Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6575 (33 057) will be working the DIESEL DRIVER EXPERIENCE COURSE on Saturday 29th October. D6575 was pictured at Williton while working a course on 15th June 2013 by Ian Robins © CC BY-NC 3.0
Although the 2022 running season has drawn to a close, there is no rest for Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6575 (33 057) because she is working the DIESEL DRIVER EXPERIENCE COURSE that is scheduled to run on Saturday 29th October, fulfilling bookings that were taken in 2019 !
These courses start at Williton, where four participants attend for a safety briefing before joining the train. The loco and brake van depart from Williton with two participants in the cab, one driving and one secondman, along with two DEPG drivers who are responsible for instruction, supervision and safety. The other two participants travel in the brake van along with the Guard.
At Minehead, the goods train is collected and the consist heads for Bishops Lydeard (or sometimes Norton Fitzwarren), where the loco runs around the train and re-attaches for the journey back to Minehead. Upon arrival at Minehead, the goods train is returned to the siding and the loco and brake van then returns to Williton. The participants change places at appropriate points along the journey so that each participant gets a decent chance at each role.
Having been a participant myself, I can say for sure that it is a thoroughly enjoyable and interesting day, and highly recommended. The courses are offered by the WSR and when dates are published for 2023, we will update the link on the ‘Drive a Locomotive’ page on our website to point at the relevant page on the WSR website.
Did you know that our locos worked public services on the WSR on 46 different days of the 2022 season and covered more than 4,000 miles in the process ?
We have kept our DIESEL RUNNING DATES page updated throughout all of the timetable and traction changes that took place during the year and will keep this page available as a detailed record of public running for 2022. The running statistics have now been added to the page. We will create a new page for 2023 as soon as timetables have been agreed and published.
MANY THANKS TO ALL WHO HAVE TRAVELLED for supporting this year’s DIESEL RUNNING program on the WSR.
LOCO NEWS:
Class 52 D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’ – after the birthday celebrations of last week, it was back to normal and the team continued with their hard work on improving the body finish (more rubbing down and repainting) and the re-fitting of body items such as marker lights and sandbox doors. The battery compartment doors were treated to a coat of primer over the repaired metal. The batteries will not be re-installed for a few more weeks, not until several more coats of paint have been applied.
D1010 pictured at Williton on her 60th birthday, 15th October 2022, inside the loco shed with another Swindon product alongside, namely Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9518. Photo by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0
D1010 – the turbine rail of the ‘B’ end transmission has now been stripped down to the component parts, with the damaged bearings removed so that the shafts can be cleaned up for inspection and measurement. The centre section of the shaft that transmits the drive from the engine to the turbines was pictured at Williton on 15th October 2022 by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0
D1010 – the turbine from the first stage (low gear) torque converter of the ‘B’ end transmission is the major component in this stack of parts and first indications are that this magnificent piece of 1960s engineering is in very good condition. Pictured at Williton on 15th October 2022 by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0
To continue our rate of progress requires FUNDING which is becoming harder to get as belts are being tightened everywhere. If you are able to do so, please consider SPONSORING A PATCH because there is plenty of recently-added metal that still needs engraving. We engraved 50 patches recently and we have another 100+ still to do, so the scheme has been very successful (well done Colin F for suggesting it). Photographs and certificates of sponsorship will be sent out to all who have sponsored this phase of the restoration work, but please bear with us because our admin resources are severely stretched at the moment. Click the image below to sponsor a patch. Thank you in advance for your support !
We still have a lot of work to do on this massive locomotive, so PLEASE DO COME ALONG AND HELP IF YOU CAN !
See our CAMPAIGN for CAMPAIGNER web page for more details !
Class 33 D6566 (33 048) – the failed heat exchanger has been shipped to another subcontractor for assessment but is expected to need a new core. Meanwhile, efforts are being made to find a spare that a Class 33 owner group may be willing to sell or willing to loan, although it is highly likely that a spare will also need some degree of refurbishment before it can be put to use, given that it will have been stored for 20+ years since it was last used.
D6566 (33 048) – the space that would normally be occupied by the heat exchanger was cleaned up by volunteer Ian FS at Williton on Saturday 22nd October 2022. Photo by Ian Robins © CC BY-NC 3.0
D6566 (33 048) – the space that would normally be occupied by the heat exchanger was cleaned up by volunteer Ian FS at Williton on Saturday 22nd October 2022. The deck plates will be lifted out this coming weekend for further cleaning to take place. Photo by Ian Robins © CC BY-NC 3.0
Class 33 D6575 (33 057) – this loco is the WSR Duty Loco and is fully serviceable. This loco will be in use on Saturday 29th for a DIESEL DRIVER EXPERIENCE COURSE (DDEC), the first since 2019 !
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 – there was no time available to continue the inspection work on this loco because of other priorities, and this coming weekend, our inspector will be involved in the DDEC, so this loco will wait patiently for her turn to come along.
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7018 – this loco also has to wait in line for her turn for attention. The work list on this loco comprises a number of small but important tasks that will be tackled during the coming weeks.
Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9518 – the progress continues on several fronts with Terry, Nick and Paul C working on the brake rigging while John C worked on the rebuild of the electrical cubicle, leaving Simon and Colin to figure out the reassembly sequence for the myriad of pipes and conduits that need to be re-installed at the ‘B’ end of the locomotive. Here’s some pictures to tell the story:
D9518 – trial fitting of the compressed air system pipework (white) took place at Williton on Saturday 22nd October 2022. The unpainted pipes will be removed for painting once their bends have been finalised. The solenoid valves will also be removed for refurbishment and painting before re-fitting. Photo by Colin Girle © CC BY-NC 3.0
D9518 – the steam-age brake rigging components were evaluated so that new pins and/or bushings could be fitted where necessary at Williton on Saturday 22nd October 2022. Photo by Paul Clark © CC BY-NC 3.0
D9518 – one of the brake hangers is being held horizontal by the steady hands of Nick while a new bushing is pressed into place. Pictured at Williton on Tuesday 18th October 2022 by Terry Deacon © CC BY-NC 3.0
D9518 – one of the brand-new ‘Layrub’ couplings was pictured alongside the original at Williton on Tuesday 18th October 2022. The new couplings will allow the generator drive shaft assembly to be prepared for re-installation between the transmission and the generator. Photo by Terry Deacon © CC BY-NC 3.0
This loco is the subject of a fundraising appeal so please follow this link to find out more. We need your help ! In addition to funds, we also need plenty of HANDS. If you love the ‘Teddy Bears’ and you are not already a member of the DEPG, please join us so that you can become one of the team that is going to return D9518 to fully operational condition as ‘NCB No. 7‘.
Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9526 – this loco continues to be in regular use on the Kent & East Sussex Railway and has now reached 700 hours of use, which means another ‘A’ exam is needed and this is taking place this week.
Class 47 47077 ‘NORTH STAR’ – this loco continues to be in regular use at the NYMR, although usage is reducing as autumn sets in. During the last three months, this loco has covered more than 2,500 miles, so her first season in service has been a big success !
Andrew Barclay 0-4-0DH 578 – investigations into the fuel system issue that is preventing the engine from starting have pointed to the fuel injection pump, which has now been removed from the loco and will be sent out for specialist overhaul. The pump appears to have been affected by contamination in the fuel system, so the fuel tank will be drained and flushed and upgraded fuel filters will be fitted. The diesel fuel is also used as hydraulic fluid for the torque converter, so it is possible that the contamination is coming from the breakdown of the seals within the 50-year-old torque converter. This will be investigated while the loco is out of use.
Barclay 578 (ROF 1) – the malfunctioning fuel injection pump was removed from the loco at Williton on Saturday 22nd October 2022 and will be sent out for specialist repair and overhaul. Photo by Ian Robins © CC BY-NC 3.0
Barclay 578 (ROF 1) – this close-up of the fuel injection pump shows that it is an original CAV (Charles Anthony Vandervell) part that probably dates back to the loco build date of 1972. Although owned by Lucas since 1926, the company did not use the name Lucas CAV until 1978. Pictured at Williton on Saturday 22nd October 2022 by Ian Robins © CC BY-NC 3.0
If you can help by donating your time, then please JOIN US and come along to the depot for an introduction to what we do and how we do it. We currently have people on site from Saturday through to Tuesday and we can open on other days if we can be sure of getting at least two volunteers on site at all times, so there is plenty of scope. We have tasks of all types to suit most capabilities, both skilled and unskilled.
Many thanks to all of our volunteers who give up so much of their time to work on the cleaning, painting, maintaining, restoring, managing and fund raising for our fleet of heritage locomotives !