Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6566 (33 048) will move from Williton (WN) to Bishops Lydeard (BL) on Wednesday 16th March by attaching to the rear of a steam-hauled Empty Coaching Stock (ECS) working from Minehead (MD) to Bishops Lydeard when it passes through Williton.
The approximate times for these movements are as follows:
Depart MD 1230 arrive WN 1310 (steam)
Depart WN 1400 arrive BL 1435 (steam with diesel at rear)
As this move is for operational purposes only, the timings are approximate and the movement may be delayed or postponed or cancelled as circumstances require. It may also run early.
Upon arrival at Bishops Lydeard, the coaches will be shunted to their designated stabling points in preparation for an engineering working that will run the following day Thursday 17th March 2022 between Bishops Lydeard and Crowcombe Heathfield, using both Class 33s in top-and-tail mode. This working has a booked departure time from BL of 1030 but again this may be varied according to operational needs.
The webcams provide a very good way of watching the action from afar. Here are the links:
We are delighted to announce that our Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 is about to enter the WS Restorations ‘Swindon Shed’ at Williton so that her complete set of suspension springs can be replaced. The loco last worked in 2019 and was then ‘stopped’ for attention to a degraded elliptical leaf spring that was causing the loco to lean slightly. Ironically, it is a spring that was changed in the ‘nineties – the rest of the set date back 50+ years to BR service days and are all OK.
Thanks to the donors for the funds that were raised in 2019 and 2020, a complete new set of 24 primary coil springs was purchased and a spare pair of secondary elliptical springs has been refurbished to allow the work to go ahead. The coil springs are being changed because it would be short-sighted to only change the leaf springs when the bogies have to be dismantled either way.
The loco needs to be lifted from her bogies to allow this work to be done. The delay caused by Covid was made worse by the very high workload in the Swindon Shed and the need to have access to the set of four 25-ton lifting jacks that came from Bristol Bath Road depot, the original home of D7017 and D7018 from their date of entry into service, just over sixty years ago.
The work will be done by the team at WS Restorations with the support of DEPG volunteers. Upon completion in a few weeks’ time, the loco will be able to resume its duties in time for the busy 2022 running season. If time and funding allows, the bodywork will also be tidied up, but this will depend entirely on the availability of resources at WS Restorations because the DEPG loco shed is fully occupied with the two major restoration projects that are running on D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’ and Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9518.
Class 52 D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’ – our CAMPAIGN for CAMPAIGNER has got off to a great start with £2660 raised including a fantastic £1010 donation from a long-term DEPG member. Each donor will have their name or a message of their choosing engraved on the loco, along with a reference location, in a way that will allow donor names to remain visible on the base metal even after future repaints. The photo below shows the first of many engravings on the newly-welded steel repair patches that adorn the locomotive, this one being at ‘B’ end on ‘A’ side:
With this kind of support, we can maintain the pace and keep the restoration program moving along, so THANK YOU VERY MUCH to all who have donated. We have also set up a campaign on JustGiving and will be developing that trusted and familiar platform to run in parallel with our own online store. Click on the images below for more details:
In parallel with the fundraising activity, the work continues on the locomotive, as evidenced by the many photos below:
In parallel with the work on the bodyside of the loco, significant progress has been made on the transmission of the loco that failed back in 2018. The turbines have now been separated from the shafts and the kit of parts was returned to Williton last week in three pallet loads, all of which were carried for us by WRINGS TRANSPORT. We are very grateful for this support and we will engraving a suitably large area of the loco accordingly.
To support the work that is progressing in multiple areas on D1010, we launched our CAMPAIGN for CAMPAIGNER by offering ‘SPONSOR A PATCH’ where you can donate in support of the bodywork repairs that are taking place on D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’ and HAVE YOUR NAME ENGRAVED ON THE SPONSORED PATCH or PART.
For the sum of £25, this scheme offers you a chance to sponsor the restoration of this much-loved locomotive, with your personal contribution being recorded and documented on a set of drawings that will be made available at our Williton depot on running days and open days. For those who prefer to remain anonymous, a unique reference number will be allocated and engraved instead.
NOTE:EVERYONE WHO HAS ALREADY DONATED £25 OR MORE SINCE JULY 2021 WILL BE RECOGNISED and will be allocated an appropriate area on one of the patches or parts that have already been applied to the loco. Donations of smaller sums that accumulate to £25 are also eligible, so donate what you can when you can, and we will keep track of your total donations. Use our CONTACT FORM if you want to register your previous donations to D1010 for this campaign.
Class 33 D6566 (33 048) – this loco is currently at Williton and is ready to move to Bishops Lydeard later this week. We will issue a DIESELGEN bulletin during the next few days.
Class 33 D6575 (33 057) – this loco is the WSR duty loco and is currently at Bishops Lydeard, and is ready for action.
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7018 – no change this week due to crew training and other necessary activities.
Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9518 – more progress this week, and our appeal for a red marker light was met by an almost instant response from long-term member Phil Gray, who located, acquired and donated a suitable part within a few days of our appeal going out ! Many thanks to Phil for his contribution toward maintaning the pace of progress on this loco.
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 racked up another 50 hours use at the Kent & East Sussex Railway and the total hours in use since the loco went out on hire now exceeds 300. Here are some photos of the loco after it had been used on permanent way trains during the last week:
Class 47 47077 ‘NORTH STAR’ – this loco is currently stabled at Pickering on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, awaiting re-opening of the line so that she can move to Grosmont to enter the loco works for completion of some overhaul tasks. The loco is expected to be readied for entering service in the summer of this year.
Andrew Barclay 0-4-0DH 578 – this loco is currently in the Swindon Shed at Williton receiving a repaint from the WSR Restorations team and is very close to completion. The loco will be taking on her original appearance in a livery of MOD deep bronze green. We hope to have the loco back very soon.
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 !
BOOK REVIEW – we will skip this feature this week.
ON SHED – this week, we feature another of the very rare views of the Class 52 survivors while in secure storage at Newton Abbot in 1977. The photo was taken at Newton Abbot by Barry Gay on 11th May 1977:
Many thanks to Barry for sharing more of his images from his vast and impressive collection !
DEPG NEWS – the February issue of the DEPG Newsletter has been mailed to all members who were on the register at the end of 2021. Unfortunately, we have received reports from several members of having to pay excess postage charges on this newsletter. We are puzzled about this because the vast majority of newsletters have been delivered without issue. The first class large letter stamps were sufficient to cover the size and weight of the mailing, so it is a bit of mystery. Please let me know if you are a member and have not received our newsletter. Apologies for any inconvenience that has been caused by this.
The mailing includes tickets for the DEPG EASTER DRAW and these tickets are also now available from our ONLINE STORE. If you have received paper tickets and wish to purchase them, you can buy online and enter your ticket numbers into the ‘NOTES’ field when checking out. Alternatively, please mail a cheque with your purchased ticket stubs to the address on the ticket (return envelopes were provided but will need stamps).
WSR NEWS: preparations are well in hand for the RETURN OF PUBLIC SERVICES next Saturday 19th March 2022, with the RED timetable in operation. Volunteers and staff alike are all busy with the many tasks that have to be completed before that date. Crew training has been taking place at Minehead to ensure all crews are familiar with the revised and improved signalling arrangements in relation to the new level crossing installation. Please come along and buy a ticket to ride these services if you can.
The timetables and the dates for the 2022 special events are as follows, so please make a note and ADD THESE DATES TO YOUR DEPG CALENDARS:
Last weekend, we celebrated 45 years since the close of the ‘diesel-hydraulic’ era on British Railways, and we also celebrated the fact that a number of these locomotives have survived in preservation including several in the hands of the DEPG. Here’s the list:
The DEPG are fortunate to be able to include five of the survivors in our fleet, namely Class 14 ‘Teddy Bears’ D9518 and D9526, Class 35 ‘Hymeks’ D7017 and D7018 and Class 52 ‘Western’ D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’ all of whom were among the very last of their class members to remain in service on BR. Together with the other owning groups around the country, it is remarkable that we have 32 survivors from types of locomotive that were eliminated as ‘non-standard’ on BR more than 45 years ago.
Last week’s photos of the ‘WESTERN TRIBUTE’ railtour resulted in a flurry of reminiscences and photos. Our very own Chairman, Martin Howard, recalled that he rode that railtour and his travel companion that day had won the raffle for the headboard – which the two of them had to struggle to take home after midnight on a Saturday night, probaby looking rather suspicious !
Many thanks to Colin for sharing his photographs and cine snapshots with us.
And now a correction to last week’s story about D1023 and D1013 heading for Old Oak Common after departing from Paddington for the last time. This was not the case – in fact D1013 hauled D1023 right past Old Oak and on to Swindon Works because the latter had become the designated locomotive for the National Collection and needed some preparation before being dispatched to the National Railway Museum. After depositing D1023 at Swindon, D1013 continued onward to Bristol Bath Road where the fitters removed her nameplates and numberplates overnight, and she then travelled onward to Plymouth Laira depot in the morning.
On Monday 28th February 1977, D1013 shunted some Polybulk grain wagons at Laira, then towed D1010 and D1048 (by now all three being devoid of name and numberplates) to Newton Abbot for secure storage in the former loco works.
Many thanks to Neale Long for providing this correction and the additional information.
Class 52 D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’ – our CAMPAIGN for CAMPAIGNER has got off to a great start with £800 raised in the first full week since launch plus a fantastic £1010 donation from a long-term DEPG member. With this kind of support, we can maintain the pace and keep the progress going, so THANK YOU VERY MUCH to all who have donated. We have been experimenting with the engraving on the loco and developing a technique that will allow donor names to remain visible on the base metal even after future repaints, and we will include photos next week. We have also set up a campaign on JustGiving and will be developing that trusted and familiar platform to run in parallel with our own online store. Click on the images below for more details:
In parallel with the fundraising activity, the work continues on the locomotive, with several tricky areas of bodywork repaired. The loco had the benefit of 6 volunteers working on her last Saturday, to really push the pace along, and two volunteers worked on three other days last week to prepare new areas of work along the bodyside. Take a look at the photos below:
To support the work that is progressing in multiple areas on D1010, we launched our CAMPAIGN for CAMPAIGNER by offering ‘SPONSOR A PATCH’ where you can donate in support of the bodywork repairs that are taking place on D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’ and HAVE YOUR NAME ENGRAVED ON THE SPONSORED PATCH or PART.
For the sum of £25, this scheme offers you a chance to sponsor the restoration of this much-loved locomotive, with your personal contribution being recorded and documented on a set of drawings that will be made available at our Williton depot on running days and open days. For those who prefer to remain anonymous, a unique reference number will be allocated and engraved instead.
NOTE:EVERYONE WHO HAS ALREADY DONATED £25 OR MORE SINCE JULY 2021 WILL BE RECOGNISED and will be allocated an appropriate area on one of the patches or parts that have already been applied to the loco. Donations of smaller sums that accumulate to £25 are also eligible, so donate what you can when you can, and we will keep track of your total donations. Use our CONTACT FORM if you want to register your previous donations to D1010 for this campaign.
Class 33 D6566 (33 048) – this loco is currently at Williton and was given a wash and brush up by Tom on Saturday 5th March and moved to number 1 road in preparation for some running that is planned for later in the month.
Class 33 D6575 (33 057) – this loco is the WSR duty loco and is currently at Bishops Lydeard, and is ready for action.
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 – some BIG NEWS on this loco – she has been booked in to the WSR Restorations ‘Swindon Shed’ for the week commencing 28th March to have her bogie springs replaced. This work will be done by Ryan and the team at WSR Restorations with assistance from DEPG volunteers. This is great news and we look forward to getting this loco ready to run as soon as possible.
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7018 – after the engine run last week and the yard exercise, this loco had a quiet week because of crew training that was taking place at Minehead. This loco is capable of operating while locked in second gear, but with a restricted load. We intend to resolve the transmission control issue in good time to allow the increased loads that will be a feature of the WSR’s 2022 Diesel Gala.
Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9518 – more great progress this week, both on-site and off-site, with the brake cross-shaft being installed complete with new bearings, and more items of pipework and ancillary equipment being fitted. The photos below show the areas that were progressed this week:
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‘.
Andrew Barclay 0-4-0DH 578 – this loco is currently in the Swindon Shed at Williton receiving attention from the WSR Restorations team and is close to completion. The loco is already wearing her gloss coat of MOD deep bronze green and only needs some underframe painting and detailing before being outshopped and returning to the South Yard.
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 !
BOOK REVIEW – we don’t have a book review today, but we do have a link to a very interesting piece of rare cine footage entitled THE LAST DAY OF THE MINEHEAD BRANCH, filmed by the late John Simons on 2nd January 1971 and edited for YouTube by Bob Bishop some 50 years later. Click on the image for the link to the YouTube video which shows Hymek D7060 and a ‘Western’ on the main line and DMUs on the branch:
Many thanks to Mark Ireland for bringing this to our attention.
ON SHED – this week, we feature another of the very rare views of the Class 52 survivors while in secure storage at Newton Abbot in 1977. The photo was taken at Newton Abbot by Barry Gay on 11th May 1977. This is how he describes what he saw that day:
” The photos were all taken on Wednesday 11th May 1977 between 12.00 midday and 12.20. I had gone down to NA behind 46054 for something to do. It was dull after a period of rain. When I got off the train in Newton Abbot station, I heard something that I had not heard since Feb 26th!! It was D1013 with both engines running at the side of the works. I could not believe it! I rushed round to the works area and sure enough there was D1013 having apparently just been fuelled with 200 gallons. I then saw D1048 approaching me, not running, being propelled by an 08.
The works doors were up and inside I could see the outline of D1010 and D1041. D1013 then went into the works and waited for the 08 to put D1048 onto the traverser. Having done so D1013 came out and dragged D1048 in at about 12.20. The doors were shut. All was quiet. If I had arrived 30 minutes later I would not have known anything had happened. There were no other photographers present to witness all this, so these images are extremely rare! Hope they are of some use, quality is not great due to Agfa film and poor light. ”
Many thanks to Barry for sharing more of his images from his vast collection !
DEPG NEWS – the February issue of the DEPG Newsletter has been mailed to all members who were on the register at the end of 2021. Please let me know if you are a member but have not received your copy. This publication contains information that is not shared via the roundup and is only available to DEPG members. So, if you like what we do, please JOIN US and help us do more of it, and get a copy of the quarterly Newsletter in the bargain !
The Board of the DEPG met at Williton and by Zoom on Saturday 26th February 2022 and a synopsis of the discussions has been produced and will be emailed separately to all DEPG members for whom we have email addresses. Paper copies of the synopses are included with the quarterly newsletters to ensure that all members are kept fully informed and up to date.
WSR NEWS: we congratulate NIGEL CLARK on his appointment as DEPUTY CHIEF TRACTION INSPECTOR for the WSR, reporting to CTI Mervyn Hebditch, and we are very pleased to report that DEPG Chairman MARTIN HOWARD has been appointed as TRACTION INSPECTOR (DIESEL) and now has the authority to assess and sign off diesel crew members alongside existing TI(D) John Leach. This appointment comes as a nice reward for Martin, who has been providing specialist diesel advice to the WSR Footplate Standards Panel over the last 5 years. Congratulations, Martin !
This weekend, we celebrate 45 years since the close of the ‘diesel-hydraulic’ era on British Railways, because the very last diesel-hydraulic-hauled passenger service in BR ownership was the ‘WESTERN TRIBUTE’ railtour that drew to a halt at Paddington at precisely 23.35 on Saturday 26th February 1977 after a marathon 628-mile round trip from Paddington to Swansea to Plymouth and back to Paddington. The special was hauled by D1013 ‘WESTERN RANGER’ and D1023 ‘WESTERN FUSILIER’ in tandem and was shadowed by D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’ and D1048 ‘WESTERN LADY’ in case of trouble with the booked locomotives, but the backups were not called upon because everything went to plan.
The euphoria of the outbound legs of the journey cooled as the railtour made its way towards Plymouth where the train reversed for the final leg to Paddington. Long-term DEPG (initially D+EG) member Gary Lemon was on board the ‘TRIBUTE’ and he summed it all up as follows:
” I did do the ‘Tribute’ but there was an air of gloom on the return as it suddenly dawned on us that this was ‘it’. “
The railtour arrived at Paddington at 2335 and the empty coaching stock was removed shortly afterwards so that the two locos could leave Brunel’s terminus and return to Old Oak Common depot for the last time. These four remaining ‘WESTERNS’ were withdrawn from BR service on Sunday 28th February 1977, bringing to a close the era of mainline diesel-hydraulics that had started with North-British ‘Warship’ Class 41 D600 ‘ACTIVE’ on 24th January 1958, just 19 years earlier.
Luckily, we still have all four of the final survivors in preservation plus three more that had been withdrawn before the very end but had been reserved for preservation, including D1062 ‘WESTERN COURIER’, D1041 ‘WESTERN PRINCE’ and mainline registered D1015 ‘WESTERN CHAMPION’.
Last week, we covered the ‘WESTERN REQUIEM’ railtour and mistakenly reported that this had been the penultimate railtour when in fact it was the antepenultimate because the hastily-arranged ‘WESTERN LAMENT’ railtour ran on Thursday 24th February 1977 during which D1048 ‘WESTERN LADY’ hauled her train of ‘WESTERN’ fans from Paddington to Castle Cary via Newbury, where the train reversed and returned to Paddington via Frome, Westbury, Trowbridge and Swindon.
Class 52 D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’ – this weekend, we had a team of six working on the loco bodywork to pick up the pace as we progress along the loco from ‘B’ end towards ‘A’ end (nearest the yard doors). The below view from the mezzanine floor shows the extent of the work that is taking place on both D1010 and D9518. It looks like Swindon Works has been reincarnated !
Last week, we launched our CAMPAIGN for CAMPAIGNER by offering ‘SPONSOR A PATCH’ where you can donate in support of the bodywork repairs that are taking place on D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’ and HAVE YOUR NAME ENGRAVED ON THE SPONSORED PATCH or PART.
For the sum of £25, this scheme offers you a chance to sponsor the restoration of this much-loved locomotive, with your personal contribution being recorded and documented on a set of drawings that will be made available at our Williton depot on running days and open days. For those who prefer to remain anonymous, a unique reference number will be allocated and engraved instead.
We have had a great start to this campaign, so please help us keep up the momentum to get this loco back into working order as quickly as possible.
NOTE:EVERYONE WHO HAS ALREADY DONATED £25 OR MORE SINCE JULY 2021 WILL BE RECOGNISED and will be allocated an appropriate area on one of the patches or parts that have already been applied to the loco. Donations of smaller sums that accumulate to £25 are also eligible. Use our CONTACT FORM if you want to register your previous donations to D1010 for this campaign.
Class 33 D6566 (33 048) – this loco is currently at Williton and received an underframe cleanup from Ian and Tom in preparation for taking up duties as a standby loco for the WSR.
Class 33 D6575 (33 057) – this loco is the WSR duty loco and is currently at Bishops Lydeard, and is ready for action.
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 – the batteries were charged and the pre-heater was run in preparation for an engine start, but the pre-heater did not run properly so the required water temperature was not achieved. The engine start was abandoned and has been postponed until the pre-heater has received some attention (probably next weekend).
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7018 – the batteries were charged and the engine was pre-heated in preparation for an engine start so that the loco could exercise in the yard and perform a shunt to move the Brake Van to a different position. The engine started instantly and ran cleanly within seconds, showing the advantages of a pre-heated startup. The two short video clips below allow us to share the sights and sounds from that bright and sunny spring-like afternoon. Click on the images to start the video clips:
Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9518 – the core members of the Class 14 restoration team were attending footplate crew training at Minehead this weekend so we don’t have the usual number of photographs, but progress on this restoration project has been spread out over multiple days, including some work that had been done off site.
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 currently based at the Kent & East Sussex Railway and was in use for 32 hours during the last week, performing a variety of tasks. There is no doubt that the ‘Teddy Bear’ meets the needs of the K&ESR and sees regular use, all year round.
Andrew Barclay 0-4-0DH 578 – this loco is currently in the Swindon Shed at Williton receiving attention from the WSR Restorations team who are performing a partial repaint. The loco is currently wearing undercoat and will receive a coat of MOD deep bronze green gloss when weather conditions allow.
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 !
BOOK REVIEW – not a book this week, but an online article on the HORNBY website that has been brought to our attention by DEPG and WSR volunteer Jon Tooke in which the background and history of the SENTINEL shunting locomotives are covered in some detail. One of our Class 14 team members, Colin Girle, owns a number of these locomotives and more details can be found on the East Somerset Railway website by clicking this link. Many thanks to Jon for bringing this article to our attention.
ON SHED – this week, we can connect the withdrawal of the remaining Class 52 ‘Westerns’ with Newton Abbot and some more of Barry Gay’s photos because four of the locos that survive today were sent to Newton Abbot for what is today termed ‘warm storage’ where they were kept in good condition for potential buyers. Over the next few weeks, we will be featuring several shots that were taken at Newton Abbot by Barry on 11th May 1977. This is how he describes what he saw that day:
” The photos were all taken on May 11, 1977 between 12.00 midday and 12.20. I had gone down to NA behind 46054 for something to do. It was dull after a period of rain. When I got off the train in Newton Abbot station, I heard something that I had not heard since Feb 26th!! It was D1013 with both engines running at the side of the works. I could not believe it! I rushed round to the works area and sure enough there was D1013 having apparently just been fuelled with 200 gallons. I then saw D1048 approaching me, not running, being propelled by an 08.
The works doors were up and inside I could see the outline of D1010 and D1041. D1013 then went into the works and waited for the 08 to put D1048 onto the traverser. Having done so D1013 came out and dragged D1048 in at about 12.20. The doors were shut. All was quiet. If I had arrived 30 minutes later I would not have known anything had happened. There were no other photographers present to witness all this, so these images are extremely rare! Hope they are of some use, quality is not great due to Agfa film and poor light. ”
Many thanks to Barry for sharing his memories and more of his images from his vast collection !
DEPG NEWS – the February issue of the DEPG Newsletter has been printed and is now ready for mailing later this week. This publication contains information that is not shared via the roundup and is only available to DEPG members. So, if you like what we do, please JOIN US and help us do more of it, and get a copy of the quarterly Newsletter in the bargain !
The Board of the DEPG met at Williton and by Zoom on Saturday 26th February 2022 and a synopsis of the discussions will be produced ASAP and emailed to all DEPG members for whom we have email addresses. Paper copies of the synopses are included with the quarterly newsletters to ensure that all members are kept fully informed and up to date.
WSR NEWS: we are very pleased to hear that KERRY NOBLE has been formally appointed as the General Manager of the WSR after covering the role during a very challenging but highly successful period for the railway. We look forward to building on the close working relationship that exists between the WSR and the DEPG and we wish Kerry all the best for the future. Click here for more information via wsr.org.uk
Work continues on the relaying of the section of line between Dunster and Minehead, and last week there was a visit of an automated track leveling machine (also known as a ‘track tamper’) which uses sensors and hydraulically-operated ‘fingers’ to push the ballast under a group of sleepers to raise or lower the track to the required height in a process known as ‘tamping’. These complex and sophisticated machines operate all over the network and are owned by specialist track maintenance contractors.
At Williton, a new arrival was the BR(W) ’94xx’ 0-6-0PT steam locomotive number 9466 which is owned by WSR Chairman Jonathan Jones-Pratt. This mainline-registered 1952-vintage power class 4 machine is going to be working on the WSR this season, bringing the welcome sight of a pannier tank engine on this former GWR branch line. Click here for more information via wsr.org.uk
45 years ago, on Sunday 20th February 1977, our D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’ departed from Paddington at 08:23 with the 1Z08 ‘WESTERN REQUIEM’ railtour, heading for Cardiff via Gloucester with the intention of repeating the route to the heads of the valleys of South Wales, as she had done exactly one week before. However, this was not to be her finest moment, because her ‘B’ engine suffered a water leak soon after leaving Paddington and subsequently shut down. The loco battled on with one engine and a trailing load of 10 Mark 1 coaches, each filled to capacity with fans hoping to get one last run behind a ‘Western’, but was 43 minutes behind schedule when she arrived at Cardiff Central Station.
The decision was taken to change the loco at Cardiff, where D1010 was replaced by a Class 37 from the small number of boiler-fitted locos that were part of the huge fleet of Class 37s that were maintained at Cardiff Canton depot. With 37179 in charge, the railtour departed from Cardiff Central 55 minutes late, heading for Pontypridd and onward to three of the valleys in turn, while in the background, D1023 ‘WESTERN FUSILIER’ was despatched from Old Oak Common to take over the tour for the return leg from Pontypridd. The railtour eventually arrived back at Paddington at 22:50, almost two hours late, but I somehow doubt that any of the passengers complained about it, their ears ringing with ‘Maybach Music’ as D1023 worked hard to recover some of the lost time. This was, after all, the antepenultimate railtour of the BR diesel-hydraulic era (‘Western Lament’, D1048, 24-Feb-77 and ‘Western Tribute’ D1013+D1023, 27-Feb-77).
The swansong of D1010 had in fact already taken place the previous Sunday on the ‘relief’ railtour, when she had performed faultlessly throughout. The story of that day is told by Neale Long in our booklet ‘D1010 – FROM MEREHEAD to MINEHEAD’, available from our online store.
This week, we are launching our CAMPAIGN for CAMPAIGNER and we are starting by offering ‘SPONSOR A PATCH’ where you can donate in support of the bodywork repairs that are taking place on D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’ at the moment and HAVE YOUR NAME ENGRAVED ON THE SPONSORED PATCH or PART.
For the sum of £25, this scheme offers you a chance to sponsor the restoration of this famous locomotive, with your personal contribution being recorded and documented on a set of drawings that will be made available at our Williton depot on running days and open days. For those who prefer to remain anonymous, a unique reference number will be allocated and engraved instead.
Please help us keep up the momentum and get this loco back into working order as quickly as possible.
NOTE:EVERYONE WHO HAS ALREADY DONATED £25 OR MORE SINCE JULY 2021 WILL BE RECOGNISED and will be allocated an appropriate area on one of the patches or parts that have already been applied to the loco. Use our CONTACT FORM if you want to register your previous donations to D1010 for this campaign.
LOCO NEWS:
Class 52 D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’ – this week, we have put a lot of effort into the new CAMPAIGN for CAMPAIGNER which we will soon be rolling out via social media and JustGiving. For the roundup this week, we will let the pictures tell their own stories:
Class 33 D6566 (33 048) – this loco is currently at Williton and is being prepared to take up duties as a standy loco for the WSR.
Class 33 D6575 (33 057) – this loco is the WSR duty loco and is currently at Bishops Lydeard, and is ready for action.
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 – Neil continued his work in modifying the electrical circuits to provide greater protection in the event of a fault developing with one of the larger electrical machines (compressor, exhausters, pumps etc.).
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 currently based at the Kent & East Sussex Railway where she has racked up so many hours that she is now undergoing a 250-hour inspection and service before getting back to work on the K&ESR. At the request of the K&ESR, the hire agreement for D9526 has been extended to the end of May 2022. The income being earned by the loco will include an allocation for future overhaul costs that will result from such frequent use, but ultimately it is better for the loco to be in use than just be kept on standby.
Andrew Barclay 0-4-0DH 578 – this loco is currently in the Swindon Shed at Williton receiving attention from the WSR Restorations team who are performing a partial repaint that will then allow the loco to be stabled in the yard for the rest of the winter. The loco is currently wearing undercoat and will receive a coat of MOD deep bronze green gloss when weather conditions allow.
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 !
BOOK REVIEW – we will have to skip the book review feature this week, due to lack of time, but we will be back with another review soon.
ON SHED – we do have some more of Barry Gay’s photos to share but we don’t have time to cover them today. Watch out for the next instalment of roundup to see some very date-relevant images of Newton Abbot depot.
DEPG NEWS – the next DEPG Newsletter is being finalised now for mailing later this week. This publication contains details that are not shared via the roundup and is only available to DEPG members. So, if you like what we do, please JOIN US and help us do more of it, and get a copy of the quarterly Newsletter in the bargain !
The DEPG hosted a vist from Williton Cub Scouts Troop on the evening of Wednesday 16th February 2022. The sixteen boys and girls were given a lesson in railway safety before proceeding to take a closely supervised look around the depot, including visits to Class 33 D6566 (33 048), ‘Hymek’ D7018 and also to the Brake Van. The youngsters certainly appeared to enjoy the evening, and we were very pleased to be able to show them what goes on behind the scenes while delivering our message about railway safety.
WSR NEWS: the training that was planned for this weekend had to be postponed due to the very poor weather that has affected the whole country. Hopefully, things will return to normal in time for next weekend.
45 years ago today, our D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’ hauled one of the last railtours of the diesel-hydraulic era when she hauled the 1Z08 ‘WESTERN REQUIEM RELIEF’ railtour from Paddington to the heads of the valleys of South Wales. The tour was the ‘relief’ because the ‘proper’ railtour was scheduled for the following Sunday but was so heavily overbooked that the organisers, the ‘Railway Pictorial Publications Railtour’ (RPPR) arranged for the ‘relief’ to run via the same route, exactly one week prior to the main tour.
The story of that most wonderful day out behind one of the last ‘Westerns’ still in service in that twilight period was told by Neale Long in our booklet ‘D1010 – FROM MEREHEAD to MINEHEAD’, available from our online store. The tour started at Paddington and routed via Stroud, Gloucester and Chepstow to Pontypridd and onward to three valley lines in turn. The return to Paddington was intended to be via the Severn Tunnel but had to be diverted via Gloucester because of a signalling fault in the tunnel, so D1010 turned up the power to recover some of the lost time and performed admirably throughout. The following week’s run of the railtour ‘proper’ was not quite so fortuitous …. but that’s a story for next week.
Class 52 D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’ – there is more more progress to report on this loco as welding work draws towards a close at ‘B’ end, and preparations shift to the bodyside and the ‘A’ end. Behind the welding work comes the sanding and priming, then more sanding and filling, then more sanding, so a ‘Class M’ industrial dust extractor has been purchased for use with a power sander, to ensure that our volunteers (and everything else in the shed) remains free from dust. First indications were that this setup worked very well on Saturday 12th February, which is very important because there is an awful lot of sanding to be done !
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 returning D1010 to full operational condition.
Class 33 D6566 (33 048) – after completion of the brake block change and slack adjuster change, this loco was started up on Saturday 12th February to keep the engine and batteries in good condition and to perform a preliminary brake test.
Class 33 D6575 (33 057) – this loco was also started up on Saturday 12th February after DEPG volunteer loco manager Ian R had performed an ‘A’ exam (required after every 50 hours of operation).
Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9518 – more progress was made on the overhaul of the buffers, which was heavy work involving the drilling-out of bolts that had seized in the 57 years since they were first installed on the locomotive. One pair of buffers has now been fully disassembled and is ready for cleaning and inspection before reassembly and re-fitting to the frames.
Also making progress in the loco shed is the cleaning, painting and refitting of the pipework that fits onto the frames before the refitting of the major assemblies.
In the electrical workshop, John C continued his work on the rebuilding of the electrical control cubicle, which involves disassembling, cleaning and rebuilding the many relays and contactors that control the electrical machines and systems of the loco. The significant time and effort invested here will pay back by keeping the electrical systems reliable for a long time to come.
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 currently based at the Kent & East Sussex Railway where she was in use again last weekend. This loco has racked up so many hours that she now needs to undergo a 250-hour inspection and service this week before getting back to work on the K&ESR. 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.
Andrew Barclay 0-4-0DH 578 – this loco is currently in the Swindon Shed at Williton receiving attention from the WSR Restorations team who are performing a partial repaint that will then allow the loco to be stabled in the yard for the rest of the winter. The loco is currently wearing undercoat and will receive a coat of gloss when weather conditions allow.
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 !
“Book Law Publications, better known for their extensive list of fine monochrome pictorial titles, do from time to time enter the hardback colour market and produce similarly fine titles such as this, consisting of 176 pages crammed full of colour images from the diminutive Barclay Class 01 to the stylish and much loved Class 35 ‘Hymeks’. David Allen and David Dunn are to be commended for compiling a beautiful selection of images covering all the classes which were allocated a TOPS number under the 1973 British Rail renumbering scheme. The front cover sets the tone with images of classes 08 and 21 and the really exotic North British D2700 shunting locomotives, which ironically do not have a TOPS number (volume No 2 will cover those) all in green, leaving the reader in no doubt about what will follow.
Commencing with the small diesel shunting locomotives of classes 01-07, the album moves effortlessly on to the larger shunter classes 08-13 before moving on to the Type 1s of classes 14-17, followed by Classes 21-28 before finally ending with Classes 31-35. All the classes get good coverage although some of the rarer and lesser known types such as classes 01 and 02 understandably less so. Reproduction is generally of a high standard although the image of class 15 ADB968001 appears in a blueish tint when in fact it is green. The photographic format varies with a mixture of one-page photograph and two-page photographs, but this has no detrimental effect as this is an excellent collection of images, many of which have not been published before. The captions are crisp and accurate with the occasional opinion thrown in. Those familiar with the publisher’s monochrome series ‘D for Diesel’ will recognise some of the caption writer’s forthright opinions on the 1955 Modernisation Plan and its execution. An example being the caption to the image of D9500 at Canton in May 1969 on page 51. There are so many lovely images from this sumptuous volume, it is difficult to really choose any individual ones, but the images of D5707 at Haydon Bridge on an Ayr to Newcastle excursion, two shots of D6330 shunting the milk tanks at Hemyock and D5356 at Crianlarich are particularly good. BR Green features strongly in this album – but not to the complete exclusion of BR Blue.
This volume of course features three classes in which the Group has a direct involvement, namely 14, 33 and 35. Of the Group’s locomotives, D6575 (33 057) features on an oil train from Grain at Stoke Junction Halt in November 1961 and there is a close up image of D7018’s numbers and worksplate. The Class 14 section of 11 pages has 20 photographs, the Class 33 section of 10 pages has 16 photographs and the Class 35 section has 9 pages of 17 photographs. For Class 14 enthusiasts, there are images of both BR and industrial service, two images are of particular note, namely D9522 & D9506 at Arnott Young scrapyard at Rawmarsh in 1968 and one of D9513 at Crigglestone Colliery, Wakefield in a striking orange and black livery. Class 33 enthusiasts will enjoy the image of the Uddingston-Cliffe cement empties at Doncaster behind D6562. ‘Hymek’ enthusiasts will enjoy the views of D7020 working the Swansea-Aberystwyth line in September 1964 and the same locomotive working an up mixed freight beside the remains of the Creech St Michael Halt in Somerset.
Overall, David Allen and David Dunn at Book Law have done an excellent job in compiling the first of two volumes dedicated to heritage traction. This is a beautifully compiled and produced volume which will appeal to the many enthusiasts who are interested in the early diesel locomotive classes and can be wholeheartedly recommended.”
Many thanks to Neale for providing us with these detailed book reviews !
ON SHED – we have another image from Barry Gay’s amazing collection of views of Newton Abbot, this particular shot of the East Yard with the coal-fired power station in the background, with only weeks to go before it was demolished. Luckily, the locomotives lasted a while longer and one of them is still with us today:
Many thanks to Barry for sharing his photos with us all !
DEPG NEWS – the synopsis of the January Board Meeting has been emailed to all DEPG members for whom we hold email addresses, so if you haven’t received your copy, please reply to this email and let me know. The next DEPG Newsletter will be sent out at the end of this month, so please let me know if you have any items of news or articles that you would like us to consider for publication. Meanwhile, we continue our efforts to build our membership, so if you like what we do, please JOIN US and help us do more of it !
WSR NEWS: there has been more progress on the relaying of the line between Dunster and Minehead, and on Saturday 12th February, our Chairman Martin Howard attended a WSR meeting in Minehead where the plans were drawn up for the training activities that must take place to bring all train crew members up to date with the revised signalling in that area. We look forward to being able to travel through to Minehead once again !
With all of the news that is being made by our two major restoration projects at Williton, it is easy to lose sight of the two locos that do most of the work on the WSR, our rugged and reliable BRCW Class 33 ‘Cromptons’, D6566 (33 048) and D6575 (33 057). One of these locos is kept available at all times as the designated ‘duty loco’ so that it can be pressed into use on any kind of activity, from engineering trains to crew training turns.
The Class 33s were designed and built by the now-defunct Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Company (BRCW) of Smethwick, Birmingham, with the delivery of the first loco D6500 taking place on the 30th January 1960, and the last of the series of 98 being put to work in May of 1962. The class was built to meet the specific requirements of the Southern Region (SR) of British Railways, and featured dual braking (vacuum and air) and Electric Train Heating (ETH) from new, which was a first for the Modernisation Plan locomotives.
Although the ETH capability is not used on the WSR at present, the dual braking is very useful and it allows the loco to haul modern vehicles that are not fitted with vacuum brakes. The Class 09 shunter D4107 (09 019) at Bishops Lydeard is also an ex-SR machine and is also dual-braked. The WSR maintains and operates a rake of dual-braked Mark 1 coaches that are used to keep staff familiar with the differences between the two braking systems.
While on the subject of brakes, Class 33 D6566 (33 048) is currently at Williton undergoing a brake block change as part of her scheduled maintenance plan. The brake blocks are made of cast iron and they gradually wear down, the difference in diameter being taken up by an automatic device called a ‘slack adjuster’. While undergoing inspection at Williton, it was determined that one of the ‘slack adjusters’ on the loco was not performing as well as it should, so it was replaced with a spare while the braking assembly was being worked on.
Upon completion of the work, the braking system will be inspected and tested in accordance with the formal ‘Vehicle Inspection & Brake Test’ (VIBT) procedure before the loco is released to traffic. This will then allow both Class 33s to be made available for use, if the need arises.
Class 52 D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’ – work progresses on the cab at ‘B’ end, the restoration now reaching window height and resulting in the need to remove the drivers side aluminium frames and sliding glass windows so that welding could take place to repair corrosion damage around the door pillar. The following pictures tell the story:
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 returning D1010 to full operational condition.
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 – Neil progressed his work on the fitting of additional fuse protection into the electrical feed for the compressor and exhausters, which is a modification that has already been applied to sister loco D7018. This loco is waiting for its turn over the pit in the Swindon Shed so that her bogie suspension springs can be replaced.
Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9518 – more progress as the team continue their program of refurbishment of the individual parts before they get fitted back onto the loco frames. The focus of attention at Williton this week was the buffers, which had to be opened up very carefully because each one contains a giant spring. Another activity that took place off site was the refurbishment of the headcode boxes with their roller-blind indicators. These devices have not been used since the loco left BR service in 1969 and were ignored by the NCB, so 53 years of neglect have been overcome by some very careful restoration on the part of Colin G. The results are visible in the photos below and speak for themselves.
The constant progress on this loco project 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 currently based at the Kent & East Sussex Railway and will remain at the K&ESR until May 2022, by which time her older sister D9504 should have completed her heavy overhaul and be returned to traffic. 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. This loco was in action on Saturday 5th February 2022 when she hauled an Empty Coaching Stock (ECS) movement on the K&ESR.
Andrew Barclay 0-4-0DH 578 – this loco is currently in the Swindon Shed at Williton receiving attention from the WSR Restorations team who are performing a partial repaint that will then allow the loco to be stabled in the yard for the rest of the winter. The loco is currently wearing undercoat and will receive a coat of gloss when weather conditions allow.
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. Here’s some photos of the work that has taken place during the last week:
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 !
BOOK REVIEW – this week, we introduce a book that has yet to be published but holds out significant promise and will be of great interest to all of our Class 14 followers. The book is another by Anthony P Sayer and we will be providing a detailed review from long-term DEPG member and regular contributor, Neale Long, as soon as he can get his hands on a copy. The publisher is Pen & Sword and their website states that the publication date for the first volume, covering the life of the Class in BR hands, will be 31st March 2022. The second volume will cover the life of the class in Industry, and will be published on 30th June 2022.
Also of interest this week is ‘MODERN LOCOMOTIVES ILLUSTRATED PLUS‘ bi-monthly publication number 253 (Feb-Mar 2022) in which Neale tells us the following:
“There are several articles of particular interest to Group members, namely ‘Hymeks on Freight’ where D7017 is illustrated on a demonstration freight train on the WSR, freshly painted in 2013, and ‘Westerns on Tour’ in which there are several shots of D1010 on the ‘Western Requiem’ tour of 13th February 1977. D1010 even appears in the article on ‘Motorail -Taking Your Car on Holiday’ where she can be seen at St Austell in 1972 at the Motorail Terminal, with Class 47 number 1590 in the main platform on a Penzance to Bristol service. Well worth a look.”
Many thanks to Neale for keeping us up to date with these highly relevant publications !
ON SHED – several readers have commented and expressed their appreciation for the series of photos by Barry Gay covering the loco depot at Newton Abbot. Today, we can share another gem from his vast collection, from the days when the ‘Warships’ were still plentiful at Newton Abbot (as per correspondent Frank Northcott, there were 68 ‘Warships’ allocated to Newton Abbot when at its peak in the latter part of the 1960s). Here’s a view of the East Yard with the coal-fired power station in the background (closed and demolished in 1974):
Many thanks to Barry for sharing his photos with us all !
DEPG NEWS – the synopsis of the January Board Meeting will be emailed later this week to all DEPG members for whom we hold email addresses. We continue our efforts to build our membership, so if you like what we do, please JOIN US and help us do more of it !
DEPG WEBSITE – we have some stock remaining of our seasonably warm wearables, so click the the links below to find out more !
We can also provide these garments to order in different colours, so if you want a hat or a fleece but don’t want it in black, please reply to this email or use our CONTACT FORM to let us know. Thanks !
WSR NEWS: Work continues on the relaying of the line between Dunster and Minehead, and on Friday 4th February 2022, our Chairman Martin Howard was in charge of the WSR’s Class 03 shunter D2133 to perform a shunt of the Permanent Way Depot and to position the hopper wagons so that they could be loaded with fresh ballast. Here’s some photos that Martin captured when it was safe to do so:
This investment in the upgrading of WSR infrastructure is most welcome and will be completed in time to celebrate the re-opening to MINEHEAD that we have all been looking forward to.
Headlining this week is the long-awaited move of the torque converter rail from the transmission of Class 52 D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’ which has now been delivered to a specialist engineering firm for disassembly. This is a major step forward in the resolution of an issue that occurred during the first day of the 2018 Diesel Gala when the ‘B’ end transmission seized and the loco had to be withdrawn from service.
The transfer of power from the diesel engine to the wheels of a diesel-hydraulic locomotive is handled by the transmission, which in the case of the Class 52 ‘Westerns’, comprises three torque converters (a specialised form of a turbine), each intended for use during a different speed range. The three converters are attached to a hollow shaft that revolves around the central shaft, the whole assembly involving eight bearings and their associated fluid seals, each of which has to be removed, inspected and replaced if necessary.
D1010 – cross-sectional drawing of the Voith L630rV three-stage hydraulic transmission, as used in the Class 52 ‘Westerns’. This is a photograph of a Voith drawing dating back to 1962.
Although the use of hydraulic transmissions on mainline locos was discontinued by British Railways in the 1970s, this form of transmission has lived on in all of the second generation diesel-multiple-units (DMUs) such as Sprinters, Super Sprinters and Turbostars, where the original claims of low weight and high reliability have been fully proven, with many thousands of such transmissions in daily service around the world.
Following disassembly, the parts from D1010’s transmission will be returned to Williton for each of the separate parts to be cleaned, inspected and measured. Then, the spare parts will be ordered and upon receipt of the parts, the whole kit will go back to the subcontractor for assembly. This process is likely to take 6 to 9 months, during which time we will continue to progress with other aspects of the loco restoration project.
We are very grateful to all who donated and continue to donate towards the D1010 RESTORATION APPEAL and we would particularly like to thank WRINGS TRANSPORT for sponsoring this move. Thank you very much indeed !
Class 52 D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’ – we continue the steady drumbeat of progress on the bodywork of the locomotive, helped along by the flow of donations and the growing attendances at the depot, now open from Saturday through to Tuesday (most weeks). The old saying ‘many hands make light work’ is absolutely right. The following photographs tell the story:
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 returning D1010 to full operational condition.
Class 33 D6575 (33 057) – currently the duty loco, stationed at Bishops Lydeard (under cover, in Westridge Shed).
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 – Neil continued his work on the fitting of additional fuse protection into the electrical feed for the compressor and exhausters, which is a modification that has already been applied to sister loco D7018. This loco is waiting for its turn over the pit in the Swindon Shed so that her bogie suspension springs can be replaced.
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7018 – work resumed on the preparation for the removal of the transmission control block, which is a necessary step in the search for the issue that is preventing the automatic gear change from functioning properly. In the worst case, this loco will be ready for the DIESEL GALA from 9th to 11th JUNE and will operate while locked in second gear, as she did in 2021, but we hope that we will resolve the issue in time to allow normal operation.
Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9518 – another successful week with many more parts refitted to the loco frames, including some large pieces that have been taking up a lot of space in the loco shed while waiting their turn for re-attachment. This last weekend saw the re-fitting of the two sets of sandboxes and steps at the leading (longest) end of the locomotive, and the buffer beam received two coats of paint, first the primer and then the undercoat, which will be lightly sanded before applying further coats next week. Also, quietly and out of sight, John continued his work on the rebuilding of the electrical cubicle. Great progress indeed !
The constant progress on this loco project 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 currently based at the Kent & East Sussex Railway and will remain at the K&ESR until May 2022, by which time her older sister D9504 should have completed her heavy overhaul and be returned to traffic. 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.
Andrew Barclay 0-4-0DH 578 – this loco is currently in the Swindon Shed at Williton receiving attention from the WSR Restorations team who are performing a partial repaint that will then allow the loco to be stabled in the yard for the rest of the winter.
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 !
BOOK REVIEW – we will skip this feature this week, but we will be back soon with another book review by long-term DEPG member and regular contributor, Neale Long.
ON SHED – we feature another photo from the extensive collection of Devon-based photographer Barry Gay, this time with our very own D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’ making a full power restart from Newton Abbot station with the 1B91 0730 Bristol Temple Meads to Plymouth on Sunday 26th May 1974. The station looks sad, just a shadow of its former self, after being stripped of platform furniture some years previously. The clouds of black sooty ‘clag’ emanating from the loco are caused by ‘turbo lag’ which in turn is caused by the rapid increase in engine speed before the turbochargers have had a chance to catch up, thereby making the fuel-air mixture too rich, with dirty exhausts as a result. The exhaust will soon clean up as the engines stabilise. The German designers of the engines and transmissions were horrified by the harsh driving style demonstrated by some of the BR crews. Today’s engines are electronically controlled so that fuel flow is increased in unison with the increasing flow of air, regardless of the style of the driver.
Many thanks to Barry for sharing his photos with us all !
DEPG NEWS – some essential infrastructure improvements have been in progress at Williton, including the upgrading of the handwashing facilities in the loco shed, thanks to Graham and Jon, and the installation of a safety tag system, thanks to Martin and Paul T. Some pictures of their efforts are included below:
We can also provide these garments to order in different colours, so if you want a hat or a fleece but don’t want it in black, please reply to this email or use our CONTACT FORM to let us know. Thanks !
WSR NEWS: The timetable for 2022 has now been released and we are very pleased to see that diesel haulage is a regular feature. The detail of which services will be worked by which locomotives is still being worked out, and depends largely on the availability of qualified crew members, but we will provide details as soon as we can.
The WSR have published the dates for the 2022 special events, as follows, so please make a note and ADD THESE DATES TO YOUR DEPG CALENDARS:
Continuing to make the news this week, our ‘celebrity’ Class 47 47077 (D1661 47613 47840) ‘NORTH STAR’ arrived at New Bridge on the NYMR at 8pm on the evening of Monday 17th January after a 300-mile journey from Bishops Lydeard that had commenced on the morning of Thursday 13th January 2022. The tortuous route involved running through Bristol during the evening rush hour, due to weight restrictions on the Avonmouth Bridge, and another diversion from the M5 through the small streets of Tewkesbury because of a weight restriction on the M5 in that area. The Allelys Heavy Haulage rig spent Thursday night parked up at Strensham Services then made the short journey to the Allelys yard near Redditch on the Friday. The rig was back on the road on Monday and the loco was unloaded on Tuesday morning, by which time the temperature was a very chilly -3C !
Several videos featuring the loco and her journey have appeared on YouTube, including the two below:
47077 will remain at Pickering until the line to Grosmont is re-opened after completion of the bridge renewal work that is currently taking place. The loco will then undergo completion of the overhaul that was started at Williton and will then be used between Pickering and Grosmont while crew training takes place. At some point in the future, if all goes well, the NYMR may consider updating the loco’s Train Protection & Warning System (TPWS) so that the loco will be able to work on Network Rail metals to Whitby. One step at a time; we first look forward to the loco being used on scheduled NYMR services in the summer of this year.
Class 52 D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’ – work is proceeding on several fronts, and this has only become possible because our volunteer team has expanded. We are now consistently achieving 4 days of work per week and this is making a big difference to the rate of progress, but the pace will soon become limited by lack of funds to cover materials and consumables – so please keep on donating to allow us to keep the work progressing.
In the last week, we have made more progress on the bodywork repairs, more progress on stripping the paint and filler from the bodyside, more progress on the pipework and we have re-started the work on the transmission. To keep all of this moving, we need more volunteers and we need more funds, so we are going to be gearing up our efforts to get more of both and get D1010 back up to scratch. We have plenty to do, but we are gaining momentum !
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. Here’s some photos of the work that has taken place during the last week:
We are making good progress but there is plenty more to do, including the repair of the many small parts such as hinges and stays, conduits and pipework, all of which has suffered from the effects of the weather over the last 50 years since D1010 last underwent a major works overhaul at Swindon (in 1972) – see our D1010 timeline page for details.
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‘.
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 returning D1010 to full operational condition.
Class 33 D6575 (33 057) – currently the duty loco, stationed at Bishops Lydeard (under cover, in Westridge Shed).
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 – the work on fitting additional fuse protection into the electrical feed for the compressor is awaiting parts delivery, so no work was performed on this loco during the last week. We expect to receive the parts in time for the coming weekend.
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7018 – other priorities prevented our Chairman Martin Howard from resuming his work on disassembling the transmission control block, so this loco will also be waiting until the coming weekend before she gets his attention. Both of our ‘Hymeks’ are currently stabled outdoors on number 1 road, and this exposes them to the vagaries of the weather. The ever-changing weather results in significant amounts of condensation forming within the locos and this combines with lack of use to cause maintenance difficulties. In the longer-term, this issue has to be solved by investing in covered accomodation for all of our locos, so that the restoration work is not wasted. This applies equally to heritage coaches and wagons, many of which do not get a chance of use from one year to another.
Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9518 – more progress is being made on this loco as the team spreads out to work on different parts of the frame. The photos below show pipework and valves being fitted to the frames while preparations are being made for repainting the bufferbeams. A multitude of other tasks are taking place out of sight, including the reuild of the electrical cubicle.
The constant progress on this loco project 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 currently based at the Kent & East Sussex Railway and will remain at the K&ESR until May 2022, by which time her older sister D9504 should have completed her heavy overhaul and be returned to traffic. 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.
Andrew Barclay 0-4-0DH 578 – this loco is currently in the Swindon Shed at Williton receiving attention from the WSR Restorations team who are performing a partial repaint that will then allow the loco to be stabled in the yard for the rest of the winter. The paint job will be completed at a later date, when the weather permits, but this approach will ensure that the bodywork is protected in the meantime.
Other vehicles at Williton – the DEPG owns several other items of rolling stock including this 1954-vintage 20-ton brake van number B952527. This vehicle is used for the Diesel Driver Experience Courses that are operated by the WSR so we need to get it into decent condition so that it can go back into service later in the year. Step 1 is to clean up the vehicle and remove the detritus that has gathered after more than two years without use and Step 2 is to assess the extent of repairs required, then Step 3 is to arrange for the repairs to be carried out. We have made a start on Step 1 !
Another important aspect of volunteering is the learning of new skills, so Colin F gave some of his time to help fellow volunteers Paul C and Mike E expand their metalworking skills to include the techniques for cutting and welding. It is never too late to learn a new skill, so hats off to all of our volunteers for their willingness and flexibility. We all learn from one-another !
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 !
BOOK REVIEW – this week, we have another book review from our regular correspondent Neale Long, this time covering the new work by Andrew Fowler entitled ‘THE DELTICS & BABY DELTICS – A TALE OF SUCCESS AND FAILURE‘ and published by Pen & Sword Books in May of 2021.
Here below is Neale’s report:
“As part of the Pen and Sword Locomotive Profile Series, author Andrew Fowler spotlights two English Electric locomotive classes with contrasting fortunes, namely the world-beating Class 55 ‘Deltics’ and their much less success brethren, the Class 23 ‘Baby Deltics’. He does this through this 197 page tome which is set out in a number of chapters, namely:
Prelude to the ‘Deltics’
The Prototype ‘Deltic’
The ‘Baby Deltics’
The Production Series ‘Deltics’ – an introduction
Chapters on each production series ‘Deltic’ from D9000 to D9021 (55001 – 55022)
Well written and produced in the usual Pen and Sword style, the book starts with a brief introduction of the commencement of modern traction on the newly nationalised British Railways covering the pioneering LMS locomotives, Bulleid’s 10201-3 and the modernisation plan of 1955, this introduction being suitably illustrated with some historical images.
The book then tells the story of the prototype ‘Deltic’, before then focusing on the ‘Baby Deltics’ and their particular difficulties. It then proceeds to tell the story of the 22 production-series locomotives which achieved great success on the Eastern Region of BR, replacing over 60 steam locomotives and which revolutionised the schedules on the East Coast route. The last part of the book then devotes a section to each individual production series locomotive commencing with D9000 and ending with D9021, each section containing a brief outline of the individual locomotives’ history.
The chapters set out the story of both classes adequately and the introduction sets out the classes in context of a railway system that was modernising in the face of a deepening financial crisis. It is a generalised account of these locomotive classes which had contrasting fortunes, rather than a detailed account. Nicely illustrated in both colour and monochrome, many of the photographs feature Class 55s in blue livery rather than the earlier two-tone green, which may disappoint some Class 55 enthusiasts.
To those expecting a book on the lines of Anthony Sayer’s excellent locomotive portfolios on classes 21/29, 28, 15/16 & 17, this volume differs as is not in that series, being a locomotive ‘profile’ series book rather than the more detailed locomotive ‘portfolio’ series, this book providing a more generalised account of ‘Deltics’ and ‘Baby Deltics’. Within that context, this book provides a reasonable account and the author has compiled a volume that will surely appeal to the many ‘Deltic’ enthusiasts and can be recommended particularly to those seeking an introduction to the story of these locomotives.”
Many thanks to Neale for providing us with this review.
ON SHED – we feature another photo from the extensive collection of Devon-based photographer Barry Gay, capturing the scene at Newton Abbot during the twilight years of the depot. This week, we feature a Class that has always been closely associated with Newton Abbot, ever since the first examples were put to work on the South Devon banks in January of 1959. Sadly, none of this Class or their diesel-electric cousins (Classes 21 and 29) have survived in preservation, but there is an effort being made by the PROJECT 22 SOCIETY to create a new-build locomotive, and we hope that this project may one day deliver a representative example of a mainline North British diesel locomotive. We wish them every success with their enormous task.
Many thanks to Barry for sharing his photos with us all !
DEPG NEWS – we will be contacting our membership this week to remind members to renew their subscriptions so that we can keep our membership base growing. This is essential so that we can provide long-term security for the DEPG locomotive fleet. Please reply to this email or use our CONTACT FORM to let us have your opinion of how we are doing. Thanks !
A DEPG Board Meeting took place at Williton on Saturday 22nd January 2022 and a synopsis will be produced ASAP and circulated to members for whom we hold an active email address. Copies of the synopsis will be included with the next DEPG Newsletter for the benefit of those who prefer written communications. Let us know your preference – we are in the process of developing our systems to allow a more selective distribution, to reduce costs and to eliminate waste.
DEPG WEBSITE – we have some stock remaining of our seasonably warm wearables, so click the the links below to find out more !
We can also provide these garments to order in different colours, so if you want a hat or a fleece but don’t want it in black, please reply to this email or use our CONTACT FORM to let us know. Thanks !
WSR NEWS: The success of the ‘WINTERLIGHTS’ services has been well covered in previous roundups, but last Monday, 17th January 2022, a special working took place where the Winterlights contractor’s team joined a team comprising WSR and DEPG volunteers to travel between Bishops Lydeard and Crowcombe Heathfield to recover the displays and artefacts that had been positioned along the line as part of the show. The special working was propelled by Class 09 shunter D4107 (09 019) under the control of DEPG Chairman Martin Howard, and the working was captured by dashcam by one of our volunteers while on his way to Williton, just as the consist passed over Coombe Florey bridge !
Elsewhere on the line, the track renewal project at Alcombe (between Dunster and Minehead) is proceeding well, with the trackbed prepared and the brand-new sleepers and rail in the process of being laid. The use of steel sleepers is preferred in this area because the line is built across a salt marsh, the steel sleepers being more suited to the ground conditions. For more photos of this work taking place, click this link to visit wsr.org.uk. It is great to see investment on this scale and we look forward to running over the new formation in the spring.
BR-Crewe-built (1965) Class 47 47077 (D1661 47613 47840) ‘NORTH STAR’ has arrived safely at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway and will soon be residing in the new carriage shed at Pickering while undergoing inspection and recertification of her compressed air system. Once passed as ‘fit to run’ and upon the completion of bridge replacement along the line, the loco will move to Grosmont where additional work will be carried out. The loco will then be used for crew training before being used on service trains. We look forward to a successful stay at the NYMR and her eventual return to her home base on the WSR !
Here’s a link to a very interesting video by Robert Townsend that covers the unloading of ‘NORTH STAR’ at Newbridge Permanent Way Depot on the NYMR on Tuesday 18th January 2022:
Many thanks also to our local correspondent Martin Fisher for braving the cold weather on Monday evening and Tuesday morning to keep us informed and capture some images to share with us all. Here are some of the photos that he managed to take from the public areas of the NYMR:
