What’s Happening To … ?
Our monthly round up of restoration projects around the country,
D9518 – Williton: The work continues on restoring the Class 14’s smaller assemblies, but in the background, preparations are being made for the horn guides to be refitted to the frames, which in turn will allow the frames to be re-mounted on the wheelsets.
The delay arose due to the need to acquire ‘the right type of rivet’ but this is close to being resolved. A quotation for the alignment and riveting work has been received from WSR Restorations, so this major phase of restoration work will commence soon. D9518 is the subject of an appeal that is shortly to be posted to the DEPG’S website.
D9526 – Williton: The Class 14 has temporarily left the West Somerset Railway to go on hire to the Kent & East Sussex Railway for the remainder of 2021.
It was prepared for road transport on June 28 and loaded on July 1 for the 220 mile trip to Wittersham Road near Rolvenden. The loco was prepared for the loading ramp by removing the sand delivery nozzles, valves and pipework that would otherwise become bent and twisted by contacting the rail at the ramp transition point.
D9526 is covering for Kesr-based D9504, which will undergo a highhours overhaul after many years of sterling service.
D8568 – Kidderminster: Jobs undertaken recently on the Clayton have included general bodywork repairs, including attention to cab guttering, the cab floor, areas around the engine room doors and headcode apertures. The cab roof has been insulated and re-lined, with attention to internal trim and paintwork.
The No. 1 end engine’s fifth and sixth cylinder heads have been re-jointed to resolve leaking oil transfer rubbers, while the engine water pump has been overhauled and the exhaust trunking has been re-fabricated where extensive corrosion had caused exhaust gas leakage.
While the engine room bonnet was removed to facilitate this work, the opportunity was taken to re-wire the associated electrical runs. The No. 1 end headcode assembly has been fully overhauled and repaired.
Both vacuum exhausters were also removed for inspection, with one receiving a replacement motor. The vacuum filters have been serviced and the exhauster speed up arrangements modified to suit the current exhauster motor arrangements, in order to reinstate the quick release facility. The driver’s windscreen wiper motors have received attention with one rebuilt with new seals and the other having the original air pipework reinstated to enable the temporary ‘work around’ pipework modifications received during its life in industrial service to be removed.
Both driver seats are being repaired and upholstered and both fuel gauges have been repaired and refurbished to improve their accuracy.
General attention to corroded air system pipework is ongoing along with minor re-commissioning work. There is a list of work to be done over and above the regular maintenance but this will be progressed when the loco is next stopped.
31101 – Bitton: The loco’s defective traction motor blowers have both been removed for sent away for repair work. While this is being done lots of other work can be carried out at the same time.
33002 – Buckfastleigh: The recently repainted departmental grey Crompton joined classmate 33063 R J Mitchell at the Spa Valley Railway in July and was due to star at its August 7/8 diesel gala. 33002 has recently seen its internal guttering replaced and snowploughs refitted, the latter finished off with fresh yellow paint.
D6566 – Williton: The Class 33 will need to undergo an oil change because the most recent oil sample suggests further dilution which does not appear to be from dilution with diesel fuel. The oil change will involve 80 gallons (360 litres) of oil and a set of new oil filters.
D6575 – Williton: On a wet and dismal June 28, the Class 33 departed Williton hauling the WSRA’S Hawksworth-designed Taunton Inspector’s Observation Saloon W80976W to Bishops Lydeard after a period of fairly intensive use on the Route Refresher specials.
The loco is now out-stationed at Bishops Lydeard for its role as the ‘Thunderbird’ loco for WSR public services.
D6570 – Sheffield Park: As mentioned in news, the Class 33 has been bought and moved to its new home at the Bluebell Railway.
Ashford will not enter service straight away as the new owners need to implement a recommissioning programme to ensure the BRCW Type 3 is reliable before being available for service. At the same time, there will be a number of bodywork and roofing repairs carried out to make the loco weathertight.
D7018 – Williton: The Hymek is being prepared for service after completion of maintenance and inspections. There is not enough time before the first public services for the transmission control block issue to be resolved, so the transmission will be locked in second gear. This is no problem for a Hymek and the loco will operate in the same way as it did for the 2019 running season.
D7029 – Kidderminster: Due to the pandemic and other jobs needed on D8568, D821 and D1015, work has been limited on the ongoing overhaul of the Hymek.
However, it is now hoped that with the completion of major work on D8568 and engine work to D1015, significant progress can be made on this much-missed locomotive.
37714 – Loughborough: The loco has left the GCR for a brief visit to Loram at Derby for some attention to the bodywork. Owner the Heavy Tractor Group is taking the opportunity to have some additional work done which will see a repair to the roof and the pipework fitted for the pre-heater.
It was due to return by August 7 and be ready for a running day on August 20 and further weekend turns on August 21/22.
D821 – Kidderminster: Work undertaken in the last year to keep the popular Warship operational has included significant electrical repairs with one driver’s controller fully overhauled and reinstated, one engine transmission isolator switch overhauled and reinstated, one driver’s desk terminal frame removed and rebuilt and one engine speed motor changed.
Repairs to a stiff brake valve and replacement of a missing lock-out pin has taken place at one end while new Layrub couplings have been fitted to both dynastarter cardan shafts. One header tank water gauge has also been repaired.
Greyhound will be stopped in July/ August for further outstanding work to be completed including the overhaul of the electrical components and a newly purchased set of secondary suspension springs will be fitted.
43018 – Crewe Heritage Centre: The power car has been rubbed down and is being repainted in the original blue, yellow and grey livery carried by the loco when built in 1976.
45133 – Swanwick: There has been some good progress by Bowers Electricals with the main and auxiliary generators. These have been stripped down into component parts and cleaning is in progress.
Generally everything is in good condition although the Class 45/1 Preservation Group has agreed to some extra precautionary work. The main bearing will be replaced, as while there is no visible fault with it, a future failure would be expensive to repair.
The main generator banding will also be replaced as some of it is still the original steel banding which can fail, so will be replaced with a new fibreglass example. The auxiliary alternator banding is the newer type and appears to be in good condition, as to replace it would require the use of cryogenics to split the main shift; an expensive and risky job.
The auxiliary cables will be replaced as some are perished. Finally, anti-condensation heating tape will be added to help to prevent damp creeping in and damaging the winding insulation.
47077 – Williton: The Brush Type 4 has been prepared for its road move to Pickering on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.
The road move will be by Allelys, but there are restrictions on the M1/ M18 route that are still preventing permission from Highways England for the move to take place and the alternative route via the M6/M62 is also unavailable because of major roadworks at the junction of these two motorways, so the date for the move has not yet been determined. This is frustrating because the NYMR is keen to put the loco to work.
47105 – Toddington: Heritage Painting has completed the repaint on the loco into British Rail blue, with domino headcodes and TOPS numbers. And it looks truly stunning, a superb recreation of how 47s looked in the late 1970s.
D402 – Buckfastleigh: The last turbo has finally been stripped, and so a year after work started on the power unit all the components are now in bits. The generator is being sent away for repairs.
The oil cooler/heat exchanger has also been sent away for specialist repair, as it was found to be leaking while on a pressure test and it is hoped the intercoolers will also be sent for specialist overhaul.
The turbo is heavily corroded in places, but there appears to be no damage to the blades or bearings, although the latter will be replaced. All components will need a deep acid clean. The blades will then be sent for NDT to check for any fractures or cracks.
Donations towards the overhaul are welcome via paypal.me/devondiesels, or you can join the Devon Diesel Society at www.devondiesels.org.uk
50026 – Arlington Fleet Services, Eastleigh: More tasks were completed on Indomitable in mid-june including work on re-fitting the brakes’ anti-freeze system and re-fitting the final parts of the generator cowling. This was added at refurbishment to try and stop dirty air getting into the main generator and was partly removed in 2019 to fit the new overhauled ETH generator.
50033 – Kidderminster: The power unit was lifted out of Glorious on June 12 using a hired 100 tonne crane and will now be assessed for the level of repairs needed.
D1010 – Williton: Delays to work on other DEPG locos caused by the pandemic lockdowns resulted in Western Campaigner having to suffer the attention of the seagulls for a lot longer than was originally planned. Although protected by tarpaulins throughout both winters, its 19 month stay on No. 3 road in the South Yard at Williton has resulted in its paintwork becoming faded and giving D1010 a decidedly down-atheel look. Its appearance was made worse by the removal of the heavily corroded lower front valances and the removal of nameplates and numberplates.
All this is set to change as the loco has now moved inside the shed so bodywork repairs can commence. Apart from some localised corrosion damage, mostly around the bodyside windows and vents, the level of repair required for the main body of the locomotive is limited to removal and replacement of the ‘Prestolith’ filler that was applied when new to smooth out the surface distortions caused by welding the relatively thin outer skin panels to the framework beneath. One side was dealt with back in the late 1980s when the loco was undergoing restoration at Didcot, but the other side now needs the same level of attention.
The Westerns have the same stressed skin design which gave the benefit of being lightweight, but introduced some difficulties that had to be overcome by the development of suitable cosmetic finishing techniques.
The cab sections are a different situation and are likely to need extensive renovation. This is because the frame upon which the cabs are mounted has badly corroded, causing the cabs to sag. This in turn hastens the corrosion of the attachment points, which become stressed.
The extent of this work cannot be determined until the corroded areas are exposed, so it is difficult to assess the amount of work needed to rebuild the cab supports. Taking the worst case, both ends will need to be completely rebuilt and this will take time and may involve subcontracted expenditure.
To ensure work proceeds in parallel where possible, the cooler groups will be removed from both ends so they can be repaired and made watertight for another 10 years’ service. The loco will need to be shunted outside in order to do this, so the shunt will need to be arranged before the cab repairs get too advanced.
Then there is the subject of the ‘B’ end transmission which seized up during the first day of the 2018 Diesel Gala. The transmission has been out of the loco for the last two years but progress has been very slow. The initial dismantling confirmed that the failure was within the converter rail, as suspected, but the general condition of the transmission was encouraging. The disassembly of the converter rail is a complex affair, made more complex by the need to avoid causing further damage when considering that a collapsed internal bearing is the most likely cause of the seizure.
The tools for the job are available from the Western Locomotive Association (WLA) but Diesel Traction Group (DTG) members Paul Koch and Andy Venn, who have the relevant expertise, have been prevented from attending at Williton due to the various lockdowns. This situation may change soon, but the backlog of other work may still prevent their attendance, so a backup plan is being worked out.
There are no spare transmissions available. Taking a worst-case view, if the converter rail is not repairable, the transmission will be rendered useless and will have to go back into the loco as non-functional ballast so that D1010 remains in-gauge. This would mean that D1010 would spend the rest of its days with a single working engine and transmission, but it would still be able to handle the typical workload for a heritage railway.
In the best case, the damaged bearings will be replaced with new parts and the transmission will be recoverable at an affordable cost. It is too early to say which version of events will unfold.
Both engines are in good condition. The ‘A’-end transmission had also been performing well with no cause for concern. Other aspects of the loco that would most likely need attention are the bogies, where many of the issues faced by the WLA and DTG on their locomotives are also likely to be affecting D1010. The braking system can be affected where corrosion within the steel pipework results in debris that contaminate the brake valves and create brake faults if not dealt with in time.
The electrical wiring will also need to be thoroughly inspected and renewed, where necessary, so there is a lot to be done and it will take time and money
The cost for all this work is in the region of £100,000; a relatively modest amount for a loco that is as large and complex as a Western, so the huge number of volunteer man-hours that will be absorbed by this project also has to be considered. It is the availability of suitablyskilled volunteer manpower that will determine the pace at which the project proceeds, providing the fundraising is leading the way.
If you love Westerns and aren't yet a member of the DEPG, please consider joining so you can become one of the team helping return D1010 to operational condition.
The DEPG welcomes donations to the D1010 Restoration Fund and its online shop. The group has a Paypal account (donations@depg.org) and can accept online bank payments or cheques.
D1015 – Kidderminster: The locomotive’s air receivers were removed for their periodic inspection and hydraulic testing. One transmission heat exchanger has received a replacement tube stack to rectify a minor leak and replaced. The overhauled MD655 engine has recently been craned back into D1015 and initial testing indicated a very healthy oil pressure.
A few body side blisters are receiving attention, something Westerns were prone to throughout their lives, especially Swindon-built locos. A number of minor tasks were completed before the loco returned to traffic on the SVR, where it was run-in to thoroughly assess the new engine. A range of work also continues in preparation for returning the loco to main line service.
E27003 – Utrecht: Former Woodhead line Class 77 E27003 Diana, sold to Dutch State Railways in 1968 and renumbered 1501, had been owned by the Working Group 1501 but has been transferred to the Railway Museum in Utrecht and is now the property of the NSM.