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.
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| With the fantastic Cotswold sky behind, the 'bubble' breaks cover after being shunted out of the paintshop at C&W. |
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| The superb weather really allows the BR Green livery to shine. A stunning paint job. |
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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
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.
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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| The turbo manifold outlet on D5343 in a clean coating of green primer. (Courtesy of Alex Raybould) |
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| 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.
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| 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!
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| 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) |
