Our BEYER-PEACOCK (HYMEK) Ltd. Class 35 diesel-hydraulic number D7017 entered service with British Railways at Bristol Bath Road depot on the 8th of January 1962, so she is 59 years old today !
Way back in 1975, D7017 was the first loco that was acquired by the DEPG (known as the D+EG in those days) straight out of service with BR at Old Oak Common depot. The loco was moved to Taunton to await onward transfer to Minehead on the fledgling West Somerset Railway and became the first diesel locomotive to haul a service train on the WSR in 1977.
The D+EG’s first acquisition: ex-BR Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 waiting at Taunton in 1975 for onward transfer to the West Somerset Railway. Photographed by Barry Gay (c) CC BY-NC 3.0DEPG ‘Hymek’ D7017 seen at Mineral Line Bridge near Watchet on the 7th of May 1978. Photo by Steve Edge (c) CC BY-NC 3.0
Since that time, D7017 has become a firm favourite of both regulars and visitors to the WSR and has covered many thousands of miles in service in various guises. She has also appeared as a guest loco at other railways and attended at several mainline depot open days.
DEPG Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 passes Dunster with the 13:30 Minehead to Bishops Lydeard service on the 23rd of September 2017. Photograph by Gary Lemon (c) CC BY-NC 3.0
Currently “stopped” for replacement of her bogie springs, we expect to see her back in service in time to celebrate her 60th birthday along with sister loco D7018 in 2022.
Class 14 D9526 takes a rest at Minehead between passenger workings on 1st September 2018. Photo by Terry Deacon (c) CC BY-NC 3.0
BR-Swindon built Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9526 working freight through Williton station on the West Somerset Railway. Photographed on 21st July 2018 by Terry Deacon. (c) CC BY-NC 3.0
Our Class 14 number D9526 entered service with British Railways at Bristol Bath Road depot on the 6th of January 1965, so she is 56 years old today !
Looking every bit as good as new because of the care and attention given to her by her dedicated team at Williton, this loco is equally at home on goods or passenger workings and is a very useful member of the DEPG fleet.
In April, we will be able to celebrate 41 years of this loco being based on the West Somerset Railway, so let’s hope that we can get her out and about for everyone to see.
Class 33 ‘Cromptons’ D6566 (33 048) on the left and D6575 (33 057) on the right after inspection over the pit at Westridge Shed, Bishops Lydeard, on 2nd November 2020. Photo by Martin Howard. (c) CC BY-NC 3.0
As a result of Somerset going into Tier 3 on 26th December, the WSR had no choice but to sadly cancel the “Winter Steam Journey’ specials that were booked to run on 29th and 30th December and also cancel the staff specials that were booked for the 31st.
This disappointing situation shows the importance of the ongoing fight against Covid-19. We all need to remain vigilant and take all necessary precautions to minimise the risk of spreading the disease.
Some movements have been planned by the WSR Operations Department for Thursday 31st December, as follows (timings are approximate):
Between these two light diesel engine movements, there will be an Empty Coaching Stock move from BL to MD, hauled by ex-BR(W) 4-6-0 No. 7828 ‘ODNEY MANOR’ and a light engine move of visiting ex-GWR ‘Large Prairie’ No. 5199, also from BL to MD.
Please note that the stations are closed to the public and trespassing is not allowed. During the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the best way to view these workings is via the webcams at BL and WN.
The first batch of DEPG 2021 calendars sold out really quickly, so we have ordered another batch to give everyone a chance of obtaining their own copy. Stock will be available next week, in time for New Year.
This glossy 14-page A3-sized calendar (double that of A4) has been printed in “landscape” format to make the most of the high resolution images that have been so kindly donated by our members. Here’s the overview of what is included in the calendar:
Dimensions : 297 mm high, 420mm wide (A3), 14 pages in total.
Priced at £12 plus £3 p+p, this calendar is great value at £1 per page and is definitely not to be missed!
We have already received many messages of appreciation, so we are certain that you will not be disappointed. Being a fully-volunteer-run organisation, all proceeds (after printing costs and VAT) go directly to our locomotive repair and restoration fund.
This is going to be the last “Depot News” update of 2020 so let’s start by saying a massive “thank you very much” to our volunteers for their tireless work in far-from-ideal circumstances this year.
As if dealing with Covid was not enough of a challenge for our group, we have also had to endure the diversion of effort caused by the roof of the Old Goods Shed reaching it’s own limit of endurance. The building has now been cleared and the many Class 14 items from D9518 that were undergoing restoration have now been distributed amongst the various other spare part stores and inside our main loco shed as well. All far from ideal, but driven by necessity.
View inside the Old Goods Shed on 12th December 2020 by Martin Howard (c) CC BY-NC 3.0
The above photograph from 12th December 2020 shows the inside of the Old Goods Shed after the Heritage Centre has been removed. The floor is the surface of the loading dock and the little doorway now revealed is the entrance to the office for the Goods Clerk. The black post on the right acting as a ladder rest is the central pillar of the original goods crane. Photo by Martin Howard (c) CC BY-NC 3.0
Scaffolding has now been erected around the building to ensure that there is no danger from falling debris, the next step being a structural survey to quantify the work that will be needed to restore the building for the next phase of its life. The WSR have reinstated the ‘Williton Strategy Group’ to determine if the building could take on a different role in future, as part of a wider-ranging review of the entire Williton site, and the DEPG will be fully involved in this process.
The photo below shows the scaffolding protecting Platform 1 at Williton while our Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6575 (33 057) stands at Platform 2 with the return leg of the 1100 “SANTA EXPRESS” service from Bishops Lydeard.
Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6575 (33 057) ready to depart Williton for Bishops Lydeard with the return leg of the SANTA EXPRESS on 12th December 2020 by Peter Nicholson (c) CC BY-NC 3.0
As mentioned last week, although the “SANTA EXPRESS” is steam hauled, the first service of the day is “top-n-tailed” to make light work of the climbs to Crowcombe Heathfield, even on a wet and slippery railhead.
Some tickets are still available on these Covid-secure services and the WSR are planning to run some additional services after Christmas to cater for the pent-up demand, so please use the following links to find out more:
CONGRATULATIONS to the WSR and all of the volunteers from so many support groups within the “WSR family” who have worked so hard to re-open the railway and bring revenue-earning trains back again. Great job !
Trains are running both before and after Christmas, so keep an eye on the DIESELGENposts on our website for dates and times of diesel-assisted services.
No update about the status of our fleet this week – this is because our focus continues to be on the Old Goods Shed, so all other work has had to be suspended for the time being. Effort will be re-focused to our loco fleet after Christmas.
