Like buses....

You wait ages for a blog entry, and then two come along together! Well, a week apart, but it has been a while since I was able to do that. However, I was able to get up to Toddington on Wednesday, 14th December to see what was happening. 

Of course, overnight on the Monday, some parts of the UK had a reminder of what snow looks like - Gloucestershire being one of the areas to get the biggest reminder! Down here in sub-tropical North Somerset we had no such luck! 

With the added cold temperatures, come Wednesday, no thaw had occurred in the snow hit areas so on arrival at Toddington I was under no illusions that I was probably the only person mad enough to try and make the journey! It was quite a surprise to follow three other cars through the gates and into the snow covered car park that contained a number of other cars. Happily, I wasn't the only one from the Diesel Department, either. 

The cars odometer was telling me that the outside temperature was -2c and it did not get into positive numbers all day. In fact, by the time we left at around 4pm, it was getting increasingly foggy and the temperature was already -7c.

Toddington Car Park at 4pm. -7c on the thermometer and a closing fog. You can only just make out the Flag and Whistle and the station building off to the right! 

Later in the evening, one of our department members who lives in a village near to Toddington posted a photo of his garden thermometer on Facebook - it read -12c!! 

Not a surprise that the Santa Trains had been affected on the weekend, with the final ones on the Sunday being cancelled. Unlike on the mainline, we don't have the luxury of point and signal heaters (nor the financial requirements to have them fitted or to use them!) so extreme cold weather is not only hazardous to the staff and public from a safety point of view but also from an infrastructure point of view, and, of course, safety should always come first. 

However, the views from the Diesel Mess, and the surrounding area to the railway, gave things a very wintery feel and there were plenty of sights to get camera lenses snapping for that 'Christmas Card' shot. 

An assortment of diesel parts in the snow for the mechanic at Christmas, and..... 

...a look across the Narrow Gauge for the dendrophile in your life!

I think I'll stick to the day job!

Down in the yard, several members of the Steam Department had already got the braziers going to try and unfreeze some of the water pipes so that they could prep the two engines in use on the Santa Trains over the weekend. Meanwhile, the diesel fleet was coping well with the sub-zero temperatures. Most of the mainline fleet are kept under cover but Class 45, 45149 and Class 20, 20137 were both outside. Both locos have been winterised so have sufficient levels of anti-freeze to prevent burst pipes caused by the low temperatures, and have been drained of other fluids that could freeze and damage pipework. Frost damage is always a worry, however, so if this cold weather is prolonged then we may have to put them under protective sheeting. One eye will be on the weather forecasts for the next week or so. 

A snow capped 'Peak'! 45149 sits outside the diesel shed with a layer of accompanying snow. 

In the shed, which was also showing below zero temperatures on the thermometer, Class 26 D5343 was showing the effects of it's further cull of rotten metal work - some of which was still lying on one of the workbenches.

Part of the removed cab front. You can see how much welding and overlaying had gone on previously.

As mentioned in the previous blog post, the 'McRat' had had more metal stripped away as the cab front at no. 2 end had evidence of previous damage and had had a pretty speedy repair whilst in BR service. On further inspection this showed up as being in need of serious rectification and, if the rest of the loco was receiving a particular level of bodywork repair, then the rest of the loco should have the same. 

Another piece of removed cab front showing one of the headlight lenses and the bolt holes for the head code plates. You can also see part of the multiple working holster below. 

The removal of the first lot of steel identified some more elements of collision damage, including one area on the buffer beam that had caused a one side to droop slightly.

In this photo from Tony Richards, you can clearly see the droop in the solebar.   

The droop isn't major as it hasn't affected the integrity of the buffer beam, but it does mean that a small work around will be needed when welding the new steel to the frame. From the picture, you can also see where some of the brackets that hold the pipework in place have corroded to a point that they are no longer secure. This will also need to be rectified. 

Taken on the 19th Dec as a comparison to Tony's photo above from the other side of the buffer. 

From the photo above you can clearly see the bracket that has corroded and is now free floating just behind the corroded door stanchion. This should all be secured to the buffer beam but has been eaten away over time and will need replacing and securing. BRCW locomotives were notorious for not being particularly water-tight and, in this instance, any water may have pooled in this area causing the deterioration in the steel. 

The door stanchions on both sides are almost 'free-floating'! You can see where the air brake pipes were routed in the 1980s.

Originally, Class 26s were based on the Eastern Region and, like a lot of the 'Modernisation Plan' locos, were fitted with interconnecting doors. to allow drivers to walk between two locos when working in tandem or multiple together. Class 25's, 27's, 31s and early build Class 37s were all built with them. By the refurbishment programs of the 1970s and 1980s these were removed. In the case of the Class 26's, these were removed so that air brakes could be fitted. On the photo above you can see where the pipes were routed between the cab door and loco front as well as the step that the corridor would lead from. 

If you want to see what it looked like from within the cab, you can visit this website by Colin J. Marsden - http://www.dawlishtrains.com/cabs-loco-class-21-46.html

More metal work removed around the cab sides and front. 

Handrails have now been removed along with the cab side plate. It just demonstrates how unprotected Drivers and other crew really were in the event of a collision. 

After the brief walk around, I was joined by Keith R, Paul C and John G as the 'Wednesday Gang'. The previous Wednesday had seen work on D6948 continue with the timing chain having some rectification work whilst the remaining ancillary equipment was reconnected after the locos lift. This meant that things had been pretty much completed last week bar a few last bits, including reattaching the speedometer equipment. Myself, Paul and Keith made a start on that. A fairly simple job to do, but one that can be a little fiddly. You have to be mindful that the main cable does not stick out from the bogie too far, otherwise it could get caught on something, but also that the electrical cables that run through the main cable don't get pinched once attached to their terminals and the cap is replaced. 

Keep an eye on where Keith wants the cables, Paul! 

With it being so bitingly cold, the warmth of the mess room, and a cup of tea/coffee, was always a big draw and nothing to do with the amazing sponge that Mrs. C had baked for us!

Fresh cream and jam sponge.....and very nice it was, too!! 

Normally, cake was always the preserve of a special occasion within the department whereas, some of our colleagues in other departments were practically spoilt for cake! In fact, our P'Way department would almost be ready to down tools if there was no cake provided by the wife of the, then Head of the P'Way Department, Nigel! 

Also in the mess room were a number of old editions of 'The Cornishman'. This is the quarterly magazine of the railway that you can obtain as a member of the GWSR or if you purchase them at Toddington. In one of them was a very nice little article giving the story of the extraction of our Class 03 shunter, D2182, from it's previous life as a playground exhibit in Leamington and it's arrival for restoration at Toddington. 

Edition No. 44 of 'The Cornishman' from 1993. Looks a lot different to the 2022 version.

Part 1 of D2182's liberation. 

Part 2 of D2182's liberation and arrival at Toddington. 

The happy ending with D2182 is that you can find it permanently based at Winchcombe as the dedicated C&W shunter, and in a much better condition than in 1993!

D2182 in all it's finery.

It is rumoured that a start maybe on the cards for D6948 within the next couple of weeks to see if everything is working correctly before a full test can be undertaken. However, sister loco, 37215, is scheduled to work the last four days of the running season; two at the very end of December and the first two days of January 2023. With this in mind, the four of use gave the loco a run over to see if there was anything that was needing topping up or needed attention before being readied for service. Everything seemed to be where we had left it and the fluid levels were good, so it was a case of hooking the loco up to the battery charger just to keep them topped up and ready for action.

By about 3pm the temperature was dropping rapidly and the fog was starting to roll down. The anticipated deep freeze would make driving hard enough, so we decided to quit whilst we were ahead and leave before darkness added another sensory-defying challenge. 

2023

We may not have concluded the 2022 timetable yet, but the 2023 timetable has now been released by the Commercial Team. Safe to say there are not many surprises and the diesels have a similar amount of running as in 2022. It had been hoped that there might have been a bit of an increase in the amount of all-day running for the mainline diesels but, apart from an extra few PINK timetables on Sundays, most of the running is restricted to the PURPLE and new, RED timetable - essentially an off-peak version of the PURPLE timetable - which will see the locos on the last round trip of the day. The DMU will get a few more outings this year on the BLUE timetables and a new, GREEN timetable. 

One big change (and, not entirely popular!) is that the Diesel Gala has been moved from its usual end of July slot and will now take place over the 7, 8 and 9 of July 2023.  Why this has happened, we aren't entirely sure, but we still aim to put on the same extravaganza of Diesel traction that we do every year. As far as we are aware, there are no clashes with other Diesel Galas and, hopefully, that will still be the case come later in 2023! We also hope it will not have an affect on securing a guest loco or two.

Finally, as it is rapidly approaching, here is wishing all that read this blog, the Twitter account as well as support the Diesel Department as a whole, a fantastic Christmas and New Year! Hopefully we will see you all on the Diesel running between the 27th Dec and 2nd January where we have 47105 (27/28/29 Dec) and 37215 (30/31 Dec, 01/02 Jan) operating on the PURPLE timetable.  

Original photo by Richard Drewitt.

       

Plans only get you so far!

Winter has definitely hit the GWSR with a vengeance over the last week with incredibly low temperatures and the first dosing of the white stuff, which is making the Santa Trains even more festive than usual. However, that comes with its own trials of trying to keep the trains running, trying to stop things from freezing and, because of where the GWSR is situated and that a lot of volunteers are not 'local', just getting to/from the railway safely can be quite a challenge. Sadly, it did mean that services yesterday (11 Dec) were cancelled - a decision not taken lightly. 

Sometime in the latter 2000s, 47376 'Freightliner 1995' sits on the Parlour Road under a blanket of snow. (Courtesy of Richard Drewitt)

Although not common, the GWSR is no stranger to extreme winter weather. Frost is usually the biggest issue we have to deal with during the Winter months, but snow does occasionally wreak its havoc. 

With the diesel fleet now not in use until the end of December for one last fling for 2022, most locos are safely undercover and only having to deal with the cold temperatures - although, these can cause their own problems for those under cover. Damp and condensation for instance. 

That said, the cold hasn't stopped the intrepid members of the department from continuing with the maintenance schedules for the fleet. Class 37, D6948 continues its reinstatement after the body lift and repairs. After completion of the lift things have moved on to getting everything reconnected electrically and mechanically, as well as some work needing to be completed on the timing chain. At the end of November the brake rigging was reconnected on the wheelsets. This includes balancing the pressures in the pistons so that the forces applied to each wheel are as even as possible when brakes are applied. The last thing you want to happen is to apply the brakes and either nothing happen or you get so much force that the wheels lock. Having assisted when the brakes on 37215 and 5081 were reconnected after their subsequent body lifts, it is a vitally important job and one that requires a lot of patience to get right. 

Paul Good, Growler Group Chairman and Technical Officer, instructs Keith R, Kev J and Andy D a crash course in refitting and resetting the brake rigging on D6948. (Courtesy of Kev Jarvis) 

In the department we are very lucky to have a number of people who have substantial knowledge of the locomotives we work with. Paul Good is just one of those and, after a career with British Rail based at Plymouth Laira and Cardiff Canton, what Paul doesn't know about Class 37s isn't necessarily worth knowing and, it is always a pleasure to watch and learn from him - even if you are a mechanical idiot, like myself!

D6948 back in its temporary lodgings in the David Page shed. Replace the 'Merchant Navy' with GWR 2-8-0, 4270, and you could almost believe that this was somewhere like Tondu shed in South Wales in 1964! (Courtesy of Kev Jarvis)

D6948 still has a number of jobs outstanding before it will be ready for testing. This includes some work on the timing chain as this has become stretched and out of tolerance, the electrical systems need to be reconnected and tested and then there is the small matter of the B Exam. It is still hoped that the loco will be back in service for the start of the 2023 season. 

Sister loco, 37215 is scheduled to work some of the services after Xmas (the roster for those dates is below) and so the major works to complete will wait until January. As mentioned in the last edition, the loco will have its OLEO round buffers removed as these have started to show evidence of expiration on some of the internal parts and these will be sent away (along with a number of other sets of buffers) for complete overhaul. So that we can still shunt the loco safely, and continue to use the loco if needed, a spare set of oval buffers has been sourced and given a spruce up ready to be fitted. 

Two of the newly painted buffers that will be temporarily fitted to 37215 whilst the OLEO buffers are sent away for overhaul. (Author)

The loco is not a stranger to oval buffers as it was fitted with them in the latter part of the 1980s when still based at Tinsley, although the domino headcode had, by now, been plated over. 

37215 at it's, then, home depot of Tinsley TMD in 1987 complete with oval buffers. (Courtesy of the Growler Group Website/Dean Tabor?)

The Winter break will also allow the Group to look at removing the leaking compressors and replacing them with the newly overhauled versions that have been returned. 

After having an extended run of operation at the end of October, the DMU Team have now set about prepping the groups vehicles for 2023. With no Santa DMU services this year it gives the group a longer time to get some of the 'sticking plaster' jobs completed and off the 'to-do' list. One of these jobs was to finish the installation of a new brake feed valve on DMS W51405. 

The new feed valve in situ on W51405. (Courtesy of the GWSR DMU Twitter)

Having been somewhat neglected whilst work was focussed on the 'bubble car', spare Class 117 DMBS, W51360 has been sat in the yard for some time with little work conducted on it. However,  with L425 having it's time in the autumnal sun, the group were able to give the power car some much needed TLC. Starting with a semi repaint into BR Green, some of the mechanical repairs have also been conducted to bring it back into running order. 

One of the issues revolved around poor vacuum retention, so with the opportunity to get W51360 over a pit, it was identified that some of the parts had perished or were expired. 

One of the life expired fittings was this vacuum pipe. This, along with other damaged or expired items were replaced. (Courtesy of the GWSR DMU Twitter)

With the expired parts removed and replaced the brake system was retested and able to retain vacuum sufficiently. With the brakes also tested on L425, and a reshuffle of siding 2 required, an opportunity was taken to have all four serviceable vehicle coupled together to test the brake continuity and electrical system integrity. Safe to say that it was a success and, despite a set of jumper cables requiring replacement, the vehicles all did what was needed and the DMU ran as a 4-car around the yard. 

All four operational DMU vehicles sit in the headshunt as they are shunted around the yard. W51360 is nearest the camera. (Courtesy of the GWSR DMU Twitter)

The 'bubble car' is not being neglected as work continues on the internal fittings and on some external fettling.

Class 122, W55003 and Class 117, W51360 over the pits at Toddington. (Courtesy of the GWSR DMU Twitter)

Class 26, D5343 remains in the diesel shed as the systematic cannibalising of the body continues. Despite the best laid plans, the more steel is removed the bigger the corrosion issues seem to extend. This past few weeks has seen attention focussed on No. 2 end cab. After initially removing the driver side cab panel, it was identified that the main pillar had sustained damage and the repair had been a bit of a quick fix - literally, skinned over! 

From back on the 12 Nov, the removal of the cab side plate revealed this nice looking dent. (Author)

With this dent in the pillar exposed, a look at the cab front itself showed that it had had at least two previous skins - some of which were still extant behind the newest skin. 

Fast forward to this past week and, armed with his new Plasma Cutter, Dave S, has revealed a lot more evidence of collision damage and rushed repairs from the loco's BR days. This included a bend in the solebar on the Secondman's side of the cab. 

With further plate removed above the solebar, you can clearly see the curve of the solebar underneath the lamp bracket which shows further evidence of collision damage. The steel should be straight and level! (Courtesy of Tony Richards)

One bonus of stripping the steel back so much is that you can now get access to all the pipe work that would usually be hidden. Despite the state of the body work, the pipe work is actually is reasonable condition.

From inside the cab you can see the array of pipework that the has become exposed after removal of the steel work. (Courtesy of Tony Richards)

Further plate was removed from the Driver's side, as well as the corroded and buckled pillar by Dave S and his trusty cutter.

Have plasma cutter....will cut! The job has now gone from replacing some life expired plate to complete surgery. The pillar has been about 60% removed (you can still see the buckle) and you can see how thin the skin is around the cab. You can also see how straight the sole bar should be compared to the Secondman side. (Courtesy of Tony Richards)

As you can see, this has become quite a major job now and will see the cab almost completely rebuilt with new steel. Whether No. 1 cab will be treated to the same level of work is yet to be decided, but if it is, then we could see the plans for D5343 to be back service in 2023 pushed back - especially if no. 1 end is on a par with no. 2 end. 

After decimating the cab, Dave S gets to work on the door frames. (Courtesy of Tony Richards)

At the end of the day, however, doing a thorough job now will only benefit the loco and the owning group moving forward even if it does see the loco out of service for a while longer. 

Whilst Dave was busy on the cabs, Simon T put the finishing touches to the last bit of new steel on the body side of the loco. 

Simon smooths down the final piece of new plate that had been added to the bodyside. (Courtesy of Tony Richards)

Loco Roster

The post-Xmas running day roster has been finalised with both 37215 and 47105 rostered for the diesel turns for the last hurrah of 2022. We will see the PURPLE timetable in use on all days which means that there is just the one diesel turn on each day. The timings are:

1510 Toddington - Broadway (Tail Loco) 

1530 Broadway - Cheltenham Racecourse

1640 Cheltenham Racecourse - Toddington.

The allocations are:

Date	TT	Loco Allocated
27 December 2022		47105
28 December 2022		47105
29 December 2022		47105
30 December 2022		37215
31 December 2022		37215
1 January 2023		37215
2 January 2023		37215

The timetable for 2023 is being finalised and should be released in January. 

Finally, as I sit here typing, I have been reminded that today (12th December) is the 34th anniversary of one of the worst rail disasters in modern railway history.....Clapham. At 0810 on 12 December 1988, a crowded commuter train ran into the back of another commuter train that was stationary at a Red signal. This caused the vehicles to derail and block the narrow formation on the approach to Clapham Junction station. Two more commuter trains were to hit the derailed vehicles before signallers could put blocks on all lines and stop services. 35 people lost their lives and 484 were injured on that dreadful day and a reminder that cost cutting should never come before safety and system integrity.