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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, in preparation for the SPRING STEAM SPECTACULAR event. Photo by Martin Howard © CC BY-NC 3.0 

 

Twice a year, for the steam and diesel galas, we open our loco shed and yard to the public so that we can show our locos and our facilities to the gala visitors and hopefully drum up donations, sales from our merchandise stand, some new members, some new volunteers, ideally all four!

As our depot is normally a working facility, it takes some time to organise it so that the public can access it without risk, and that takes an amount of effort away from our restoration and repair projects. It is, however, a small price to pay because we need the funding to allow our project work to progress. In the words of the early American astronauts, ‘No bucks, no Buck Rogers’ and this applies to loco restoration as well.

The headline photo shows one of the WSRA’s steam locos being shunted from the WS Restorations ‘Swindon Shed’ in the North Yard at Williton to the South Yard so that the loco can go on display at the steam gala that is taking place this weekend. This BR ‘Standard 4 Tank’ loco 80064 is ‘out of ticket’ and in need of a boiler overhaul which is an expensive repair, so it has been gifted to the WSRA (also a registered charity) by the owning group for the purpose of the loco being restored for use on the West Somerset Railway. In fact, one of our regular and long-serving volunteers was a member of the previous owning group and played a major part in getting this sought-after class of loco to the WSR.

The whole of the South Yard at Williton has been opened up for the gala, allowing visitors to take photos from locations that were previously only available to hivis-clad volunteers. A mobile catering van has also been brought in to provide welcome refreshment to those who want to spend some time looking at the many items on display in the yard and in the shed at Williton, so if you are planning to attend at the gala, please plan to make a stop at Williton !

The flower planters at Williton Depot were given a welcome refresh by Linda, just in time for our ‘open shed’ steam gala weekend 3-6 May. Thank you very much to Linda and also to Wendy, who tended them last year and kindly donated towards this refresh. Photo by Linda Trott © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

Also in the news last week was Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9526 which was in use on Saturday 27th April on a ‘pick up goods’ working centred on Williton but running to both ends of the line to pick up and drop off wagons and coaches so that they would be in the right place for the steam gala. As it was almost exactly one year since we lost volunteer Class 14 team leader SIMON PURVIS, these workings were dedicated to his memory and carried his initials (or as close as we could get to them) in the headcode.

Some photos of these unusual workings are included below:

Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9526 was pictured at a wet Williton Station on Saturday 27th April 2024, preparing to haul a van, a coach and a brake van to destinations along the route, including Norton Fitzwarren. Photo by Martin Howard © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

This photo shows Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9526 at Norton Fitzwarren after running around the triangle to turn the complete train so that the verandah of the ‘Toad’ brake van is at the southerly end of the line. Pictured on Saturday 27th April 2024 by Terry Deacon © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9526 was pictured at Blue Anchor station on Saturday 27th April 2024 en route to Minehead with a train of mixed vans and wagons. The perfect locomotive for the job ! Photo by Terry Deacon © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

DIESEL LOCO RUNNING ON THE WSR:

There won’t be any scheduled diesel loco running during the SPRING STEAM SPECTACULAR event that is taking place between 3rd and 6th May, but Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6575 (33057) will be back in action the following weekend on Sunday 12th May with the 1230 from Bishops Lydeard to Minehead and the return service under the RED timetable.

Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 has been rostered for two weekends in June, the 15/16th and the 29/30th being under the BLUE timetable with 80-mile diagrams both days, originating from Minehead. Keep an eye on our DIESEL RUNNING DATES page for details of diesel-hauled public services and sign up to our DIESELGEN email bulletin service to get advance notice of non-public service running. 

 

 

MESSAGE FROM MARK BLADWELL, DEPG Publicity Officer

The Diesel & Electric Preservation Group are collecting Coins and Banknotes from anywhere in the world, modern and any vintage, as part of their fund raising activities.

We can use any of the following:
– The old (large) 50p, 10p and 5p, together with ½ p
– Old £1 coins together with any old £1, £5 and £10 notes
– Euros & Cents; US, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand Dollars / cents coins and notes
– Pre-decimal coins (pre 1971)
– Isle of Man, Guernsey and Jersey coins and notes.
– In fact, any coins and notes from around the world.

A collection jar is at Williton Depot but we will be happy to receive items in the post. Contact Mark at publicity@depg.org  or write to Mark at The Old Goods Shed, Williton Station, Somerset, TA4 4RQ

 

 

IMPORTANT DATES:

The first major event of the year is the SPRING STEAM SPECTACULAR which is taking place throughout the Bank Holiday weekend, 3rd through 6th May, during which our loco shed will be open to the public, with Rod’s Model Railway sales stand alongside our own DEPG sales stand. Click here or on the image below for more information via the WSR’s website.

 

WSR DIESEL GALA 2024 – Thursday 6th through Saturday 8th JUNE

The WSR’s Diesel Gala will take place from Thursday 6th through to Saturday 8th June with mixed traction running on Sunday 9th, hopefully with at least one of the visiting locomotives at work. Our Williton depot will be open to the public from Thursday through Sunday, with a number of unusual and interesting exhibits on display. More details coming soon.

The first visiting locomotive to be announced was English Electric Class 50 50033 (D433) ‘Glorious’, no doubt to the delight of the many followers of the class, and the second visitor has now been announced as BR-Derby Class 46 ‘Peak’ D182 (46 045), courtesy of the Peak Locomotive Company and a fine example of another well-loved ‘Type 4’ class. Also visiting, courtesy of 20189 Ltd., are English Electric Class 20 ‘Choppers’ (or ‘Whistling Wardrobes’) 20189 (D8189), in BR blue livery and 20142 (D8142) ‘Sir John Betjeman’, in commemorative London Transport livery. THE LATEST NEWS is that Class 24 D5054 (24054) ‘Phil Southern’ will be joining the lineup, so please MAKE A NOTE OF THESE DATES and do your best to attend. It is definitely going to be a great event !

 

An additional bonus on Saturday 8th June will be a presentation by former BR Fleet Manager GEOFF HUDSON entitled ‘FIFTY YEARS WITH FIFTIES‘, taking place inside Williton Diesel Depot with 50033 (D433) ‘Glorious’ stabled outside the shed as a backdrop. Click here or on the image below for more information about this special event.

 

LOCO NEWS:

Class 52 D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’ – efforts were concentrated on preparing the loco for a short trip to the North Yard at Williton, then into the ‘Swindon Shed’ to position the loco over the pit so that the bogie thrust brackets that transmit the traction forces and braking forces from body to bogie and vice versa can be disconnected. This is a very difficult and dirty job, but cannot be avoided as the brackets must be released before the loco body can be lifted.

Undeterred by the amount of grime and dirt, volunteer Viv clambered into the space that is normally occupied by the transmission and set about scraping the dirt away from several of the areas that we will need to access. There is much more dirt and grime underneath the loco, but that is being saved up for the team who will go into the pit on Saturday 4th May !

Our website now carries a new page, ‘D1010 Progress Report – Jan 2024‘, the content of which will be familiar to DEPG members because it was included in the January Newsletter. This information is now available to all by clicking on this link.

As stated previously, we will need MORE HANDS to help us get the work done. If you want to see this locomotive back on the rails soon, then PLEASE COME ALONG AND HELP US WITH THIS WORK ! There is a wide range of tasks that need to be done, so simply reply to this email or use the CONTACT FORM on our website if you can lend a hand.

D1010 – looking into the gap between the bogie and the underframe, the result of 50+ years of accumulating dirt and grime is evident. This the view before being given the ‘Viv’ treatment. Pictured at Williton on Saturday 27th April 2024 by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

D1010 – and after the ‘Viv’ treatment, some of the main features of the bogie and underframe become clearer, although much more work is still needed. It will become a lot easier when the loco body is lifted out of the way. Pictured at Williton on Saturday 27th April 2024 by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

D1010 – a sneak preview of things to come – the image shows the loco being towed to the North Yard by Barclay 578 so that it can be shunted into the ‘Swindon Shed’ and positioned over the pit. Williton webcam image captured on Friday 3rd May 2024 courtesy of Railcam UK and the WSR ©

 

Sponsorships for patches on D1010 continue to come in, for which we are VERY grateful indeed. We have many more patches waiting for sponsors, so please support the CAMPAIGN for CAMPAIGNER and click here or on the image further below to get your name engraved into the metal of the locomotive. We will be having another engraving session when the loco return to our yard.

The drawings that have been developed in parallel will provide a formal record of the position of each sponsored patch and this will allow sponsors to look up the location of their patch when they visit the depot at Williton during the WSR SUMMER DIESEL FESTIVAL. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT – and your PATIENCE !

Click the image below to sponsor a patch:

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 09 D4107 (09019) – this loco is stabled at Bishops Lydeard and is in regular use as the station pilot.

 

Class 33 D6566 (33 048) – now back at Williton for some planned maintenance work which includes replacing the brake blocks and performing an ‘A’ examination.

 

Class 33 D6575 (33 057) – currently stabled at Williton as the Duty Loco for the duration of the steam gala. Next in use on Sunday 28th April on the 1230 service to Minehead and return. See our DIESEL RUNNING DATES page for details.

 

Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 – this loco is ready to return to service apart from a very short list of minor issues that will be addressed at Williton over the next few weeks. We have rostered this loco for two weekends of public services in June, the first being 15/16th June and the second being 29/30th June, under the BLUE timetable. Additional dates will be allocated ASAP. Keep an eye on our DIESEL RUNNING DATES page or sign up to our DIESELGEN email bulletin service to get the news as soon as it is released.

 

Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7018 – the ‘transmission team’ have separated the sections of the damaged geartrain and removed the No. 5 directional clutch which, as expected, was found to be badly damaged and beyond repair. Luckily, we have spare parts from the previous transmission that ran in D7018 back in BR days and for another 20 years in preservation until 1995, when the loco suffered a major engine failure and was withdrawn for heavy overhaul.

The damage to the clutch has led to significant shock loading of the selector arm and slipper plates, all of which show signs of damage. The fork itself is visibly bent and the selector shaft is twisted at the top. Again, these parts are available from the old transmission, avoiding a very expensive piece of specialised forging and machining.

The search for the root cause will continue, because the damage that has been uncovered is most probably the result of something else that went wrong, so we need to work it out and take action before we put it all back together and risk damaging it once again. Spare parts are few and far between. Here are some photos, all taken on 22nd or 23rd April 2024 by Colin Foxhall © CC BY-NC 3.0:

D7018 – the shaft with the damaged clutch was lifted out at Williton on Monday 22nd April 2024 using a specially-fabricated but simple lifting beam, adjusted to keep the assembly in balance. The shaft comprises multiple sections that will come apart if lifted incorrectly. Photo by Colin Foxhall © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

Above – the selector fork for No. 5 clutch is visibly bent (the yellow line has been added for emphasis – it should be vertical).	Above – the inner item is the spring-loaded baulk ring and it has been driven past the control slot and has become jammed.
Above – the small black pieces of wire are the remains of the spring that returns the disengaged baulk ring to the blocking position.	Above – the cage that holds the return spring has been broken into several pieces.

 

Although we hope to be able to use spare parts that we have available, we will still need to replace seals, bearings, gaskets as necessary and we also need to drain the oil and have new oil available. All of these things cost money. PLEASE HELP by making a donation of £10 or by buying our 64-page A4 HYMEK D7018 BOOKLET (£10) which covers the history of this locomotive from build through to her return to service in 2019 following her major overhaul. THANK YOU VERY MUCH !

Click here or on the image above to order your copy of our ‘HYMEK D7018’ booklet, available for £10.

 

Click here or on the donation image above to go to the donations page on our website. If you feel able to donate more than £10, simply increase the quantity when on the donations page. Thank you in advance for your support !

 

Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9518 – further progress has been made with the wiring and pipework, and the team have been busy working on the subassemblies and components that are needed to progress the cab assembly. The need to prepare the depot for the public open days has sapped some of the available resource, but the pace will quicken from next week onward as volunteers return to their restoration tasks.

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 is now stabled at Williton and is ready for action. Keep an eye on our DIESELGEN postings for details of any workings involving this locomotive.

 

Class 47 47077 ‘NORTH STAR’ – this loco worked several services between Pickering and Grosmont on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway during the week and we continue to received plenty of feedback on our social media channels, proving that this loco is actually the most popular member of our entire fleet ! We would welcome some more photographs though !

 

Andrew Barclay 0-4-0DH 578 – this useful little loco is stabled in the yard at Williton and has been busy of late, handling the various shunt moves in the yard.

Barclay 0-4-0DH 578 (ROF 1) was active again at Williton on Saturday 27th April 2024 and was used to haul D1010 out of the shed so that the shed could be cleaned in preparation for the Open Weekend. Photo by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

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 – both of our recently-added books are selling very well and making useful contributions to our loco funds, so if you haven’t already got your copy, then click on the images below to go to our online store to get yours now !

Price : £19.95 Click here for a link to the DEPG online store	Price : £17.50 Click here for a link to the DEPG online store

The new book by BERNARD MILLS is a very nice piece of work and is available at £19.95 per copy. We have now replenished our stock so that we can continue to meet the demand. This book provides ESSENTIAL READING for anyone interested in diesel-hydraulics and diesel-electrics of the South-Western varieties.

We also recommend the new book by ROGER GEACH entitled ‘HYDRAULIC MEMORIES’ and we have a BOOK REVIEW from regular contributor Neale Long on this title, and have posted it to our website; click on this link to find out what Neale thinks of this new book.

 

In the pre-owned category, we have posted several new titles and they are selling as fast as we are posting them, so PLEASE DONATE YOUR SURPLUS BOOKS so that we can replenish our stocks and keep the funds flowing in. Click HERE for our contact form.

All monies gathered from the sale of pre-owned books go directly to DEPG funds for the upkeep of our locomotive fleet, so we would like to say thank you very much to all who have donated and all who have purchased from our online store. Check our online store regularly and change the ‘default sorting’ to ‘sort by latest‘ to keep an eye on new postings.

Price : £5.00 Click here for a link to the DEPG online store	Price : £8.50 Click here for a link to the DEPG online store

 

 

ON SHED – this week, we feature a study of D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’ by well-known photographer and author ROGER GEACH. This photo was taken almost exactly 49 years ago and shows D1010 over the pit in the running shed at Plymouth Laira Depot, which is another coincidence because D1010 is over the pit in the ‘Swindon Shed’ at Williton at the very moment of writing this roundup.

The headcode depicts 6B09 which suggests that the loco had recently worked the daily milk empties from Acton to St Erth. Many thanks to Roger for providing us with this photo.

Class 52 D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’ was pictured over the pit in the running shed at Plymouth Laira Depot on 27th April 1975. Photo by Roger Geach © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

DEPG NEWS – a Board Meeting took place at Williton on Saturday, 27th April. A synopsis is being prepared and will be emailed ASAP to all DEPG members for whom we hold a valid email address.

 

The DEPG is entirely run by volunteers and we need to expand our volunteer numbers if we are going to be able to continue making progress on so many fronts simultaneously. If you have some time and feel able to help, please let us know by clicking this link to use our online CONTACT form. We look forward to hearing from you !

The DEPG depends on the support of all of our members, so please JOIN US and if you are already a member, please make sure that your membership is up to date. If you want to join or are not sure about your membership status, please click here or on the image below to open MEMBERMOJO. It is very quick and easy, and does not require you to remember yet another password. Thank you very much !

 

Go to the previous Weekly Roundup post

Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6575 (33057) was pictured in the company of sister D6566 (33048) on the Allerford Spur (the remains of the former Barnstaple line that closed in 1966) while out on a test run on Saturday 20th April 2024. Photo by Martin Howard © CC BY-NC 3.0 

 

After spending the winter undergoing an exhaust system overhaul inside the loco shed at Williton, Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6575 (33057) has now re-entered service and has taken over the role of ‘Duty Loco’ from sister D6566 (33048). The changeover took place on Saturday 20th April after a test run that involved D6575 running ‘Light Engine’ from Williton to Bishops Lydeard, where she attached to D6566, the pair of them then heading down to Norton Fitzwarren.

The test run involved multiple changes of direction and a test of the multiple working jumper cables. D6575 hauled her slightly older sister uphill for the three miles from Norton Fitzwarren to Bishops Lydeard and this was repeated several times, with the exhaust system being checked for leaks between each test run. The locos were swapped upon their return to Bishops Lydeard and D6566 ran to Williton ‘Light Engine’ to undergo maintenance, which will include a brake block change and an ‘A’ examination.

D6575 hauled the 1230 Bishops Lydeard to Minehead and return service under the RED timetable on Sunday 21st and will be back in action on Sunday 28th. See our DIESEL RUNNING DATES page for information about planned public workings.

Congratulations to volunteer loco manager Ian R and his team comprising Tom, Ashley, Tony and Ian F for their great work over the past few months. Well done guys !

 

Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6575 (33057) was pictured while waiting in the wonderful countryside setting of Crowcombe Heathfield station on Saturday 20th April 2024, en route to Bishops Lydeard. Photo by Martin Howard © CC BY-NC 3.0 

 

Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6566 (33048) was pictured at the very end of the Allerford Spur on Saturday 20th April 2024, with the Pontispool Equestrian Centre visible ahead and extending to the left. Today, this is the limit of the former Devon & Somerset route to Barnstaple via Dulverton and South Molton, that line having been closed since 1966. Photo by Martin Howard © CC BY-NC 3.0 

 

This extract from the WSR Rule Book, Map 10 shows that the Allerford spur is all that remains of the Barnstaple branch. To see the Rule Book maps and many more, go to the wsr.org.uk website by clicking this link. Image courtesy of WSR plc © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

 

1969 : 55 YEARS AGO

On Saturday 19th April 1969, the very last revenue-earning working of a Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ on BR metals took place in the Northern suburbs of Cardiff, on the former Taff Vale Railway network. Our very own D9518 worked the following trip freight services on that final day:

     06:15 Radyr Yard to Roath Branch Junction and return

     09:35 Radyr Yard to Roath Branch Junction and return

     14:20 Radyr Yard to Maindy and return

The loco was switched off at Radyr in full working order and was moved to Cardiff Canton depot on Saturday 26th April 1969 to join the line of redundant Class 14s already waiting there.

The lineup at Cardiff Canton then consisted of D9500, D9502, D9514, D9518 and D9527. Similarly lined up at Swansea Landore depot were D9521, D9524, D9536, D9538 and D955. All ten locomotives were formally withdrawn from service on 3rd May 1969.

Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9518 was pictured at Radyr Yard, on the northern outskirts of Cardiff on 8th March 1969. This loco was the last of the Class to work a revenue-earning service on BR metals. Photo by Alan Walker © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

 

DIESEL LOCO RUNNING ON THE WSR:

Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9526 will be hauling a ‘Pick-up Goods’ train on Saturday 27th April as part of the preparations for the SPRING STEAM SPECTACULAR event that will take place next week. Keep an eye on our DIESEL RUNNING DATES page for details of diesel-hauled public services and sign up to our DIESELGEN email bulletin service to get advance notice of non-public service running.

 

 

MESSAGE FROM MARK BLADWELL, DEPG Publicity Officer

The Diesel & Electric Preservation Group are collecting Coins and Banknotes from anywhere in the world, modern and any vintage, as part of their fund raising activities.

We can use any of the following:
– The old (large) 50p, 10p and 5p, together with ½ p
– Old £1 coins together with any old £1, £5 and £10 notes
– Euros & Cents; US, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand Dollars / cents coins and notes
– Pre-decimal coins (pre 1971)
– Isle of Man, Guernsey and Jersey coins and notes.
– In fact, any coins and notes from around the world.

A collection jar is at Williton Depot but we will be happy to receive items in the post. Contact Mark at publicity@depg.org  or write to Mark at The Old Goods Shed, Williton Station, Somerset, TA4 4RQ

Thank you in advance for helping the DEPG raise funds for the benefit of our loco fleet.

 

 

IMPORTANT DATES:

The first major event of the year is the SPRING STEAM SPECTACULAR which will take place throughout the Bank Holiday weekend, 3rd through 6th May, during which our loco shed will be open to the public, with Rod’s Model Railway sales stand alongside our own DEPG sales stand. Click here or on the image below for more information via the WSR’s website.

 

WSR DIESEL GALA 2024 – Thursday 6th through Saturday 8th JUNE

The WSR’s Diesel Gala will take place from Thursday 6th through to Saturday 8th June with mixed traction running on Sunday 9th, hopefully with at least one of the visiting locomotives at work. Our Williton depot will be open to the public from Thursday through Sunday, with a number of unusual and interesting exhibits on display. More details coming soon.

The first visiting locomotive to be announced was English Electric Class 50 50033 (D433) ‘Glorious’, no doubt to the delight of the many followers of the class, and the second visitor has now been announced as BR-Derby Class 46 ‘Peak’ D182 (46 045), courtesy of the Peak Locomotive Company and a fine example of another well-loved ‘Type 4’ class. Also visiting, courtesy of 20189 Ltd., are English Electric Class 20 ‘Choppers’ (or ‘Whistling Wardrobes’) 20189 (D8189), in BR blue livery and 20142 (D8142) ‘Sir John Betjeman’, in commemorative London Transport livery. THE LATEST NEWS is that Class 24 D5054 (24054) ‘Phil Southern’ will be joining the lineup, so please MAKE A NOTE OF THESE DATES and do your best to attend. It is going to be a great event !

 

An additional bonus on Saturday 8th June will be a presentation by former BR Fleet Manager GEOFF HUDSON entitled ‘FIFTY YEARS WITH FIFTIES‘, taking place inside Williton Diesel Depot with 50033 (D433) ‘Glorious’ stabled outside the shed as a backdrop. Click here or on the image below for more information about this special event.

 

 

LOCO NEWS:

Class 52 D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’ – our report this week will be brief because we have been concentrating on the lifting plan and the many activities that have to come together to allow a successful, safe and economical lift. The first step is to disconnect the bogie thrust brackets that transmit the traction forces and braking forces from body to bogie and vice versa. The loco has to be positioned over a pit before these large and heavy brackets can be disconnected, so that is the first of the many challenges that we have to overcome. A window of opportunity may be opening up, and we need to be ready for it. More news will be released as soon as possible.

Our website now carries a new page, ‘D1010 Progress Report – Jan 2024‘, the content of which will be familiar to DEPG members because it was included in the January Newsletter. This information is now available to all by clicking on this link.

As stated previously, we will need MORE HANDS to help us get the work done. If you want to see this locomotive back on the rails soon, then PLEASE COME ALONG AND HELP US WITH THIS WORK ! There is a wide range of tasks that need to be done, so simply reply to this email or use the CONTACT FORM on our website if you can lend a hand.

 

Sponsorships for patches on D1010 continue to come in, for which we are VERY grateful indeed. We have many more patches waiting for sponsors, so please support the CAMPAIGN for CAMPAIGNER and click here or on the image further below to get your name engraved into the metal of the locomotive. We will be having another engraving session this weekend.

The drawings that have been developed in parallel will provide a formal record of the position of each sponsored patch and this will allow sponsors to look up the location of their patch when they visit the depot at Williton during the WSR SUMMER DIESEL FESTIVAL. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT – and your PATIENCE !

Click the image below to sponsor a patch:

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 09 D4107 (09019) – this loco is stabled at Bishops Lydeard and is in regular use.

 

Class 33 D6566 (33 048) – now back at Williton for some planned maintenance work.

 

Class 33 D6575 (33 057) – now based at Bishops Lydeard as the Duty Loco and in use on Sunday 28th April on the 1230 service to Minehead and return. See our DIESEL RUNNING DATES page for details.

 

Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 – this loco is ready to return to service apart from a very short list of minor issues that will be addressed at Williton over the next few weekends. We hope to get this loco rostered for some weekend public services in June, so keep an eye on our DIESEL RUNNING DATES page or sign up to our DIESELGEN email bulletin service to get the news as soon as it is released.

D7017 – pictured at Williton on Tuesday 9th April 2024 on the first leg of the three-day test ‘shakedown’ – with Class 33 D6566 (33048) tagging along for extra ballast (and insurance!). Photo by Dean Goodenough © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7018 – the ‘transmission team’ continued their work on the careful disassembly of the damaged transmission, taking great care to ensure that evidence of the root cause is not lost in the process. This methodical approach does slow the progress, but we have to do it so that we can learn and ensure that we make the transmission reliable and fit for the long term. This work is not trivial and we don’t want to have to do it all again.

The damaged clutch has now been exposed by the separation of the casing halves and the next phase of work will be the removal of the geartrains and the separation of the key components, which will give us a look inside the failed No. 5 clutch. Interesting times indeed.

D7018 – the top half of the gear train casing casing was lifted off by Tim and Colin F at Williton on Tuesday 16th April 2024. Photo by Colin Foxhall © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

D7018 – the concentric input shaft (larger diameter gear wheel) and output shaft (smaller gear wheel) of the Torque Converter are clearly visible in this view, captured at Williton on Saturday 20th April 2024. Photo by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

D7018 – volunteers James (left) and Barry (right) were pictured at Williton on Saturday 20th April 2024, studying the inner workings of this marvellous example of 1960s engineering. Photo by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

Although we hope to be able to use spare parts that we have available, we will still need to replace seals, bearings, gaskets as necessary and we also need to drain the oil and have new oil available. All of these things cost money. PLEASE HELP by making a donation of £10 or by buying our 64-page A4 HYMEK D7018 BOOKLET (£10) which covers the history of this locomotive from build through to her return to service in 2019 following her major overhaul. THANK YOU VERY MUCH !

Click here or on the image above to order your copy of our ‘HYMEK D7018’ booklet, available for £10.

 

Click here or on the donation image above to go to the donations page on our website. If you feel able to donate more than £10, simply increase the quantity when on the donations page. Thank you in advance for your support !

 

 

Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9518 – following the re-arrangement of the working area on number 3 road within the loco shed, the Tuesday Team were able to re-commence their work on the overhaul of the PAXMAN 6YJXL engine at Williton on Tuesday 16th April 2024 and the first step was to ensure that all parts that had already been removed were labelled and properly organised. The second photo below shows just a small number of the component parts of the engine !

D9518 – the overhaul of the PAXMAN 6YJXL engine was under way in the hands of (L-R) Nick and Terry at Williton on Tuesday 16th April 2024. Photo by Anthony Austin © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

D9518 – Linda had the task of identifying and tagging all of the parts that have been removed from the PAXMAN 6YJXL engine at Williton on Tuesday 16th April 2024. Photo by Anthony Austin © 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 has now relocated to Williton and is being rostered for use on several goods trains and positioning workings over the next few weeks, including a full day of work on Saturday 27th April. Keep an eye on our DIESELGEN postings for details.

 

Class 47 47077 ‘NORTH STAR’ – this loco worked several services between Pickering and Grosmont on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway during the week and we continue to received plenty of feedback on our social media channels, proving that this loco is actually the most popular member of our entire fleet !

 

Andrew Barclay 0-4-0DH 578 – this useful little loco is stabled in the yard at Williton and has been busy of late, handling the various shunt moves in the yard.

Barclay 0-4-0DH 578 (ROF 1) was in the yard at Williton and was pictured after sunset on Friday 19th April 2024 by Jon Tooke © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

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 – both of our recently-added books are selling very well and making useful contributions to our loco funds, so if you haven’t already got your copy, then click on the images below to go to our online store to get yours now !

Price : £19.95 Click here for a link to the DEPG online store	Price : £17.50 Click here for a link to the DEPG online store

 

The new book by BERNARD MILLS is a very nice piece of work and is available at £19.95 per copy. We have now replenished our stock so that we can continue to meet the demand. This book provides ESSENTIAL READING for anyone interested in diesel-hydraulics and diesel-electrics of the South-Western varieties.

We also recommend the new book by ROGER GEACH entitled ‘HYDRAULIC MEMORIES’ and we have a BOOK REVIEW from regular contributor Neale Long on this title, and have posted it to our website; click on this link to find out what Neale thinks of this new book.

 

In the pre-owned category, we have posted several new titles and they are selling as fast as we are posting them, so PLEASE DONATE YOUR SURPLUS BOOKS so that we can replenish our stocks and keep the funds flowing in. Click HERE for our contact form.

All monies gathered from the sale of pre-owned books go directly to DEPG funds for the upkeep of our locomotive fleet, so we would like to say thank you very much to all who have donated and all who have purchased from our online store. Check our online store regularly and change the ‘default sorting’ to ‘sort by latest‘ to keep an eye on new postings.

Price : £7.50 Click here for a link to the DEPG online store	Price : £5.50 Click here for a link to the DEPG online store

 

 

ON SHED – apologies but we will have to skip this feature this week due to lack of time.

 

DEPG NEWS – the next Board Meeting is scheduled to take place at Williton from 10:30 on Saturday, 27th April. Please let us know if you have a question that you would like to have placed before the Board. The synopsis of the previous meeting (March 9th) has been emailed to all DEPG members for whom we hold a valid email address. Please let us know by using our CONTACT FORM if you didn’t receive your copy.

 

The DEPG is entirely run by volunteers and we need to expand our volunteer numbers if we are going to be able to continue making progress on so many fronts simultaneously. If you have some time and feel able to help, please let us know by clicking this link to use our online CONTACT form. We look forward to hearing from you !

The DEPG depends on the support of all of our members, so please JOIN US and if you are already a member, please make sure that your membership is up to date. If you want to join or are not sure about your membership status, please click here or on the image below to open MEMBERMOJO. It is very quick and easy, and does not require you to remember yet another password. Thank you very much !

 

Go to the previous Weekly Roundup post

Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9526 headed an unusual working on Saturday 13th April 2024, the load comprising a Mark 3 sleeper coach 10542 and an ex-GWR ‘Toad’ Brake Van, with Class 09 Shunter D4107 (09019) bringing up the rear. The ’09’ was left in the siding and the rest of the train ran to Minehead. Photo by Terry Deacon © CC BY-NC 3.0 

 

A most unusual working took place on Saturday 13th April 2024 when Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9526 hauled an ex-Caledonian Mark 3 sleeper coach from Bishops Lydeard to Minehead Carriage Workshop to undergo roof repairs. As the coach is air braked and the loco is vacuum braked, the ex-GWR ‘Toad’  Brake Van was attached at the rear to provide the train braking. Once the coach had been delivered to Minehead, the loco and brake van departed for Williton so that the loco could be in position for her next booked duty, an infrastructure working on Friday 19th April. It is great to see this loco getting more frequent use on the WSR.

This coming weekend will see some Class 33 ‘Crompton’ action with D6575 (33057) out on test on Saturday in the Norton Fitzwarren section with sister D6566 (33048) tagging along to provide a load and act as insurance should the loco under test encounter any trouble. At the end of the session, if D6575 has been pronounced as OK then the locos will swap duties, with D6575 remaining at Bishops Lydeard as the Duty Loco, and D6566 heading for Williton for some well-earned TLC. Click here to see the DIESELGEN bulletin relating to these special workings.

 

DIESEL LOCO RUNNING ON THE WSR:

On Sunday, the Duty Class 33 will haul the 1230 service from Bishops Lydeard to Minehead and return, as a booked working under the RED timetable that remains in force until 19th May (except for the Steam Gala, see below). Keep an eye on our DIESEL RUNNING DATES page for details of diesel-hauled public services and sign up to our DIESELGEN email bulletin service to get advance notice of non-public service running. 

 

CONGRATULATIONS to the DIESEL TRACTION GROUP for their successful charter run behind D1015 ‘WESTERN CHAMPION’ on Sunday 14th April 2024 when the loco hauled a load equivalent to 17 coaches (the Class 57 on the rear was not providing power) from Paddington to Birmingham, to the delight of everyone on board and the lineside photographers and spectators along the length of the route. An outstanding feat of heritage traction, that’s for sure, and a tribute to the team at the DTG who have worked so hard to get the loco into such good condition. Hats off indeed !

The DTG’s Class 52 D1015 ‘WESTERN CHAMPION’ was evidently hard at work when pictured approaching Kings Sutton (obviously non-stop!) on Sunday 14th April 2024, hauling a 17-coach equivalent load from Paddington to Birmingham. Photo by Graham Perry © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

The DTG’s Class 52 D1015 ‘WESTERN CHAMPION’ was pictured at the Banbury station stop on Sunday 14th April 2024, surrounded by admirers. The loco had just arrived with ‘THE ONE WAY WIZZO‘ railtour from Paddington and was en route to Birmingham. Photo by Ashley Harris © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

IMPORTANT DATES:

The first major event of the year is the SPRING STEAM SPECTACULAR which will take place throughout the Bank Holiday weekend, 3rd through 6th May, during which our loco shed will be open to the public, with Rod’s Model Railway sales stand alongside our own DEPG sales stand. Click here or on the image below for more information via the WSR’s website.

 

WSR DIESEL GALA 2024 – Thursday 6th through Saturday 8th JUNE

The WSR’s Diesel Gala will take place from Thursday 6th through to Saturday 8th June with mixed traction running on Sunday 9th, hopefully with at least one of the visiting locomotives at work. Our Williton depot will be open to the public from Thursday through Sunday, with a number of unusual and interesting exhibits on display. More details coming soon.

The first visiting locomotive to be announced was English Electric Class 50 50033 (D433) ‘Glorious’, no doubt to the delight of the many followers of the class, and the second visitor has now been announced as BR-Derby Class 46 ‘Peak’ D182 (46 045), courtesy of the Peak Locomotive Company and a fine example of another well-loved ‘Type 4’ class. Also visiting, courtesy of 20189 Ltd., are English Electric Class 20 ‘Choppers’ (or ‘Whistling Wardrobes’) 20189 (D8189), in BR blue livery and 20142 (D8142) ‘Sir John Betjeman’, in commemorative London Transport livery, so PLEASE MAKE A NOTE OF THESE DATES and do your best to attend. It is going to be a great event !

 

LOCO NEWS:

Class 52 D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’ – our ‘tongue in cheek’ request for help from anyone who happens to have two spare Maybach engine stands bore fruit almost immediately with an offer of suitable rolled steel sections that will allow us to fabricate two engine stands to a pattern already developed by BOB CLEGG, two examples of which are already in use at Williton. MANY THANKS to Bob for his quick response and for his offer of help !

As our plans for the lifting of the loco develop, we are reviewing all of the possibilities with a view to balancing the need to minimise the cost with the need to minimise the risk. The over-riding concern is to ensure that the lifting procedure is safe, and this means that we are proceeding with caution. We hope to finalise the procedure during April with a view to performing the lift during May, if at all possible.

Meanwhile, work proceeds on the cooler groups and on the disconnection of the engines to allow them to be lifted out before the loco body gets lifted. The next step will be to position the loco over a pit to have the bogie thrust brackets disconnected. The engines will remain in the loco until that step has been completed and the spring hanger fastenings have been freed up, because we need to have plenty of weight bearing down on the springs before we attempt to loosen the massive nuts !

Our website now carries a new page, ‘D1010 Progress Report – Jan 2024‘, the content of which will be familiar to DEPG members because it was included in the January Newsletter. This information is now available to all by clicking on this link.

D1010 – the loco was moved back indoors on to number 2 road at Williton on Saturday 6th April 2024 to allow the resumption of the electrical overhaul work and to allow for the engraving of another 200 patches ! (click here for the SPONSOR A PATCH scheme). Photo by Martin Howard © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

D1010 – the first of the two cooler group assemblies approaches the end of its overhaul, with just one area of corrosion remaining to be repaired. Volunteer Ian F was pictured while working diligently on the cleaning and painting within the cooler group. Pictured at Williton on Saturday 13th April 2024 by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

D1010 – the repaired surfaces were given a coat of grey paint by Roy at Williton on Saturday 13th April 2024. The corrosion repairs had been carried out by volunteer Tony during the previous week. Thanks guys ! Photo by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

As stated previously, we will need MORE HANDS to help us get the work done. If you want to see this locomotive back on the rails soon, then PLEASE COME ALONG AND HELP US WITH THIS WORK ! There is a wide range of tasks that need to be done, so simply use the CONTACT FORM on our website to let us know if you can lend a hand.

 

Sponsorships for patches on D1010 continue to come in, for which we are VERY grateful indeed. We have many more patches waiting for sponsors, so please support the CAMPAIGN for CAMPAIGNER and click here or on the image further below to get your name engraved into the metal of the locomotive. We will be having another engraving session as soon as the loco gets moved back into the loco shed (the weather has not been cooperative lately!). 

The certificates are now being emailed to the sponsors and we have already sent hundreds out with hundreds more to go, so we are very busy with this work. Here’s an example of what we are sending out:

Sponsorship includes a photograph and a certificate via email, but we can print the certificates on photo paper and mail them out upon request, in which case we will be asking for an additional £2.50 donation per certificate to cover photo paper, ink and postage. We can even put them in frame for you.

The drawings that have been developed in parallel will provide a formal record of the position of each sponsored patch and this will allow sponsors to look up the location of their patch when they visit the depot at Williton during the WSR SUMMER DIESEL FESTIVAL. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT – and your PATIENCE !

Click the image below to sponsor a patch:

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 09 D4107 (09019) – this loco in regular use at Bishops Lydeard.

 

Class 33 D6566 (33 048) – this loco has returned to Bishops Lydeard in support of the RED timetable although her stay will be short-lived if sister D6575 passes her test running on Saturday 20th April and takes over as Duty Loco. Either way, D6566 is due for some care and attention from Ian and the team and will undergo some maintenance in the coming weeks, either at Bishops Lydeard or at our Williton base.

D6566 – the loco worked the 1000 and 1430 departures from Minehead on Sunday 14th April 2024, and was pictured leaning into the curve on the approach to Stogumber with a service to Bishops Lydeard. Photo by Mark Ireland © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

Class 33 D6575 (33 057) – as already stated, this loco will be undergoing a period of test running in the Norton Fitzwarren section on Saturday 20th April 2024 (see our DIESELGEN bulletin for more details). The exhaust system has been fully overhauled but the loco needs to be worked hard to get everything up to the normal operating temperature (running in the yard or station limits is not sufficient to heat the engine thoroughly). Let’s hope for a successful outcome !

D6575 – the lower part of the photo shows the new bellows coupling that has been fitted to the loco as part of her exhaust system overhaul. These stainless steel components change their length to accommodate the expansion and contraction of the cylinder heads and exhaust pipes. Pictured on Sunday 14th April 2024 by Ian Robins © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 – this loco is ready to return to service apart from a very short list of minor issues that will be addressed at Williton over the next few weekends. We hope to get this loco rostered for some weekend public services in June, so keep an eye on our DIESEL RUNNING DATES page or sign up to our DIESELGEN email bulletin service to get the news as soon as it is released.

 

Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7018 – the ‘transmission team’ continued their search for the issues that have affected the reliability of this wonderful piece of engineering, and so far have made several observations of differences between the service manual and the hardware in front of them. The explanation will probably be because of modifications or because of experience gained as the ‘Hymek’ fleet accumulated hours, but in the absence of documentation, we have to note the differences and research them. Luckily, we have two other transmissions to use as a reference, not including the transmission in D7017 (which we do not intend to disturb), but disassembling them will involve a lot of effort so will be the last resort.

So far, the only components that have been found to be unfit for further service are the claw rings of the directional clutch and one of the roller bearings, which shows damage to some of the rollers (we have spares for these parts).

The next phase of work involves the measurement of the clutch actuator mechanism to try to establish why the directional clutch halves do not engage properly. Only after we have gathered the information will we carry on with the disassembly, to ensure that we don’t miss something.

D7018 – the top casing of the transmission was lifted off by Tim and Colin F at Williton on Tuesday 9th April 2024. Photo by Colin Foxhall © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

D7018 – the input shaft was then lifted out and set aside for inspection. The control block assembly can now be seen, protruding from the top of the casting. Pictured at Williton on Tuesday 9th April 2024 by Colin Foxhall © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

D7018 – the damaged directional clutch can now be seen clearly. The clutch will not engage properly because the spring-loaded baulk ring (not visible from this angle) has jammed. Pictured at Williton on Tuesday 9th April 2024 by Colin Foxhall © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

Although we hope to be able to use spare parts that we have available, we will still need to replace seals, bearings, gaskets as necessary and we also need to drain the oil and have new oil available. All of these things cost money. PLEASE HELP by making a donation of £10 or by buying our 64-page A4 HYMEK D7018 BOOKLET (£10) which covers the history of this locomotive from build through to her return to service in 2019 following her major overhaul. THANK YOU VERY MUCH !

Click here or on the image above to order your copy of our ‘HYMEK D7018’ booklet, available for £10.

 

Click here or on the donation image above to go to the donations page on our website. If you feel able to donate more than £10, simply increase the quantity when on the donations page. Thank you in advance for your support !

 

Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9518 – the re-wiring of the driver’s desk is making very good progress with John doing the electrical work, Terry doing the pneumatic work and Colin doing the desk restoration work. Some items, such as the driver’s brake valve, have been re-fitted to the driver’s desk temporarily to allow the cable lengths to be measured. These parts will be removed again to allow the desk covering to be reinstated, then they will be fitted properly. The photos below show the progress, with John doing the electrical work, Terry doing the pneumatic work and Colin G doing the desk restoration work.

The cardan shaft issue is moving along and we now have the feedback from the specialist company that evaluated the alternative set of shafts. The results are better than our original shafts but still short of what we need, so work continues to find the most suitable solution. We will report further on this in a future edition of Roundup.

D9518 – looking down upon the driver’s desk in the cab at Williton on Saturday 13th April 2024, the Westinghouse driver’s brake valve and handle dominates the view. This item has been fitted temporarily to allow the wire lengths to be determined. It will then be removed and stored again, until the desk covering has been completed. Photo by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

D9518 – the horn valves have been re-fitted to the inner edge of the door frames, where they are in easy reach of the driver and secondman. Pictured at Williton on Saturday 13th April 2024 by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

D9518 – Some original signwriting from BR-Swindon days has been uncovered in the cab, serving to identify which end of the locomotive is which (A or B). Pictured at Williton on Saturday 13th April 2024 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 has now relocated to Williton and is being rostered for use on several engineering and infrastructure workings over the next few weeks. Keep an eye on our DIESELGEN postings for details.

D9526 – working in a safe manner on an infrastructure ‘tidy train’ on the site of the former Leigh Loop on Friday 12th April 2024; the equivalent view from the 1960s would be no hard hats, no hi-vis and no Road-Rail vehicle. The 1960s workforce would have probably been wearing suit jackets and reading newspapers ! Photo by Malcolm Anderson © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

Class 47 47077 ‘NORTH STAR’ – this loco worked several services between Pickering and Grosmont on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway during the week and we received plenty of feedback on our social media channels, proving that this loco is actually the most popular member of our entire fleet ! Here are some of the photos that we received, showing visitors making the most of the very poor weather. Many thanks to all who braved the weather and provided photos, and apologies that we can’t use them all.

47077 (D1661, 47613, 47840) ‘NORTH STAR’ was pictured departing from Goathland on Tuesday 9th April 2024 during a sustained period of unseasonably poor weather. Photo by Martin Fisher © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

47077 (D1661, 47613, 47840) ‘NORTH STAR’ was pictured arriving at Grosmont Station on Tuesday 9th April 2024 during a brief spell when it had actually stopped raining. Photo by Gary Attridge © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

47077 (D1661, 47613, 47840) ‘NORTH STAR’ at the platform at Grosmont Station on Tuesday 9th April 2024, looking very smart indeed. Photo by Gary Attridge © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

Andrew Barclay 0-4-0DH 578 – this loco is stabled on number 3 road at Williton and has been busy of late, handling the various shunt moves in the yard. This powerful little loco will be in use again on the weekend of 20/21st April.

 

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 – both of our recently-added books are selling very well and making useful contributions to our loco funds, so if you haven’t already got your copy, then click on the images below to go to our online store to get yours now !

Price : £19.95 Click here for a link to the DEPG online store	Price : £17.50 Click here for a link to the DEPG online store

 

The new book by BERNARD MILLS is a very nice piece of work and is available at £19.95 per copy. We have now replenished our stock so that we can continue to meet the demand. This book provides ESSENTIAL READING for anyone interested in diesel-hydraulics and diesel-electrics of the South-Western varieties.

We also recommend the new book by ROGER GEACH entitled ‘HYDRAULIC MEMORIES’ and we have a BOOK REVIEW from regular contributor Neale Long on this title, and have posted it to our website; click on this link to find out what Neale thinks of this new book.

 

In the pre-owned category, we have posted several new titles and they are selling as fast as we are posting them, so PLEASE DONATE YOUR SURPLUS BOOKS so that we can replenish our stocks and keep the funds flowing in. Click HERE for our contact form.

All monies gathered from the sale of pre-owned books go directly to DEPG funds for the upkeep of our locomotive fleet, so we would like to say thank you very much to all who have donated and all who have purchased from our online store. Check our online store regularly and change the ‘default sorting’ to ‘sort by latest‘ to keep an eye on new postings.

WILLITON in BR days on the cover picture!	A very interesting book !
Price : £11 Click here for a link to the DEPG online store	Price : £8.50 Click here for a link to the DEPG online store

 

 

ON SHED – and now for something completely different. While on a European vacation recently, our Chairman Martin Howard spotted two examples of diesel-hydraulic locos that are still in service in Germany. The Class 218 locos are developments of the ‘Hymek’ concept with single engines and hydraulic transmissions (in this case made by Voith). Although abandoned by the BR technical leadership in the early 1960s, diesel-hydraulic transmission remained in use on other railway systems (mostly in mainland Europe) and is still with us today in the many examples of Sprinter, Super Sprinter and Thames Turbo DMUs that can be found on most of the modern UK network. Many thanks to Martin for sharing his photo with us all.

A pair of DB Class 218 diesel-hydraulics wait for their next duty at Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof. Pictured on 19th March 2024 by Martin Howard © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

DEPG NEWS – with more infrastructure work planned for this coming weekend and a test run in progress, this will be another week that flashes by with more tasks to be done than it is possible to do. PLEASE JOIN US AND HELP US to keep moving forward with the restoration and operation of our fleet !

The next Board Meeting is scheduled to take place at Williton on Saturday, 27th April. Please let us know by using our CONTACT FORM if you have a question that you would like to have placed before the Board.

 

The DEPG is entirely run by volunteers and we need to expand our volunteer numbers if we are going to be able to continue making progress on so many fronts simultaneously. If you have some time and feel able to help, please let us know by clicking this link to use our online CONTACT form. We look forward to hearing from you !

The DEPG depends on the support of all of our members, so please JOIN US and if you are already a member, please make sure that your membership is up to date. If you want to join or are not sure about your membership status, please click here or on the image below to open MEMBERMOJO. It is very quick and easy, and does not require you to remember yet another password. Thank you very much !

 

Go to the previous Weekly Roundup post

Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 was pictured at Blue Anchor station on Thursday 11th April 2024 while waiting for WSR 2-6-0 ‘Mogul’ 9351 to bring the ‘down’ train into the platform and relinquish the token for the section towards Williton. Photo by Martin Howard © CC BY-NC 3.0 

 

Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 has just completed three days of TEST RUNNING during which she covered 130 miles while hauling Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6566 (33048) and six Mark 1 coaches, giving her quite a workout. The only issue that affected the test running was a split radiator element gasket that resulted in a coolant loss on the first day of the test, resulting in curtailment of the diagram and an afternoon spent undergoing repair at Williton. This loco has seen very little use over the last four years and had become unreliable as a result, so the purpose of this intensive period of running was to shake down all such issues and get the loco back into regular running condition. This has been achieved, with the loco being allowed to return to Williton by herself, without the need for D6566 to tag along as insurance.

Congratulations to the volunteers involved in preparing the loco for her ordeal and to those volunteers whose crewed her throughout the three days of the test !

 

DIESEL LOCO RUNNING ON THE WSR:

The coming weekend will see two of our locos in action on the WSR, with Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9526 working an engineering train from Bishops Lydeard to Minehead then returning to Williton on Saturday 13th and Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6566 (33048) working the 1000 Minehead 80-mile diagram on Sunday 14th. On Tuesday 16th, the WSR changes from the Blue to the RED timetable, so D6566 (33048) will work the Empty Coaching Stock from Minehead to Bishops Lydeard so that it is in the right place for the 1230 service to Minehead (booked for steam haulage). Keep an eye on our DIESEL RUNNING DATES page for details of diesel-hauled public services and sign up to our DIESELGEN email bulletin service to get advance notice of non-public service running. 

 

IMPORTANT DATES:

The first major event of the year will be the SPRING STEAM SPECTACULAR which will take place throughout the Bank Holiday weekend, 3rd through 6th May, during which our loco shed will be open to the public, with Rod’s Model Railway sales stand alongside our own DEPG sales stand. Click here or on the image below for more information via the WSR’s website.

 

WSR DIESEL GALA 2024 – Thursday 6th through Saturday 8th JUNE

The WSR’s Diesel Gala will take place from Thursday 6th through to Saturday 8th June with mixed traction running on Sunday 9th, hopefully with at least one of the visiting locomotives at work. Our Williton depot will be open to the public from Thursday through Sunday, with a number of unusual and interesting exhibits on display. More details soon.

The first visiting locomotive to be announced was English Electric Class 50 50033 (D433) ‘Glorious’, no doubt to the delight of the many followers of the class, and the second visitor has now been announced as BR-Derby Class 46 ‘Peak’ D182 (46 045), courtesy of the Peak Locomotive Company and a fine example of another well-loved ‘Type 4’ class. Also visiting, courtesy of 20189 Ltd., are English Electric Class 20 ‘Choppers’ (or ‘Whistling Wardrobes’) 20189 (D8189), in BR blue livery and 20142 (D8142) ‘Sir John Betjeman’, in commemorative London Transport livery, so PLEASE MAKE A NOTE OF THESE DATES and do your best to attend. It is going to be a great event !

 

LOCO NEWS:

Class 52 D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’ – Gordon made a start on disconnecting the two MD655 engines in preparation for them to be lifted out of the loco to reduce the weight for the loco body lift. Removing the engines will make a significant reduction in the weight to be lifted and will simplify the lift procedure. The down side is that we need to fabricate or modify some engine stands because we only have two and they are both in use already. It’s a long shot, but if anyone happens to have two spare Maybach engine stands (or something similar), then please use our CONTACT FORM to let us know.

Gordon was assisted by new volunteer Thomas, who was attending at the yard for a ‘taster day’. From our summing-up chat at the end of the session, we can safely say that Thomas will be back whenever he can fit us in with his busy work schedule, and we will be delighted to see him at any time.

The loco has now been moved back inside the loco shed for a while, to allow our volunteers to progress with tasks that have been impossible to manage outdoors because of the poor weather, such as the bodywork and the electrical repairs. We also have a large number of sponsored patches to be engraved onto the loco while she is dry.

Our website now carries a new page, ‘D1010 Progress Report – Jan 2024‘, the content of which will be familiar to DEPG members because it was included in the January Newsletter. This information is now available to all by clicking on this link.

D1010 – while stabled outdoors on number 1 road at Williton, the loco was covered by a blue tarpaulin so the sunlight reaches the interior with a blue tint. On Saturday 6th April 2024, volunteers Thomas (L) and Andy R (R) were pictured inside the loco while discussing the work to be done to disconnect and remove the MD655 engines. Photo by Natalie Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

D1010 – the final drive gearbox and cardan shaft of the inboard axle can be seen clearly when looking down on the bogie through the gap that is normally occupied by the ‘B’ transmission. Pictured at Williton on Saturday 6th April 2024 by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

D1010 – the loco was shunted from number 1 road outdoors to number 2 road indoors at Williton on Saturday 6th April 2024. The motive power was provided by Barclay 578 (ROF 1) via Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 and Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6575 (33057), all of which were dormant during the shunt. Photo by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

D1010 – DEPG trustee, driver and volunteer Paul T uncouples the loco and provides an opportunity to study three locomotive designs at Williton on Saturday 6th April 2024, the wedge-shaped leading edges of the Class 52 ‘Western’ and the Class 35 ‘Hymek’ being entirely different to the curvature of the Class 33 ‘Crompton’. Photo by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

As stated previously, we will need MORE HANDS to help us get the work done. If you want to see this locomotive back on the rails soon, then PLEASE COME ALONG AND HELP US WITH THIS WORK ! There is a wide range of tasks that need to be done, so simply use the CONTACT FORM on our website to let us know if you can lend a hand.

 

Sponsorships for patches on D1010 continue to come in, for which we are VERY grateful indeed. We have many more patches waiting for sponsors, so please support the CAMPAIGN for CAMPAIGNER and click here or on the image further below to get your name engraved into the metal of the locomotive. We will be having another engraving session as soon as the loco gets moved back into the loco shed (the weather has not been cooperative lately!). 

The certificates are now being emailed to the sponsors and we have already sent hundreds out with hundreds more to go, so we are very busy with this work. Here’s an example of what we are sending out:

Sponsorship includes a photograph and a certificate via email, but we can print the certificates on photo paper and mail them out upon request, in which case we will be asking for an additional £2.50 donation per certificate to cover photo paper, ink and postage. We can even put them in frame for you.

The drawings that have been developed in parallel will provide a formal record of the position of each sponsored patch and this will allow sponsors to look up the location of their patch when they visit the depot at Williton during the WSR SUMMER DIESEL FESTIVAL. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT – and your PATIENCE !

Click the image below to sponsor a patch:

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 09 D4107 (09019) – this loco has now returned to duties at Bishops Lydeard.

 

Class 33 D6566 (33 048) – this loco is currently stabled at Minehead after a busy week supporting the test running of Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 and will be heading the 1000 departure from Minehead and the associated 80-mile diagram on Sunday 14th April. She will relocate to Bishops Lydeard with the Empty Coaching Stock to allow the WSR to transition from Blue to Red timetable on Tuesday 16th April. See our DIESELGEN bulletin for more details.

Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6566 (33048) has been busy supporting the test running of Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017, providing the ‘insurance’ that allows a loco to be test run on a public service day. Pictured at Minehead on Tuesday 9th April 2024 by Josh Brinsford © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

Class 33 D6575 (33 057) – the work on this loco has now been completed and we are waiting for the opportunity to carry out a loaded test run that will allow the engine to get up to maximum operating temperature, at which point we can check the exhaust system and ensure that there no leaks. In the meantime, we have a lot of cleaning up to do in the engine room, and the cabs will also need a thorough clean before the loco is returned to service. Can you help ? Please use our CONTACT FORM if you are able to offer your time and skills in the maintenance and support of your favourite locomotives.

 

Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 – as already stated, this loco is ready to return to service apart from a very short list of minor issues that will be addressed at Williton over the next few weekends. We hope to get this loco rostered for some public services in the near future, so keep an eye on our DIESEL RUNNING DATES page or sign up to our DIESELGEN email bulletin service to get the news as soon as it is released.

 

Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7018 – the ‘transmission team’ have been making careful progress in the disassembly and inspection of the torque converter components and have removed the impeller and turbine from the housing. As expected, these parts are marvellous examples of 1960s engineering and are in remarkably good condition considering their age. The stampings on the worksplate gives the date of the last overhaul as being 9th December 1971, more than 50 years ago !

The work involves the design and manufacture of special tooling to ensure that no damage is caused during disassembly or re-assembly, because spare parts are not available and any damage will be expensive and time-consuming to resolve. This is the reason why the locomotive has been removed from consideration for running this year. We do not want the transmission team to feel that they are under pressure.

D7018 – the main components of the torque converter comprise the impeller in the centre, driven from the engine, and the turbine around the outside, which drives the wheels of the locomotive via the gearboxes. A marvellous piece of 1960s engineering. Pictured at Williton on Wednesday 3rd April 2024 by Colin Foxhall © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

D7018 – the large and expensive axial control bearing from the torque converter appears to be in very good condition and suitable for further service. Pictured at Williton on Wednesday 3rd April 2024 by Colin Foxhall © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

Although we hope to be able to use spare parts that we have available, we will still need to replace seals, bearings, gaskets as necessary and we also need to drain the oil and have new oil available. All of these things cost money. PLEASE HELP by making a donation of £10 or by buying our 64-page A4 HYMEK D7018 BOOKLET (£10) which covers the history of this locomotive from build through to her return to service in 2019 following her major overhaul. THANK YOU VERY MUCH !

Click here or on the image above to order your copy of our ‘HYMEK D7018’ booklet, available for £10.

 

Click here or on the donation image above to go to the donations page on our website. If you feel able to donate more than £10, simply increase the quantity when on the donations page. Thank you in advance for your support !

 

Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9518 – the cab assembly continues to be the focus of attention, with more progress being made by the team every week. There has also been progress with the cardan shafts, but no conclusions have been reached as yet, so research continues into the options available to us.

D9518 – Terry (L) was quick to grab new volunteer Thomas (R) at Williton on Saturday 6th April 2024, and the two of them set to work preparing the transmission flanges for the re-installation of the cardan shafts (we like to think positively!). Photo by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

D9518 – further progress was made by volunteer John C who continued his careful and diligent work on the cab and desk wiring. Pictured at Williton on Saturday 6th April 2024 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 is on standby at Bishops Lydeard and is fully serviceable. This loco will work an engineering train to Minehead on Saturday 13th April and will then return to Williton. See our latest DIESELGEN posting for more details. 

 

Class 47 47077 ‘NORTH STAR’ – this loco relocated from Grosmont to Pickering by heading up the 1710 service on 7th April so that she could be in place for a week of work on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. We look forward to sharing photos of this very popular loco at work in the next edition of roundup.

See our ‘ON SHED’ feature further below for an article related to this locomotive.

 

Andrew Barclay 0-4-0DH 578 – this loco is stabled on number 3 road at Williton and has seen action several times during the last few weeks. A very useful engine !

 

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 – both of our recently-added books are selling very well and making useful contributions to our loco funds, so if you haven’t already got your copy, then click on the images below to go to our online store to get yours now !

Price : £19.95 Click here for a link to the DEPG online store	Price : £17.50 Click here for a link to the DEPG online store

 

The new book by BERNARD MILLS is a very nice piece of work and is available at £19.95 per copy. We have now replenished our stock so that we can continue to meet the demand. This book provides ESSENTIAL READING for anyone interested in diesel-hydraulics and diesel-electrics of the South-Western varieties.

We also recommend the new book by ROGER GEACH entitled ‘HYDRAULIC MEMORIES’ and we have a BOOK REVIEW from regular contributor Neale Long on this title, and have posted it to our website; click on this link to find out what Neale thinks of this new book.

 

In the pre-owned category, we have posted several new titles and they are selling as fast as we are posting them, so PLEASE DONATE YOUR SURPLUS BOOKS TO THE DEPG so that we can replenish our stocks and keep the funds flowing in. Click HERE for our contact form.

All monies gathered from the sale of pre-owned books go directly to DEPG funds for the upkeep of our locomotive fleet, so we would like to say thank you very much to all who have donated and all who have purchased from our online store. Check our online store regularly and change the ‘default sorting’ to ‘sort by latest‘ to keep an eye on new postings.

SOUGHT-AFTER TITLE OFFERED AT A VERY GOOD PRICE !	PRICE REDUCED DUE TO TORN JACKET
Price : £15 Click here for a link to the DEPG online store	Price : £5 Click here for a link to the DEPG online store

 

ON SHED – last week, we featured a photo of 47077 ‘NORTH STAR’ that was taken at Birmingham New Street on Saturday 28th April 1979 by Howard Beveridge that showed some embellishments. The photo showed two white circles applied below the former route indicator box, silver paint on the valance around the buffer beam, a silver works plate and a logo of some sort below the works plate. DEPG member Barrie Childs was quick to point out the loco had been working the first and last legs of the ‘The Red Rose‘ railtour and had probably been chosen for the duty because of the embellishments that had been provided by Cardiff Canton depot.

Howard then provided the following additional information:

      “The general opinion according to feedback on the Rail Thing 80s Facebook Group regards the white painted discs; Canton chose 3 x 47/0 locos for Charter work 47076/7/157, primarily for Welsh Ruggex Specials, and the embellishments were applied, so SPL notes could be scribbled for identities.”

 

Does anyone else have photos of any of the three locos that were embellished by Cardiff Canton depot ? 47076 ‘CITY OF TRURO’, 47077 ‘NORTH STAR’ or 47157 ?

Meanwhile, we are grateful for the use of another of Howard’s photos of 47077, one year on, still embellished but looking somewhat grubby and work-worn:

Our very own 47077 (D1661, 47613, 47840) ‘NORTH STAR’ was pictured at Mount Pleasant Crossing near Southampton with a lengthy container train during the week ending 9th April 1980, still carrying the two white discs and with the silver paint applied in various places – but by now looking rather unkempt. Photo by Howard Beveridge © CC BY-NC 3.0

 

DEPG NEWS – after a very hectic week, there isn’t any time left to cover any more activities, but there has been progress on a number of fronts and we will try to bring this news to you in the next edition of roundup. Thank you very much for supporting the DEPG !

 

The DEPG is entirely run by volunteers and we need to expand our volunteer numbers if we are going to be able to continue making progress on so many fronts simultaneously. If you have some time and feel able to help, please let us know by clicking this link to use our online CONTACT form. We look forward to hearing from you !

The DEPG depends on the support of all of our members, so please JOIN US and if you are already a member, please make sure that your membership is up to date. If you want to join or are not sure about your membership status, please click here or on the image below to open MEMBERMOJO. It is very quick and easy, and does not require you to remember yet another password. Thank you very much !

 

Go to the previous Weekly Roundup post