DEPG volunteer Mike Evans pictured while manning the stand at the Newton Abbot Railway Studies and Modellers Show which took place at the Passmore Edwards Library in the town on Saturday 4th December 2021. The show was a great success and helped spread the word about who we are and what we do. Photo by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0
The DEPG sales team attended an event that was held at the Library in Newton Abbot, now known as the Passmore Edwards Centre after the philanthropist who sponsored the building when new in 1904, which became an attraction for people across the southwest on Saturday 4th December when the Newton Abbot Railway Studies and Modellers Show was held for the first time. The event was very well patronised and our DEPG stand on the ground floor was busy from the start through to the finish, raising the awareness of the DEPG and raising funds from the sale of DEPG-branded merchandise.
The very impressive Passmore Edwards Centre in Newton Abbot opened in 1904 and was extensively renovated in 2012. It now provides a a multi-purpose facility which is based around its continuing role as a library. Photo by Smalljim via Wikipedia © CC BY-SA 3.0
The show was supported by Mike Evans, a regular volunteer at Williton who exchanged his normal Saturday work on D9518 to get to the show early and set up using stock delivered by sales team regular Chris Shields, who was exhibiting upstairs at the show with his local model railway society. The day started well and booklets, mugs and calendars were being snapped up, but then Mark Townsend joined the team behind the stand and immediately raised the bar by making the first sale of our new D1010 Limited Edition OO-gauge models made by Dapol and featuring ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’ in her original livery of all-over maroon with yellow bufferbeams, which was appropriate as the models were arranged at his initiative.
The ‘DCC-ready’ models of D1010 in her first livery are being supplied in commemorative sleeves and each of the 25 models includes a Certificate of Authenticity. Preference is being given to DEPG members, so JOIN NOW to increase your chances of getting one of these limited edition models.
On completion of the bodywork repairs that are currently taking place, our loco will be repainted into the colour scheme that she wore when she first entered service in October 1962, overall maroon with a yellow buffer beam. The loco ran in this livery until March 1963 when the more familiar small yellow warning panel was added and the bufferbeam was changed from yellow to black. D1010 last wore her original livery in 2001 – for more information on liveries, see our booklet ‘D1010 – FROM MEREHEAD TO MINEHEAD‘.
Meanwhile, back at Williton, DEPG member and WSR Diesel Traction Inspector John Leach held another session of his Secondman Training Course with a classroom lecture in the morning and a practical shunting exercise in the afternoon, by which time the lucky participants were able to enjoy a downpour combined with hail and sleet, just to keep things real !
Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6575 (33 057) shows red and white marker lights and headcode blinds to indicate shunting duties while providing practical training for trainee Secondmen at Williton on 4th December 2021. Photo by Jon Tooke © CC BY-NC 3.0
Andrew Barclay 0-4-0DH 578 (ROF 1) was also involved in the shunting training for trainee Secondmen at Williton on 4th December 2021, pictured here with the DEPG Brake Van B952527 during a (rare) bright and sunny moment. Photo by Jon Tooke © CC BY-NC 3.0
MANY THANKS TO ALL OF OUR VOLUNTEERS FOR WORKING HARD TO PROMOTE THE DEPG AND PROVIDE TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES ! Well done all !
VERY IMPORTANT DATES FOR YOUR DIARY – the WSR’s 2022 Diesel Gala will take place from Thursday 9th through Saturday 11th June 2022, so keep these dates free and make a plan to attend ! Click this link to wsr.org.uk to view the dates for other WSR gala events that are planned for 2022.
LOCO NEWS:
Class 52 D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’ – Leroy continued with the needle-gunning of D1010’s bodyside in preparation for corrosion repairs and a primer and undercoat repaint which will take place during the coming months. The most important task right now is to resolve all of the areas of corrosion before the full repaint, so that the loco is properly protected for the long term.
D1010 undergoing needle gunning from a highly visible Leroy at Williton on 4th December 2021. The needle gun is very noisy but very effective, which it needs to be when the subject of attention is 21m long (68 ft) and has two sides, a roof and two ends that need this treatment. Photo by Jon Tooke © CC BY-NC 3.0
Last week, we featured a photo that showed evidence of a repair that took place in BR days, basically a long scrape, for most of the length of the loco plus a diagonal gash below one radiator grille. After a few emails from our regular readers, we quickly established that a photo of D1010 showing this damage is featured on Page 3 of our booklet ‘D1010 – FROM MEREHEAD TO MINEHEAD‘.
D1010 (by then just 1010) ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’ was pictured at Plymouth Station on Saturday 18th March 1972 and shows clear evidence of a bodyside scrape plus other damage below the radiator grille at the far end. The damage matches up with what was found under the layer of filler at Williton on 27th November 2021. Photo by Roger Geach © CC BY-NC 3.0
Roger’s photo from March 1972 shows a gouge that starts at the nearest end, which also has damage to the corner of the cab front, and runs along the body, culminating in a diagonal scrape just below the radiator grille at the far end, matching up exactly with what was found under the layer of filler at Williton on 27th November 2021. We have still not established when, where and how the damage took place. if you know, please let us know so that we can update the D1010 timeline and share the information with our members and supporters. Thanks !
The loco went into Swindon Works on 15th June 1972 and stayed there for more than five months while undergoing repairs that included correction of buffers that had been pushed back. She was eventually released to traffic on 1st December 1972. Just months later, other members of the Class that suffered far less damage in minor shunting collisions were not so lucky – they were condemned as being beyond economic repair, were immediately stripped of usable parts and sent to scrap, so our loco had a very narrow escape !
On completion of the bodywork repairs, the loco will be repainted into the colour scheme that she wore when she first entered service in October 1962, overall maroon with a yellow buffer beam. The loco ran in this livery until March 1963 when the more familiar small yellow warning panel was added and the bufferbeam was changed from yellow to black. D1010 wore this livery again back in 2001, for one season. For more information on liveries, see our booklet ‘D1010 – FROM MEREHEAD TO MINEHEAD‘.
As announced last week, we are now offering a special LIMITED EDITION of 25 DAPOL OO-gauge models of D1010 in her original livery, with all proceeds from the sale of these models going to the D1010 Restoration Fund. Priority will be given to DEPG members until Friday 17th December, after which any remaining models will be offered to the general public. Expressions of interest can be emailed to contact@depg.org or via our CONTACT FORM
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 ‘Westerns’ 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 D1010 to full operational condition.
Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6566 (33 048) – this loco is the duty loco at Bishops Lydeard and has been operating regularly in support of the ‘Winterlights‘ trains that started on Friday 19th November 2021 in ‘top and tail’ mode, with steam haulage on the outward journey and diesel haulage on the return leg.
Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6575 (33 057) at Williton during a shunting training session with a ‘SANTA EXPRESS’ service standing at the ‘up’ platform while the steam locomotive runs around via the ‘down’ platform. Pictured on 4th December 2021 by Jon Tooke © CC BY-NC 3.0
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 – no change this week.
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7018 – no change this week.
Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9518 – a major milestone was reached on this loco last Saturday 27th November 2021 when the frames were lowered onto the wheelsets to create the rolling chassis and make D9518 mobile once again. The team is now engaged in re-fitting all of the small parts to the frames and working on the parts that make up the braking system. The plan is to get the rolling chassis moved into the DEPG loco shed before the Christmas break, so work proceeds apace !
D9518’s newly re-created ‘rolling chassis’ undergoing the assembly of the many small parts that will allow the braking system to be re-installed. Pictured in the ‘Swindon Shed’ at Williton on 30th November 2021. Photo by Terry Deacon © CC BY-NC 3.0
D9518’s brake slack adjuster components pictured after cleaning and repair at Williton on 30th November 2021. Photo by Terry Deacon © CC BY-NC 3.0
One of D9518’s brake slack adjusters being re-assembled by Colin F at Williton on 30th November 2021. Photo by Terry Deacon © CC BY-NC 3.0
All of this progress has been made possible by the efforts of volunteers and the donations of the many ‘Teddy Bear’ supporters who have contributed to the D9518 Restoration Appeal. Thank you all very much !
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 full operational condition as ‘NCB No. 7‘.
Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9526 – this loco is based at the Kent & East Sussex Railway for the rest of this year and is receiving regular use on Permanent Way trains, which is good for the loco and good for the DEPG. The loco is going to remain at the K&ESR until older sister D9504 completes her heavy overhaul and is returned to traffic, so it could be some time yet. We look forward to seeing D9526 back at Williton in time for the WSR’s 2022 Diesel Gala that takes place from Thursday 9th through Saturday 11th June 2022.
Class 47 47077 ‘NORTH STAR’ – this loco remains stuck at Bishops Lydeard waiting for instructions for her move to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.
Andrew Barclay 0-4-0DH 578 – this little loco was in use on Saturday 4th December to prepare the yard for the shunting training that was performed using Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6575 (33 057). The task involved the loco having to go outdoors and get wet, so it is a good thing that Graham and Paul T were able to add their efforts last weekend to those of Roy and Colin F by getting a coat of paint on her upper surfaces before she went outdooors. We need more help on this loco so please come along and join the effort to complete this work (no prior experience is required, just regular DIY skills will be sufficient).
Andrew Barclay 0-4-0DH number 578 (ROF 1) was in action preparing the yard for the shunting training that took place at Williton on Saturday 4th December 2021. Her paintwork remains a ‘work in progress’. Photo by Jon Tooke © CC BY-NC 3.0
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 !
Here’s Neale’s opinion about this book:
“The latest edition to the very long list of publications relating to diesel-hydraulic Locomotives is this sumptuous 128-page volume in full colour (except for the last photograph) compiled by Andrew Vines. In terms of overall quality in respect of content and reproduction, this publication is a truly wonderful evocation of mainline diesel hydraulic operation and must rank as one of the best publications on the subject produced in recent times.
The book commences with a neat and tidy introduction by the author, who lists several well known diesel-hydraulic historians/enthusiasts who assisted him with various details. The names of Mark Alden, Steve Harrod, Martin Street, Neil Phillips, Hugh Dady and Robert Carroll need no introduction and indicate the skill and care undertaken in the production of the book. All these inputs add greatly to the very high quality of this superb tome. Then what follows is a quite dazzling selection of mainly unpublished photographs, organised into twelve chapters and epilogue :
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- Main Lines West
- People
- Wessex
- Milk and Parcels
- To the Midlands and beyond
- Workshops Depots and Stabling Points
- South Devon
- Freight
- Southern Routes
- Stations Large and Small
- Beginnings and Endings in the Duchy
- Fifty years on
- Epilogue (monochrome study of D827 & D832 on the blocks at Paddington)
There are really so many beautiful and rare images not previously published, but in order to try and give a flavour, I will pick out a handful in order to whet the appetite for this gorgeous book. Few will be aware of a long-closed freight branch near Truro called Newham, but this volume depicts D1054 ‘WESTERN GOVERNOR’ deputising for the more normal Class 22 in what is without doubt a rare image.
People will be aware of ‘Hymek’ workings in West Wales, but images of milk traffic on the truncated Carmarthen-Aberystwyth line are distinctly rare, so the image of D7100 at Pencader Junction is particularly welcome. The image of ‘Hymek’ D7043 at Ilfracombe will I’m sure be similarly appreciated by diesel-hydraulic enthusiasts, as will the image of D9525 shunting the Square Grip Reinforcement sidings at Keynsham. Pictures of D600 ‘Warships’ are always of interest, and this volume contains a lovely portrait of D600 in blue livery, shunting passenger stock at Penzance. Photographic reproduction is excellent and each image is accompanied by clear, concise and accurate captions.
Commendably, the author included a handful of images depicting the various preserved locomotives which keep the diesel-hydraulic story alive. Quite rightly, Andrew Vines pays tribute to all those groups involved, which is very thoughtful. From the Group’s perspective, D7017 is depicted at Roebuck Farm in 2009 and D7018 is featured at White Waltham on a Radyr-Acton coal train, the author acknowledging the huge effort required to return her to traffic following her major failure in 1995, again a very thoughtful caption.
Overall, this really is a superb book of the highest quality. The relative paucity of material of locomotives at work in South Wales and Gloucester area is the one very, very tiny drawback to this brilliant piece of work by Andrew Vines, but despite this minor quibble, I can unhesitatingly recommend this wonderful book to all those interested in the subject.”
Many thanks to Neale for providing us with this report. Click this link to buy your copy from the WLA website.
On the subject of publications, our DEPG 2022 CALENDAR have been selling well, so ACT NOW to get your copy WHILE STOCKS LAST !
Here’s a summary of the 12 high-resolution photos that have been so kindly donated by our members and supporters this year and are now presented in this 12-page A3-size glossy heavyweight calendar:
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There is an animated video on our website that steps through the calendar month-by-month, so CLICK HERE to view the animation.
We have been able to keep the price the same as last year, so the calendar will again cost the princely sum of £1 per month, so we think that is a bargain that is not to be missed. Click here to order your copy while stocks last.
ON SHED – our participation in the RAILWAY STUDIES AND MODELLERS SHOW at Newton Abbot library has made us aware of the extensive collection of railway photographs and documents that comprise their Railway Studies Collection and are available online. One of our regular photographic contributors, Barry Gay, has shared a number of his own photographs of Newton Abbot depot that we will feature under this heading for the next few weeks, starting with this one:
This view of Newton Abbot loco sheds shows that BR had an abundance of locos in 1971. There were two Class 42 ‘Warships (807 ‘Caradoc’ and 869 ‘Zest’) plus D1048 ‘WESTERN LADY’ plus Class 22 6334, one ‘Class 45/46 ‘Peak’ and no less than SIX BR-Brush Class 47s on shed on 11th July 1971. Photo by Barry Gay © CC BY-NC 3.0
Many thanks to Barry for sharing his photos with us all !
DEPG NEWS – the DEPG participated in a meeting of the Partnership Development Group last week, the minutes of which will be available soon. The synopsis of the DEPG Board Meeting that was held on Saturday 27th November is being prepared and will be shared with members ASAP.
DEPG WEBSITE – we have added three new products to our webstore, all of which have a seasonal bias, so click the photos or the links below to find out more !
