October already!! Where has the year gone? Actually, probably best not to contemplate the answers to that particular question but, what it does mean is that we are nearly at the end of another running season at the GWSR and the department is now looking forward to the winter shutdown. However, before we break out the spanners and heavy equipment for the bigger maintenance projects, we have one last hurrah with the 'Autumn Showcase' - our end of season mixed traffic gala.
Saturday 28th October will see three of our Sulzer-engined locomotives in use - Class 25, 5081, and Class 47's, 47105 and 47376 'Freightliner 1995'. Sunday 29th will see three of our English Electric-engined locomotives take over - Class 20, 20137, and Class 37's, 37215 and D6948. A veritable feast for everyone! Our Class 117 DMU will also be in use on both days.
This year will see a fair bit on offer for the enthusiast, beyond the mileage. Cab rides are available on a limited and ticketed basis, as well as a diesel-hauled freight on both days. There will also be the usual attractions including shed tours, trade stands and cab visits. Everything you need to know can be found here ===>> https://www.gwsr.com/galas/autumn-showcase Hopefully we will see a good number of you there!
During October the DMU will be the primary diesel motive power, with the odd mainline loco used on a weekend. Beyond that, we have the Xmas/New Year traditional running (or, Mince Pie Specials) and then it's the long wait until March and the start of the new season.
However, things have been pretty busy since the last tome at the beginning of September. As far as running goes, the Diesel crews have had some additional running, covering for gaps in the Steam Department roster, as well as the normal running we have during the month. However, one special occasion we had was the 25th Anniversary of 37215 entering revenue earning service after entering preservation. On the 26th September 1998, 37215 worked it's first revenue earning service from Toddington to Gotherington after 4 years of restoration.
 |
| 37215 sits on the rails at Toddington yard on the day of its arrival from Inverness TMD on 24/06/94. (Courtesy of Dean Tabor) |
The loco had been started up for the first time in the April of 1998 and, with everything being successful, the loco was entered to run for the first time on the 26th September of that year.
 |
| And.......contact! 37215 starts up outside of the the old Goods Shed, what is now the Machine Shop. (Courtesy of Kev Jarvis) |
So, on Sunday 24th September 2023 the loco roster was fixed to have 37215 operating the PINK TT in celebration.
 | |
| Under rain-filled sky and with dominoes glowing, 37215 sits at Toddington during the brake test on 24/09/23. | |
Sadly, the weather wasn't going to play ball and during the prep it was wall to wall showers and wind. Not a great way to start. However, it did brighten up later in the day to shed some brightness on the celebration. Prep did throw up a little issue with '215' and one of its 'new' compressors. The crew on Saturday noticed that the loco had 'thrown out' some nasty looking stuff from its Spirax valves at no. 1 end over Friday night - some of which had coated the bogie on the Driver's side. It had done the same over the Saturday night.
 |
| Yuck!! And, that was post clean up! |
An emulsified mixture of oil and water moisture that had been pushed through the air system. GG Chairman and Tech Officer, Paul Good, was taking part in the celebration and he was able to have a look and diagnose an issue with the top compressor, which was pushing oil through into the air system from somewhere (it was using up a huge amount of oil and over-running during the day). Although not a showstopper, the fact that this was a freshly overhauled compressor, was recently fitted and would probably mean the compressor being removed again, left a bit of a sour taste in the mouth. Further investigation would take place on the following Wednesday.
Before leaving shed on the Sunday, we were joined by a special 'guest'. One of our Steam colleagues, James, who also looks after our DMUs, is the custodian of West Midlands Railway's Soho DEMUD mascot, 'Hunslet the Bear' and James had arrived with Hunslet for a day out. James is also a Shift Manager at Soho DEMUD and keeps a blog on 'X' following the escapades of Soho Depot, Hunslet and his paramore, Millsie. You can follow them here ===>> https://twitter.com/HunsletTheBear
 |
| 'Hunslet' got to push the start button - his first time on a '37'. |
'Hunslet' asked if he could come out on the first trip as he had never 'cabbed' a '37' before as Class 08 shunters are his favourite apparently, so we were only happy to oblige.
 |
| One excited bear! |
Having 'Hunslet' on board meant that we would get all manner of strange looks from the station staff as we arrived at our stops, but also meant that we got a lot of interest from members of the public wanting to know who he was and why he was here!
 |
| Enthralled! |
After the first round trip, a very excited bear was handed back so he could get in on the shunter action in Toddington Yard. Class 04, D2280 was busy moving around various items of rolling stock in the yard, including Class 117 DMBS, W51372 which is now up for sale. It would then take a trip up into the North Siding with one of the goods wagons.
 |
| Early afternoon at Broadway and the weather is starting to become more favourable. |
During the second round trip the weather started to break and flashes of sun and blue sky were now making an appearance. Sadly though, loadings on both trains were disappointing - I guess the weather put a lot of people off. But, we were still going to have fun!
 |
| Getting ready for the final round trip and the grey has now turned to a very bright blue and white. |
 |
| The Broadway Shuttle Bus was there to greet us as we arrived at Broadway. A great use for an old LT Routemaster. |
Next up is the collective 60th birthday of both Class 37s and plans are afoot for a celebration event. We''ll, of course, keep you posted.
Work continues on getting Class 20, 20228 fit for traffic in 2024. Owner Steve M has been busy with the side doors that contain the air vents. '228' was the first of the second batch of Class 20s to be built in 1966, and there are a number of small differences between the first and second batches. As '228' was the first of the second batch, it has its own little idiosyncrasies and differences. With the side doors, they are fitted with different hinge components and these have needed fettling to allow the doors to close flush to the body. New filters have been fitted and preparations are being made to allow the re-fitting of an exhauster.
 |
| New filters added to 20228. The doors have also been treated to a new coat of BR Blue to match the original shade. |
The exhausters were removed from the four Class 20s that were sent to France in the early 1990s as they were not required and reduced the weight of the loco. In order for it to operate passenger services on its own, the exhauster needs to be refitted. However, as you will have seen from the last blog, the two Class 20s are able to operate in multiple after a successful test. Steve has also conducted a bit more painting to ensure that all the blue paint is the same shade.
Our Class 45, 45149 will operate its final services later in the month before it is winterised. An ongoing issue with a blower motor means that it will need to be removed from service and the nose cover removed allowing access to the motor and its removal. The time out of traffic will also allow a few other long standing faults to be rectified given that the overhaul on Class 26, D5343 is well advanced.
 |
| The 'Peak' being used as a super-shunter back in March 2023. |
More work continues on the Class 26 with the metal work around the cabs being at an advanced stage. No. 1 cab has had similar treatment to no.2 end with a lot of the lower metal work needing removal.
 |
| The Driver's side of D5343 with the cabside plate removed as well as the lower cab front. |
On the Driver's side of the cab front, as you can see from the picture above, the crash pillar has been partially replaced and new sills fitted to the buffer beam. Unlike at no. 2 end, the buffer beam and sole bar at this end is not damaged. Its also obvious that the old gangway connection is also not as badly rusted as it was at no. 2 end.
 |
| The metal work around the old corridor connection is in much better condition than at the other end. |
On the Secondman's side of the cab, the cab panel has been removed as well as has the lower cab front. The crash pillar on this side has been completely replaced with new steel. The new sills have also been fitted ready for securing the new cab front.
 |
| The Secondman's side and the new steel is clearly visible. You can also just about read the notes on the cab front. |
No. 2 end is still seeing some work conducted. The recesses for the white lights have been fashioned and await the installing of the light units. There is also some welding to do including the welding of the new multiple working housing into the correct place.
 |
| D5343's no. 2 end with new light recess and lamp bracket. |
Away from the cab fronts, work continues externally on the wheel sets and external pipe work.
 |
| Some of the external air pipes cleaned back to bare metal and ready for primer. |
 |
| No. 2 end wheel set has been needle-gunned back to bare metal and primer applied in patches. |
The cabs are also receiving a lot of attention, with pipework being repainted before the floors will be replaced and new cab decoration applied.
Fast forward to the 27 September and the Wednesday Gang was split for different tasks. Our new HoD, Dave Stanton, along with his predecessor, Andy D, were busy continuing with their handover and spent most of the day running around doing various tasks. Phil B and Hugh J were busy bending their backs digging a new drainage trench next to the shed door, whilst myself, Keith R and Andy T made a start on trying to clear the air system on 37215. More gunge had been expelled from the Spirax valves and, after speaking with Paul G, it was decided to 'blow down' the air system to try and get as much oil and water out as possible. This was to try and minimise the damage that this might be causing to the diaphragms and filters that make up parts of the air system.
 |
| Cleaning up the gunge....again! |
Rather than start the loco up and build main reservoir pressure, we decided that we would just build the pressure off the shed compressor.
 |
| '215' attached to the shore air supply to build the main res pressure. |
After building the pressure to about 80 psi, the Spirax valves at no. 1 end all started to pop and more gunk was expelled. We continued this until the valves were just expelling air before I went into the engine room to release some of the pressure from the tanks to see if the gunge had made it through the whole of the air system.
 |
| Not a clear picture, but under each tank is a release valve. These were opened slowly to see if any gunge came through beneath the loco. |
No further gunge was expelled so we were happy that it had not gone through the loco and was contained at the no. 1 end. It was agreed that the top compressor would be isolated for the remaining running days - Class 37s can operate perfectly well on one compressor - and then the compressor removed to try to find out where the oil was passing into the air system. Just what we want to do only 4 months from fitting them! With that job ticked off, Keith then wandered off down the yard to Class 117 DMS, W51405 which had been placed over the old diesel pit.
 |
| Keith happily reacquaints himself with a Leyland 680 engine. |
Keith has been assisting the DMU group with the fault finding on the engines of '405' as he has experience of working on the Leyland 680 engines from his time as a bus mechanic. The DMS has been taken out of traffic as both engines have failed - this particular engine has been declared a failure as it was found to be passing metal shavings through the compressor when being given its B Examination back in the spring.
As maintenance loads on the locos has been fairly light - one of the joys of well looked after locomotives - a list of general tasks has appeared on the whiteboard in the mess room. One of these was to clean some of the spare rocker covers we have in stores. So, after lunch, I made a start on them.
 |
| The first of the rocker covers to clean. A nice heady mix of dirt, oil and rust! |
It always good to have a set of spares in good condition as you never know when you might need them, and rather be ready than chasing your tail when something does go wrong. This particular one seems to have come from a locomotive that I saw regularly when it was a member of the St. Blazey china clay pool......
 |
| Ex-37413, a loco that used to pass through Bristol on a regular basis on the St. Blazey - Cliffe Vale or Burngullow - Irvine china clays when based at St. Blazey. |
Our Brush Type 4s haven't been neglected (neither have 5081 or 20137).....far from it, but I just haven't been around on the days that working parties take place. Both 47105 and 47376 are serviceable and have had running maintenance as required. Another consequence of having such well-looked after locos is that you are left with the mundane work to speak about....however, the unseen is often the most important work that we do as volunteers!
On to the loco roster for October and November. As you can see, the season is winding down so, opportunities to visit and ride behind the locos is diminishing until the 2024 season. Usual caveats apply on loco availability. Keep an eye on the socials, as we may end up with last minute changes due to crew availability or failures.
|
Date |
TT |
Loco(s) Rostered |
|
Sat 07 Oct |
|
45149 |
|
Sun 08 Oct |
|
L425 |
|
Tues 10 Oct |
|
L425 |
|
Weds 11 Oct |
|
L425 |
|
Thurs 12 Oct |
|
L425 |
|
Sat 14 Oct |
|
L425 |
|
Sun 15 Oct |
|
L425 |
|
Tues 17 Oct |
|
L425 |
|
Weds 18 Oct |
|
L425 |
|
Thurs 19 Oct |
|
L425 |
|
Sat 21 Oct |
|
L425 |
|
Sun 22 Oct |
|
L425 |
|
Tues 24 Oct |
|
37215 |
|
Weds 25 Oct |
|
37215 |
|
Thurs 26 Oct |
|
37215 |
|
Sat 28 Oct |
|
Autumn Showcase – 5081, 47105, 47376, L425 |
|
Sun 29 Oct |
|
Autumn Showcase – 20137, 37215, D6948, L425 |
|
Tues 31 Oct |
|
47376 |
|
Weds 1 Nov |
|
47376 |
|
Thurs 2 Nov |
|
37215 |
|
Sat 4 Nov |
|
47105 |
|
Sun 5 Nov |
|
L425 |
