It never ceases to amaze just how much can be achieved in three weeks in preservation and the last three weeks have certainly been indicative of how things can fall into place quickly. Sadly, I haven't been around to witness most at first hand so have had to rely on a network of 'spies' and social media to keep up to speed with developments across the department. This has also meant that there are not as many photos as usual. My apologies in advance.
Firstly, we trek back to the 2nd April. As I mentioned in my previous blog,
45149 had been rostered to operate the
PURPLE timetable however, it was replaced at short notice by
47376 '
Freighliner 1995'. The 'Peak' had not received its B Exam ready for the new running season and was removed from the roster until it could be completed. However, the plan for the Brush Type 4 to replace it for the 2nd and 4th April was scuppered on the return from Cheltenham Racecourse when it lost power at Winchcombe. Cue a rescue by our colleagues in the Steam Department and '
Foremarke Hall' which had just arrived at Toddington (from Broadway) when the rescue call went out and, luckily, was still in steam rather than fire up another diesel. We are quite lucky at the GWSR that locomotive failures are quite rare on both sides of the Motive Power Department. The Brush Type 4 had suffered a Load Regulator failure meaning that current couldn't be transfered to the Traction Motors efficiently enough to move the locomotive.
37215 was hastily rostered to work the services for the rest of the week while the Brush Type 4 group (owners of
47376) arranged replacement of the damaged equipment ready for the loco to work its rostered services on the
PINK timetable over the weekend of 14th/15th April, thus being the first loco from the diesel department to run a public passenger service into Broadway station. The repairs were completed in time and the loco worked as rostered.
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| 47376 'Freighliner 1995' passes Buckland on the first, public diesel hauled service from Broadway (1050 to Cheltenham Racecourse) on the 14/04/2018. (Courtesy of Malcolm Ranieri) |
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| Departing Toddington heading up the extension to Broadway on 14/04/2018. (Courtesy of Malcolm Ranieri) |
I was rostered Secondman on the loco on the Sunday, getting my first taste of a full service train over the extension. The '47' performed well throughout the day, making light work of the new 8-coach rakes. In the glorious April sunshine the new station looked impressive, some excellent views, and the formation being testament to the skill of our follow volunteers in the P'Way Department.
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| The view forward from Broadway. 15/04/2018. |
Briefly travelling back a week, Sunday the 8th April saw a lot of activity at Toddington MPD. Having been pulled out of service 'Peak',
45149 was shunted over the pit on Road 9 to undergo it's B Exam. Mark B and Andy D took on this mammoth task on the 139 tonne loco. The pit isn't the most salubrious of places to work - least of all when it is raining - but, with the DMU fouling the Parlour Road, the steam locos were using these pits for disposal as well! Nice!
A 'B Exam' would, under British Rail standards and depending on Class, normally be conducted every 250 or so engine hours. This is the length of time the engine has been running and is indicated by a clock, usually found in one of the cabs. In preservation with locomotives running less frequently the exam 'clock' doesn't really apply so a more applicable routine is needed. At the GWSR an 'A Exam' - a basic, in service exam, that is similar to a minor service on a car - would be conducted mid-running season to check that all major components are in place and running appropriately. A 'B Exam' is more is tune with an MOT and major service on your car and would take place at the beginning of the running season prior to a loco entering service. Also called a 'Fitness to Run' exam, this exam will look across all areas of the locomotive and will take in fault rectification, brake block checks and adjustment/replacement and, changing of filters, wipers and other consumables.
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| Andy D receives instruction from under the loco courtesy of Mark B. 08/04/2018. |
Both of our Class 04 shunters were receiving some TLC on Road 8. 11230 has always had a recurring problem with its batteries not holding a lot of charge as well as a long running issue with its gearing. With the new Class 04,
D2280, now on site a comparison could be made to see whether there was any physical issues. It also afforded the owner of the new arrival to continue with the restoration.
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| Spot the difference!!! BR Class 04, D2280, and its near identical, industrial sister, 11230. |
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| The Gardner 8-cyl, 4-stroke 8L3 prime mover fitted to both D2280 and 11230. It develops 204hp at 1200 rpm, connected to a Wilson-Drewry CA5 R7, 5-speed epicyclic gearbox. |
The first bogie overhaul is nearing completion for Class 24,
5081. The springs are now all in place and the bogie has had the supporting chocks removed. The brake rigging is nearing full fitting and, by the 15th April, most of the top coat had been applied. This only leaves the Traction Motors and mounting plate to be replaced (requiring heavy lifting) before the brake blocks and calibration can take place. It is then on to removing the 2nd bogie for the same treatment. It is likely that the Class 24 will be back in service during 2019.
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| Pic #1 taken on 08/04 shows the bogie still jacked up as the brake rigging is almost fully refitted. |
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| Pic #2 taken on a week later on the 15/04 and the bogie is now resting on its new springs with all four brake cylinders in place. Slack adjusters are just out of shot awaiting fitting. |
Steve M was busy attending to his Class 20,
D8137, over the weekend completing some minor repairs prior to completing the loco's B Exam ready for its first rostered turns over the weekend 21st and 22nd April - again on the
PINK timetable. The Class 20 was , along with Steve's other loco
E6036, the first locos to arrive at the new Broadway station way back in December 2017 when employed on the P'Way trains. The Class 20 has enjoyed its winter slumbers since then and needed a fitness to run exam prior to resuming passenger duties. Steve was able to complete all of the required B Exam during the day ready for the Class 20's rostered duties. All that remained was to give it a wash and spruce up, which was completed the following weekend.
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| Steve and Andy discuss moving D8137 outside to continue its B Exam on 08/04/2018 |
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| After being shunted outside, D8137's B Exam can continue. 08/04/2018 |
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| On the 15/04, D8137 gets a wash and brush up in the April sunshine. |
Also on the 8th April, Dean and I were given the task of giving Class 37,
D6948, a much needed clean. Not the most glamorous of jobs, but having been used during the early part of the season on passenger and ballast jobs, the Green Machine had been covered in a lot of dust and dirt. Luckily, most of it rubbed off with a damp cloth however, the roof area around the boiler exhaust had been dowsed in a coating of dried, brown boiler water. This needed a bit more elbow grease - courtesy of Dean - to remove. With the loco not due for use for another couple of months there will, no doubt, be another cleaning required before then.
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| Not the most flattering of shots - Dean gets to grips with D6948's roof. |
Elsewhere, 'Doctor' George was out and about working on the DMU fleet. On the 15/04, George could be found working on the both DMBS vehicles,
W51360 and
W51363 running up all four Leyland engines ready for its first rostered turns to/from Broadway. No major faults were found and the unit was run up and down Siding 1 at Toddington to check for any faults. Over the recent weekend (21st and 22nd April) the 3-car unit took a back seat as more work progressed on the 'Bubble' car. With the weather fine and the body work pretty much complete,
W55003 made a sojourn into the yard at Toddington. The Class 122 was placed over the pit on Road 8 to check for any underframe issues and to complete the underframe exam. Both engines were also started up to check for any fiurther issues after their rebuilds. With everything running satisfactorily, George took the decision to see if the 'Bubble' would take power from the rebuilt souther-facing cab. You can find out if it did or didn't on the CDRG's website
here.
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| The 'Bubble' Car sees daylight for the first time in a long while! (Courtesy of the CDRG/GWSR DMU) |
On the flip side, Class 117 DMS,
W51405, hasn't faired so well since its arrival at Carriage and Wagon, Winchcombe. Our colleagues at C&W are incredibly thorough (we wouldn't have such amazing rakes of coaches to haul around, otherwise!) and, during assessment of the carriage, they identified the presence of the dreaded tin worm! What was seen as a quick turnaround with a coat of paint has turned into a major rescue operation with a lot of cutting and welding going on before any thought of repainting and outshopping can be completed. It is likely to be at Winchcombe for some time yet.
More good news came from the '
DES' camp. The ex-ASW, Cardiff, shunter has been laid up since early last year with a major problem with its centre axle. After what seemed like a long drag of sourcing items and the owners expending huge amounts of money, a metaphorical light at the end of the tunnel can now be seen that may see '
DES' back in use a lot sooner than envisaged. After a search for a welder who can effect the necessary repairs to the axlebox, a member of the Steam Department has offered their welding skills to complete this onsite. New spacers and abutment rings are due to be sourced allowing the wheelset to be reassembled, followed by the welding of the axlebox. Once all are in place then the whole set can be be re-fitted and '
DES' prepared for a return to service.
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| 'DES' sits in the yard awaiting its centre wheelset back in March 2018. |
Finally, during the week commencing 9th April, our globetrotting BRCW Type 2 (Class 26),
D5343, returned to Toddington from its unscheduled visit to Roberts Road Wheel Lathe in Doncaster following its time away at the Mid Norfolk Railway. With the tyre turning completed, Simon made a start on changing the old brake blocks and readjusting the brake tolerances. By the end of the day on the 15th April, the Class 26 was being run up and down Siding 1 to check that everything was all in order.
As April runs into May we see the amount of Diesel loco running days drop, but the DMU makes a start on the midweek
BLUE timetable. We also see one of the Class 37's (likely
37215) operate the first of our highly successful (and completely SOLD OUT) Driver Experience Days. This year sees a return to the format of using the whole length of the line including the new extension to Broadway. It is also hoped that the initial details of the 2018 'Return to Broadway' Diesel Gala will be confirmed in the coming month.
April/May 2018 Diesel Roster (subject to the usual caveats):
Light Blue Timetable - Broadway - Cheltenham RC - Broadway (Class 117 3-Car)
- April - 24th /25th /26th
- May - 1st /2nd /3rd /8th /9th /10th /15th /16th /17th /22nd /23rd /24th
Red Timetable - 1600 Toddington - Cheltenham RC; 1705 Cheltenham RC - Toddington
- May - 5th /6th /7th - EE Type 3/Class 37 No. 37215
- May - 20th - EE Type 3/Class37 No. D6948
Red Real Ale Timetable - Special DMU shuttle operation in addition to standard RED Timetable
- May - 19th - EE Type 3/Class37 No. D6948 and Class 117 3-Car
Green Timetable - Broadway - Cheltenham RC - Broadway
- May - 12th /13th - Sulzer Type 4/Class 45 No. 45149 (Cotswold Bricks and Trains)
Purple Timetable - 1535 Toddington - Cheltenham RC; 1630 Cheltenham RC - Toddington
- May - 29th /30th /31st - BRCW Type 2/Class 26 No. D5343
Special Timetable
- April - 28th /29th - Class 117 3-Car (1940's War in the Cotswold Event)
