Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6566 (33 048) stands alongside Class 09 D4107 (09 019) at Williton on Saturday 18th February 2023. The ’09’ is undergoing planned maintenance in the hands of the DEPG while the ’33’ is the designated duty loco and is ready for action. Photo by Natalie Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0
The Class 09 shunter D4107 (09 019) has been receiving attention from Ian, Tom, John and Martin as we work through a list of maintenance tasks and deal with some minor repairs. Once completed, the loco will move to the Swindon Shed to undergo some bodywork repairs and be treated to a repaint, but she is second in line to Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6566 (33 048) for the paintshop and will have to wait her turn.
Class 09 D4107 (09 019) is moved closer to the covered-over cab of Class 14 D9518 on number 2 road at Williton on Saturday 18th February 2023. The shunting signals are being provided by Tom while DEPG Chairman Martin Howard is operating the locomotive. Photo by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0
LOCO NEWS:
Class 52 D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’ – work on the electrical system is progressing in the careful hands of new volunteer Steve who is diligently working through all of the terminals and contacts in the ‘B’ cab to clean and inspect them, renewing parts where necessary. The cab is already looking much better after receiving this attention. The other end of the loco also received attention, with Gordon working inside the ‘A’ cab and Natalie working between the cab and the front of the loco, in a very small space. Further progress was made on the ‘B’ transmission with the overhaul of the filler pump. Here are some photos:
D1010 – the ‘B’ cab is receiving an electrical systems maintenance checkup which involves cleaning, inspecting and replacing wiring components and contacts as necessary. Pictured at Williton on Saturday 18th February 2023 by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0
D1010 – at ‘A’ end, Natalie fitted into the small space behind the headcode indicators to perform a cleanup before applying a coat of paint on the inside of the recently-repaired loco skin. Pictured at Williton on Saturday 18th February 2023 by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0
D1010 – the strainer of the filling pump from ‘B’ transmission shows the debris that was captured by the mesh which would otherwise have gone back through the turbines. Pictured at Williton on Tuesday 14th February 2023 by Colin Foxhall © CC BY-NC 3.0
D1010 – the centrifugal filling pump from ‘B’ transmission has been completely disassembly and will now be cleaned, inspected and reassembled with new bearings. Pictured at Williton on Tuesday 14th February 2023 by Colin Foxhall © CC BY-NC 3.0
To continue our rate of progress requires FUNDING and we give our thanks to everyone who has supported D1010 by sponsoring or donating during these difficult times. If you are able to do so, please SPONSOR A PATCH because there is plenty of recently-added metal that still needs engraving. Photographs and certificates of sponsorship will be sent out to all who have sponsored this phase of the restoration work, and we are applying more resources to catch up with this obligation and deliver the documents. Click the image below to sponsor a patch. Thank you in advance for your support !
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 33 D6566 (33 048) – this loco is the duty loco and is on standby at Williton. However, she is due to go into the paintshop at the Swindon Shed soon, so her role will transfer to her sister until such time as she is completely refreshed and ready for service again.
Class 33 D6575 (33 057) – this loco is fully serviceable and is also able to take up active duty on the WSR.
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 – Terry and Nick made a start on the re-fitting of the sanding gear that had to be removed when the loco had to have her bogie springs changed last March.
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7018 – this loco has a list of items requiring attention and will be allocated resources shortly.
Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9518 – the cardan shafts have been inspected and re-filled with grease, more than 40 years since they last transmitted any power. The inspection showed that the universal joints and splined connections are in good condition, so the shafts were cleaned and painted and will be re-installed on the loco in the very near future. Other areas of progress were in preparation for the cab restoration, with the specialist materials being placed on order. Here’s some photos:
D9518 – the cardan shafts were cleaned up, inspected then filled with fresh grease and prepared for painting at Williton on Saturday 18th February 2023. Photo by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0
D9518 – one of the two cardan shafts received a coat of primer at Williton on Saturday 18th February 2023. Photo by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0
D9518 – the voltmeter and ammeter await inspection and re-calibration before being re-fitted into the electrical control cubicle. Pictured at Williton on Saturday 18th February 2023 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 been rostered to work the 80-mile ‘BLUE’ timetable services on the WSR on the following dates:
- Sunday 16th April
- Sunday 21st May
- Saturday 3rd June
- Sunday 4th June
More dates for later in the year will be added in the near future. Keep an eye on our DIESEL RUNNING DATES page or sign up to DIESELGEN email bullletin service to get the information as soon as it becomes available.
Class 47 47077 ‘NORTH STAR’ – this loco is currently stabled at Grosmont on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway and is undergoing winter maintenance to prepare her for what should be a very busy season on the NYMR. We will provide more details about the maintenance program in a future roundup.
47077 (D1661, 47613, 47840) ‘NORTH STAR’ was pictured in the yard at Grosmont on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway on Sunday 19th February by Luke Wayman © CC BY-NC 3.0
Andrew Barclay 0-4-0DH 578 – new volunteer Tony has been making excellent progress on the maintenance of this loco and is getting very close to being able to start the engine and deal with those tasks that require the engine to be running. The new oil filter assembly is on order, being specially made by BRITISH FILTERS at Plymouth to be directly compatible with the original Vokes type and is expected in two or three weeks from now, so that is the pacing item. Many thanks to Tony for his excellent work on this loco.
Barclay 578 (ROF No. 1) – Tony gets in between the frames to tackle the remaining maintenance tasks at Williton on 14th February 2023. Photo by Mark Bladwell © CC BY-NC 3.0
Barclay 578 (ROF No. 1) – Tony is once again between the frames on a very cold morning to conduct a close-up inspection and check the condition of the drive belts and pulleys. Pictured at Williton on 14th February 2023 by Mark Bladwell © 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 !