Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6575 (33 057) worked the 12:30 Bishops Lydeard to Minehead and the 14:30 return service under the RED timetable on both Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th October and is rostered for the same services this coming weekend, which will be the last of the diesel-hauled public services for the 2022 season. One of our two ‘Cromptons’ will be in use on the Christmas ‘WINTERLIGHTS’ services that start on 18th November, but this coming weekend is the last chance for a scheduled diesel-hauled round trip along the length of the line, so grab the opportunity, if you can.
Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6575 (33 057) came to a stand at Blue Anchor Signal Box on Saturday 8th October 2022 so that the signlman could converse with loco driver Paul Fleet. The loco was working the 14:30 service from Minehead to Bishops Lydeard. Photo by Josh Brinsford © CC BY-NC 3.0
THIS COMING WEEKEND 15th/16th October, we have the LAST opportunity for scheduled public service diesel haulage with Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6575 (33 057) running for 40 miles from Bishops Lydeard to Minehead and back each day, under the RED timetable.
We have kept our DIESEL RUNNING DATES page updated throughout all of the timetable and traction changes that took place during the year and will keep this page available as a detailed record of public running for 2022. We will create a new page for 2023 as soon as timetables have been agreed and published.
MANY THANKS TO ALL WHO HAVE TRAVELLED for supporting this year’s DIESEL RUNNING program on the WSR.
The usual caveats of loco availability apply, but we aim to provide as much advance notice of any change as possible, using our DIESELGEN and Twitter feeds, so please sign up to keep up to date.
LOCO NEWS:
Class 52 D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’ – more progress has been made on multiple fronts on this loco as she approaches her 60th birthday – this coming Saturday !
Introduced to service on 15th October 1962, our loco was put to work on the Paddington to Birmingham services which were heavily loaded at that time due to the construction work taking place at Euston station and elsewhere on the West Coast Main Line. The loco entered service in overall maroon with a yellow buffer beam and apron, and ran in this condition for 16 weeks before making a short visit to Swindon Works for remedial work and being outshopped with a small yellow warning panel and black bufferbeams. Photos of D1010 in her early livery are rare, but we do have one on our website. We would welcome any additional photos from those early days.
Bringing the story right up to date, our team at Williton have started to transition from disassembly mode to reassembly mode. The various parts that were removed to allow body repairs to take place are now being restored and re-fitted, although there is still a lot of filling and rubbing down to be done before the bodywork can be considered as finished.
Please consider SPONSORING A PATCH because there is plenty of recently-added metal that still needs engraving. We engraved 30 patches recently and we have another 100+ still to do, so the scheme has been very successful (well done Colin F for suggesting it). Photographs and certificates of sponsorship will be sent out to all who have sponsored this phase of the restoration work, but please bear with us because our admin resources are stretched at the moment. Click the image below and sponsor a patch now. Thank you in advance for your support !
We still have a lot of work to do on this massive locomotive, so PLEASE DO COME ALONG AND HELP IF YOU CAN !
D1010 – long-time DEPG member and volunteer Geoff was pictured re-installing the secondman’s side window at the ‘A’ end of the loco at Williton on Monday 3rd October 2022. Photo by Colin Foxhall © CC BY-NC 3.0
D1010 – where necessary, the repaired battery compartment doors now have new hinges and are ready for priming and painting, which will then allow the batteries to be re-installed, releasing some floor space in the loco shed. Pictured at Williton on Saturday 8th October 2022 by Jon Tooke © CC BY-NC 3.0
D1010 – Roy attends to the details of painting around the headcode apertures at ‘A’ end at Williton on Saturday 8th October 2022. Photo by Jon Tooke © CC BY-NC 3.0
D1010 – the ‘A’ end of the loco has undergone major reconstruction and is now structually sound, although the cosmetic work of filling and sanding still needs to be done before it can be considered as finished. Pictured at Williton on Saturday 8th October 2022 by Josh Brinsford © CC BY-NC 3.0
To support the work that is progressing in multiple areas on D1010, we launched our CAMPAIGN for CAMPAIGNER by offering ‘SPONSOR A PATCH’ where you can donate in support of the bodywork repairs that are taking place on D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’ and HAVE YOUR NAME ENGRAVED ON THE SPONSORED PATCH or PART.
For the sum of £25, this scheme offers you a chance to sponsor the restoration of this much-loved locomotive, with your personal contribution being recorded and documented on a set of drawings that will be made available at our Williton depot on running days and open days. For those who prefer to remain anonymous, a unique reference number or code word of your choice will be engraved instead.
See our CAMPAIGN for CAMPAIGNER web page for more details !
Class 33 D6566 (33 048) – the subcontractor that has been assessing the failed heat exchanger has now reported that it is beyond repair because of severe erosion of the tube plate, which has allowed leaks to develop in multiple areas. The tubeplate will have to be replaced and all 600 joints re-made, so it is probably more cost-effective to have the complete core replaced. We are assessing the options which include repair, replacement or modification of the end plates to allow a heat exchanger from a Class 56 to be used instead. We have several in our spares stock, so this might become the lowest cost option, if it meets the technical requirements.
D6566 (33 048) – close-up view of the heavily eroded tubeplate on the leaking heat exchanger, showing unrepairable damage to the joints between the majority of tubes and the tubeplate. Photo dated 5th October 2022 via Ian Robins © CC BY-NC 3.0
D6575 (33 057) – for comparison, this photo shows the tubeplate for the heat exchanger fitted to sister loco D6575, pictured during planned maintenance cleaning in January 2019. There are approximately 600 tubes of 6mm (1/4 inch) diameter and 1.65m (65 inches) in length through which the cooling water flows. The engine oil flows around the outside of these tubes via the pink pipes. The heat transfers from the hottest fluid to the coolest fluid. Photo by Ian Robins © CC BY-NC 3.0
Class 33 D6575 (33 057) – this loco is currently stabled at Bishops Lydeard and being the WSR Duty Loco, is fully serviceable. She has one more weekend of scheduled public service duties to perform, as listed on our DIESEL RUNNING DATES page, but it is already evident that she has been the busiest loco of our home fleet this year. Well done D6575 !
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 – the BIG NEWS is that the loco was checked over carefully then started up on Saturday 8th October 2022 and everything went to plan, with the engine running smoothly again. WELL DONE to all of our volunteers who have been involved with this work ! We are preparing a collection of video clips covering the successful engine run and will post them on the DEPG YouTube channel shortly. Click here or on the image below for a short clip of the engine running with the cam box covers removed for inspection purposes (beware – it is LOUD!):
D7017 has now vacated the loco shed and is standing on Number 3 road so that she can undergo her Vehicle Inspection & Brake Test (VIBT) and completion of some other outstanding work before going out on a test run at some time in the near future. Pictured on Saturday 8th October 2022 by Josh Brinsford © CC BY-NC 3.0
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7018 – this loco watched and waited patiently as her sister received all of the attention during last weekend. The work list on this loco comprises a number of small but important tasks that will be tackled during the coming weeks.
D7018 has now been reunited with her sister loco D7017 in the South Yard at Williton and they both await completion of various small tasks before going out on a test run at some time in the near future. Pictured on Saturday 8th October 2022 by Josh Brinsford © CC BY-NC 3.0
Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9518 – the re-fitting of the side and end frames at the ‘B’ end of the main frames has transformed her appearance and she is now starting to look like a locomotive again ! These frames provide anchor points for many of the pipes and items of electrical control gear, so they needed to be back in place to allow work to progress. Well done Team D9518 !
D9518 – the short nose end (‘B’ end) of the loco takes shape following the re-fitting of the side and end frames at Williton on Saturday 8th October 2022. Photo by Terry Deacon © CC BY-NC 3.0
D9518 – highly visible progress at the ‘B’ end of the locomotive – the side frames and end frames were re-fitted at Williton on Saturday 8th October 2022. Photo by Terry Deacon © 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 continues to be in regular use on the Kent & East Sussex Railway working alongside the steam locos and the Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU), sharing the work of hauling the public services. Work on locally-based sister D9504 has progressed well, so we expect to see D9526 returning to Williton early in the New Year.
Class 47 47077 ‘NORTH STAR’ – this loco continues to be in regular use at the NYMR, although usage is reducing as autumn sets in. During the last three months, this loco has covered more than 2,500 miles, so her first season in service has been a big success !
Andrew Barclay 0-4-0DH 578 – this little loco received plenty of attention last weekend when a team including Darren and Karl and led by Jon set about the completion of the detail paintwork at the buffer beams. Having prevously attended to the leading end of the loco and done a great job, Jon marked out the diagonal stripes at the trailing end with his customary level of care, and then painted the black stripes. Meanwhile, Karl and Darren attended to the orange paint for the electrical conduits and the red and yellow paint for the air pipes. Some small details remain to be completed and then we will be ready for the cabside lettering to be reinstated. GREAT JOB, well done guys !
Barclay 0-4-0DH number 578 (ROF No. 1) received plenty of attention at Williton on Saturday 8th October 2022. This picture shows Karl painting the electrical conduit with the designated colour, orange. Photo by Josh Brinsford © CC BY-NC 3.0
Barclay 0-4-0DH number 578 (ROF No. 1) at Williton on Saturday 8th October 2022, showing her newly-acquired diagonal stripes at her ‘short end’, carefully applied by Jon. Photo by Jon Tooke © CC BY-NC 3.0
Barclay 0-4-0DH number 578 (ROF No. 1) at Williton on Saturday 8th October 2022, with Darren attending to the details at the ‘long end’ of the loco. The air pipe connections and levers are in grey undercoat in this view. Photo by Jon Tooke © CC BY-NC 3.0
Barclay 0-4-0DH number 578 (ROF No. 1) at Williton on Saturday 8th October 2022, with the detailing around the buffer beam completed and looking very good indeed. Photo by Mike Evans © CC BY-NC 3.0
If you can help by donating your time, 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 !