Late yesterday afternoon, after the installation of new batteries, our Class 47 D1661 47077 47613 47840 burst into life immediately after pressing the START button. Here’s a video clip taken By Martin Howard:
DEPG Class 47 47077 ‘NORTH STAR’ engine run, late afternoon of Saturday 15th May 2021. Video by Martin Howard © CC BY-NC 3.0
Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6566 (33 048) has again been busy, running crew training specials between Bishops Lydeard and Williton in preparation for the restart of public services next Saturday 22nd May 2021. Here’s a view of D6566 at the head of a return working at Williton from earlier this month:
On Saturday 1st May 2021, D6566 (33 048) had just taken over from sister D6575 (33 057) at Williton and was preparing to work the return leg of the crew training special to Bishops Lydeard. Photo by Josh Brinsford © CC BY-NC 3.0
D6566 is in action again this weekend, working on Saturday and Sunday on crew refresher training specials.
Also booked for a run from Williton to Bishops Lydeard on Saturday was Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9526, the purpose of the trip being a visit to Westridge Shed to go over the pit for an underframe examination. Unfortunately, a snag was encountered and the loco didn’t get to leave Williton, although she did make several runs within station limits while shunting D7017 and D6575 so that she could get out of the yard. More details on this next week.
Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9526 runs within station limits at Williton on Saturday 15th May 2021. Image captured from the Williton North railcam, courtesy of Railcam UK and the WSR ©
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LOCO NEWS:
Progress at Williton has been focused on 47077 ‘NORTH STAR’ during the last week as we try to close down some of the tasks that are preventing us from starting the engine. Again we managed to open the depot for four days out of the last seven, so this is becoming a ‘new normal’ now.
47077 ‘NORTH STAR’ – The old batteries, 48 in total, were removed and were palletised for return to the supplier for recycling. The four battery boxes were tidied up in readiness for the new batteries to go straight in. Once installed, the new batteries will allow us to start the engine, which will then allow us to check the various pieces of equipment that are run from the auxillary generator (compressors, exhausters, blowers and control circuits).
Further progress was made on the detailing of the number 2 cab, the photo below shows the work evolving:
The number 2 cab of Class 47 number 47077 ‘NORTH STAR’ now looking much better with the instrument binnacle repainted in black at Williton Depot on 10th May 2021. Photo by Natalie Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0
In addition to the tasks already mentioned, effort was put into rectifying a leak in the cooling system and resolving an issue with a faulty drain valve in the compressed air system, so thanks go out to our volunteers who paused their work on their ‘normal’ projects to join in with the work on the ’47’.
Class 47 number 47077 ‘NORTH STAR’ stands on number 3 road inside Williton Depot on 20th April 2021. Photo by Chris Shields © CC BY-NC 3.0
Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6575 was the subject of a trial of a set of axle weighbars on Monday 10th May 2021 when Liam and Harry from WSR Restorations put their efforts into pumping the hydraulic jacks that lift the axle just clear of the rail so that the axle load can be read from a pressure gauge that is calibrated in tons. The trial was abandoned because the track at that particular point was not sufficiently flat, so the readings were erroneous. The weighing will be repeated on another occasion when the loco can be moved to a section of level track that has easy access on both sides.
Hydraulic lifting equipment in place on number 1 axle of Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6575 (33 057) at Williton yard on 10th May 2021. Photo by Harry Spencer © CC BY-NC 3.0
Close-up of the hydraulic lifting equipment in place on number 1 axle of Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6575 (33 057) at Williton yard on 10th May 2021. Photo by Harry Spencer © CC BY-NC 3.0
Really useful engines – Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6575 (33 057) faces off with Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 on number 1 road at Williton Diesel Depot on a bright and sunny Spring day, Monday 10th May 2021. Photo by Harry Spencer © CC BY-NC 3.0
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 – no change this week.
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7018 – no change this week.
Class 52 D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’ – this loco is undergoing an assessment of the work that needs to be done before she can be returned to service. The work has to be evaluated and costed because this loco will be the subject of a fund raising campaign to raise money to cover the cost of the work. The revenue generated by our new booklet “D1010 WESTERN CAMPAIGNER – FROM MEREHEAD TO MINEHEAD” will go into this fund, along with revenue from sales of pre-owned books, so please help the fund grow by buying from our online store. Thanks !
Yard clearance – last Saturday and again last Tuesday, several volunteers exerted some serious effort to shift two stacks of life-expired concrete sleepers that had been left in the yard during the winter period. This clearance will allow us to move locos that are on number 2 and 3 roads, eventually allowing 47077 ‘NORTH STAR’ to escape from the confines of the loco shed, her place being eagerly awaited by D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’.
Many thanks to all of our volunteers who are hard at work maintaining, restoring, shifting, managing and fund raising for our fleet of heritage locomotives !
BOOK REVIEW – This week, we feature an interesting and unusual book entitled ‘TRAIN DOCTOR – troubleshooting with Diesel and Electric traction’ by Roger Senior, published by Pen & Sword in 2016. This book runs to more than 200 pages of fairly small print and is full of information and anecdotes about the author’s experiences as he worked his way from Traction Fitter at Leeds Holbeck depot in the late 1960s right through to becoming the Resident Engineer on the Mk 4 coach fleet on GNER.
This book contains plenty of detail of how things went wrong and how they were corrected, with the author being an expert on the subject, having spent 16 years of his career riding on HSTs and Class 91s to make sure they ran properly (or in some cases, failed less often!).
This book is available from various sellers but our DEPG ONLINE STORE has one copy that has been donated by a member for the purpose of fund raising, so we are offering it at £12.50, the entire proceeds of which will go to the D1010 restoration fund.
If you have railway books that you want to donate to us, please let us know by return email or by using this contact form so that we can work out an economic way of getting them from you. We appreciate your efforts to give us more items to sell to raise funds for the DEPG fleet.
ON SHED: Last week’s feature on Class 03 locomotive 03 382 (formerly D2382) generated several responses from readers who had knowledge of 03 382 when she was at Bristol Bath Road depot. We also mentioned sister 03 119 (formerly D2119) that was in the care of the DEPG for a while and remains safe today at the Epping Ongar Railway in Essex.
Let’s not forget the WSR’s D2133 which entered service at Taunton depot in 1960 and never carried a TOPS (Class 03) number, being withdrawn from BR service in July 1969 following the closure of Bridgwater docks. This loco was immediately purchased by British Cellophane for use in their Bridgwater plant, and when rail traffic to that works ceased, she was offered to the WSR and has been based at Minehead ever since. In fact, this loco has never worked outside of Somerset !
The WSR’s Class 03 number D2133 at work on a civil engineering train near Dunster on 29th April 2021. Photo by Rich Hiscox © CC BY-NC 3.0
DEPG NEWS: The next DEPG Board meeting will take place on 22nd May 2021 so let me know ASAP if you have questions, topics or concerns that you would like to have tabled.
The next edition of the quarterly DEPG newsletter is in preparation and is planned for distribution in mid-June. What would you like to see in this edition ? Let us know what you would find interesting. Do you have a story to tell ? Write your own article or alternatively, provide us with the information and we will do the writing.
Membership – is your membership up to date ? If not, please renew by going to our Join Us page and selecting the appropriate membership ‘product’. This is a quick and easy way to keep your membership current. It doesn’t matter if you don’t remember your membership number – we will sort that out for you.
DEPG WEBSITE: Our ONLINE SHOP IS NOW LIVE so go ahead and visit our store!
This week, we have another new product to add, this time a print of a watercolour painting by artist Mike Jeffries featuring the National Railway Museum’s Class 52 number D1023 ‘WESTERN FUSILIER’. This loco was one of the last four remaining in service on the last day of ‘Western’ operation, 26th February 1977. Affectionately known as ‘fusebox’, she was the ‘official’ tour loco, although she was not exclusively used for railtours – see Depot News week ending 28-Feb-21 and Depot News week ending 14-Feb-21.
This excellent print (495 x 360mm) is available for £10 and can be easily framed – it would make a great companion to the D7017 print by Jonathan Clay, also available from our online store.
WSR NEWS: The WSR are continuing to enhance their timetables for the services that will start NEXT SATURDAY 22nd May 2021. The latest additions feature temptations such as Fish & Chips or Cream Teas, all of which sound like the perfect accompaniment to a trip along the WSR. Check out the different colour timetables and you will see the catering services that go with most of these options. There is a huge effort going into the preparation, marketing and running of these trains, so it is really important to support the WSR to ensure that these services are a commercial success. Please buy a ticket if you can.
Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9526 pauses at Crowcombe Heathfield while working a service train towards Minehead on a wet Sunday 23rd June 2019. Photo by Simon Purvis © CC BY-NC 3.0
On Saturday 15th May 2021, Class 14 D9526 will depart from Williton (WN) and head to Bishops Lydeard (BL) and then to Westridge shed for positioning over the pit for an underframe examination. This is the penultimate step towards making her ready for service – the last step being a set of loaded test runs that will take place as soon as possible. Here’s the details of the workings for Saturday:
0945 WN arriving BL 1018 then to Westridge shed.
When ready and when a path is available, return from BL to WN.
It may only be a light engine run this time, but it will still be great to see her out and about again.
On Saturday 15th May 2021 and Sunday 16th May 2021, there will be diesel-hauled crew training specials running between Bishops Lydeard (BL) and Williton (WN) with Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6566 (33 048) covering the duties. Here’s the details:
SATURDAY 15th May 2021
1030 BL arriving WN 1105 (diesel hauled)
1145 WN arriving BL 1220 (diesel hauled)
SUNDAY 16th May 2021
The first two return services of the day will be steam-hauled but Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6566 (33 048) will take over in the afternoon. The booked movements are:
1015 BL arriving WN 1050 (steam hauled)
1120 WN arriving BL 1155 (steam hauled)
1300 BL arriving WN 1335 (steam hauled)
1405 WN arriving BL 1440 (steam hauled)
1510 BL arriving WN 1544 (diesel hauled)
1605 WN arriving BL 1640 (diesel hauled)
Trains may depart early. Other workings may take place. The railway is to be considered as LIVE at all times.
Please note that the stations remain closed to the public and trespassing is not allowed.
The webcams provide a very good way of watching the action from afar. Here are the links:
BL: http://www.wsr.org.uk/r-cam-bl2.htm
WN: http://www.wsr.org.uk/r-cam-wn2.htm
After a long absence, we are pleased to note that the Crowcombe Heathfield webcam is back online. Here’s the link:
CH: http://www.wsr.org.uk/r-cam-ch1.htm
Many thanks to Railcam UK and the WSR for providing these webcam services.
You can join the DIESELGEN mailing list at any time by emailing contact@depg.org with DIESELGEN ADD as the subject.
Have you considered joining the WEEKLY ROUNDUP e-newsletter list? Click here for details.
Take care and stay safe!
Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6566 (33 048) hauls a crew training special over Roebuck Crossing on Saturday 8th May 2021. Video by Martin Howard © CC BY-NC 3.0
Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6566 (33 048) was at work yesterday hauling a crew training special comprising six newly-painted Mark 1 coaches between Bishops Lydeard and Williton. The all-DEPG crew comprised driver Richard Jones and secondman Terry Deacon, both under the watchful eye of Traction Inspector John Leach. Also riding on the train was Colin Girle who would later be driving on the return leg of the journey. These crew training specials are part of the preparations for the re-opening of the WSR for public services on 22nd May 2021.
This scene will be repeated today, as advised by our DIESELGEN bulletin service (click here for details).
Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6566 (33 048) has been busy, running crew training specials and also moving Empty Coaching Stock (ECS) so that the newly-painted coaches are positioned at Bishops Lydeard in readiness for the restart of public services on Saturday 22nd May 2021. Here’s a great view of Castle Hill, just south of Williton, resplendent in Spring colours, showing D6566 (33 048) at work:
On Saturday 1st May 2021, D6566 (33 048) has just taken over from sister D6575 (33 057) at Williton and now works the return leg of the crew training special past Castle Hill and towards Bishops Lydeard. Photo by Adam Hiscock © CC BY-NC 3.0
This loco is in action again this weekend, working on Saturday and Sunday afternoon between Bishops Lydeard and Williton on crew refresher training specials. To keep up to date with our diesel loco workings, sign up to our DIESELGEN email bulletin service.
There has been more progress at Williton, mostly directed at 47077 ‘NORTH STAR’ and Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9518. We again managed to have volunteers on site for four days out of the last seven, minimising risk and making better use of facilities.
47077 ‘NORTH STAR’ – After running some tests, it soon became clear that the batteries were beyond redemption, so a decision was taken to place an order for new batteries at a cost of almost £5,000 for the set (48 in total). This expenditure will allow reliable starting for the next 10 years.
The batteries are housed in four separate compartments, each holding 12 separate cells that are wired together. Each cell is larger than a heavy duty car battery! Each compartment will now need to be cleaned out in readiness for the new batteries to be installed. The battery box doors were removed, cleaned and painted last Sunday and the rest of the task will be tackled this weekend.
One of the four battery compartments of Class 47 number 47077 ‘NORTH STAR’ in the process of getting a clean-up at Williton Depot on 2nd May 2021. Photo by Natalie Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0
Other attention focused on correcting an issue that had existed since the loco had her vacuum braking system re-instated by Brush at Loughborough in 2007. The strainer that is used to protect the vacuum exhausters from dirt and debris had been installed at an unusual angle and was difficult to clean. After many hours of wrestling with pipework in the very cramped and crowded equipment room, our Chairman Martin Howard succeeded in removing and correcting the pipework and refitting the strainer so it now takes up its correct position and is easy to maintain.
The Davies & Metcalfe exhauster strainer (the large grey object!) now re-installed in its correct position in the equipment room of Class 47 number 47077 ‘NORTH STAR’ at Williton Depot on 4th May 2021. Photo by Martin Howard © CC BY-NC 3.0
At the other end of the locomotive, attention was given to a cleanup and repaint of the number 2 cab, the photos below show the work in progress. There’s a lot of detailing still to do, but the ‘office’ is looking very much better already.
The driving position of number 2 cab of Class 47 number 47077 ‘NORTH STAR’ receives a clean-up and repaint at Williton Depot on 2nd May 2021. Photo by Natalie Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0
The secondman position of number 2 cab of Class 47 number 47077 ‘NORTH STAR’ receives a clean-up and repaint at Williton Depot on 2nd May 2021. Photo by Natalie Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0
Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9518 – The ‘Tuesday’ crew continued work on the wheelsets, filling and sanding the surfaces to provide a good smooth surface for painting. The photo below shows the wheelsets have now reached the primer stage, getting closer to the gloss black finish that will signify completion of the task.
Wheelsets from D9518 in green primer, having already had the special surface treatment from Colin at Williton on 4th May 2021. Photo by Martin Howard © CC BY-NC 3.0
Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6575 is now stabled at Williton so that her sister loco D6566 (33 048) can accumulate some hours in service.
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 – no change this week.
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7018 – no change this week.
Class 52 D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’ – this loco is undergoing an assessment of the work that needs to be done before she can be returned to service. The work has to be evaluated and costed because this loco will be the subject of a fund raising campaign to raise money to cover the cost of the work. The revenue generated by our new booklet “D1010 WESTERN CAMPAIGNER – FROM MEREHEAD TO MINEHEAD” will go into this fund, along with revenue from sales of pre-owned books, so please help the fund grow by buying from our online store. Thanks !
Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9526 – this loco is waiting for an opportunity to run to Bishops Lydeard so that she can go over the pit at Westridge shed and have an underframe examination. After that, she will be ready for service !
Many thanks to all of our volunteers who are hard at work maintaining, restoring, managing and fund raising for our fleet of heritage locomotives !
BOOK REVIEW – This week, a magazine article has been brought to our attention by Neale Long because it celebrates the 60th anniversary of the unveiling of the first of the brand-new Type 3 diesel-hydraulic locomotives that were built by BEYER-PEACOCK (HYMEK) LTD to satisfy an order for 101 machines for the Western Region of British Railways. These locos subsequently became known as the ‘Hymeks’.
RAIL EXPRESS magazine May 2021 edition 300 features a 6-page article entitled ‘HANDSOME HYMEKS’ and presents a well-balanced account of the class throughout its short life in BR service. All four preserved ‘Hymeks’ are pictured, with D7017 shown working the ‘QUANTOCK FLYER’ on the West Somerset Railway on 19th March 1977 being the first to haul a service train in preservation.
To whet your appetite, the final two pages of the article are pictured above in a purposely low-resolution shot to respect copyright. The article is well worth reading, so try and get hold of a copy if you can.
ON SHED: Last week, we featured Ebbw Junction depot (EJ) on the western side of Newport, South Wales, with a decent coating of snow after some unseasonal late-April weather. The presence of a Class 03 shunter at EJ raised significant interest and several readers have sent information that can be shared this week. Here’s the picture again, as a reminder:
FORTY YEARS AGO – 37284 rests at Ebbw Junction (EJ) depot on the morning of Sunday 26th April 1981 along with 03382, a loco that was destined for use on the Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley line in West Wales. Low bridges on that route meant that the 03 needed her cab cut down, so for reasons unknown, that task was allocated to EJ. The loco had come from Bristol Bath Road and hung around the depot for months before being modified and then heading west. Photo by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0
DEPG Treasurer Julien Weston commented:
“Before it left Bath Road, 03382 was regularly employed as the outstationed Lawrence Hill yard shunter in Bristol, where it also worked the former MR Avonside Wharf and did one mile main line trip workings to Stapleton Road Goods Yard to transfer scrap metal wagons between the two yards. It was usually to be found stabled next to the shunters cabin immediately under the old MR mainline overbridge at Lawrence Hill.
I took quite a few rides on it (and others) when I was a kid / teenager, but even it wasn’t allowed in Avonside Yard down by the river and had to “reach” the wagons over the Avon Road crossing (ungated, multiple tracks). It was said there had always been very old and insufficient track in that yard, which had long since disintegrated. The wagons actually used to run in the grooves left in the dirt!”
Many thanks to Julien for sharing his memories with us.
The Burry Port & Gwendraeth Valley Railway was built in the 1870s to serve the coal mines of the valleys to the west of Llanelli. The line was built to a very tight budget with lightweight track and minimalist earthworks. The bridges were very low and the line was also susceptible to flooding in places. Steam gave way to diesel in 1965 and the D2000 series 204hp Class 03 shunter was deemed the most suitable locomotive, with a modification being made to cut down the height of the cabs to clear the low bridges.
Eight locos were modified and were based at Landore (Swansea). Because of the steep gradients on the line, the 204 hp Class 03s were often used in multiple so they were modified to have multiple-unit control systems. In 1981, it was determined that one more modified Class 03 was needed to work the line.
DEPG Class 14 loco manager Simon Purvis shares the following information that was provided by Brian Penney:
“The modification to permit two 204hp Class 03 locomotives in multiple was developed in the mid 1960’s by Eastern region for a freight working between York and Harrogate. We could see that this arrangement would be particularly useful for working the BP+GV line, where three of these locos were used to take a train from Burry Port to Cwm Mawr, and in May 1967 I was sent to inspect the modifications at York and ride with the working to Harrogate.
Landore had an allocation of eight 204hp Class 03s for working this line. These had been modified with cut down cabs to meet the loading gauge restrictions on the branch and it was agreed that Swindon would fit them with the air operated multiple control equipment.
In 1981 it was decided that an additional locomotive, fitted with multiple connections, was required for the working, and Westinghouse were asked for the cost of supplying the valves and fittings. Apparently these items could not be supplied ‘off the shelf’ and would require special manufacture, with a consequent price well into five figures.
It was known that Eastern Region had withdrawn some of their multiple fitted Class 03s and some had been sold to outside parties. After some detective work, we discovered that one of these, D2260, had been sold some eleven years earlier, to Mill Pit, Kenfig Hill, only 20 miles west of Cardiff. A phone call to the pit engineer confirmed the loco was still at the pit and a visit arranged to inspect it.
Surprisingly, the locomotive was found to be still fitted with all the multiple control equipment, although this had not been used since 1970. The pit engineer said that he had no use for it and if we could send staff to remove it, we were welcome to take it away.
The selected additional locomotive was Bristol’s 03382, and it was arranged for Ebbw Junction carry out the work to cut down the cab, and fit the multiple control equipment. Ebbw Junction fitters went to Mill Pit to recover the equipment from D2260 and bring it back to Newport.”
Many thanks to Brian and Simon for sharing this information with us.
So, we now know why 03382 was at EJ for such a long time in 1983. It was all a bit pointless because the line was partly closed in 1984 and the remaining stub was worked by modified Class 08 shunters instead. The Class 03s were dispersed, 03382 being cut up at Swindon in 1986 and sister 03119 spending time on the West Somerset Railway in the care of the DEPG. The loco now resides on the Epping Ongar Railway in Essex.
Modified BP+GV Class 03 number 03119 undergoes maintenance at Williton on 7th January 2008. Photo by Jon Tooke © CC BY-NC 3.0
DEPG NEWS: The synopsis of the last DEPG Board meeting is now available for the benefit of our members. Please email contact@depg.org or use the CONTACT form to request your copy. The next Board meeting will take place on 22nd May 2021.
The next edition of the quarterly DEPG newsletter is in preparation. What would you like to see in this edition ? Let us know what you would find interesting. Do you have a story to tell ? Write your own article or alternatively, provide us with the information and we will write it for you.
For the last two weeks, we have asked this question …. which railway magazines do you buy on a regular basis ?
The results have been collated and the two leaders are RAILWAY MAGAZINE and RAILWAYS ILLUSTRATED although HERITAGE RAILWAY, RAIL and TRACTION also figure quite prominently. Apart from these mainstreamers, there are several other titles, too numerous to mention, so it is a hotly-contested media sector!
Many thanks to all of you who took the time to let us know your preferences.
Membership – is your membership up to date ? If not, please renew by going to our Join Us page and selecting the appropriate membership ‘product’. This is a quick and easy way to keep your membership current. It doesn’t matter if you don’t remember your membership number – we will sort that out for you.
DEPG WEBSITE: Our ONLINE SHOP IS NOW LIVE so go ahead and visit our store!
Our new booklet, ‘D1010 – FROM MEREHEAD TO MINEHEAD’ is in stock so get your copy now! This booklet covers our Class 52 D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’ and its life in preservation, from Foster Yeoman’s quarry at Merehead to the West Somerset Railway to Minehead plus some interesting stories from the days when the loco was still working on the mainline. All proceeds go to the D1010 restoration fund.
WSR NEWS: The WSR have revised their timetable for the services that will run in the second week of re-opening, with services being extended through to Watchet where there will be a one-hour stopover to allow travellers a chance to stretch their legs in this lovely harbour town. See the BROWN timetable and the new YELLOW timetable for details. It is really important to support the WSR to ensure that these services are a commercial success. Please buy a ticket if you can.
Preparations for re-opening continue with traincrew training activities involving steam and diesel haulage this weekend. The weedkilling train ran along the whole length of the line last week, so this should keep the line looking neat and tidy throughout the season.
The Aquarius Land Rover powered weedkilling train operating at Crowcombe Heathfield on 6th May 2021. Photo by Steve Speck © CC BY-NC 3.0
We are all looking forward to the return of public services on the WSR starting 22nd May 2021, so please try and support these recovery efforts by buying a ticket and having a great day out !
Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6566 (33 048) pilots BR(W) 4-6-0 No. 7828 ‘ODNEY MANOR’ past Castle Hill on the climb out of Williton on 6th May 2021. Photo by Mark Ireland © CC BY-NC 3.0
On Saturday 8th May 2021 and Sunday 9th May 2021, crew training specials will again be running between Bishops Lydeard (BL) and Williton (WN).
The first two return trips of the day will be steam-hauled, but Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6566 (33 048) will take over in the afternoon and will provide training and refresher opportunities for DEPG and WSR diesel crew members.
The booked movements are:
1015 BL arriving WN 1050 (steam hauled)
1125 WN arriving BL 1200 (steam hauled)
1315 BL arriving WN 1350 (steam hauled)
1420 WN arriving BL 1455 (steam hauled)
1515 BL arriving WN 1548 (diesel hauled)
1610 WN arriving BL 1645 (diesel hauled)
Trains may depart early. Other workings may take place. The railway is to be considered as LIVE at all times.
Please note that the stations remain closed to the public and trespassing is not allowed.
The webcams provide a very good way of watching the action from afar. Here are the links:
BL: http://www.wsr.org.uk/r-cam-bl2.htm
WN: http://www.wsr.org.uk/r-cam-wn2.htm
After a long absence, we are pleased to note that the Crowcombe Heathfield webcam is back online. Here’s the link:
CH: http://www.wsr.org.uk/r-cam-ch1.htm
Many thanks to Railcam UK and the WSR for providing these webcam services.
Take care and stay safe!
Another week of action and progress at Williton, the focus of activity being 47077 ‘NORTH STAR’ and Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9518. Restrictions on depot attendance remain in place but we again managed to operate on four days out of the last seven, minimising risk and making better use of facilities.
47077 ‘NORTH STAR’ – Efforts were made to get her massive Sulzer 12-cylinder diesel engine ready to start after a long period out of use. The various tasks that were in progress around the loco had to be stopped and put in a safe condition to allow power-up and start-up. The ‘triple pump’ was run to prime the oil, fuel and water systems and everything was looking good. Several volunteers stood by with their cameras, ready to take a video of the event.
The DEPG’s 1965 Crewe-built Brush ‘Type 4’, formerly D1661 but now Class 47 number 47077 ‘NORTH STAR’ residing on Number 3 road inside Williton Depot on 20th April 2021. Photo by Chris Shields © CC BY-NC 3.0
Unfortunately, when the moment came to press the ‘START’ button, there was a click – but the engine did not turn over. The batteries had decided that they were not going to co-operate and that was the end of it. Although the batteries had been kept in a fully charged condition over the last year or so, the combination of the age of the batteries and the lack of use has meant that charging had become ineffective, leaving the batteries too weak to be able to do their job. A locomotive without batteries is useless, so we now have to replace the 48 individual batteries that make up the full set.
Undeterred, our volunteers went back to their tasks and carried on, such disappointments being part of railway preservation life. Further attempts to start-up may be made this weekend using batteries borrowed from other locos and connected in parallel to boost capacity. Once started up, we will be able to complete our assessment of the work remaining to be done to get this loco ready for service.
Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9518 – The ‘Tuesday’ crew comprising Terry, Colin F, Chris and Mark continued on renovating the sandboxes and getting them ready to refit to the locomotive frames. On the weekend, Colin G continued his work on the wheelsets, filling and sanding the surfaces to provide a good smooth surface for painting. The rate of progress is very encouraging!
One of the sandboxes from D9518 gets some serious attention from Colin at Williton on 27th April 2021. Photo by Terry Deacon © CC BY-NC 3.0
One of the sandboxes from D9518 ready for painting at Williton on 27th April 2021. Photo by Terry Deacon © CC BY-NC 3.0
Chris makes sure that the sandboxes from D9518 get a good layer of undercoat at Williton on 27th April 2021. Photo by Terry Deacon © CC BY-NC 3.0
OTHER LOCO NEWS:
Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6575 is in action this weekend on crew training specials between Bishops Lydeard (BL) and Williton (WN). This news was broadcast yesterday via our DIESELGEN email bulletin service. This loco will change places with sister loco D6566 (33 048) during Saturday afternoon and D6566 will then work back to BL and will also work the crew training turns on Sunday. An additional working that is scheduled for Thursday 6th May is an Empty Coaching Stock (ECS) move from BL to Minehead, where D6566 will attach to some newly-repainted coaches and haul them to BL in conjunction with BR(W) 4-6-0 number 7828 ‘ODNEY MANOR’. These moves are part of the preparation for the re-opening of the WSR on 22nd May 2021.
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 – this loco remains in the yard at Williton, having had her tarpaulins removed and having had a wash, courtesy of Ian. The plan for this loco is to be ‘lifted’ in late June or July so that her bogies can be rolled out so that the springs can be changed. No doubt there will be other work that will need to be done while the loco is lifted, but we hope to complete the work during the autumn so that D7017 is available for service in 2022.
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 stands on number 1 road in the South yard at Williton on 20th April 2021, with Class 33 D6566 (33 048) to her left and Class 14 D9526 to her right. Photo by Chris Shields © CC BY-NC 3.0
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7018 – this loco is inside the shed on number 2 road and is undergoing an investigation on the control block of her Mekydro hydraulic transmission. After several attempts to get the automatic gear change function working as it should, it has been decided to switch the control block for a known good control block that was in use at some time in the past. This will hopefully resolve the problem and allow more time for the delinquent control block to be further investigated to find the blockage (or stuck valve) that is preventing proper operation. In the worst case, the transmission will be locked in second gear and she will operate on the WSR in the same way as she did in 2019.
A view of ‘Hymek’ D7018 through the former boiler room window of 47077 ‘NORTH STAR’ taken on 26th April 2021 while both locos were residing in the loco shed at Williton. Photo by Natalie Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0
Class 52 D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’ – this loco is waiting patiently outside the shed on number 3 road for her opportunity to displace 47077 and enter the next phase of her own restoration. With the remedial work on her failed transmission still held up by lockdowns, volunteer effort will be focused on the cooler group renovations and long list of bodywork repairs. This loco will be the subject of a fund raising campaign to cover the cost of specialist sub-contract services that will be needed to return this loco to service. The funds generated by our new booklet “D1010 WESTERN CAMPAIGNER – FROM MEREHEAD TO MINEHEAD” will go into this fund, along with revenue from sales of pre-owned books, so please help the fund grow by buying from our online store. Thanks !
Class 52 D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’ outside the loco shed on number 3 road at Williton on 20th April 2021, minus her lower front valances (already removed for restoration) and clearly in need of some bodywork repairs. Photo by Chris Shields © CC BY-NC 3.0
Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9518 – information that was posted on rmweb earlier this week reminded us that our loco was the LAST of the class to perform work on BR back in April 1969 and one of the last ten to be withdrawn from service. Here’s an extract of some posts made by rmweb member “br2975” :
Many thanks to Neil Evans and to rmweb member “br2975” for bringing this information to our attention. After serving BR for a mere four years, our loco went on to do seventeen years of hard labour at NCB Ashington Colliery before retiring and eventually coming into our hands.
Bought from BR in full working order in 1969, NCB No. 7 (aka D9518) still had five more years of work ahead of her when seen operating at Ashington Colliery in this photo dated 25th May 1981. Photo by Colin Girle © CC BY-NC 3.0
Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9526 – this loco remains hidden by tarpaulins on number 1 road, just outside the Old Goods Shed after being ‘evicted’ from its shelter because of the structural issues that are currently affecting that Grade II listed building. This loco has undergone a 250-hour inspection and is waiting for a test run to Bishops Lydeard so that she can go over the pit at Westridge shed and have an underframe examination. After that, she will be ready for service !
Many thanks to all of our volunteers who are hard at work maintaining, restoring, managing and fund raising for our fleet of heritage locomotives !
BOOK REVIEW – This week, we have another pre-owned book to offer via our online store, but this one is rather unusual and appears to be quite rare. “TRIBUTE TO THE FORTY’S – 1958 to 1986” is a paperback booklet, A5 in size (21 x 15 cm) with 100 printed pages and more than 200 photographs, all in black and white except those on the cover page. The booklet was published by the CLASS 40 APPEAL in 1986 and was clearly a success because seven members of the class have made it into preservation, including two mainline-registered examples.
This rare booklet has been very kindly donated to the DEPG for the purpose of fund raising, so we are offering it at £15, the entire proceeds of which will go to the D1010 restoration fund.
If you have railway books that you want to donate to us, please let us know by return email or by using this contact form so that we can work out an economic way of getting them from you. We appreciate your efforts to give us more items to sell to raise funds for the DEPG fleet.
ON SHED: We didn’t have time to include our usual ‘On Shed’ feature last week, but I felt a bit annoyed with myself afterwards because I found that the very next day, Monday 26th April 2021, I had a note to release an ‘ON THIS DAY …’ post to share two photographs that were taken exactly 40 years ago, so after waiting all that time, I missed the boat ! Here they are today instead.
FORTY YEARS AGO – there was an unexpected snowfall at the end on April, blanketing many parts of the country, including South Wales. This view of Ebbw Junction depot, on the western side of Newport, shows seven Class 37s and one Class 47, probably 47 901, at rest on the morning of Sunday 26th April 1981. The line going left is to Ebbw Vale, the four track South Wales main line is to the right, and Alexandra Dock Junction sidings are on the far right. Photo by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0
FORTY YEARS AGO – 37284 rests at Ebbw Junction (EJ) depot on the morning of Sunday 26th April 1981 along with 03382, a loco that was destined for use on the Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley line in West Wales. Low bridges on that route meant that the 03 needed her cab cut down, so for reasons unknown, that task was allocated to EJ. The loco had come from Bristol Bath Road and hung around the depot for months before being modified and then heading west. Photo by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0
DEPG NEWS: The DEPG held a Board Meeting last Saturday, partly on site and partly by Zoom, and a synopsis will be prepared and included in next weeks’ roundup.
Last week, we asked this question …. which railway magazines do you buy on a regular basis ?
We had several replies so we say thank you to those respondents, but we did not get enough responses to make a clear picture. Please reply to this email with the titles that you read and we will collate the results and share them in a future roundup. Thanks !
Membership – is your membership up to date ? If not, please renew by going to our Join Us page and selecting the appropriate membership ‘product’. This is a quick and easy way to keep your membership current. It doesn’t matter if you don’t remember your membership number – we will sort that out for you.
DEPG WEBSITE: Our ONLINE SHOP IS NOW LIVE so go ahead and visit our store!
Our new booklet, ‘D1010 – FROM MEREHEAD TO MINEHEAD’ is in stock so get your copy now! This booklet covers our Class 52 D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’ and its life in preservation, from Foster Yeoman’s quarry at Merehead to the West Somerset Railway to Minehead plus some interesting stories from the days when the loco was still working on the mainline. All proceeds go to the D1010 restoration fund.
WSR NEWS: The WSR ran another of their popular Zoom sessions for volunteers last week and again it was well attended and very useful and interesting. We applaud the WSR for their investment in time and effort to hold these very informative sessions.
Traincrew training activities continue with diesel haulage this weekend, as reported earlier. The weedkilling train will run this week to avoid a repeat of last year where volunteers spent many back-breaking hours performing hand weeding along the whole 22-mile length of the line!
The priority is to ensure that everything is ready for the return of public services on Saturday 22nd May 2021. These ‘excursion style’ services will run between Bishops Lydeard and Williton and must be pre-booked via the WSR website. It is really important to support the WSR to ensure that these services are a commercial success. Please buy a ticket if you can. Thanks !
Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6566 (33 048) pictured while basking in the sunshine at Williton on 20th April 2021. Photo by Chris Shields © CC BY-NC 3.0
On Saturday 1st May 2021 and Sunday 2nd May 2021, there will be diesel-hauled crew training specials running between Bishops Lydeard (BL) and Williton (WN).
The first services will be hauled by Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6575 (33 057), but to even out the workload, D6566 (33 048) will take over from the 1420 departure on the Saturday and then run for the rest of the weekend.
The booked movements are:
1015 BL arriving WN 1050
1125 WN arriving BL 1200
1315 BL arriving WN 1350
1420 WN arriving BL 1455
Also booked for Thursday 6th May 2021, to run as lower priority to the weedspraying work that is scheduled to be carried out by a RRV along the full length of the line that day, is the following Empty Coaching Stock (ECS) move (timings are approximate):
0900 BL to Minehead (MD) arriving approx 1030 (D6566 plus 2 coaches)
1200 MD arriving BL approx 1330 (D6566 plus 7828 ‘ODNEY MANOR’ plus 3 coaches)
Other workings may take place. The railway is to be considered as LIVE at all times.
Please note that the stations remain closed to the public and trespassing is not allowed. During the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the best way to view these workings is via the webcams.
BL: http://www.wsr.org.uk/r-cam-bl2.htm
WN: http://www.wsr.org.uk/r-cam-wn2.htm
After a long absence, we are pleased to note that the Crowcombe Heathfield webcam is back online. Here’s the link:
http://www.wsr.org.uk/r-cam-ch1.htm
Many thanks to Railcam UK and the WSR for providing these webcam services.
Take care and stay safe!
This week, we have plenty of ‘action’ photos showing the team back at work at Williton, hard at work on our several of our locomotives. We are still restricting the number of people on site at any one time, but we were able to operate on four days out of the last seven and we have made progress on multiple fronts. Here goes:
Saturday 17th April – Ian led the electrical work on 47077 which included inspections and scheduled maintenance on the electrical auxiliary machines (compressors, exhausters, blowers, pumps) and Gordon led the work on the refitting of the ‘NORTH STAR’ nameplates, which look very good indeed after careful restoration by Graham. Meanwhile, the Class 14 team comprising Simon, Colin and Terry made progress on the major subassemblies of D9518.
Class 47 47077 ‘NORTH STAR’ gets reunited with her nameplates at Williton on 17th April 2021, modelled by Warren. The nameplates have been painstakingly restored by Graham and now carry the red background that was typical of the 1970s. A reflection of Gordon and ‘Hymek’ D7018 can be see in the glossy rail blue paintwork that was applied by WSR Restorations at the Swindon Shed in October 2019. Photo by Ian Robins © CC BY-NC 3.0
One pair of D9518‘s hornguides seen here at Williton on 17th April 2021, being prepared by Simon and Terry before re-fitting to the loco. Photo by Terry Deacon © CC BY-NC 3.0
Meanwhile, D9518‘s wheelsets get special treatment from Colin at Williton on 17th April 2021. The rough cast surface finish of the wheel hubs and spokes have been filled and will be sanded to provide a smooth finish before painting. A smooth finish on the wheels is much easier to keep clean compared to rough cast finish. Photo by Terry Deacon © CC BY-NC 3.0
Sunday 18th April – Ian made a temporary focus shift to the diesel-hydraulics and was captured on the depot CCTV cameras washing ‘Hymek’ D7017, the local seagulls having been using the loco for target practice. The faded paintwork of D7017 certainly needed some TLC.
Captured by the Williton depot CCTV system, Ian can be seen washing the sun-bleached and weathered paintwork of ‘Hymek’ D7017 on 18th April 2021. This loco is out of service and is waiting to be lifted so that her bogie springs can be replaced, hopefully some time this summer. Photo DEPG © CC BY-NC 3.0
Tuesday 20th April – a team of four led by Terry made progress on the main frames and horn guides of Class 14 D9518 and also started repairs to the sand boxes. We welcome new members and volunteers Colin Foxhall and Chris Lawton to the DEPG team and we hope to see them at Williton on Tuesdays in future, along with our new Publicity Officer and long-time member Mark Bladwell. All three are seen in the photos below, hard at work on the sand box restoration. Sand is used to provide extra grip if the wheels start to slip on a greasy rail. The delivery of the sand to the rail is carefully controlled by a valve to ensure that the minimum amount of sand is used. This basic and simple method of maintaining traction is still used on mainline locomotives today.
New member and volunteer Colin uses his restoration skills to attend to an area of thin metal on one of the sand boxes for D9518. Photo taken at Williton on 20th April 2021 by Terry Deacon © CC BY-NC 3.0
New member and volunteer Chris (left) is no stranger to the WSR because he is also a member of the WSR volunteer PW gang. He is seen working on one of the sand boxes for D9518 along with long-time DEPG member and Publicity Officer Mark at Williton on 20th April 2021. Photo by Terry Deacon © CC BY-NC 3.0
Another picture of Mark, this time at work freeing-up the threads on one of the sand boxes for D9518 at Williton on 20th April 2021. Photo by Terry Deacon © CC BY-NC 3.0
The first of six hornguide assemblies has been offered up to the frames of D9518 as a trial fitment. After careful positioning, the hornguides will be rivetted to the loco frames using techniques that are exactly the same as those used for steam locos, so the task will be subcontracted to WSR Restorations at the Swindon Shed. Photo taken at Williton on 20th April 2021 by Terry Deacon © CC BY-NC 3.0
A view of the temporary fitment, this time from inside the frames of D9518. Photo taken at Williton on 20th April 2021 by Terry Deacon © CC BY-NC 3.0
Wednesday 21st April – Andy and Natalie progressed the re-paint in the former boiler room and engine room of 47077 ‘NORTH STAR’, getting to some of the areas that are difficult to access. There is plenty more cleaning and painting work to do inside the loco, so more help would be much appreciated!
OTHER LOCO NEWS:
Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6575 was in action last week on engineering trains that covered the whole length of the line, gathering permanent way materials and delivering them to various places along the line. This running was briefed via our DIESELGEN email bulletin service. The next rostered working will be next Saturday but the line remains under the control of the WSR Infrastructure Engineering department so additional workings could take place without notice. The line is to be treated as ‘live’ at all times. We will send out another DIESELGEN bulletin as soon as we have details of the weekend workings.
Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6575 (33 057) was seen approaching Cottiford Bridge with an Infrastructure Engineering train on 21st April 2021. Photo by Steve Edge © CC BY-NC 3.0
Class 47 number 47077 ‘NORTH STAR’ – Last week, we gave some reasons as to why this loco has gained ‘celebrity’ status, the first reason being that she was one of a small number of ‘standard Type 4’ locomotives that were adorned with names by the Western Region of BR in March 1965. Our loco carried the running number D1661 at the time and she was named on the same day as sister loco D1662 ‘ISAMBARD KINGDOM BRUNEL’.
The giant-sized nameplate fitted to D1662 continued a legacy that was established by the GWR in 1938 when ‘Castle’ class 4-6-0 steam loco number 5069 was named ‘ISAMBARD KINGDON BRUNEL’, with Swindon Works having to use a smaller character size than usual, just to get all of those letters into the available space on the nameplate!
The nameplate of GWR ‘Castle Class’ 4-6-0 No 5069 ‘ISAMBARD KINGDOM BRUNEL’ in the traditional position above the centre driving wheel of the locomotive. This loco, one of 171 members of this famous class, entered service on the GWR in June 1938 and worked until February 1962 when she was withdrawn and sent to the scrapyard (no doubt minus her nameplates). Photo by Wikipedia CC0
The Western Region of BR battled to continue some of the traditional practices of the old GWR and we can see that this practice was successful and continues to this day. That most famous engineer ‘IKB’ has been commemorated through the ages, first with Castle Class 5069 then with Class 47 D1662 (later 47 484) then with HST power car 43003 and most recently with ‘flying cucumber’ Class 800 number 800004, all of which are pictured below. The sad decline in grandeur of the nameplate is obvious – and its ultimate form, the vinyl transfer, has definitely lost some of the old panache !
Class 47 number D1662 ‘ISAMBARD KINGDOM BRUNEL’ became 47484 when modified for ETH in 1973 and changed from two-tone green to BR blue livery with a red background applied to her very long nameplate! Photo by Graham Turner © CC BY-NC 3.0
First Great Western Class 43 HST power car number 43003 carrying its ‘modernised’ IKB nameplate. Photo by Wikipedia CC0
GWR Class 800 ‘IET’ number 800004 carries a small vinyl transfer just below the driver’s side window commemorating ‘Isambard Kingdom Brunel’, as seen at Reading Train Care Depot in 2016. Photo by Wikipedia CC0
As mentioned last week, the nameplate on D1662 was not the longest in length – because that accolade went to sister loco D1664 when the name of that famous GWR Chief Mechanical Engineer ‘GEORGE JACKSON CHURCHWARD’ was applied to her at Swindon Works on 8th May 1965.
DEPG Staff Rep Andy recounts a story from way back when he was aged 10 or 11, when he got home from a hard day’s trainspotting on the platform of Cardiff General Station (now Cardiff Central) and told his steam-loving (and diesel-loathing) father that he had seen a loco with the most massive nameplate, starting with ‘George’ but he couldn’t remember the rest. To his complete surprise, and without even looking up from what he was doing, his father replied ‘”George Jackson Churchward, perhaps?”.
Class 47 D1664 ‘GEORGE JACKSON CHURCHWARD’ waits at Reading station on 9th August 1971, in original two-tone green livery but with full yellow ends and BR-corporate numerals with no ‘D’ prefix. Photo by Bryan Johnson © CC BY-NC 3.0
Many thanks to the website Class47.co.uk and to Wikipedia and their contributors for providing the details and photos for this feature.
BOOKS for SALE – This week, we have two more pre-owned books to offer via our online store, both from Bradford Barton publishing and both dated 1974. These books form part of a well-known series and although old and faded on the outside, the black-and-white content of these 21 x 22 cm books remains in very good condition.
BR DIESELS IN CLOSE-UP by Norman E. Preedy and H. L. Ford, published by Bradford Barton in 1974
BR DIESELS IN ACTION by G. Weekes, published by Bradford Barton in 1974
These books have been donated to the DEPG for the purpose of fund raising, so we are offering each book at £10, the proceeds of which will go to the D1010 restoration fund.
If you have railway books that you want to donate to us, please let us know by return email or by using this contact form so that we can work out an economic way of getting them from you. We appreciate your efforts to give us more items to sell to raise funds for the DEPG fleet.
DEPG NEWS: By way of clarification of what was written last week, it has been pointed out that the Diesel Traction Group (DTG) have already installed their spare heat exchanger into D1015 ‘WESTERN CHAMPION’ so the ex-class-56 heat exchanger that is being provided by the DEPG is going to be stripped and the core cleaned and tested before installing it into a Class 52 housing, and this will then become the spare for D1015. Many thanks to Bob Clegg for straightening that out.
Membership – is your DEPG membership up to date ? If not, please renew by going to our Join Us page and selecting the appropriate membership ‘product’. This is a quick and easy way to keep your membership current. It doesn’t matter if you don’t remember your membership number – we will sort that out for you.
DEPG WEBSITE: Our ONLINE SHOP IS NOW LIVE so go ahead and visit our store!
Our new booklet, ‘D1010 – FROM MEREHEAD TO MINEHEAD’ is in stock so get your copy now! This booklet covers our Class 52 D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’ and its life in preservation, from Foster Yeoman’s quarry at Merehead to the West Somerset Railway to Minehead plus some interesting stories from the days when the loco was still working on the mainline. All proceeds go to the D1010 restoration fund.
WSR NEWS: The WSR are continuing their traincrew training activities with steam haulage being provided by WSR ‘Mogul’ number 9351, running between Bishops Lydeard and Williton on weekends. The priority is to ensure that everything is ready for the return of public services on Saturday 22nd May 2021. These ‘excursion style’ services will run between Bishops Lydeard and Williton and must be pre-booked via the WSR website. It is really important to support the WSR to ensure that these Covid-safe services are a commercial success, so please buy some tickets if you can. Thanks !
This new A4 glossy booklet comprising 72 printed pages and 72 photographs (64 in colour, 8 monochrome) has been produced by Mark Townsend using content from Bob Tiller and Paul Tucker, with features provided by Roger Geach, Neale Long and Gordon Crook. There are many previously unpublished photos that have been provided by the authors and also by Bernard Mills, Steve Marshall, Kelvin Lumb, Don Bishop, Barry Gay, Jon Tooke, John Kite and Chris Shields.
We would like to thank each and every contributor for the time and effort that they have put into helping us produce this booklet. Thank you all !
The cost of producing the booklet has been covered by the revenue from the advance orders, so from now onwards, ALL OF THE PURCHASE PRICE goes directly to the fund for the restoration of D1010 so PLEASE BUY A COPY AND SUPPORT D1010 !
Special thanks go out to Mark Townsend for his tireless effort in promoting all aspects of sales and marketing for the DEPG and for his huge contribution to the production of this booklet.
LOCO NEWS:
Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6575 is going to be in action next week, although a light engine move from Williton (WN) to Bishops Lydeard (BL) that was scheduled for Saturday 18th was disrupted by an issue elsewhere on the line, so the movement took place on Sunday 19th instead. The loco is rostered to operate on engineering trains that will travel from BL to WN then on to Minehead and back during Tuesday, Wednesday and also on Thursday 20-22 April, gathering permanent way materials and delivering them to other places along the line. This has been briefed via our DIESELGEN email bulletin service (the Thursday running is new information).
Class 47 number 47077 ‘NORTH STAR’ – Further progress has been made on the list of tasks that need to be completed on this loco before she will be able to have a test run. Last weekend, Ian and Tom made a start on the inspection and maintenance of the auxilliary electrical machines, a list that includes the compressors, exhausters and traction motor blowers. These plus some other smaller machines all need to be cleaned, inspected and adjusted as necessary to ensure that they are ready for service.
Meanwhile, Leroy, Gordon and Roy were working on the external aspects, giving attention to re-fitting some bodyside parts that had been removed for the body repair and re-painting. The nameplates were also trial-fitted on one side, finding the bolt holes being a trial in itself. Luckily, Gordon is an expert, having changed the nameplates on D1010 many times!.
DEPG volunteer Gordon diverted from his usual work on D1010 to perform a trial fitment of the nameplate for 47077 ‘NORTH STAR’, now adorned with a red background, as was the case when the loco wore the BR blue livery in the 1970s. Photo taken at Williton on 10th April 2021 by Ian Robins © CC BY-NC 3.0
Our ‘celebrity’ Class 47 is famous for a number of reasons – first, she was one of a small number of ‘standard Type 4’ locomotives that were adorned with names by the Western Region of BR in March 1965. Later, when repainted in BR corporate blue livery, she continued drawing attention to herself by carrying a non-standard version of that livery throughout a period when anything ‘non-standard’ was being eliminated.
The loco started life in two-tone green with small yellow warning panels, as was her livery in recent times when working on the WSR as D1661. In 1973, when she was repainted from green to blue by the staff at Old Oak Common, the BR ‘double arrow’ logo was not applied. This strange omission carried on for several years of running and was still not corrected at a subsequent repaint. However, the following year (1976) saw her brought back into line with the standard livery applied. If you have photos from this period, please reply to this email or contact us because we are trying to build a gallery of photos for this loco and would welcome your help.
Class 47 number 47077 ‘NORTH STAR’ in blue livery without the BR logo is seen powering through Reading towards Paddington on 1st September 1975. Photo by Martin Addison © CC BY-NC 3.0
There are several photos on the Class47 website, but not enough to be able to determine the exact dates of the livery changes. Here’s a link to the gallery on the Class47 website: http://class47.co.uk/c47_photos_1.php??index=6&jndex=2&kndex=61&s_loco=1661
Another reason that our loco is famous is because she was chosen to haul the very last scheduled loco-hauled cross-country service on 19th August 2002, the 1M56 08:46 from Penzance to Manchester, paired with 47 847. The event was filmed by Locomaster Profiles and is available on DVD via this link: https://www.videoscene.co.uk/north-star-south-west-47840-penzance-birmingham
Class 47 D1661/47077/47613/47840 ‘NORTH STAR’ leading 47847 on the very last scheduled loco-hauled cross-country service, the 1M56 from Penzance, seen pausing at Stafford en route Manchester on 19th August 2002. Photo by Julien Weston © CC BY-NC 3.0
Our loco has carried four running numbers during her time in mainline service. Introduced as D1661 in February 1965, she was named ‘NORTH STAR’ on the 20th March 1965 at a ceremony at Paddington by the then Minister of Labour, Ray Gunter. The loco then departed for Bristol where sister loco D1662 (who would work the train back to Paddington) was named ‘ISAMBARD KINGDOM BRUNEL’, surely the outright winner of the “longest ever nameplates award”, were there to be such a thing ? No, believe it or not, that title went to one of her sister locos! (more on this next week).
An extract from ‘Modern Railways’ magazine dated May 1965 shows two locomotives that received their names on 20th March 1965. This was in the tradition of the Great Western Railway but a somewhat defiant gesture that was in opposition to the developing corporate image of the new ‘British Rail’. Photos by BR and B Stephenson, courtesy of Ian Allan Publishing.
After naming, the new ‘NORTH STAR’ worked to Bristol along the very line that had been conceived and built by IKB and worked by the original ‘NORTH STAR’, the first steam loco to operate on the Great Western Railway. This famous loco had been built by Robert Stephenson & Co. in 1837 and modified for the broad gauge under the direction of Daniel Gooch (later Sir Daniel Gooch), the 20-year old ‘Superintendent of Locomotive Engines’ that had been recruited by Brunel from Stephenson’s own firm !
A replica of 2-2-2 ‘NORTH STAR’ of 1837, built in 1923 from some parts from the original locomotive and now on display at the STEAM museum in Swindon. The original loco nameplate and worksplate is also depicted. Photos by Geof Sheppard © CC BY-NC 3.0
Then, after the end of steam on BR in August 1968, the ‘D’ prefix became redundant and locos across the country starting having their ‘D’ prefixes peeled off or painted out. Our loco became ‘1661’ while still green and continued to carry that number when first repainted into BR blue. Then, in February 1974, our loco became 47077 under the new TOTAL OPERATIONS PROCESSING SYSTEM (TOPS) that was being introduced to bring BR into the computer age.
This changed to 47613 in 1984 when our loco was fitted with Electric Train Heating (ETH, ETS) to be able to power the air-conditioned coaches of the day. The final change was to 47840 in November 1989, after being fitted with long range fuel tanks to facilitate cross-country working on the full length of the northeast-southwest route. Here’s a link to a photo that was taken immediately after conversion from steam-heat to electric-heat capability: https://www.flickr.com/photos/marcusgilmour/32839886990/in/photostream/
After completing 43 years of mainline service, ‘NORTH STAR’ was acquired by the DEPG and was refurbished by Brush in Loughborough before working a mainline charter from Derby to Minehead on the 28th May 2007, culminating in a handover ceremony that took place on the platform at Minehead station. After eleven years of work on the WSR, the loco was suffering from severe corrosion in several areas of her roof, resulting in water leaks that caused damage to her bodywork, so she was ‘stopped’ in 2018 and has been undergoing restoration since that time. She is due to emerge in her new identity as 47077 at the end of this month.
The DEPG’s celebrity Class 47 D1661 ‘NORTH STAR’ on WSR metals at Longlands Bridge for the first time on 28th May 2007 as she heads towards Minehead and preservation! Pictured with 47828 and 45112, the motive power that will return the charter to Derby later in the day. Photo by Steve Edge © CC BY-NC 3.0
Other than reported above, the status of our locos remains unchanged due to the restrictions that were in place throughout last weekend. Many thanks to all of our volunteers for their continuing dedication to keeping our locomotives in the best condition possible.
ON SHED: Last week, we shared an atmospheric shot of D1010 at the fuelling point at Bristol Bath Road depot, with just over one year to go before the end of the Class on BR. Here’s another view from that same day, showing the numberplate that had lost two of the cast aluminium numerals – the missing two being painted on. The original ‘D’ prefix had long since been removed, leaving the plate somewhat out of balance.
D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’ with only the last two cast aluminium digits remaining attached on her numberplate (the first two being painted on) stands at the fuelling point at Bristol Bath Road depot on a dismal day in January 1976. Photo by Bob Tiller © CC BY-NC 3.0
DEPG NEWS: In the true spirit of heritage diesel group co-operation, the DEPG is donating a spare heat exchanger to the Diesel Traction Group (DTG) for installation on D1015 ‘WESTERN CHAMPION’. The heat exchanger is actually from a Class 56 but shares the same core with the Class 52 ‘Western’. This will allow the DTG to get D1015 up and running much more quickly and will allow them to have their defective unit refurbished as a non-urgent (and therefore less expensive) task and held as a spare for the future.
A heat exchanger from a Class 56 sits in front of ‘Hymek’ D7018 at Williton Diesel Depot on 15th April 2021, awaiting transportation to the DTG at Kidderminster for use in D1015 ‘WESTERN CHAMPION’. Photo by Natalie Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0
WSR NEWS: The WSR have started their traincrew training activities with steam haulage being the priority to ensure that everything is ready for the return of public services on Saturday 22nd May 2021. These services will run between Bishops Lydeard and Williton and must be pre-booked via the WSR website. Please try to support the WSR to ensure that these services are a commercial success.
A recent announcement from the WSR is the appointment of Bob Meanley as Director (Mechanical Engineering) and John Gibbins as Civil Engineering Adviser. It is great to hear that Bob will be returning to the WSR and we look forward to welcoming John in his new role as well. The announcement from the WSR gives more details. Click this link to view the announcement: WSR Board Appointments 16APR21