Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 was pictured at Williton on Saturday 21st October 2023, coupled up to Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6566 (33 048) and waiting for Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9526 to join the consist for a combined test run to Bishops Lydeard and back. Photo by Jon Tooke © CC BY-NC 3.0
LOCO NEWS:
Class 52 D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’ – the new bearings are on order for the ‘A’ transmission, so while we wait for them to arrive, the team has moved on to the cleanup and inspection of the casings and the oil pipework, in preparation for the reassembly operation. The loco has now been moved back into the loco shed, which will be a blessing for Ian F and Roy, as they have been struggling with the inclement weather which slows down the progress of their bodywork tasks. The weather has also prevented us from marking the many patches that have been sponsored of late, for which we are very grateful. Hopefully, we will catch up this weekend.
D1010 – the loco was moved into the loco shed by D9526 on Saturday 21st October and will remain under cover until 23rd December 2023, after which the space is needed for one of the ‘Cromptons’. Photo by Jon Tooke © CC BY-NC 3.0
D1010 – the inside of the top casing of ‘A’ transmission has been badly affected by condensation corrosion. This will be cleaned up after removal of the hydraulic pipework. Pictured at Williton on Monday 16th October 2023 by Colin Foxhall © CC BY-NC 3.0
D1010 – the high pressure oil injection equipment was put to use on the reverser shaft from ‘A’ transmission at Williton on Monday 16th October 2023. This will allow the bearing beneath the double-helical gear wheel to be replaced. Photo by Colin Foxhall © CC BY-NC 3.0
There are still some patches waiting for sponsors at the ‘B’ end of the loco, so GET IN QUICK TO HAVE YOUR NAME ENGRAVED before Roy and Ian reach this end. Many thanks to those who placed their orders during the last few weeks.
Having the loco outdoors has generated an increased interest in our SPONSOR A PATCH scheme, with several more patches being engraved with their sponsor’s names or messages. This initiative remains the single most successful fund-raising activity and has allowed us to make significant progress with the restoration work. PLEASE CONTINUE TO HELP US FUND THIS PROJECT.
Photographs and certificates of sponsorship will be sent out to all who have sponsored the restoration work, but we are still short of volunteer resources and have not yet been able to catch up with this obligation and deliver the documents. Apologies for the delay, we will get it done ASAP. Click the image below to sponsor a patch. Thank you in advance for your support and your patience!
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 has now taken on the role of ‘Duty Loco’ and will soon move to Bishops Lydeard to cover the Christmas workings.
The Class 33 ‘Crompton’ pairing of D6566 (33 048) on the left and D6575 (33 057) on the right was the result of the former having to return to Williton for precautionary attention to lower-than-desirable coolant levels. Pictured shortly after arrival from Bishops Lydeard on Saturday 21st October 2023 by Jon Tooke © CC BY-NC 3.0
Class 33 D6575 (33 057) – this loco returned to Williton on Saturday 21st October to undergo winter maintenance, including an overhaul of her exhaust system.
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 – as previously reported, the test run was successful and this loco is close to being returned to service.
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 was pictured at Williton on Saturday 21st October 2023, shortly after returning from her successful test run to Bishops Lydeard and back. Photo by Jon Tooke © CC BY-NC 3.0
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7018 – this loco is waiting patiently for work to be completed on sister D7017.
Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9518 – work continues on the restoration of the cab assembly and the replacement of the electrical wiring loom that runs inside the driver’s ‘desk’. The Class 14 team is currently sharing its time between this project and the 1000-hour service on sister D9526, so we would welcome additional help to keep both sets of tasks moving along. Just respond to this email if you feel that you could help. Thanks !
D9518 – the view towards the ‘B’ end (short end) shows just how complex a kit of parts it is. Pictured at Williton on Saturday 21st October 2023 by Martin Howard © CC BY-NC 3.0
D9518 – the view towards the ‘A’ end (long end) shows many more parts being gathered for re-fitting at the appropriate time. Pictured at Williton on Saturday 21st October 2023 by Martin Howard © 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 – as already reported, this loco completed her test run successfully on Saturday 21st October and is now classified as fully serviceable again. The loco will remain at Williton until needed at Bishops Lydeard in the New Year.
D9526 performed well during her test run and is now classified as fully serviceable. The loco is seen in the South Yard at Williton on Saturday 21st October 2023 in the company of Class 33 ‘Cromptons’ D6566 (33 048), D6575 (33 057) and D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’ on No. 1 road, and on No. 3 road we see Barclay 578 (ROF1) standing in front of Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7018. Photo by Jon Tooke © CC BY-NC 3.0
Class 47 47077 ‘NORTH STAR’ – this loco is undergoing a ‘top end’ engine overhaul at Grosmont Works on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. Photos will be provided ASAP.
Andrew Barclay 0-4-0DH 578 – this loco now looks the part, wearing her 1970s cabside markings as ‘R. O. F. BRIDGWATER No. 1‘. The number of drivers trained to drive this powerful little loco will be increased in the coming weeks to give more flexibility at the depot and allow locos undergoing maintenance to be repositioned more frequently.
Barclay 578 (ROF1) was pictured in the South Yard at Williton on Saturday 21st October 2023, proudly wearing her new cabside lettering. Photo 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 !