Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6575 (33057) was basking in the autumn sunshine while positioned over the pit at Minehead for an underframe examination on Saturday 26th October 2024. Photo by Tom Courtney © CC BY-NC 3.0
With the 2024 running season drawing to a close, Minehead steam depot was less crowded than is usually the case, so the opportunity was taken to position Class 33 ‘Crompton D6575 (33057) over the pit to undergo an underframe examination while the steam engines were busy working the BLUE timetable services. Everything was found to be in good order so the ’33’ will remain at Minehead for a while longer, but will return to Williton at some point to undergo winter maintenance, to keep her in the condition that has allowed her to achieve 100% availability for the third consecutive year. An OUTSTANDING achievement, so well done to ‘Team Crompton’ for looking after her so well !
This coming weekend brings the 2024 running season to a close with the BLUE timetable featuring all-steam workings on Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd. The railway will then close until the start of the Christmas special services from 30th November onward. The format of the Christmas services has changed this year, so our diesels will not be rostered for duty, but they will be on standby and available to provide support if needed.
DIESEL RUNNING DATES for 2025
We don’t yet have the details available for 2025 but we understand that the running pattern will be very similar to that of 2024, so the 2024 DIESEL RUNNING DATES page can be used as a guide, temporarily. Good news – the WSR’s SUMMER DIESEL FESTIVAL has been confirmed as being Thursday 5th through Sunday 8th of June 2025.
Click here to go to our DIESEL RUNNING DATES page
Click here to go to our ONLINE SHOP
Thank you very much for your support !
LOCO NEWS:
Class 52 D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’ – the focus continued to be on the tidying up and organising of the many parts that have already been removed from the ‘B’ bogie, but some opportunities did arise to allow work to be carried out on other things. The fine weather allowed Ian F to get back to the hard work of rubbing down and filling the loco bodyside, a task that he never seems to tire from. We can safely say that there is not one inch of D1010 that Ian hasn’t already rubbed down personally and painted, and he is going around again, so he deserves a medal for his diligence !
In an effort to clear some floor space, six more cardan shafts (there are 14 in total on a ‘Western’) were prepared for shipping out to the specialist subcontractor for cleaning and inspection. As none of the bogie shafts have been changed in preservation, all six examples are from the BR-era and are around 50 years old, so we might get a big bill to have them brought up to the required standard. From the limited inspection that we could perform, they appear to be in remarkably good condition, so our strategy is to send them for inspection rather than replace them automatically. This is the ‘on condition’ approach that we are taking with the overhaul of D1010.
In the coming weeks, we will be performing inspection and dye penetrant testing on some of the key components that have been removed from the ‘B’ bogie so that we can formulate a detailed repair plan for each part. This will take a while to do, but will allow us to get the process moving and we can then start to plan the re-assembly, which will be a turning point for the project.
Many thanks to our volunteers for progressing the work on this massive loco !
D1010 – volunteer Ian F was pictured while taking a well-earned break to enjoy the sunshine at Williton on Saturday 26th October 2024. Ian has already worked his way around the complete bodyside at least once, rubbing down and filling and painting, and is now making another round. Such dedication! Photo by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0
D1010 – six more cardan shafts were prepared for shipment to the specialist subcontractor for overhaul. Each shaft in this batch is from BR days and is around 50 years old. Pictured at Williton on Saturday 26th October 2024 by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0
D1010 – viewed through the fan covers of the ‘B’ cooler group, Gordon could be seen releasing the hydraulic hoses from the fan motors. All of the flexible hoses are way past their expiry dates and will be replaced as a matter of course. Pictured at Williton on Saturday 26th October 2024 by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0
Apologies to those D1010 sponsors who have yet to receive the photos and certificates for the patches that they have sponsored. After ‘almost’ catching up in the Spring, the lifting of the loco and subsequent need to get the bogie overhaul project underway has depleted the resource for the patch engraving and a backlog has built up again.
Rest assured that every sponsor will receive their certificate and the details of where to find their sponsored patch. We will be making a further push for funds soon, because we have some big ticket items for refurbishment, including 14 cardan shafts and 32 springs.
MANY THANKS to all who have sponsored and supported the RESTORATION of D1010 !
Class 09 D4107 (09019) – this loco is normally based at Bishops Lydeard but will move to Williton on Saturday 2nd November to undergo body repairs and a list of other maintenance tasks that will hopefully still leave time for a repaint. This loco is an essential tool for the WSR so we have a duty to keep her reliable and dependable. She will be returned to Bishops Lydeard in time for the start of the 2025 operating season.
Class 33 D6566 (33 048) – this loco is stabled at Williton but will be moving to Bishops Lydeard on the afternoon of Saturday 2nd November, to cover for Class 09 shunter D4107 (09019) while that loco is at Williton for attention. The ’33’ will be available to support the WSR Christmas services that originate from Bishops Lydeard, should the need arise.
Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6575 (33057) was trundling through Williton with a train of Empty Coaching Stock for Minehead on Wednesday 23rd October, passing her slightly older sister D6566 (33048) in the process. Photo by Tom Courtney © CC BY-NC 3.0
Class 33 D6575 (33 057) – after hauling an ECS move from Bishops Lydeard to Minehead on Wednesday 23rd October, this loco underwent an underframe examination over the pit at Minehead on Saturday 26th with no issues arising. The loco will return to Williton at some point in the near future for repairs to the corroded rainwater gutter in the engine room and possibly some other bodywork repairs, but work on Class 09 D4107 (09019) will take priority.
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 – after having an excellent season and achieving 100% availability, this loco is currently stabled at Minehead and has now been assessed for body repairs and repainting, the cost of which is going to reach £10,000. In addition to bodywork, the loco will need to have her auxiliary cardan shafts overhauled due to excessive wear in the joints and splines. Several other maintenance tasks are also on the list for this winter.
As the first locomotive to be saved for preservation by the Diesel & Electric Group (the forerunner of the DEPG) back in 1975, Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 has built up a significant following and is very much loved. This loco has had an excellent year, working public service trains on 10 separate days and achieving 100% availability, although she has started to look rather shabby of late. As D7017 is now approaching her 50th year in preservation, it will be appropriate to have her bodywork overhauled and repainted in time for her 50th anniversary, so arrangements have been made to have the work carried out at the Minehead workshops of the West Somerset Railway.
The work involves a number of areas around the body where corrosion has taken hold from the inside and resulted in perforations of the body panels. The metalwork behind the corroded panels will need to be cut out and replaced, so this is not a quick job. The DEPG’s volunteer welders are tied up on other projects that would be unfairly affected by queue-jumping D7017, so the opportunity was taken to follow-up on an offer from the Minehead team and a repair and repainting contract has been agreed. The work is about to start and the loco will be back with us in a matter of months so that other maintenance work can continue at Williton.
We need help raising funds for the work that is about to be carried out. This is a short-term appeal so please give this your attention and help by making a donation via our website (click on the icons below) or by bank app or by sending a cheque to the DEPG at Williton. THANK YOU VERY MUCH !
Some photos of the work required:
D7017 – the Great British weather has taken its toll on the bodywork of our long-serving and much loved ‘Hymek’. A contract repair has been arranged, with the work being done by the WSR’s Minehead Engineering team to include welding work and a repaint. The above five photos were taken at Minehead on 31st October 2024 by Andy Palk © CC BY-NC 3.0
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7018 – the ‘transmission team’ continued their VERY careful and diligent work on the re-building of the Mekydro K184u transmission, with special attention being given to each of the six clutch actuator mechanisms to ensure they each have smooth movement and security. Anything going wrong in this area will result in damage to the dog clutches, of which we only have a few precious spares remaining. We need to give the team time and space to work on this to get it right, so we are limiting our coverage of this phase of the work. We have every confidence in the team and we know that they will deliver the goods.
The whole process has been helped along by close support from leading diesel-hydraulic preservationist Paul Koch, who happened to have a complete set of technical bulletins and manuals that have now been loaned to the team to allow us to follow the revised procedures that were developed in 1964, after the initial period of teething troubles had settled down. The revisions to settings and tolerances have now been applied to the rebuild, giving us a much better chance of getting a reliable outcome. Step by step, we are getting there. Many thanks to Paul and our own Transmission Team for their careful work !
D7018 – the clearance between the clutch operating arm and the ‘stress bolt’ that is an extension of the actuator piston is defined in three planes, x, y and z, the ‘z’ axis being measured in this view. Each clearance needs to be checked and adjusted by shimming. Pictured at Williton on Tuesday 21st October 2024 by Colin Foxhall © CC BY-NC 3.0
D7018 – Transmission Team member Geoff and team leader Colin F (L-R) study some of the many documents delivered by Paul and Kay Koch during their visit to Williton on Monday 21st October 2024. Photo by Kay Koch © CC BY-NC 3.0
Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9518 – the focus has shifted to the loco frames to make them ready to receive the refurbished cab assembly. We hope to be ready to lift the cab back onto the frames at the end of November or in early December. One task that was dealt with last weekend was the installation of the Standstill Detector, a small but essential item that prevents changes of direction from taking place until the loco has come to a complete stop. This device is very hard to access, so it has been re-installed before the cab goes back on, while it is still possible to get at it to wire it up.
Meanwhile, the work in the cab itself has set a new standard, a real labour of love that is instantly recognisable from the quality of the work and the excellent finish. Marvellous indeed !
D9518 – the driver’s desk in the restored cab is a clear display of the quality of the work that is taking place. It is going to be as good as the day it was built ! Pictured at Williton on Saturday 26th October 2024 by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0
D9518 – the attention to detail and the quest for authenticity comes from the restoration team members themselves. Colin G was pictured sitting between two examples of his work in the restored cab at Williton on Saturday 26th October 2024. Photo by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0
D9518 – this restored Standstill Detector was made by Westinghouse in 1964 and is still fully functional today. It has now been re-installed on the loco frames, underneath the cab. Pictured at Williton on Saturday 26th October 2024 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 help us by making a a donation via our website (click here or 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 – no change – this loco was is now stabled outside on Number 1 road at Williton and is likely to remain there until the new year. When space becomes available in the loco shed, she will be going ‘indoors’ for some maintenance work, which will include attention to her engine and her bodywork, to make sure that she is in good shape for the 2025 running season.
Class 47 47077 ‘NORTH STAR’ – this loco is based at Grosmont on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway but has been out of service because of a coolant leak from the liner of cylinder B3. The repair work has now been completed by specialist contractor HERITAGE RAIL and the loco has had a test run and been passed as ready to resume her duties. It is rumoured that she might make an appearance on the NYMR diesel diagram this coming Sunday, 3rd November (it is just a rumour, so don’t travel without getting confirmation from the NYMR).
47077 (D1661, 47613, 47840) ‘NORTH STAR’ was out and about on a test run on the NYMR on Tuesday 22nd October 2024. Photo by Dave Tibbett © CC BY-NC 3.0
Andrew Barclay 0-4-0DH 578 – this loco will be in use on Saturday 2nd November for driver training activities that will take place in the South yard at Williton. The more drivers that are passed to drive her, the more useful she will be.
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 !
BOOK REVIEW: the FOURTH volume in ‘THE BEATEN TRACK’ series by Andy Chard is now available and in stock at Williton. The standard set by Andy’s first volume was repeated admirably in the second and third volumes, and the success of the format continues with high levels of advance sales for this much-anticipated volume 4.
GET YOUR COPY FROM THE DEPG and help us maintain your favourite loco fleet while enjoying a very good read !
Click here or on the image below to go the DEPG online store where this book is available from stock for £34.95 per copy.
ON SHED: last week, we featured another photo from Mark Bladwell’s collection, with the infamous D1007 ‘WESTERN TALISMAN’ pictured at the head of a Paddington express … and we asked where and when ? … but received no correct replies ! Mark came to the rescue with full details of his photograph, revealed in the updated caption below. Many thanks to Mark for sharing his photo with us all.
Class 52 D1007 ‘WESTERN TALISMAN’ was pictured at the head of the 1A15 service to Paddington, due to depart from Swansea High Street station at 12:53 on Saturday 25th August 1973. Photo by Mark Bladwell © CC BY-NC 3.0
This week, we have a wonderful and rare image of North British Class 41 D601 ‘ARK ROYAL’ derailed at Menheniot (near Liskeard), Cornwall and receiving attention from the re-railing team and from uniformed ‘experts’, no doubt each providing helpful advice. The photo belongs to DEPG member David Hingston and features his father, and we are very grateful to him for sharing it with us all. Here is what David has to say about his photo:
“A few weeks ago you were asking for photos of Class 22s and I knew I had one somewhere which might be of interest as it featured a derailment. I hunted high and low but couldn’t find it … until now! That’s what happens when you move house. Actually I haven’t found the original, but have discovered that I had already scanned it and saved it to my PC. So here it is.
Turns out not to be a Class 22 at all, but D601 ‘ARK ROYAL’. The location is the west end of Menheniot Station in East Cornwall and I have labelled it 1963, although I am not sure how I know that, unless it is written on the back of the missing photo. Certainly it would have been around that time as it was withdrawn at the end of 1967.
My father was the ganger of that length and he was called out on a weekend to attend – that’s him in front of the nearest buffer with his foot resting nonchalantly on the rail, probably in an attempt to convey that everything was under control (for the photographer?).
It appears that the derailment occurred while crossing back from the down to the up line, maybe because of some weekend workings requiring “wrong line” running between there and Liskeard. The branch in the background went into the adjacent quarry and from the shine on the rails looks to be still in use at that time.”
Many thanks to Dave for sharing his photo with us all.
North British Class 41 D601 ‘ARK ROYAL’ was pictured while receiving urgent attention from the re-railing team at Menheniot, Cornwall some time in 1963. The loco was five years old at the time but only had four more years in service before being withdrawn with the other four of her classmates in December 1967. Photo from the David Hingston collection © CC BY-NC 3.0
DEPG NEWS: work continues on the planning of the yard and depot in support of the lease renewal process that is moving along in the background. More news on this in the near future. The future of the Old Goods Shed is a major consideration and ideas for the re-purposing of this Grade II listed building are also ‘in the works’.
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 !