they are mostly of ‘Westerns’ other Hydraulics are also depicted. This was very much the Rail Blue period. It was Stephen’s wish to start from late 1969 in date order up to the final day of the ‘Westerns’ terminating with the Western Tribute Railtour February 1977.
He also wished to include some preserved pictures as well and we have done this with what we hope are some more unusual preserved scenes. The majority of the pictures have not been published before. Stephen was well known as the former owner of Globe Videos and he produced a number of DVD on the Hydraulics but had not published many of his photographs.
He was also well known as a keen follower of locomotive hauled trains and loved to travel the country. As he lived in Devon for many years there is a strong bias on pictures taken in his own County. Many of the locations such as his favourite Newton Abbot have changed beyond recognition in the 50 years or so that many of the pictures were taken.
Along with the station changes the rolling stock and Infrastructure has also changed as the years have past. For those that followed the Hydraulics and the Railways of the Western Region should find much to interest them in this publication. Railway modellers should also find much to interest them from that period.”
Well done to all involved in the creation of this new book !
DEPG NEWS: the next major event on the WSR will be the SPRING STEAM SPECTACULAR and the DEPG will be opening our yard and shed to the public for all four days of the event (Friday 1st through Monday 4th May). Although it is a steam gala, the sheer number of visitors makes it one of most important fund-raising events for the DEPG, so we will be spending some time and effort in preparing for this event during the coming weeks.
One of the themes for fund-raising in our yard will also be for the WSRA’s BR Standard Class 4MT 4-6-0T 80064, a special cause in remembrance of our late colleague John Cooke, who played a major part in saving this loco and in arranging for it to be transferred into the care of the WSRA for future use on the WSR. Click here or on the image below to learn about the efforts of a WSRA member to fund raise for the restoration of this locomotive:
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!
