Firstly, we start off with some sad news. Many members of the department were shocked to learn of the passing of one of our more revered Signalmen in September, Dave Newman. Dave was very well known across the GWSR and was well liked within the Diesel and Steam departments. His laid-back way of signalling and his 'creative' approach to some situations would always raise a smile.
I remember my first meeting of Dave, not long after passing out as a Secondman, crewing 37215 approaching Gotherington on a Cheltenham bound Gala train. On leaving Gotherington Station, we were rapidly approaching the platform for the token exchange...only there was no sign of the Signalman!! They would usually be on the platform as the 'down' train was leaving Gotherington. Was I going to have to get the Driver to stop, get down from the cab and walk back to box? Had the Signalman forgotten? Was he asleep? We must have been about 75 yards from the platform when Dave appeared from behind the 'box, sauntered casually across the boards to the platform, swinging the Cheltenham token in its frame and assumed the 'double token exchange' position as though it was perfectly normal. As we completed the exchange at the last minute, an apology from Dave - he was just finishing his cuppa! Dave had been a Signalman for BR in the Gloucester area and tea, of course, comes before anything else on the railway!
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| Dave, at work at Gloucester Eastgate Box (I think) probably in the early 1960's. (Respectfully taken from Dave's Facebook page). |
One other, legendary, story involves another token exchange with a steam crew during a particularly heavy downpour of rain. Rather than be in a position where he may get wet, Dave completed the single token exchange with the use of a long handled broom from the safety of the signal box armchair!
One of the railway's big characters, Dave will be sadly missed by many. RIP.
On to the trains, and we are starting to wind down through the off-peak of the 2022 season. This means that mainline diesel running starts to lessen as the DMU now takes over the 'diesel' turn on the two train timetable during the week. However, we still have one big, PINK timetable day on Sunday, 9th October where we see the all day diesel turn being taken by our visiting Class 55 'Deltic', 55019 'Royal Highland Fusilier' on it's penultimate outing on the GWSR before it returns to the home of the DPS.
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| 55019 sits on Toddington MPD on 27 July 2022 prior to it's exertions during the 2022 Gala. |
After Sunday, the final time to sample 55019 on the GWSR will be at our Mixed Traction Gala over the weekend of 29-30 October, joined by several members of the home fleet along with our Steam colleagues. A chance to sample everything that the GWSR has to offer!
All info regarding the event can be found on the GWSR website - listed on the poster.
With the winding down of timetabled services for the diesel fleet, it means that maintenance can now be focused upon and this has seen our longer term maintenance and restoration projects move along at a quicker pace. One project has been with Class 37, D6948 which has now been lifted and it's bogies given a some long needed TLC. Subsequent working days have seen the removal, cleaning and replacement of the full set of brushes and brush boxes, traction equipment has been cleaned, the dampers have all been replaced and the bogies have had a brush over and clean.
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| D6948 sits on the jack with it's bogies tucked underneath as it awaits the final bits of maintenance to be completed. |
The rogue air pipe has been manufactured and refitted at no. 2 end, thanks to our colleagues in the Steam Department, and there is only one final thing to be completed before the loco can be returned to it's bogies and, for 2023, tested for a return to service. The final thing is brand new rubbing pads, as the ones on D6948 are life expired.
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37215 continues on the comeback from it's own repairs and has now completed a significant number of turns in recent months, including a Driver Experience that was rescheduled from earlier in 2022.
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| 37215 on it's first Driver Experience day of 2022 on 09 September 2022. |
It is due to complete another Driver Ex on the 07 October and I will be co-instructor, again with Peter S - as we were last time! Therefore, this Wednesday gone (05 October) saw my first attendance at Toddington since the last Driver Ex. Sadly, starting a new job has meant that the railway has had to take a bit of a back seat for a short period.
I was joined by 3 x Andy's, John G, Tim L and, for a short time Kev J and, with things on hold with D6948, jobs were centred around D5343, 47376 'Freightliner 1995' and on shunting the locos to get 37215 in position to be charged and checked over for it's Driver Ex but also to free up 55019 and get it fuelled ready for the Sunday.
37215 was sat behind Class 24, 5081, so a shunt was needed to get swap them round and get 37215 out onto the shed apron. Tim was the only passed Class 04 Driver, so he agreed to do the shunt. He asked if I had passed on them yet, which I hadn't, so the invitation was made to at least get me instructed on how they operate.
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| Inside the '04'! |
Tim and I headed over to 'Class 04', 11230 and started it up. The Class 04's were Diesel Hydraulic shunters and so work on similar principles to a DMU - they have gears and 'clunk' a lot! Tim talked me through the preparation and the driving controls. It was then on to getting it moving. Under Tim's expert gaze, I got the 0-6-0 moving whilst Andy T was volunteered to act as ground shunter.
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| 37215 gets an impromptu jet wash! |
We moved 37215 over onto road 11 so that we could drop the Class 24 back onto Road 10 in front of D5343. As we got 5081 back into the shed the heavens opened with a biblical deluge so we decided to shut the '04' down and go for a cuppa until it had finished. Unbeknownst to us, Andy D and John G were down in the yard and returned to the mess room looking like a couple of drowned rats!! 5 minutes after it started....it had stopped! In the words of Monty Python....'Bloody weather!'
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| 11230 sits inside the Diesel Shed waiting for the rain to stop. Class 24, 5081 sits behind. |
After a cuppa, it was back to the shunt. We moved a sodden 37215 back onto the apron of Road 10. John G, not wishing to venture outside of the shed too much as he was drying out, set up the battery charger and plugged 37215 in. Tim, Andy T, Andy D and I carried on over to the fuelling point so that we could release 'Deltic' 55019. We were briefly joined by Kev so that he could observe my competence with 11230 with a hope to clear me as a Shunter Driver. Hopefully I passed!
We moved the 'Deltic' up to Road 11 so that we could also top up the batteries on the Class 55 ready for Sunday 09th.
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| English Electric cousins, 37215 and 55019 sit outside the Diesel Shed as they are both given some attention before their respective services later in the week. |
With 37215 finished with the charger, it was time to check over the oils and fluids and to have a quick visual check to see if there was anything obvious that might need rectification before Friday. The only thing was the Exhauster oil levels were a bit low on both units, so this was topped up. The loco was then started just to run it up and get some heat into the engine. 55019 was hooked up to the charger for some juice.
With all this going on, in the shed, 'new' Andy was busy with the Class 26, D5343. As you may have seen, a big target was hit a few weeks ago when the engine was successfully started for the first time in 2 years. Since then more work has been undertaken on the chassis and wheel sets with priming and painting of the wheelsets.
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| Alex R applying primer to the no.1 end bogie of D5343 on 01st October 2022. (Courtesy of Tim Leverton) |
No.2 bogie has been previously sprayed with black top coat by 'new' Andy on a previous visit and he was now looking to fit the cab steps at that end; these had previously been painted by Andy T and John G.
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| All nice and shiny. D5343's no.2 end bogie, all decked out in a new coat of black. |
Ably assisted by Andy T, Andy got started with fitting the newly repainted steps. Frustratingly, none had been given any identifying marks so it was complete guess work as to which set of step went on which side of the bogie. However, within no time, both sets were in situ and fully fitted.
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Andy and Andy get to grips with fitting the newly refurbished cab steps.
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Elsewhere, it was good to see the level of progress on the 'McRat' since I had last been present.
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| Through the keyhole...Class 26 style! Some nicely painted water and oil pipes. |
In between assisting with the shunt, Tim was busy in the engine room of 47376 'Freightliner 1995' which continues to have work done within the engine room. Most of which is necessitating the use of the needle gun. It is hoped to have 47105 in the David Page shed in the coming weeks so that the water tank can be welded. This is needed should the boiler be refitted and reinstated, which, I believe, is the long term plan.
On the DMU side, work has been ongoing in the last few weeks to get the 3-Car Class 117 set ready for it's upcoming workload. Previously, mention had been given to the issues with one of the engines on W51405. This was thought to be corrected, however, it reared it's ugly head again on Wednesday with the set ending the day on 3 of it's 4 engines. Spare Class 117 DMS, W51360, has acquired a set of impromptu 'speed whiskers' while it awaits attention to bring it back into operational use.
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| Where have these materialised from? Personally, I quite liked it in blue as it could be paired with the other BR Blue DMS, W51372 that is also awaiting further attention. (GWSR DMU Facebook Page) |
Ideally, though, I would like to see the Class 117 3-car in this........
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| L425's sister set, L418 at Windsor in 1980 in the fetching 'blue stripe' livery. (Copyrights listed on print) |
....however, this is just personal choice. As I am not a member of the owning group I have no influence over those types of matters; but it would be nice! 😉
The DMS and the 'bubble car', W55003 have both had their air pressure tests conducted and their tanks examined. Both passed so that's another tick in the box.
Loco Roster:
|
Date |
TT |
Rostered Loco |
|
08 Oct 2022 |
|
37215 |
|
09 Oct 2022 |
|
55019 |
|
11 Oct 2022 |
|
L425 |
|
12 Oct 2022 |
|
L425 |
|
13 Oct 2022 |
|
L425 |
|
15 Oct 2022 |
|
20137 |
|
16 Oct 2022 |
|
L425 |
|
18 Oct 2022 |
|
L425 |
|
19 Oct 2022 |
|
L425 |
|
20 Oct 2022 |
|
L425 |
|
22 Oct 2022 |
|
47105 |
|
23 Oct 2022 |
|
5081 |
|
25 Oct 2022 |
|
20137 |
|
26 Oct 2022 |
|
20137 |
|
27 Oct 2022 |
|
37215 |
|
29 Oct 2022 |
Mixed
Traction Gala |
47105, 47376, 55019, L425 |
|
30 Oct 2022 |
Mixed
Traction Gala |
20137, 37215, 55019, L425 |
