Not an everyday sight on the West Somerset Railway, but these are unusual times ! GWR Class 800 ‘Flying Cucumber’ 800036 had turned on the triangle at Norton Fitzwarren and was pictured while at Norton Platform before departing towards Taunton on Friday 27th February 2026. Photo by Malcolm Anderson © CC BY-NC 4.0
Cross-Country Trains Class 220 ‘Voyager’ was heading for Taunton on the Exeter to Bristol main line while Class 57 ‘Body Snatcher’ 57604 (D1859, 47209) ‘PENDENNIS CASTLE’ hauled GWR’s ‘Night Riviera’ Sleeper train away from the camera and toward Barnstaple Junction and Allerford, for turning on the West Somerset Railway’s Norton triangle. Pictured on 27th February 2026 by Malcolm Anderson © CC BY-NC 4.0
Main-line locos and trains of various classes have been using the triangle at Norton Fitzwarren to turn around to get their first class accommodation back at the London end, where it is supposed to be. Why ? Two reasons, one is that the first class accommodation sometimes ends up at the ‘country end’, particularly when working in and around Gloucester, and the other reason is that an engineering blockade of the line at Plymouth has prevented the use of the triangle in that area. Some sets still need to be turned to re-orientate them, so the triangle at Norton became the logical solution !
The sets are turned by first running west toward Allerford (on the former Barnstaple branch) then reversing northwards via the West Chord towards Allerford Junction, then heading southeast on the Norton platform line to rejoin Network Rail metals at Barnstaple Junction (refer to the map below).
This extract from the WSR Rule Book, Map 10 shows that the Allerford spur is all that remains of the Barnstaple branch. To see the Rule Book maps and many more, go to the wsr.org.uk website by clicking this link. Image courtesy of WSR plc © CC BY-NC 4.0
Last Saturday night, we had to send out a DIESELGEN bulletin to advise that Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7018 was not going to be able to perform on the Sunday of the Great Central Railway’s Spring Weekend as was originally planned. The reason that we gave was ‘lack of train crew’, which was based on the information available to us at the time. We subsequently learned that the loco had been involved in a ‘heavy shunt’ and had been stood down pending an engineering inspection. We apologise for the incomplete information contained in the DIESELGEN and we appreciate the level and number of concerns raised, but Beyer Peacock ‘Hymeks’ are tough and we expect to hear good news from the inspectors soon.
In fact, D7018 continues to make the news, this time with the announcement that she will be one of the stars at the SEVERN VALLEY RAILWAY’s Spring Diesel Festival that takes place from Thursday 14th through Sunday 17th May. The loco will depart from the GCR on Friday 1st May and will travel by road to Kidderminster where she will undergo some maintenance checks before becoming available for use by the SVR from early May through to mid-July, no doubt to the delight of ‘hydraulic’ fans from far and wide.
Then, in mid-July, the loco will hitch another ride on a low-loader for the short trip to the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway to take part in their ‘COTSWOLD DIESEL GALA‘ that will run from Friday 24th through Sunday 26th July. This is a very popular event and the sight and sound of a ‘Hymek’ will be a great addition to their planned lineup. We very much appreciate the invitation.
The much-travelled loco will then head back to the WSR in time for the DIESELS AT 65 EVENT that takes place over the August Bank Holiday weekend, where all five of our 65-year-olds (Class 09 shunter D4107 (09019), Class 33 ‘Cromptons’ D6566 (33048) and D6575 (33057) and Class 35 ‘Hymeks’ D7017 and D7018) will participate in a special birthday event featuring some very interesting combinations. Details will be announced nearer the time, but meanwhile GO AHEAD AND BOOK YOUR ACCOMMODATION to make the most of the long weekend !
Here’s a reminder that Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 is going to feature in a special program of running on the weekend of 28/29 March to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the re-opening of the Minehead branch. After closure of the branch by BR in January 1971, the first public services under the auspices of the WSR ran on Saturday 28th March 1976, initially from Minehead to Blue Anchor, then extending to Williton in the summer and then to Stogumber, finally reaching Bishops Lydeard in 1979.
Click here to go to wsr.org.uk to browse the photos from that first year.
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the re-opening, long-term WSR resident Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7017 will be in use on Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th March 2026 and will be working alongside home fleet steam locos to both kick-off the 2026 season and to commemorate the hard work and dedication of all those who made the re-opening possible, 50 years ago. The DEPG will be hosting an ‘OPEN YARD‘ with public access to lineside seating and viewing, with the ‘Irie 7’ hot food van and Rod’s Model Railway sales stand also available. Click here or on the image below for more details of this anniversary weekend.
The DIESELS at 65 event adds to the KEY DATES FOR 2026, some of which covered in the graphic below. The WSR’s EVENTS and EXPERIENCES web page gives details on some of these events, and will be expanding soon to include the recently-announced events. Click here or on the graphic below to go to the WSR Calendar Page for details and dates.
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SUMMER DIESEL FESTIVAL
The WSR have announced another visitor from the Wensleydale Railway in the form of Class 47 47714 (D1955, 47511), wearing the striking ‘Rail Express Systems (RES)‘ livery. This loco was built by Brush Traction at Loughborough and was one of later deliveries, entering service as D1955 in November 1966 and allocated to the ‘Western Lines’ pool of the London Midland Region (LMR). The loco became 47511 after conversion to Electric Train Heating (ETH) in March 1974 and was selected for conversion to push-pull operation, becoming 47714 in March 1985. While our own Class 47 47077 (D1661, 47613, 47840) ‘NORTH STAR’ is away at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, it will be great to have a ‘47‘ back at work on the WSR and this loco will no doubt be very popular.
Previously-announced Class 37 37250 (D6950) is another crowd-pleaser and will definitely help swell the crowds and make the event even more enjoyable than usual.
DEPG locos of classes 08, 09, 14, 33 and 35 will also be in use and Class 52 D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’ will be open to visitors at Williton Yard, along with Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9518 and Barclay 0-4-0DH 578 (ROF 1).
The DEPG depot at Williton will be open to the public and will be offering hot drinks and an expanded range of hot snacks from the ever-popular ‘Irie 7’ team, together with a seated viewing area, Rod’s Model Railways sales stand and the DEPG merchandise stand, plus cab visits to locos on shed, depot tours and some SPECIAL EXHIBITS.
DEFINITELY NOT TO BE MISSED !
Click here or on the image below to go to the WSR’s event page:
Our popular DIESEL RUNNING DATES page is in the process of being updated to cover the planned diesel-hauled services for 2026, but it will take a little longer to define the loco allocations. Meanwhile, the basic framework is there and the loco allocations will be added as soon as the information has been confirmed by the WSR. There is a lot of diesel running planned for the WSR this year. Click here or on the image below to take a look:
08401 (D3516) Dual Braking Conversion Project – UPDATE
Pictured at work in her vacuum-braked days, Class 08 shunter D3516 (08401) was working a coal train past Radstock West on the former Somerset & Dorset line back in June 1967. Photo obtained from RAIL ONLINE with our thanks for granting permission for the DEPG to use it on our website. © CC BY-NC 4.0
£10,868 RAISED – A TOTAL SUCCESS !!!!!
The appeal for donations toward the estimated £5,200 cost of converting recently-acquired Class 08 shunter 08401 (D3516) from air brake to dual brake has reached it’s target and has been MATCH-FUNDED by our mysterious and generous benefactor, so we now have £10,868 that will be used to accelerate this loco on her path to dual-brake capability.
We would like to say THANK YOU VERY MUCH to all who have supported this request for help. The ability to go out and buy the parts that we need will allow us to speed up the job of converting this loco to dual braking.
The balances of the four fundraising channels have been totalled up and are as follows:
| Donations via |
Donation amount |
Gift Aid |
| Gofundme |
£1,595 |
£242 |
| DEPG online store |
£310 |
£65 |
| Membermojo |
£350 |
£87 |
| Direct to bank |
£2,228 |
£557 |
| TOTALS |
£4,483 |
£951 |
| COMBINED TOTAL |
£5,434 plus MATCH FUNDING
to achieve £10,868
|
Donations to the 08401 Dual Braking Conversion Project, as at 6th March 2026
THANK YOU VERY MUCH to all who have donated to this cause !
This is EXCELLENT NEWS for 08401 and will help us get the work done in the shortest possible time and help to get this loco into service on the WSR. This loco has never been used for passenger haulage, so 2026 is going to be a big year for 08401 !
Click here to visit the 08401 (D3516) dual-braking project page
As the DEPG is a registered charity, any donations made to a defined cause are applied only to that cause, so your donation will make a difference to the project of your choice. Thank you very much !
LOCO NEWS:
Class 52 D1010 ‘WESTERN CAMPAIGNER’ – more Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) work took place on the ‘B’ bogie frames last weekend, this time with Ian F applying the dye penetrant and Andy R doing the assessing, with no issues requiring further investigation (in other words, a good outcome !).
D1010 – the red paint on the ‘B’ bogie depicts areas that have been tested and have passed. The white areas were undergoing test at Williton on Saturday 28th February 2026. Photo by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 4.0
Meanwhile, Gordon was assisted by Phil (taking time out from his Lead Station Master duties) as they progressed the painting of the underframe of the loco, out in the yard, making the most of the decent weather.
D1010 – a change of scenery for Lead Station Master Phil who took advantage of the weather to get outside and underneath the loco body to get a coat of primer onto the underframe. Pictured at Williton on Saturday 28th February 2026 by Martin Howard © CC BY-NC 4.0
Then on Tuesday, the ‘Transmission Team’ tackled the changing of the first set of torque reaction bushes on the ‘B’ bogie, starting with the inboard axle, the BR-era rubbers of which had perished and looked a very sorry sight. These metal-cored rubber bushings provide a resilient coupling that transfers the acceleration and braking torques between the final drive gearboxes and the bogie frame, so they have a hard life. The photos below show the ‘before and after’ views:
D1010 – the torque reaction rubbers of the inboard axle of the ‘B’ bogie were in the worst condition of all, so were the first to be tackled by the ‘Transmission Team’ at Williton on Tuesday 3rd March 2026. Photo by Colin Foxhall © CC BY-NC 4.0
D1010 – the torque reaction arm was released then dropped to allow the uppermost rubber to be removed and to allow cleaning and inspection to take place. Pictured at Williton on Tuesday 3rd March 2026 by Martin Howard © CC BY-NC 4.0
D1010 – the two new torque reaction rubbers were then fitted and the cage re-assembled around them. One of the temporary jacking studs is still in place in this view at Williton on Tuesday 3rd March 2026. Photo by Martin Howard © CC BY-NC 4.0
Class 08 08401 (D3516) – this loco is stabled in the South Yard at Williton and is available for use (in air brake mode) for any shunting duties that might be required. Meanwhile, design work is taking place to draw up the new pipework that is needed to reinstate the vacuum brake system, and the additional electrical control equipment is being assembled and installed where possible.
Class 09 D4107 (09019) – this loco is close to being ready to return to duty at Bishops Lydeard, just in time for the start of the 2026 running season (late March). The loco was test run last weekend and the source of some oil and coolant leaks were established, with attention to be given this weekend to (hopefully) resolve them. The cab floor is also due to receive attention this weekend.
D4107 (09019) – the engine bay doors were opened up to allow access for Ian R and his team, while in search of the mysterious oil leak. The source of the leak was traced to the No. 1 rocker cover seal, which will receive attention this weekend. Pictured at Williton on 28th February 2026 by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 4.0
D4107 (09019) – the large compressor for the air braking system takes up almost the entire space in the side compartment just ahead of the fuel tank and cab. Pictured at Williton on 28th February 2026 by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 4.0
Class 33 D6566 (33 048) – this loco is outdoors on No 1 road and is next in line to enter the loco shed so that her leaking engine room roof can be removed and repaired. The reasonable weather last Saturday allowed the loco to be moved to No. 3 road for a short while, so that the fork lift truck could be brought alongside to help remove the No. 1 vacuum exhauster. The delinquent machine was then moved into the loco shed so that it could be stripped down for an oil seal to be replaced.
D6566 (33048) – the No. 1 vacuum exhauster was removed from the loco and taken into the loco shed so that it could be stripped down for an oil seal to be replaced. Pictured at Williton on Saturday 28th February 2026 by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 4.0
D6566 (33048) – the following day – the exhauster has been separated from the motor so the seal can now be accessed and replaced. Pictured at Williton on Sunday 1st March 2026 by Tom Courtney © CC BY-NC 4.0
Class 33 D6575 (33 057) – this loco is based at Bishops Lydeard where she will remain ‘on duty’ and available for use if required.
Diesels galore ! From L-R, the WSR’s Class 115 DMU, DEPG Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9526 and Class 33 ‘Crompton’ D6575 (33057) were pictured at Westridge Shelter, Bishops Lydeard on Sunday 1st March 2026. Photo by Malcolm Anderson © CC BY-NC 4.0
Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7018 – this loco will remain at the GCR for some charter services and also for their DIESEL GALA in April before moving to her next vacationing spot at the Severn Valley Railway, and then to the GWSR in July before returning to the WSR in August.
Please do try and go along to one or more of these events to show your support for D7018 and help ensure that her visits are a big success !
Here are the running dates for D7018 on the GCR:
Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9518 – the two teams (Saturday and Tuesday) continue to push ahead with the work on this loco, aided by several new volunteers who have joined recently, which probably explains the smile on Colin G’s face when he was eventually persuaded to look up for the (very patient) cameraman while painting the inside of the cab !
D9518 – volunteer Colin G was hard at work painting the inside of the cab at Williton on Saturday 28th February 2026. Photo by Andy Royal © CC BY-NC 4.0
Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ D9526 – this loco is currently based at Bishops Lydeard where she will remain until relieved by Class 09 shunter D4107 (09019). This loco underwent an engine run last weekend and everything was found to be in good working order.
Class 47 47077 ‘NORTH STAR’ – this loco is based at Grosmont on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway but has been ‘stopped’ because of an issue with her ‘triple pump’ – which is an electrical machine that is a combined water pump, oil pump and fuel pump, all driven from one big DC electric motor. The spare has been taken from stock at Williton and sent to a specialist subcontractor for reconditioning before sending it to the NYMR for installation into 47077. This work is taking longer than planned because it required the complete rewinding of the armature, so it is likely to take another two weeks and cost around £4,000.
The loco will then need to go out for tyre turning, which will be a convoy move over the main line from Grosmont with other NYMR diesels, when the line re-opens.
Andrew Barclay 0-4-0DH 578 – this little loco was moved from Number 1 road to Number 2 road at Williton last Saturday so that she can receive some attention to her fuel filters. Meanwhile, Class 08 shunter 08401 (D3516) is available for shunting duties.
If you can help by donating your time to any of these projects, 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 Saturdays and Tuesdays 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 !
NEW CLOTHING RANGE:
Feeling the cold ? Go ahead and order a fleece jacket or sweatshirt via our ONLINE STORE, just click on this link or on the images below to give it a go !
So far, we have launched the 50 YEARS of HYMEKS range and a configurable HYMEK and WESTERN range, and we now have the new design for the Class 33 ‘Cromptons’ featuring two locos side by side, one in green livery and the other in blue, or both in blue. Please let us know if you would like to order a combination that is not obvious on our online store – we are adding more options on a weekly basis. We intend to offer a Class 14 design in the coming weeks.
The range of colours has been expanded and the range of sizes now includes LADIES SIZES. Please let us know via our CONTACT FORM if the colour and size combination that you want is not showing as an option online.
The new designs are available in the following garment types, some of which have not yet been added to our website, so again please use our CONTACT FORM to let us know what you want. Here are the prices:
| Garment type |
Price |
| T shirt |
£22 |
| Polo shirt |
£25 |
| Sweatshirt |
£35 |
| Hoodie |
£37 |
| Fleece |
£40 |
| Other ? Tell us what you want ! |
Use our CONTACT FORM |
These garments are really nice pieces of work, and the ability to personalise your choice is another definite advantage. Delivery is currently around ONE WEEK from receipt of order, so place you order now to take advantage of this short lead time.
We look forward to receiving your order, the profits from which will directly support the DEPG !
ON SHED – this week, the first of several photos from new contributor DAVE GRAY, with a Northeastern feel as we start in Hartlepool, back in the mid 1970s. Here are the notes that Dave sent with his photos:
“Hartlepool stabling point was built on the site of the old West Hartlepool twin roundhouses (51C) after the old facility was demolished shortly after September 1967 when all the remaining steam allocation was sent for scrap. The whole site was always somewhat barren, having just been covered in old ballast and hardcore after the demolition and the area has recently been cleared to make way for new housing, with the remains of two turntables and ash pits etc uncovered.
View: Railway turntables uncovered 60 years after West Hartlepool (51C shed) demolished. – YouTube
The stabling point was in use until the mid 1980s when with the demise of the coal mining industry, and the closure of the Durham coastal collieries, there was no requirement for its locos. Certainly, in the diesel era, apart from some local shunting requirements, the moving of coal was its reason for being. It was highly unusual for anything other than a Thornaby allocated loco to be present, but strangers did appear, most usually from Gateshead’s allocation.
If you visited the site during the 1970s as I did on many occasions, during the week there may be an odd class 37 and a class 03 and 08 shunter in the yard. On a Sunday it was a different story, there could be seven or eight class 37s and four or five shunters of classes 03 and 08. In those days I saw no other class of loco there. In the 1980s there may still be one or two class 37s but the exotica of class 31s and 47/3s could be seen! By then the remaining collieries despatched their coal by way of MGR train to the Yorkshire power station,s hence the class 47s.
37002 is shown in July 1976 on the stabling point. This was a standard fare loco for the area at that time. Most 37s at the stabling point had a guards van attached, and it wasn’t unusual to see the van being propelled up the main line to and from the collieries.
37025 is also pictured on the stabling point in July of that long hot summer of 1976. I took this pic because at the time I thought it was a very unusual 37 for our area, however its only now that I’ve learned that it had been a Thornaby loco since Feb 1974 and would remain so until Feb 1977. It went back to March depot from whence it had come!”
We will share more from Dave next week.
Many thanks to Dave for sharing his memories and photos with us all.
English Electric Type 3 Class 37 37002 (D6702) was pictured on-shed at Hartlepool in July of 1976. This loco was one of the first deliveries of the Class back in December 1960 and was initially allocated to Stratford, but gradually made her way northward until eventually cut up in Stockton-on-Tees after doing 40 years of hard labour. Photo by Dave Gray © CC BY-NC 4.0
English Electric Type 3 Class 37 37025 (D6725) was also on-shed at Hartlepool in July of 1976. This loco was also one of the early deliveries and was allocated to Stratford in August 1961, but has since roamed far and wide and is still in use today. Photo by Dave Gray © CC BY-NC 4.0
Please continue to send in your photos of locos on shed, at the platform or in action, because we appreciate them all, any Class, any place, any time, the more varied, the better. Use our CONTACT FORM to get in touch. Thanks !
NEW BOOKS ON SALE
In addition to the two recent releases from Bernard Mills, namely Parts 2 and 3 of the ‘PADDINGTON TO PENZANCE during the Diesel Era‘ trilogy, we are also offering two new books that will be of particular interest to like-minded members and supporters as they both feature diesel-hydraulic locos and are therefore guaranteed to have a good market, such is the strength of the following for the types.
Above: A very interesting new book about the early days of the diesel hydraulic preservation movement. Well worth a read and reasonably priced at £15.99 – click here or on the image above to go to our online store page.
DEPG NEWS: the pre-season training efforts continue with SIXTEEN DEPG VOLUNTEERS passed out from Personal Track Safety training during the last two weeks, thanks to the efforts of WSR volunteers Rob Carter and Terry Viner. We thank them for giving up so much of their time to help get our volunteers ‘up to scratch’. Well done all !
The DEPG is a charity and is run entirely by volunteers, many of whom give both their time and their money to the continuance of work on the locos in the DEPG fleet. If you have been enjoying the roundup for free, have you considered joining us for just £1 a month ? You can then add your name to all of those helping out on the above projects and play your part in the future of our locos for a lot less than the price of a cup of coffee!
