The Final Countdown

I've probably used that heading before to signify the countdown to the annual Diesel Gala but, they say never tamper with a classic! The 2022 Diesel Gala is just a day away and it's been all hands to the pump to get everything ready. If you are planning on coming along to any/all of the three days and haven't yet looked at the details, timetables or tickets, then head over to the GWsR website via this link ====>>>> https://www.gwsr.com/Diesel_Gala.html

There is important travel information regarding the Car Park at Cheltenham Racecourse due to last minute changes of mind by the Racecourse Management, who own the car park. 

Anyway, back to the action. Our guest loco arrived safe and well at Toddington on Tuesday 18th July, being offloaded quickly and then shunted into the yard. 

Courtesy of Allely's, 55019 'Royal Highland Fusiliers' arrives through the gates at Toddington. (Neil Carr)

It wasn't long before the grapevine was overloading and a myriad of photos started to appear on social media of the 'Deltic' sat on Toddington MPD. 

55019 sat on Road 11 at Toddington awaiting it's FTR Exam. (Paul Jones)

During the early part of this week, the 'Deltic' underwent it's Fitness to Run exam with no problems identified. The loco's engineers from the owners, The Deltic Preservation Society, were on hand to undertake the familiarisation and assist our own Technical Officers with completing the relevant paperwork. It culminated with a test run of the line on Tuesday 26th which surprised visitors and staff alike.

Three of our senior operations staff members - Paul, Kev and Neil - get their inner 'Ned' on as 55019 passes through Winchcombe station on it's test. (Alex Caulfield)

With it's FTR done, a big tick on the organisational list was added and it was down to getting the rest of the home fleet spruced up and the shed area cleaned so that it can host our stalls and vendors. 

Forward to the 27th and 10 of us were present to undertake the shunts and cleaning required. 45149 had been having some last minute repairs so that it is serviceable for the gala. Over the weekend it had a resistor replaced, after one went bang and incapacitated the loco, and the opportunity was taken to give the heavily weathered exterior a bit of TLC. Simon T was busy on the 27th doing some last minute maintenance. 

It's amazing what a spit and polish can do to tired locomotive paintwork! 45149 sits in the yard on 27/07 as the yard was shunted. 

Also receiving a much needed clean was Class 37, D6948. The 'Green Machine' has been sat in the shed gathering dust for 3 years due to the protracted wait to borrow eyelets for our lifting brackets from our friends at the SRPS at Bo'ness so that we can complete repairs and maintenance on the loco. However, the Class 37 will be used for cab visits - always popular - within the Diesel Shed. Phil was in charge of the sponge. I didn't manage to get a picture of him at work as I was busy with the shunt but I did manage to get a rushed shot of D6948 and 47376 'Freightliner 1995' after they had been placed on Road 9. 

47376 and D6948 are placed on Road 9 so that Phil can get on with cleaning D6948 ready for it's role as a static exhibit. 

Myself, Andy D, John G and Paul C were all involved in the shunt which required a lot of head scratching. Everything needed to come out of the shed so that it could be cleaned and stand areas marked out. It also required the static exhibits to be moved onto Road 10 ready. This was made more challenging as it was a running day, the Steam Department were working on locos in the yard and Class 26, D5343, was parked behind the Merchant Navy. Firstly, it was getting 47105, 47376 and D6948 off of Road 11. 

With Paul C at the controls of Class 04, 11230, and Andy D controlling part 1 of the shunt, 47105 is eased out of the shed. Class 20, 20137 sits to the right and was rostered loco on the PURPLE TT. 

Next up was to move Class 24, 5081 and Class 20, 20137 out of the way as these were rostered locos for the next couple of days. It was decided to place them down on to the Diesel Pit Road - where 45149 and D5343 are normally parked. 

With the 'Peak' pushed back under the old A Frame gantry, 20137 and 5081 are parked in front to keep them out of the way.

It was then back to the shed to extricate the last two locos - 37215 and 20228. Kev and Andy T had already started to make headway with the cleaning of the shed. As I had now taken on the shunt responsibility, Andy D was also lending a hand amongst running back and forth to the shed office.

With Road 11 empty of locos, Andy T and Kev get to grips with cleaning up the huge amounts of dust and dirt that accumulates.  

One of the worst things to clean up are the 'bodily fluids' from the locos....oil and, in particular, Motak. Oil can generally be soaked up and disposed of with a spill kit, however, Motak (a high temperature lubricant), is like tar when at room temperature and is nigh on impossible to get rid of. We can only do our best!  

It was decided that, for the Gala, 20228 would be placed round on the 'Parlour Road' outside of Toddington Station so that visitors could photograph it, particularly from the unique nose end. This meant that, the best place to put it for now, was on the 'Parlour Road'. 

By this point John had joined us and he is seen controlling the shunt as Paul C eases 11230 up to the buffers of 37215. 

This meant taking a jaunt up Siding 1 with Class 04, 11230....not an everyday occurrence for any of our shunters. After heading over to Toddington Box to authorise the move with the Signalman, I joined Paul C in the cab of 11230. As we were propelling 20228 and 37215, John G was on the ground as Shunter. 

Paul leans out to check that John is happy with the positioning before authorising him to uncouple 20228. 

We had to ensure that 20228 would not prevent the two rostered steam engines from accessing the coaling and disposal area so, for the time being, the 'Chopper' was pushed almost up as far as the museum - an old TPO that is sat in the bay. 

It was then back with 37215 which we placed in a very photographic place next to it's bigger 'cousin'. The popular Type 3 will be in use during the Gala as it passed it's B Exam and has successfully returned to the roster after it's air and generator repairs. 

English Electric product placement! 37215 and it's Type 5 cousin, 55019 sit on adjacent roads. 

We always get asked by those less knowledgeable as to whether our Class 37's are 'Deltics', to the point that it is a bit of a running joke - we even had one visitor proudly announce to his family a few weeks ago that the 'Peak' was a 'Deltic'! So, the above picture demonstrates the differences between these two venerable, English Electric, classes. Class 37's, however, did earn the nickname 'Welsh Deltics' to those who are from, or who frequented, South Wales during their 'spotting' years.  

And, a close up! It's all in the eyes....or windows, in this case. Class 37's have 3 cab windows, Class 55's only have 2. 

With the shunt half way complete, 11230 was in desperate need of a drink....as were we!! 11230 had only 10 Gallons of diesel left so the 'Class 04' was probably in more need of liquid refreshment than us at this point. Luckily, our new fuelling point is proving to be an absolute God-send.

11230 gets a well earned drink. 

It was then time for lunch and for John and I to look at prepping 20137 ready for service. But still time for one last photo......

It was a shame the water tank is in the way, but a quick shot of three iconic British Rail locomotives - 47376 (l), 37215 and 55019. 

As we walked back to the mess room, Kev had been busy organising some of the exhibits now that the shed was clear of locos. 

At the top, we have a brake cylinder from a Class 45 whilst the other three are some of the spares the Growler Group have acquired from 37207, which has been stripped as it is to receive all new equipment as part of Meteor's new Battery-Diesel loco project. We have two blowers, a compressor and two exhausters. 

After lunch, John and I went to wake up 20137 from it's slumber. As it was the rostered loco the day before, it was still warm enough to not need too long priming. Whilst John and I were away, the clean up and shed preparation continued with the marking out for the sales stalls coupled with getting D5343 out of the Steam Shed. 

One absentee from Toddington is our newly refurbished (externally, at least) Class 122 'bubble car', W55003 The plan was to have it back at Toddington so that the fantastic job done by our colleagues down at Carriage and Wagon could be admired by the public. Sadly, it is still sat at Winchcombe as it has been identified that its requires additional work before the interior can be started - this work can only be conducted at Winchcombe. Luckily, though, it will be an exhibit at Winchcombe and easily viewable from the Station. 

The 'Bubble' after breaking cover last week at Winchcombe. (Andrew Stratford)

It does look very impressive and was a nice sight as we headed into Winchcombe on the last 'down' train on 27/07. 

On arrival at Cheltenham. It is a shame that 20228 is not quite ready to be paired with 20137 for the Gala...but things come to those who wait!

Finally, it appears that 'DES' will be leaving us in order to be repaired off site. The former ASW, Cardiff based shunter has been out of action for nearly 18 months with generator issues. Hopefully, this arrangement will see 'DES' get the repairs it needs before heading back to the GWsR.

DES in better times. Hopefully, an agreement has been reached that will allow it to get it's generator repairs.  

 

Breaking Cover

Closer and closer we march towards the Gala Weekend. If the weather can be this good, but just a touch cooler, then we will be on for a cracking weekend! Things are, however, starting to take shape on all the things we can control and another couple of Connect-4 (remember that!) pieces have fallen in the right place. 

Firstly, our Class 122 'bubble car', W55003 has broken cover from Carriage and Wagon at Winchcombe after completion of its external repaint. Our colleagues at C&W have done a fantastic job and it looks amazing! The following pictures were taken by our P'Way colleague, Andrew Stratford. 

With the fantastic Cotswold sky behind, the 'bubble' breaks cover after being shunted out of the paintshop at C&W. 

The superb weather really allows the BR Green livery to shine. A stunning paint job. 

Even our Class 03, D2182, gets in on the act.

Speaking of our Class 03, it is probably the least talked about, and photographed, of the diesel fleet as it is permanently based at C&W Winchcombe (it is owned by a current/former C&W member) and now  doesn't venture beyond the confines of Winchcombe. That means it only gets in on the action if something really good or really bad happens, and sadly, on 13 July it was the latter. It has suffered an 'earth fault' having jumped the rails on a notoriously 'iffy' set of points in Winchcombe yard. Luckily, it was only a matter of time before it was back on two rails and ready to carry on the shunt it was performing. No damage done. 

However, D2182 was not always chained permanently to Winchcombe. The '03' was the first loco back into Cheltenham Race Course in 2003 as well as being a regular performer on early passenger turns and Gala days. It is seen here at Toddington MPD in the company of fellow Class 03, D2069, which was also a one-time resident on the GWSR. 

D2182 (left) and D2069 at Toddington MPD in the late 1990s or early 2000s. (Courtesy of Richard Drewitt)

Also back in the fold is 'fan favourite', Class 37, 37215. Having been out of service since before Christmas 2021 due to suffering a generator flashover, amongst a few other issues that needed attending to sooner rather than later, the B Exam was successfully completed on 06 July and the 'Growler' returned to action on the 12th, successfully completing a full PURPLE timetabled trip.

37215 sits at Cheltenham waiting to depart with the final service back to Toddington during it's return to service. (Courtesy of Kev Jarvis)

As mentioned in the previous blog, an issue was identified with the AVR (Automatic Voltage Regulator) allowing too much charge to the batteries before it completely failed. Luckily, a spare one was close at hand and was fitted without issue enabling the loco to return to the roster just in time.

The Gala Visitor will be arriving in little under a week enabling sufficient time for our own engineers, along with those from the Deltic Preservation Society, to complete it's Fitness To Run examination and to pass on it's preparation and disposal instructions for the crew rostered to look after 55019. The 'Deltic' will be staying with us until October and will be used, not only at the Gala, but also on a number of Driver Experiences (sorry, but these sold out in minutes...and the reserve list is full!!), timetabled services but also our 'Deltic Day' on Friday 19th August, where 'Royal Highland Fusilier' will be joined by 'sister' 55009 'Alycidon', courtesy of the DPS again, for a one-off running day to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of both 55009 and 55019 entering preservation.

55009 'Alycidon' and 55019 'Royal Highland Fusilier' are handed over to the fledgling Deltic Preservation Society at Doncaster Works on 20 August 1982. (Courtesy of the DPS)

Along with the Gala, this event is a massive opportunity for the department and the whole railway - especially as 'Deltics' have a huge following in the railway medium. For ticket details for these events, go to the following pages - 

2022 Diesel Gala - https://www.gwsr.com/Diesel_Gala.html

Deltic Day Event - https://www.gwsr.com/Deltic_Running_Day_19th_August--post--123.html 

Over the weekend just gone, work continued in a number of places despite the increasing heat of our Summer. The Friday saw a Driver Experience Day with 47105. The weather, again, showing off the loco's new coat of BR Blue to great effect.

47105 runs over the pointwork at Toddington. (Courtesy of Alex Raybould)

The Brush Type 4 was also treated to a wash courtesy of Tim L; something most (if not, all) of our locos will be having over the coming couple of weeks. 

Tim uses a brush to clean a Brush! (Courtesy of Alex Raybould)

Meanwhile, sister Class 47, 47376 'Freightliner 1995' has been undergoing some more 'tidying up' with the Sulzer engine block being cleared of paint using needle guns. Not a nice job to do in the heat. Not only do you have the heat, in an enclosed space, but also the incessant noise and vibration from the needle gun itself. 

Dave M gets to grips with the needle gun in 47376's engine room. (Courtesy of Alex Raybould)

With 37215 returning to the roster, 45149 has been stopped temporarily so that a blown resister can be replaced. Whether this was causing the lack of lighting in no. 1 end, I am not sure, but there is also a considerable leak from the fuel rail which will need attending to sooner rather than later. This will see the loco removed from service after the Gala so that rectification can take place on this and a number of other issues. 

A photo that highlights the effects that the weather has on loco paint over a number of years. 45149 keeps 'ex-works' 47105 company. (Courtesy of Alex Raybould)

Class 24, 5081 was the rostered loco over the weekend on both the Saturday Purple, and Sunday Pink timetables. 

5081 leaves Toddington with the last 'down' service to Cheltenham on the Saturday. (Courtesy of Alex Raybould)

It's been a while since the 'Rat' had a concerted run in the roster, so this was a good warm up for the Gala. 

Back on shed after it's round trip. (Courtesy of Alex Raybould)

On the Friday, one of the shunters was used to bring the rake of Dogfish wagons down to Toddington for some much needed maintenance work. Our recent ORR report highlighted that the wagons had now become unfit for use and needed work to bring them back into usable condition. Class 20, 20137 was parked up in front of the wagons, giving a glimpse into how things would have looked on ballast jobs in Scotland during the 1970s. 

Toddington Yard in 2022 or the West Highlands in 1975? Probably an easy one. Wouldn't it be good to be able to run a Goods train during Galas? (Ducks for cover!) (Courtesy of Alex Raybould) 

More work has also been conducted on the Class 26. Alex R, along with new starter Harry, continued with spots of painting and cleaning around the turbo and on the bogies. 

The turbo manifold outlet on D5343 in a clean coating of green primer. (Courtesy of Alex Raybould)

More cleaning and priming on one of the bogies of D5343. (courtesy of Alex Raybould)

Along with D6948, 20228 and W55003, D5343 will be on static display during the Gala so that the public can get a glimpse into the amount of detail that goes into a full restoration. 

Finally, whilst the 'Bubble' was having it's finishing touches down at Winchcombe, the Class 117 set has also been receiving a little spruce up of its own. Like the Class 26 and Class 45, the Class 117 set spends most of it's time outdoors and this leads to all the usual, weather related issues - including the dreaded corrosion. With the DMU active from the middle of September, as well as the imminent arrival of the Class 122 back at Toddington, the CDRL team took the opportunity of the good weather, to get some of the corrosion tended to. 

Where corrosion has been identified, it has been rubbed down, treated and then coated with primer. (Courtesy of the GWSR DMU Twitter)

When the primer had been added, and dried sufficiently, top coat Green was added to make it less unsightly. The patchwork effect never looks good!

As you can see, a patch of top coat has been added on the far section of the coach. You can also see a large patch, nearest the camera, where the paint has been rubbed back, the corrosion treated, and primer added. (Courtesy of the GWSR DMU Twitter) 

 

The Countdown Begins

As we move into July it means that the crowning jewel in our Diesel calendar is rapidly approaching. Of course, that means the 2022 GWSR Diesel Gala that will be held over the 29th, 30th and 31st July. This is the first 'proper' diesel gala since the visit of 50035 'Ark Royal' in 2019, thanks to Covid, and this year it will be a biggy as we welcome English Electric/Napier Type 5 'Deltic', 55019 'Royal Highland Fusilier' as our guest locomotive courtesy of the Deltic Preservation Society. 

'Deltic' 55019 will attend our 2022 Diesel Gala courtesy of the Deltic Preservation Society.

This will be the first time that a 'Deltic' has ever run on the Honeybourne to Cheltenham line, whether in BR days or in preservation so this is a huge first for the railway and we hope you will join us for a huge weekend of diesel running. 

On top of the star attraction the Gala will also be the first for Class 47, 47105 since returning from it's extensive overhaul that was started in 2012.

47105 in one of it's last gala appearances prior to withdrawal for an extensive overhaul. (Courtesy of Richard Drewitt).

It will also see Class 20, 20228, making it's Gala debut on the GWSR although, sadly, it won't be running as the focus has been on completing the repairs to sister 20137. Instead, 20228 will be on static display either in the Diesel Shed, as part of the displays inside, or out in the car park at Toddington so that you will be able to see the thoroughness of the overhaul being conducted. However, as you will see further down, the BR Blue 'Chopper' is not far from being back in service....fingers crossed for later in the year! 

And, that isn't all!! As you may recall, our Class 122 'Bubble Car', W55003 has been down at Carriage and Wagon in Winchcombe being repainted after the extensive body work had been completed. However, the work is nearing it's completion and, so, the 'Bubble' will mean that a second '55' will be involved as W55003 will also be on static display. 

W55003 nears external completion as our colleagues at C&W near the end of the painting and varnishing on the 'Bubble' (Courtesy of Dave Clark)

The internal areas within the 'Bubble' still need finishing but it is hoped that it will be back in action in 2023.

Before the advent of the TOPS panel, the data for DMU's was painted on the front. Here it is courtesy of the talents of Alex C. (Courtesy of Alex Caulfield)

As well as the Class 122, our Carriage and Wagon colleagues have also been reupholstering some cab seats. I can only assume that they are for the Class 26.

Very smart. They won's stay that way for long! (Courtesy of Alex Caulfield).

All the up to date information, and advanced ticket sales, for the gala can be found on the GWSR website here >>>> https://www.gwsr.com/Diesel_Gala.html  

You can also keep up with things on our Social Feeds as well. 

The Class 117 set has also had a bit of ongoing TLC. Although not planned to be in service again until the end of the summer peak, the set is scheduled or a couple of one off outings and so needs to be kept in serviceable condition. One of the main issues for the CDRL team has been stemming the march of corrosion as the set is kept outdoors. 

A very wet and warm Toddington yard can play havoc with the metal work on our rolling stock. 

The work to stem the march of the corrosion has included the removal off, and treating the metal work before painting with anti-corrosion paint. This does give a bit of a patchwork look to the paint but its a small price to pay to hopefully minimise the risk of the 117 having to undergo heavy body work repair mid-season.

One loco we hope will be fighting fit for the Gala is Class 37, 37215. The Growler Group owned loco has been out of service since before Christmas after suffering a generator flashover. Work on repairing the damage and replacement of those parts has been completed and the Sunday just gone (3rd July) was the date chosen to test it out and check that everything was in order. It was a day of mixed news as the loco fired up without issue and was able to take power in 'Notch 1'. 

Back in May, 37215 sits over the pit as it's traction motors and underside of the generator are checked for damage. (Courtesy of Kev Jarvis) 

Sadly, it appeared that the batteries were overcharging before the Automatic Voltage Regulator (AVR) failed. A bit of a set back but the group have a spare AVR that can be fitted after electrical integrity tests are carried out. Fingers are well and truly crossed that the AVR swap will be successful and the loco's B Exam and test can be completed so that it can take it's place on the Gala roster.  

At the end of June, 37215 had an anniversary. On the 23rd June 1994, a heavily robbed '215' arrived at Toddington from Inverness TMD on the back of an Allely's trailer to start it's new life in preservation. 

Still wearing it's final Trainload Petroleum livery, 37215 heads past Strensham Services on the M5(S) on the final stretch to Toddington. (Courtesy of Dean Tabor)

The following day sees 37215 touchdown at it's new home. The yard at Toddington looks very different to what it does 28 years on! (Courtesy of Dean Tabor)

This wasn't the only anniversary in June as the 21st June 2003 saw the Brush Type 4 Fund's 47376 arrive at MoD Ashchurch (8-ish miles from Toddington) form Southampton Maritime where the loco had been dumped after failing and it's subsequent withdrawal from capital stock. Although in reasonable external condition, 47376's engine was unusable as the block was damaged when a piston dropped into the sump whilst working the 4O07 2027 Leeds - Southampton Freightliner service on 8th June 2001, so the group had also bought 47295 as a donor loco. 

The body of 47295 at MoD Ashchurch after the transfer of it's engine to sister 47376. (Courtesy of the Brush Type 4 Fund)

The engine swap took place on the 21st June 2003 with 47295 also donating a substantial amount of spares to the group to keep 47105 and 47376 running before being sold to HNRC in 2008 and being subsequently scrapped.  

47376 arrives at MoD Ashchurch on 21st June 2003. (Courtesy of Richard Drewitt)

Still with 47376, the weekend before last (25th June) saw me rostered on 45149 for the first time since completing my traction conversion on the 'Peak', but before readying the loco for service, I was asked by Tim L to help him with a spot of shunting. This was to include being trained on the 'new' refuelling point. 47376 'Freightliner 1995' was to be the guinea pig - more so because it needed fuelling as it was to work the services on the Sunday and Tuesday following. 

47376 'Freightliner 1995' is sat to the right of the fuelling point (due to two coal wagons being sat on the Diesel Pit) having a long drink. 

Unlike filling your car, refuelling a diesel loco is more like the high-capacity fuelling you see with aircraft and F1 cars. 

The high-capacity feed for the diesel fleet. The DMU is more like a conventional vehicle pump. 

It was very impressive to see 1200 litres pumped into the loco tanks in a little under 10 minutes and, in this current climate, not having to sell a kidney to pay for it! That joy is in the hands of the budget masters on the railway! I was happily stood there thinking 'Thank Christ my car doesn't have a 3900 litre fuel tank. It's expensive enough with just a 50 litre tank!'

Elsewhere on shed, more work was being completed on Class 26, D5343. One side of the loco now wears it's blue undercoat although more metal work is need on the cab fronts. Inside the loco, the engine is slowly being re-assembled. This particular weekend was the turn of the crankcase doors. Unlike on an English Electric loco (or on the larger Sulzer locos), the crankcase doors on the Class 26 are cast steel and one-piece. They weigh a 'tonne' and require at least three people to manhandle them back into the loco. Cue myself, Alex, Andy D and Dave S with Tim L supervising. 

B Bank side with the door removed. 

Lots of cursing later and the door for A-Bank was in place. This one was the 'easiest' as it is not as heavy or awkward....apparently! But, they will both still have to come off again so that the gaskets can be fitted prior to full re-assemby. 

A-Bank crankcase door back in place. 

I didn't get a picture of B Bank door going back on as it was lunch time and 45149 still needed prepping. More pipework has also been prepped and painted for D5343 ready for refitting. 

Pipework....lots of pipework. 

After lunch, Alex and I went to prep the 'Peak'. News had filtered through that not only had a fuel leak become much worse but also the lights at No. 1 end were not working due to an untraced electrical fault. This meant that a torch would be required to read the dials in the tunnel and a bracket lamp needed for the loco front. In the engine room a temporary drain had been rigged up using an old 5 litre container to collect the leaking diesel and needed draining. By the time we returned the container was half full again. The loco will be taken out of service after the gala to get these faults rectified but will be used sparingly leading up to the gala.  

The following weekend saw me rostered on 45149 again, although it was put on the naughty step at the last minute and substituted for 20137.

Back in the shed, Steve M was busy with 20228. With 20137 now being pretty reliable now after its return to service, Steve has been able to pay more attention to his other loco. Steve's attention was on fitting the filters to the vents. 

The bodyside doors are opened to reveal the filter cases. These will have filter pads, shown below, fitted to filter the air that will pass into the engine room. 

The cab seat bases have also been cleaned and painted in black ready for refitting in the cab, whilst the actual seats are being cleaned and painted before the upholstery is added. It shouldn't be too long before the loco can be added to the roster. 

On the roster front, there are a couple of changes to what was posted last time. Weds 14th July sees one of the Class 47s rostered instead of 37215. The 12th and 13th are still hoped to be 37215 depending on the outcome of the AVR swap. Saturday 17th July sees 5081 replace 45149. 

Secondman Richard W returns the Toddington-Winchcombe token to Signalman Dan W as 47105 arrives into Toddington on 19th June 2022. (Courtesy of Ed Fletch)