Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9526 was pictured on the approach to the delightful Stogumber station with the 11:00 departure from Bishops Lydeard to Minehead on Tuesday 22nd August 2023. Photo by Shirley Turner © CC BY-NC 3.0
Our DIESEL RUNNING DATES page is updated several times per week and is kept as accurate as we can make it. The loco allocations are subject to availability (of course), but we do try to field the allocated loco wherever possible. Click on the banner below to go to the website page:
The DIESEL RUNNING DATES pages is supplemented by our DIESELGEN bulletin service which captures non-public running such as special trains and engineering workings (where we have sufficient notice to publish such workings). Sign up for DIESELGEN emails or keep an eye on our website homepage.
LOCO NEWS:
Class 52 D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’ – the transmission work is progressing and the peripherals are being dealt with in the early stages so that known good assemblies can be stored and cleared from the working area before the turbine rail is opened up. The amount of space required to disassemble such complex and inter-related parts is staggering, so good houskeeping is essential. Apologies for the lack of photos this week.
On the loco itself, the electrical wiring under the driver’s desk at ‘B’ end is being carefully reinstated by Steve, with each crimp terminal being inspected and replaced whenever any doubt exists about the integrity of the existing part. We want this loco to be reliable so that we can attract swarms of vistors to ride behind the loco on the WSR as soon as we are up and running again.
The bodywork of the loco continues to progress, with ‘A’ end already having been repainted. There are still some patches waiting for sponsors at the ‘B’ end of the loco, so GET IN QUICK TO HAVE YOUR NAME ENGRAVED before the painters reach this end (the weather is delaying this work). Many thanks to those who placed their orders during this last week.
D1010 and D7017 – the two locos were pictured on number 1 road at Williton on Saturday 19th August 2023 while undergoing attention from our team of volunteers. Photo by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0
Having the loco outdoors has generated an increased interest in our SPONSOR A PATCH scheme, with several more patches being engraved with their sponsor’s names or messages. This initiative remains the single most successful fund-raising activity and has allowed us to make significant progress with the restoration work. PLEASE CONTINUE TO HELP US FUND THIS PROJECT.
Photographs and certificates of sponsorship will be sent out to all who have sponsored the restoration work, but we are still short of volunteer resources and have not yet been able to catch up with this obligation and deliver the documents. Apologies for the delay, we will get it done ASAP. Click the image below to sponsor a patch. Thank you in advance for your support and your patience!
See our CAMPAIGN for CAMPAIGNER web page for more details. We still have a lot of work to do on this massive locomotive, so PLEASE DO COME ALONG AND HELP IF YOU CAN !
Class 33 D6566 (33 048) – this loco is the WSR Standby Loco and is now stabled at Bishops Lydeard after working Blue timetable duties for the past three months. See our DIESEL RUNNING DATES page for details. As you will have noticed from your DEPG calendars, this loco enjoyed her 62nd birthday on Saturday 26th August !
Class 33 D6575 (33 057) – this loco is outstationed at Minehead and will handle the Blue timetable until handing the baton back to her slightly older sister on the last Bishops Lydeard to Minehead service of the day on 23rd September.
Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6575 (33 057) was in use on Sunday 27th August 2023 with DEPG and PW volunteer Chris L (right) on secondman duties and former Eurostar driver Baz (left) on route learning duties. Pictured while standing at Williton Station by driver Martin Howard © CC BY-NC 3.0
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 – both ‘Hymeks’ were ‘grounded’ while our updated Risk Assessment was being scrutinised by the WSR, but this document has now been approved so we can at least move the locos subject to the additional control measures being put in place.
However, we still have two electrical faults to deal with on this loco, then we will need to do a Vehicle Inspection and Brake Test (VIBT), then arrange a test run to ensure that the loco is reliable enough to be rostered for duty. This is not going to happen in time for the loco to do any public service work this year, which is why the two ‘Cromptons’ have stepped in to cover the remaining turns that were formerly booked for the ‘Hymeks’.
Although this is disappointing for all of us, it does provide a breathing space to allow us resolve the issues properly and get the loco reliable again, so that she can perform as often as possible in 2024.
D7017 – the engine speeder valve solenoid that failed while the loco was in service on Sunday 2nd July 2023 has now been fitted with a new winding, thanks to Carwood Rewind of Yeovil. Photo by Terry Deacon © CC BY-NC 3.0
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7018 – the work taking place on this locomotive continues to be of an analytical nature, digging deeper into the inner workings of the transmission control block to establish the list of probable causes and rank them in order of criticality. This work will take a few more weeks and will then clear the way for the transmission to be partly disassembled to check if the theories fit with the actual findings.
Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9518 – although some effort has had to be diverted towards classmate D9526, several tasks on D9518 have been moving along in the background. The cardan shafts are currently undergoing inspection before being balanced at H J Chard in Bristol. Results will be shared ASAP, but early indications were not good, so we are braced for some expensive news. Back at Williton, the driver’s power and direction controller has been disamantled for cleaning and inspection. This task was very kindly carried out by Martin R and revealed some areas of wear that will need to be assessed and possibly repaired before the controller is re-assembled. Master electrician John C has resumed his work on the driver’s desk wiring loom and is in the process of mapping out the many conenctions so that a replacement loom can be assembled. There is plenty of work to be done on this restoration project !
D9518 – the cardan shafts were transported to H J Chard in Bristol for inspection and balancing. Pictured on 1st August 2023 by Colin Girle © CC BY-NC 3.0
D9518 – the driver’s power and direction controller has been stripped down for cleaning. It will now be inspected and any areas of wear corrected before being reassembled. Pictured at Williton on Saturday 26th August by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0
This loco is the subject of a fundraising appeal so please follow this link to find out more. We need your help ! In addition to funds, we also need plenty of HANDS. If you love the ‘Teddy Bears’ and you are not already a member of the DEPG, please join us so that you can become one of the team that is going to return D9518 to fully operational condition as ‘NCB No. 7‘.
Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9526 – this loco was in use for three of the five weeks of the YELLOW timetable services that ran during the peak summer period, concluding on Saturday 26th August. These 4-coach workings were ideal for the quiet and purposeful 650 HP loco and also provided opportunities for six different drivers to develop experience on the type, making rostering much easier in future. Well done D9526 !
D9526 – the loco worked the 11:00 Bishops Lydeard to Minehead and return on Thursday 24th August 2023. Pictured at Blue Anchor by Steve Lewis © CC BY-NC 3.0
Class 47 47077 ‘NORTH STAR’ – this loco is undergoing a ‘top end’ engine overhaul at Grosmont Works on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. Work is proceeding well, but the amount of work being done means that the loco is unlikely to emerge until after the main running season ends, but she will be in very good shape for 2024 and beyond.
Andrew Barclay 0-4-0DH 578 – this loco is in full working order and is stabled in the South Yard. The cab is undergoing a repaint in the capable hands of Jon T, but the loco remains serviceable and ready for action.
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 !