Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7018 was in charge of the 11:00 mineral service to Rothley Brook via Swithland when pictured departing from Loughborough on Sunday 26th April 2026. The ‘Hymek’ has been a star performer at the GCR since last September and her visit has been a big success. Photo by Josh Brinsford © CC BY-NC 4.0
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7018 was in use on each day of the GCR‘s Spring Diesel Gala and was pictured at Kinchley Lane while working the 1520 Loughborough to Leicester North service on Saturday 25th April 2026. Photo by Gary Lemon © CC BY-NC 4.0
Wearing matching liveries (except for the small yellow warning panel that was added to both locos after they had entered service) – Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7018 was pictured alongside Class 55 ‘Deltic’ D9015 ‘TULYAR’ at Loughborough during the GCR Spring Diesel Gala. Photo dated 24th April 2026 by Matthew Fenwick © CC BY-NC 4.0
The WSR’s SPRING STEAM SPECTACULAR is in full swing and will run through this Bank Holiday weekend and also on Monday 4th May, with no less than 11 steam locos in use, including ex-LNER ‘A4’ Pacific 60007 ‘SIR NIGEL GRESLEY’ as the headliner of diverse mix of locos on an intensive schedule, to deliver an action-packed event for the WSR’s 50th Anniversary Year.
The DEPG yard and shed is open to the public on each of the four days with the very popular ‘Irie 7’ catering van adjacent to our trackside viewing area, and Rod’s Model Railway Sales stand and the DEPG’s own sales stand set up in the loco shed. The following locos will be on display in the yard, several of which will open for cab visits:
- BR (WR) Class 94xx 0-6-0PT 9466
- Class 52 D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’
- Class 33 ‘Cromptons’ D6566 (33048) and D6575 (33057)
- Class 14 ‘Teddy Bears’ D9518 and D9526
- Class 08 shunter 08401 (D3516)
- Barclay 0-4-0DH 578 ROF 1
Opening the Williton facility to the public means that all except the most essential tasks have to be suspended, but this only happens twice a year, once at the steam gala and again at the diesel gala. The other events that take place during the year are ‘open YARD’ events where our volunteers can continue working in the loco shed, even though the public are able to freely access the yard and have shed visits on a guided basis. The loss of some working days is accepted because it is important to be open to the public, to raise awareness of DEPG activities, to attract new members, to attract new volunteers and of course to sell merchandise and receive donations that fund the work that is taking place.
Come along and visit us and see for yourself !
On Wednesday 6th, Thursday 7th, Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th, the 12:25 Bishops Lydeard to Minehead and 14:30 return services will be hauled by Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6575 (33057) and this loco is currently at Williton on standby in case she is needed during the steam gala.
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.
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) and Class 37 37250 (D6950), 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.
LOCO NEWS:
Class 52 D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’– two teams were working in parallel last weekend, with Gordon and Glenn working on re-fitting components to the ‘B’ bogie while Phil and Tim L concentrated on cleaning up the components of the secondary suspension in readiness for re-fitting these parts as soon as the painters have caught up !
We could really use another pair of hands, so please come along and help out on D1010 if you can. Use our CONTACT FORM if you are able to volunteer on a Saturday or a Tuesday – or both !
D1010 – the brake rigging components are now being re-fitted to the ‘B’ bogie, and Glenn is evidently enjoying the challenge of figuring out which parts go where ! Luckily, we still have the ‘A’ bogie complete with brake rigging, to guide us. Pictured at Williton on Saturday 25th April 2026 by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 4.0
D1010 – more brake rigging components on the opposite side of the ‘B’ bogie. The pressure is now on the painters to catch up ! Pictured at Williton on Saturday 25th April 2026 by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 4.0
D1010 – needle-gunner extraordinaire Phil poses for the camera with one of the secondary suspension coil springs at Williton on Tuesday 28th April 2026. Photo by Terry Deacon © CC BY-NC 4.0
D1010 – new volunteer Tim L gets a coat of primer on to the tested and needle-gunned secondary suspension springs at Williton on Tuesday 28th April 2026. Photo by Terry Deacon © CC BY-NC 4.0
Class 08 08401 (D3516) – this loco is fully serviceable in air brake mode and was used to shunt the north and south yards at Williton on Saturday 25th April, the objective being to clear the loco shed for the gala and organise the locos on No. 1 road into the most appropriate sequence, taking account of their next booked movements.
Class 09 D4107 (09019) – this loco has now returned to Bishops Lydeard and resumed her duties as station pilot.
Class 33 D6566 (33 048) – this loco was hauled out of the loco shed on Saturday 25th April and positioned on No. 1 road where she can be prepared for her Vehicle Inspection & Brake Test (VIBT). The objective is for this loco to take over duties from sister loco D6575 (33057) from Tuesday 12th May.
Class 33 D6575 (33 057) – this loco is currently the ‘duty loco’ and has been moved to Williton to provide ‘Thunderbird’ cover during the steam gala. This loco will be in use again on Wednesday 6th, Thursday 7th, Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th May, and will then return to Williton to undergo a thorough exterior cleanup in preparation for the ‘Graham treatment’ on the weekend of 16/17 May. The plan is to smarten her up for the Summer Diesel Festival (4-7 June) and for her 65th birthday celebrations later in the year (see the DIESELS AT 65 event page).
Class 08 shunter 08401 (D3516) is at the head of No. 1 road at Williton with Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6575 (33057) on No. 2 road and Barclay 0-4-0DH 578 (ROF 1) on No. 3 road. Pictured on Friday 1st May 2026 by Josh Brinsford © CC BY-NC 4.0
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 – this loco is fully serviceable and remains on display at Minehead during this 50th anniversary year of the re-opening of the WSR, this loco having been present at Minehead right from the start.
BREAKING NEWS : This loco will be heading to the NORTH YORKSHIRE MOORS RAILWAY to participate in their ANNUAL DIESEL GALA that takes place from Thursday 11th to Sunday 14th June (the week after the WSR diesel event). Our ‘Hymek’ will be operating alongside her BR(W) friends Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9553 and Class 37 37688 (D6905, 37205) ‘Great Rocks’ and will be re-united with her DEPG stablemate 47077 ‘NORTH STAR’ once again. Click here for details.
With Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6575 (33057) for company, Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 is still making a powerful impression, 50 years after starting her second life, in preservation on the WSR. Pictured under threatening skies at Minehead on Tuesday 28th April 2026 by Junior Bolton © CC BY-NC 4.0
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7018 – after her highly successful 8-month stay at the Great Central Railway, this loco has now moved to Kidderminster on the SEVERN VALLEY RAILWAY where she will participate in the SVR’s SPRING DIESEL FESTIVAL that takes place from Thursday 14th through Sunday 17th May. The ‘Hymek’ will also be used for crew training while at the SVR and will be in the care of our friends at the Diesel Traction Group. We hope that she will also see some use on charters and specials during her 10-week stay.
D7018 – being loaded onto an Allelys Heavy Haulage transporter at Quorn on the GCR at the end of her very successful 8-month stay in Leicestershire. Pictured on Thursday 30th April 2026 by Paul Tucker © CC BY-NC 4.0
D7018 – and the next morning, Friday 1st May 2026, being unloaded at Kidderminster on the Severn Valley Railway. Photo by Paul Tucker © CC BY-NC 4.0
After completion of her stay on the SVR, D7018 will then move to the GWSR in July before returning home to the WSR in time for the DIESELS at 65 event in late August.
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14-17 May 2026 |
24-26 July 2026 |
Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9518 – with the need to move sister loco D9526 back to Williton and the need to undertake training on the Tuesday, the team have not had much of a chance to work on D9518 during this last week, but this is just a temporary pause. Normal service will be resumed as soon as possible !
Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9526 – this loco is now back at Williton after spending the entire winter on duty at Bishops Lydeard, covering for Class 09 shunter D4107 (09019).
D9526 – pictured just after arrival back at Williton on Saturday 25th April 2026, with secondman Terry receiving positioning instructions from shunter Tom. Photo by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 4.0
Class 47 47077 ‘NORTH STAR’ – this loco is based at Grosmont on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway awaiting a replacement triple pump motor, and we thought that we had taken care of this, but a last-minute snag has set us back a few weeks, which is disappointing – but will be overcome. 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 several other NYMR diesels.
Andrew Barclay 0-4-0DH 578 – this little loco is back in working order and is in the queue for her annual VIBT certificate renewal, which will be dealt with as soon as the Class 33s have been swapped over.
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 !
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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 hope to be able to offer a Class 14 design in the coming weeks.
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 |
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 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 in last week’s roundup was thought to present a bit more of a challenge, but messages received the very next day showed otherwise.
The industrial landscape, the Class 24 or 25, the upper quadrant signals, the gas lights on the platform (with totems) all suggested a midlands location, but where ?
Here are the responses from long-time DEPG members Neville Sloper and Clive Burrows, with thanks to both for responding.
From Neville:
“The class 25 photo in last week’s round up is at Saltley station. It’s heading in the down direction along the “Up and Down Lawley Street Goods line” probably heading for the (then) huge goods depot behind where the current freightliner depot stands.”
And from Clive:
“I thought you would like to see this photograph taken from Saltley Station in a similar direction to the photograph of the Sulzer Type 2 in your latest Weekly Roundup. The location of the photograph was very familiar to me, but I will leave the task of identifying the locomotive to some of our more observant colleagues. I am not sure whether the locomotive is a later series Class 24 or and early series Class 25, but it is evidently still fitted with a steam generator.”
Looking northward from Saltley Station in 1964 with Nechells Power Station and Saltley Gas Works in the distance. The station closed in March 1968 but the power station lasted until November 1982. An ex-LMS built Ivatt 2-6-0 has just passed through the station, tender first, en route to Washwood Heath yard. Photo by Bill Williamson via Facebook © CC BY-NC 4.0
The website derbysulzers has a page that cover the changes made as production evolved from the early Class 24s through to the later Class 25s and the information on this page suggests that our subject loco is an early Class 25. The main giveways are the horns being mounted alongside the headcode box and the lack of ventilators above the cab doors. The headcode ‘-T33’ was identified by DEPG volunteer Mike Harris as being ‘Trip 33’ or ‘Target 33’ local trip working in the Birmingham area.
As Saltley Station was closed in March 1968, we can estimate the date as being in late 1967 or early 1968, unlikley to be earlier because of the full yellow end on the ’25’.
UPDATED CAPTION: An unidentified green-liveried Class 25 hauls a mixed goods train through Saltley Station on the ‘Trip 33’ or ‘Target 33’ working to Lawley Street Goods Depot, most probably in late 1967 or early 1968. Photo by David Hingston © CC BY-NC 4.0
This week, we have three more from the vast collection that David shared with us, this time back to the Eastern Region with a view of a Class 37 which appears to be D6720 (37020, 37702) passing Finsbury Park Station signal box on an unknown date in the late 1960s on the 5E13 partially-fitted freight working (possibly tank wagons). There are two signal boxes in this view, the smaller one in the foreground carrying a number 6, which no doubt has some significance (?). Then, taken from a little further back on the platform, we get a better impression of the station and yard layout, as a Class 55 ‘Deltic’ bears down upon us with the 1A13 service towards Kings Cross. The third photo, all probably taken on the same day, shows a Class 31 that was allocated to the nearby Finsbury Park depot at the time. Can anyone help to provide more information about these images ? If yes, please use our CONTACT FORM to let us know. Thanks in advance !
A Class 37, possibly D6720 (37020, 37702) was pictured passing one of several signal boxes at Finsbury Park Station with the 5E13 goods working, possibly tank wagons, sometime in the late 1960s. Photo by David Hingston © CC BY-NC 4.0
An unidentified Class 55 ‘Deltic’ rushes through Finsbury Park Station with the 1A13 express for Kings Cross, sometime in the late 1960s. Photo by David Hingston © CC BY-NC 4.0
Green-liveried Class 31 D5596 (31403) was pictured passing through Finsbury Park Station, sometime in the late 1960s. Photo by David Hingston © CC BY-NC 4.0
Many thanks to David for sharing his 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
We have added RAILWAYS of the NORTH EAST 1975-1995 VOLUME 3 to our online bookstore along with the two new books that were released last month, and all of these books are in stock so PLACE YOUR ORDERS via our online store NOW ! Click here or on the images below to go to the relevant pages on our online store.
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Also in stock are all three volumes of the most recent publications by BERNARD MILLS, covering the PADDINGTON to PENZANCE route in three parts. Each of the three books in this series are a must for fans of WR diesel traction! Click here or on the images below for more details (each title is priced at £21.95):
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| Part 1 : Paddington to Taunton | Part 2 : Taunton to Plymouth | Part 3 : Plymouth to Penzance |
There are many other new and pre-owned book titles on our online store – click here for details.
DEPG NEWS: more training took place at Williton on Tuesday 28th April, with the third group of ‘victims’ for the Mobile Elevating Work Platform course (cherry pickers, in everyday language!). Next Tuesday, we will be doing refresher training for four of our heavy-duty Fork Lift Truck drivers, and then we will focus back on the Hot Work training. It seems never ending, but safety is no accident and training has to be given the top priority.
DEPG volunteers (L-R) Terry, Nick and Tim Z were pictured with Safety Training South West instructor Nigel at Williton on Tuesday 28th April 2026. Photo by Anthony Austin © CC BY-NC 4.0
DEPG volunteer Tim Z was pictured while operating the MEWP at height after receiving training at Williton on Tuesday 28th April 2026. Photo by Terry Deacon © CC BY-NC 4.0
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 !