BR 1965 Crewe-built Class 47 47077 (D1661, 47613, 47840) ‘NORTH STAR’ hauled her first revenue-earning turn on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway on Monday 18th July 2022, pictured at Goathland by Martin Fisher © CC BY-NC 3.0
Although not strictly within the period of review, the ‘hot news‘ on this hottest day of the year (so far) was made by our Class 47 47077 (D1661, 47613, 47840) ‘NORTH STAR‘ who found herself pressed into service on the NYMR due to the very high fire risk and the need to support steam loco operations.
The loco looked and sounded superb as she went ‘out and about’ on the NYMR, and DEPG member and our local correspondent MARTIN FISHER braved the high temperatures to take some excellent shots, one of which is featured above.
The NYMR plan to use the ’47’ on a regular basis from now onwards, with crew training turns mixed in with scheduled haulage operations, so ‘NORTH STAR’ is going to be busy (at last !). MANY THANKS to all involved in making this loco serviceable again.
Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6575 (33 057) took over the scheduled ‘BLUE TIMETABLE‘ turns last weekend, and was pictured at Minehead on the evening of Saturday 16th July 2022 at the head of her train, in preparation for the 10:00 service from Minehead to Bishops Lydeard the following morning. Photo by Mark Ireland © CC BY-NC 3.0
For our next two running dates, Sat/Sun 23/24 July, ‘Hymek’ D7018 will again be hauling the two return services that originate at Minehead, so make the most of this opportunity to enjoy the ‘Maybach Music’ and come along to the WSR and take a ride.
The BLUE timetable applies and can be found by clicking this link or by visiting our new DIESEL RUNNING DATES page. Any additional or updated information will be announced via DIESELGEN as soon as possible. MANY THANKS for supporting this year’s DIESEL RUNNING program on the WSR.
DIESEL RUNNING DATES – we now have a dedicated page on our website and we update it on a regular basis to provide a quick and easy reference to PUBLIC SERVICE diesel running for the whole of the 2022 season. We will be adding the link to all of our most-visited pages soon, but meanwhile the link can be found on our home page or by looking under the DIESELGEN menu header.
The usual caveats of loco availability apply, but we will be aiming to deliver the above program of running with the locos indicated and we will provide as much advance notice of any change as possible, using our DIESELGEN and Twitter feeds, so please sign up to keep up to date.
LOCO NEWS:
Class 52 D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’ – our CAMPAIGN for CAMPAIGNER has reached its FIRST ANNIVERSARY and continues to progress well, with both the funds and the progress on restoration moving along at a decent pace. We are in the process of updating the fund contributions and adding the Gift Aid so that we can announce the total for the first year, and we will then refresh the campaign page on JustGiving and open up a few new fundraising sources as well.
WE STILL NEED YOUR HELP, so click on the images to make a donation. We know that times are hard, but please do what you can to help.
The ‘CAMPAIGNER’ team continue their work on restoring this massive and complex locomotive. Although bodywork repairs have progressed well, we still have a lot of rubbing down and painting to do, so PLEASE DO COME ALONG AND HELP IF YOU CAN !
D1010 – the ‘B’ (secondman’s) side of ‘A” end is the worst location on the whole loco in terms of corrosion. The photo show the level of damage to the underfloor structure in this corner of the locomotive. Work proceeds on repairing and restoring strength and stiffness, one piece at a time. Photo taken at Williton on Monday 11th July 2022 by Colin Foxhall © CC BY-NC 3.0
D1010 – the solid and robust repair to the cab floor support at the front of the loco shows how the repair work is being progressed. Photo taken at Williton on Tuesday 12th July 2022 by Colin Foxhall © CC BY-NC 3.0
D1010 – Volunteer Simon B gets involved with bodywork repairs on D1010 to consume the last few hours of his afternoon at Williton on Saturday 16th July 2022. Photo by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0
D1010 – Gordon was busy preparing the four nose-end light fittings for re-installation at Williton on Saturday 16th July 2022. Photo by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0
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.
See our CAMPAIGN for CAMPAIGNER web page for more details !
Class 33 D6566 (33 048) – this loco is now at Williton to undergo an ‘A’ exam and to also undergo an investigation into reports of coolant leaking into her lubricating oil. This issue was flagged up by regular analysis of the engine oil, and work progresses to find the root cause.
Class 33 D6575 (33 057) – this loco is currently at Minehead and is available for service.
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 – Leroy and Simon B tackled the disassembly of the air intake system and the fuel systems, paving the way for the removal of the cam box during this coming week. The photos below show the considerable progress, so WELL DONE GUYS !
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 – air intake components were removed from the loco and stored alongside at Williton on Saturday 16th July 2022. Photo by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 – air intake duct close-up view at Williton on Saturday 16th July 2022. Photo by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 – three of the 16 high pressure fuel injection pumps can be seen lined up for cleaning and inspection at Williton on Saturday 16th July 2022. Photo by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 3.0
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7018 – this loco is stabled at Minehead and is next due to perform on the 10:00 and 14:30 Minehead to Bishops Lydeard return services on Sat/Sun 23rd/24th July. Keep an eye on our DIESEL RUNNING DATES page for updates or join the DIESELGEN email bulletin group (which also includes information about non-public services, where the information is available to us sufficiently in advance).
Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9518 – progress continues with work being done on key components before they can be refitted to the frames. Last week saw further progress on braking system components and also on the starter motor, which has been sent to ICS Online in Preston for complete refurbishment. The folks at ICS are AMAZING and they are doing a great job for us.
D9518 – the corrosion that resulted from the removed components getting wet while in storage has made this repair task a lot more difficult. Undeterred, ICS Online intend to return the refurbished unit to us next week ! What an excellent service. Photo by Iain Parker © CC BY-NC 3.0
This loco is the subject of a fundraising appeal so please follow this link to find out more. We need your help ! In addition to funds, we also need plenty of HANDS. If you love the ‘Teddy Bears’ and you are not already a member of the DEPG, please join us so that you can become one of the team that is going to return D9518 to full operational condition as ‘NCB No. 7‘.
Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9526 – this loco is still in regular use and performing well on the Kent & East Sussex Railway. Here’s a photo from Wednesday last week:
D9526 – the flowers are in bloom in the Garden of England as D9526 waits with her train at Tenterden Town station on Wednesday 13th July 2022. Photo by Mike Grimwood © CC BY-NC 3.0
Class 47 47077 ‘NORTH STAR’ – covered previously – now in regular service on the NYMR.
Andrew Barclay 0-4-0DH 578 – this little loco benefitted from another wash and brush-up on Saturday 16th July 2022, and was then covered over with a tarpaulin to prevent the fresh paintwork from being damaged by seagull droppings.
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 !