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.
