Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9526 was preparing to haul the ‘Tidy Train’ from Williton to Bishops Lydeard when pictured alongside Platform 1 on Saturday 22nd November 2025. This loco will be in use on Saturday 6th December 2025 to assist the ‘Santa Express‘ on the climb from Bishops Lydeard to Crowcombe Heathfield. Photo by Jon Tooke © CC BY-NC 4.0
The first of the WSR‘s 2025 Christmas Season ‘SANTA EXPRESS‘ specials will depart from Bishops Lydeard tomorrow 6th December at 11:00 with a steam loco at the head and our Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9526 assisting from the rear on the climb to Crowcombe Heathefield. The diesel is being employed on the first train of the day as ‘insurance’ in case of slippery railhead conditions that might otherwise result in delays to the timetable. On Sunday, two steam locos are rostered for use (one on the ‘Santa’ and the other on the ‘QB’ dining train) so one will assist the other in the same manner.
The Christmas Specials are booking up quite quickly, so if you are thinking of supporting the WSR while simultaneously getting into the Christmas spirit, then click on this link or the image below to go to the WSR‘s events page and book your place while you have some choice remaining. The WSR image below is dated 2nd December, so availability will have tightened since it was produced.
Following the successful visit of the ‘Inspiration‘ travelling exhibition train to the WSR last week, thanks go out to GWR for arranging shuttle services between Taunton and Bishops Lydeard stations on the Tuesday and Friday. These trains make the WSR so much more accessible, we really hope that they can be operated at other times, particularly during WSR gala events where they would make a big difference to the number of rail-orientated visitors who would travel by train from further afield.
GWR Class 150 ‘Sprinter’ 150246 was pictured at Bishops Lydeard with her GWR and WSR crew members alongside. Photo dated 28th November 2025 by George Thomas © CC BY-NC 4.0
WSRA Christmas Prize Draw – for the restoration of BR 2-6-4T 80064
The West Somerset Railway Association (WSRA) is the charity that supports the WSR and is constantly engaged in fundraising for relevant and worthy causes. This year, it is the restoration of BR 2-6-4T 80064 that is at the top of the list and a PRIZE DRAW has been organised based on a wide range of prizes that have been donated by local businesses, members and supporters. The tickets are priced at £2 each and have been selling like hot cakes, but restoring a ‘Standard 4 Tank‘ is no trivial undertaking, so let’s wish the WSRA all the best and try and give them some help and support as well !
The draw closes on 15th December so ACT NOW to get your tickets and be involved in the draw, and in doing so support the WSRA and the WSR.
Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6566 (33048) was used to shunt BR ‘Standard 4 Tank’ 2-6-4T 80064 from the WS Restorations ‘Swindon Shed’ to the North Yard at Williton on Saturday 27th April 2024. The ‘Standard 4 Tank‘ loco is the object of the Christmas Prize Draw that is being promoted by the loco owners, the West Somerset Railway Association (WSRA). Photo by Martin Howard © CC BY-NC 4.0
THE FLOCKTON FLYER:
Something else that has been brought to our attention is the re-screening of the ‘FLOCKTON FLYER‘ TV series on Talking Pictures TV (Freeview or Youview channel 82, Sky 328, Virgin 445, Freesat 306). Although intended as a children’s TV series, the location being the WSR and the period being 1976/77 provides a very interesting portrayal of the early days of the WSR, including an appearance by Park Royal Class 103 Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) set P200 that was repainted in blue on one side only to make an appearance in the series !
Here are a few photos taken from that most excellent resource wsr.org.uk:
The WSR in 1976/77 – with ex-GWR 0-6-0PT 6412 suitable adorned as ‘FLOCKTON FLYER‘ along with Park Royal Class 103 DMU set P200 at Bishops Lydeard. Photo by Nick Jones © CC BY-NC 4.0
The filming of ‘THE FLOCKTON FLYER‘ TV series on the WSR back in 1976/77 – with ex-GWR 0-6-0PT 6412 and the Park Royal Class 103 DMU set P200 now in all-over pale blue livery – but on that side only ! Pictured just outside Bishops Lydeard station by John Wood © CC BY-NC 4.0
IMPORTANT DATES FOR 2026 – the following events have been confirmed by the WSR, with more details to follow as soon as hire contracts have been finalised:
LOCO NEWS:
Class 52 D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’– the continuing inclement weather at Williton kept the focus of the work on the various parts that needed cleaning, inspecting and painting, there being enough of these in progress to keep the team busy for several weeks !
The plan is to shunt the yard on Saturday 6th December (weather permitting) to get at least one of the bogies inside the loco shed so that work can proceed regardless of the weather. Repositioning the engines has to wait until two ‘moons’ align, one being the need to have a crane on site, which will now be some time in January, and the other being the need to have the WSR‘s 7-tonne Fork Lift Truck available and ‘in ticket’ to reposition the engines once they have been lifted from the boiler trolley and lowered onto their stands at ground level.
Meanwhile, after completing the fabrication of a towbar intended for use when moving D1010‘s bogies around the shed, Colin F and Reece turned their attention to the water pumps with a view to overhauling them while the engines are not available to work on, and will continue their preparations by obtaining or making the special tools that are needed for the work ahead.
Colin F trial fits the newly-fabricated towbar to the Linde Fork Lift Truck – the towbar was made by Colin F and Reece and will be used when moving D1010‘s bogies around the loco shed. Pictured at Williton on Saturday 22nd November 2025 by Jon Tooke © CC BY-NC 4.0
Class 08 08401 (D3516) – the ‘spare’ vacuum exhauster was prepared for testing and powered up via the ‘test’ set of batteries that are no longer fit for loco use, via appropriate switchgear to ensure safe operation. The machine ran as expected with no issues, so this major item is now ‘good to go’.
The first draft of the plan for the conversion of this loco to dual braking has been prepared by volunteer loco manager Ian and has been shared with the WSR for their review and feedback. meanwhile, work continues on the preparation of the smaller items that will also need to be installed on the loco.
08401 (D3516) – the Westinghouse vacuum exhauster, wired up and ready to test at Williton on Saturday 29th November 2025. Photo by Ian Robins © CC BY-NC 4.0
Class 09 D4107 (09019) – this loco will be in use in the afternoon of Saturday 6th December 2025 for shunting the South Yard at Williton in connection with secondmen training that is kindly being provided by DEPG member, WSR Diesel Traction Inspector and author, John Leach.
Class 33 D6566 (33 048) – this loco is stabled at Williton so that her planned maintenance work can be continued while outdoors. When the shed is available, she will move indoors so that her leaking engine room roof can be removed and repaired.
Class 33 D6575 (33 057) – this loco is now based at Bishops Lydeard where she will remain ‘on duty’ in support of the Christmas seasonal steam-hauled services. She may not get much use because all of the Christmas services are rostered for steam haulage this year, but the upside is that she will be under cover throughout the winter.
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 – this loco is stabled on number 1 road at Williton and is receiving some light maintenance work and internal cleaning.
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7018 – this loco is currently based at Loughborough on the Great Central Railway and will remain there until the end of April 2026. The GCR have been making good use of the loco and are able to use her during the cold season because carriage heating is being provided by their steam heating van. This has been the subject of much interest because it provides a mobile steam heating capability that can be put to use with non-boiler-fitted diesel locos or used as a static facility to pre-heat carriages before steam haulage, reducing the amount of coal being burned and shortening the number of hours that the steam locos need to be in steam.
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7018 at Loughborough Central Station on Saturday 22nd November 2025, with the GCR‘s Train Heating Boiler Van 3178 (formerly BR BSK 34590, built 1955) about to be coupled behind the loco. Photo by Martin Howard © CC BY-NC 4.0
The ‘Boiler Van’ is a converted Mark 1 brake coach (formerly type BSK) that has been stripped of passenger accommodation and the resulting space filled with water tanks, a generator and a boiler (or more accurately, a steam generator). The conversion work was done by BREL Derby in 1971 and a batch of 22 ‘Boiler Vans’ were supplied to Irish Railways where they were in regular use until 2006. Click here to read the story of sister van 3173 now preserved by the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland at Inchicore, Dublin.
The generator and the boiler are fed from diesel fuel tanks that are suspended from the underframe in the centre of the vehicle. On the plus side, the vehicle can provide plenty of steam for a full day’s work, but the downside is that the loco has to haul an additional vehicle weighing over 40 tonnes.
Back in BR days, most diesel locos designated for passenger haulage were fitted with boilers from new, but they were often a source of trouble and many fell into disuse, leading to widespread passenger dissatisfaction. Stories abound of secondmen having to spend almost the entire journey in the boiler room trying to keep the boiler alight and the passengers quiet.
Note – the Class 33 was the first mixed traffic diesel loco to be built with Electric Train Heating (ETH) and never carried a boiler, unlike her Class 26 and Class 27 cousins.
For heritage diesel locos that only see limited use in cold weather, the issues associated with maintaining a boiler and the associated systems were often the justification for the removal of the facility, and few heritage diesel locos still have steam heating capability. The ‘Boiler Van’ approach addresses that shortcoming in an effective and practical way and also provides the means to warm carriages at the platform, allowing their use on non-running days as meeting places or cafes. Having the ‘Boiler Van’ equipped as a brake van negates the need for another brake vehicle in the rake, allowing all other vehicles to be dedicated to carrying passengers – cosy, warm and contented passengers !
Pictured at Loughborough Central Station on Saturday 22nd November 2025, the GCR‘s Train Heating Boiler Van (formerly Irish Railways 3178, BR BSK 34590) was evidently steaming well, but the coaches were not getting the benefit of this warmth because of a ruptured steam coupling hose ! Photo by Andrew Royle © CC BY-NC 4.0
The failure of the flexible steam hose (removed and on the platform) resulted in a massive escape of steam at Loughborough Central Station on Saturday 22nd November 2025, delaying the pre-heating of the carriages until the pipe had been replaced. Photo by Martin Howard © CC BY-NC 4.0
Here are the remaining running dates for D7018 on the GCR:
| Day and Date | Event | Notes |
| Wednesday 31st December | The ‘Nightrider’ | Link to the ‘Nightrider’ GCR page |
| April 2026 | Spring Diesel Gala | Contact the GCR for more info |
Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9518 – work continued on the engine, with all six pistons installed and all six cylinder heads fitted by the end of the day on Tuesday 2nd December. Great progress, well done team !
D9518 – all six pistons and cylinder heads have now been installed in the Paxman 6YJXL engine that will be fitted to D9518 once completed. Pictured at Williton on 2nd December 2025 by Linda Trott © CC BY-NC 4.0
Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9526 – this loco is now based at Bishops Lydeard where she will remain throughout the winter to cover for Class 09 shunter D4107 (09019). This loco will be in use on Saturday 6th December to assist the rostered steam loco on the climb to Crowcombe Heathfield with the first train of the day. This has been found to be helpful to protect timekeeping, given the wet and slippery railhead conditions that result from the currently wet and windy weather.
Class 47 47077 ‘NORTH STAR’ – this loco continues to be based at Grosmont on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway and we hope that she will be rostered to assist with some of the Christmas Specials, to help keep her in good operating condition. DEPG volunteer Viv Jones has brought our attention to the new Channel 4 series ‘STEAM TRAIN DIARIES’ in which ‘NORTH STAR‘ makes an appearance in the THIRD episode, substituting for a steam loco during the period of high fire risk, earlier this year. Click this link or the image below for details. MANY THANKS to Viv for letting us know about this TV coverage.
Andrew Barclay 0-4-0DH 578 – this little loco is stabled outdoors on Number 3 road at Williton and is fully serviceable, and has been used several times during the last few weeks to move locos around the yard.
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:
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:
| 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 |
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 the first of many photos that have been recovered from slides by DEPG member David Hingston. Some detective work is necessary to identify some of the locations, so the quickest and easiest way to do that is to include them in this feature and let our wise and learned readers respond with their opinions via email or by using our CONTACT FORM. The countdown has begun !
In this slide, Class 45 ‘Peak’ D124 (45131) is in a location that is slightly elevated and has a mixture of colour-light and semaphore signalling. Where is this ? Having a freshly outshopped appearance in BR-blue, vacuum braked and displaying a headcode, the year is likely to be 1968.
This loco was built at Crewe Works and entered service in Derby as D124 on 21st October 1961, becoming 45131 after conversion from steam to electric train heating in June of 1974. The loco worked for almost 25 years before being withdrawn on 30th September 1986 and was reduced to scrap metal at Vic Berry’s yard by August of 1988.
Many thanks to David for sharing his photos with us all.
In this scan of a colour slide, Class 45 ‘Peak’ D124 (45131) is in an unknown location, probably in 1968 and possibly on a south-west to north-east cross-country working. Can you help identify this location ? Photo by David Hingston © CC BY-NC 4.0
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
Not one but THREE new books were added to our online store in the last few weeks, with varied themes but all of great interest. Apologies for the delay in getting these new books shipped out, but the the backlog has now been cleared, so please GO AHEAD AND PLACE YOUR ORDERS via the DEPG online store now !
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Part 1 of a 3-part series by Bernard Mills, this new book is definitely a big success. Click here to place your order.
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Volume 2 of a 3-volume series by Michael Rhodes, this new book is going to be of great interest to many readers, including those who are not based in or come from the North-East. Click here to place your order.
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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: the next Board of Trustees meeting will take place at Williton on Saturday 13th December. If you are a DEPG member and you have a question that you would like to put to the Board, please use our CONTACT FORM or write to us at our registered address.
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 !