The Eastern comes to the Western!

A little earlier than usual but our guest loco for the 2022 Diesel Gala has been announced. We are happy to confirm that one of the Eastern Region's finest classes of locomotive (open to interpretation, of course!) will be joining us for the Gala through to the end of October. Courtesy of the Deltic Preservation Society, if that hasn't given it away, we will be welcoming 55019 'Royal Highland Fusilier' for an extended holiday. 

'Deltic' 19 at the GCR earlier this year. (Courtesy of the Deltic Preservation Society).

Originally planned to be our 2020, then 2021 Gala visitor, it is good to finally be able to announce it happening and, a great way to return to the Gala format after 2 years of Covid cancellations! The Class 55 'Deltic' has a massive fan club so this, the 40th year of the first 'Deltic' entering preservation, will be extra special and, following on from the 2019 visit of a Class 50 for the very first time over the line, this will be the very first time a 'Deltic' will have traversed our part of the line. Who doesn't like 'firsts'?!

As well as being our Gala visitor, the 'Deltic' will also play a part in the Mixed Traffic Gala at the end of October. We are also planning other running days and Driving Experiences in conjunction with the DPS who are keen to see the loco utilised - as was done with 50035 in 2019. Keep an eye on the socials and GWSR website for further details.

As a quick follow on from the last blog, the Class 122 'bubble' has started the pampering process down at Carriage and Wagon. The rubbing down process has started so won't be too long before painting begins. You can keep up to date on the happenings on our sister C&W Blog - https://gwsrcarriageandwagon.blogspot.com/

One the subject of the DMU's, the oily engine issue reported in the last blog was not just relevant to one engine on the set - in fact, all were like it. The team believe that this is just carryover from the engines idling for long periods and not indicative of anything more sinister, as no other issues were identified. 

D5343 has also been reunited with it's 6 new liners. After a major clean and check of the main Sulzer block, at the end of March and with the fantastic early Spring weather, Simon T and the gang were able to get the loco under the gantry and get the liners lifted up and into the block. Another tick on the Class 26's long route back to service. 

The New Season is Here!

Our new season of services has begun, but also Spring seems to have made a pretty spectacular arrival with some excellent weather over the last few days putting the memories of the multiple storms firmly behind us. For how long though? We all know what the British weather is like!!

Anyways, the 2022 season has well and truly begun with two weekends of services now under the belt as well as the Race trains for the Cheltenham Festival. The diesel fleet is never involved with these, unless there is a failure, so it gives us a little extra time to get ready for the season and finish off the B Exams that the serviceable locos must have before they are fit for service. However, that wasn't the case in late 1960s and 1970s when steam had gone and diesels reigned supreme. Race Trains would come from a variety of UK cities that including London, Cardiff, Bristol and Southampton in the south and Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds in the North to Racecourse station which, by this time, was the only operational station on the line - albeit only opened on occasion of racing at Cheltenham. Visiting traction would include Class 35 (Hymek), 45, 46, 47 and 52 (Western) amongst others. Below we have a couple of photos provided yet again by long-time volunteer and supporter, Tom Cullimore, from the lens of John Medley. It shows Class 46 'Peak', 138 (later 46001) arriving at Cheltenham Racecourse with '1Z21' Cardiff - CRC on 16th March 1972 (although there is doubt as to whether it was 1971 instead).

Class 46, 138, slows for CRC as it is photographed from the Evesham Road bridge looking towards Hunting Butts. (Courtesy T. Cullimore/J. Medley)

After arrival and disgorging its race-goers, 138 is made ready to travel ECS towards Bishops Cleeve. (Courtesy T. Cullimore/J. Medley)

So, following on from where the last blog finished, work has been progressing on getting more that just 47105 serviceable. The good news is that 'Peak', 45149 has had its fuel leak repaired as well as having it's no. 2 compressor (yes, the noisy one!) refitted after it's repair away from site. This enabled 'Benson' to take it's place on the first diesel-hauled service of the new season on the PURPLE timetable of the 12 March. 

45149 awaits the late arrival of 'Merchant Navy' 35006 before coupling to the rear ready to work the last train from Broadway to CRC. (Courtesy N. Whitehead)

The first day didn't go to plan as the Steam Department were trialling a potentially new fuel due to the ongoing wrangles around coal. The department had acquired a consignment of coal anthracite 'Ovoids' (larger versions of the fuel used on arga's) to see if these would work instead of coal. The answer was a resounding 'No' and, although the 'Peak' was not required to perform a rescue, the timetable slipped sufficiently to mean the last service from CRC was over 90 minutes late! 

In the run up to the start of services, 47105 was utilised on more ballasting services through the end of February and into early March. One of those saw myself crewing with Dave M, a chance for me to finally get up close and personal with the one loco I had never crewed - it was removed from service about 6 months before I joined the railway. I could see for myself just how comprehensive the internal  restoration and overhaul was. It was a cold, if fine day down at Dixton so we were both glad (as was Alex C, C&W blogger and our Guard for the day) that the cab heaters were very effective! It was fascination to watch how quickly a Dogfish wagon emptied, especially after the length of time it took to load up, and the skill of Dave F on the telehandler when filling the wagons. He barely spilled anything and ensured the wagons were very full. 

47105 was kindly left in P1 at Toddington by Tim L the previous day. In P2 is the P'Way train awaiting it's return to Winchcombe. 

With wagons already partially loaded, it was decided to do a pass and unload at Dixton first before heading to Gotherington to re-load. With the loco having 2550hp at its disposal, it was a challenge to maintain a steady and even speed but we quickly got into the groove. It didn't help either that 47105 is a 'series parallel' Class 47 meaning the pick up of power is much more immediate than sister, 47376.   

After dropping the initial load, it was off to Gotherington to load up again before reversing back to the drop site.  

After dropping that lot, it was back for another loading. Fair play to Dave F on the telehandler. He managed to crowbar nearly all the ballast delivery into the two loadings without spilling any. Top effort! This load would wait for the next drop day and so we took it back to Toddington. 

On the way back we propelled the wagons. We were held at Winchcombe as C&W were shunting. Time for a quick pic! 

With the wagons safely secured on siding 1, it was time to put the loco to bed. Another first for us as we were routed into the yard using the re-laid southern turnout at Toddington MPD. 

47105 also made it's 2022 season debut this weekend (19 March) on the diesel diagram of the PURPLE timetable, but not before it was used on the 16 March to take the Class 122 'Bubble Car' to Winchcombe and then Set 3 to Broadway for use on the Race Trains. 

47105 basks in the early spring sunshine at Toddington on the 19/03/22. It had been shunted in to the yard to allow Class 26, D5343 to use the diesel shed. 

Speaking of the 'Bubble', W55003 is now at Carriage and Wagon at Winchcombe awaiting it's turn in the paint shop. It will be receiving a new coat of BR Green before coming back to Toddington for the remainder of the interior to be completed. 

W55003 sits outside Carriage & Wagon, Winchcombe, while it awaits the date with the paint brush. (Courtesy GWSR DMU Facebook page)

Class 117, L425 has also been readied for the new season and was used on the Sunday BLUE timetable on the 13 and 20 March. However, after it's first day it was noticed that oil seemed to be getting into the exhaust. On 19 March, the group investigated the issue and found that one of the engines had been leaking oil, potentially due to a broken piston ring. However, this didn't prevent the unit running on the following day. 

One of the engines on L425 opened up to show the internals. (Courtesy GWSR DMU Facebook page)

Evidence of the engine leaking. A large amount of oil swimming around in the casing. (Courtesy GWSR DMU Facebook page)

Luckily (if you can call it lucky!), the DMU isn't in operation now until later in the year so a full diagnosis can be done and a repair affected where required. 

Back to the mainline fleet, and there has been some good news on the Class 20 front. We should, hopefully, see D8137 back in action at the end of April after completion of it's traction motor and bogie repairs. It still needs a B Exam and a test-run before it can be accepted back into traffic, but it will certainly be a welcome return. It will also mean that owner, Steve M, can then concentrate fully on 20228 in order to hopefully have 'the blue one' ready for the Gala in July. 

D8137 basks in the Spring sunshine in the yard, while 20228 sits inside.

Another loco on the comeback trail is 47376 'Freightliner 1995' which has had new batteries fitted and is currently undergoing a cab refurbishment and B Exam. This has included a general clean and a repaint of all surfaces within the cab - something that has been pushed to the back of the order book with the restoration of 47105 being the priority. Hopefully, the 47/3 will be back in action during April. 

D5343 also continues to take small steps forward in its ongoing restoration. Sanding and paint removal continues on the body work and on the metal work below the sole bar. There has also been the starting of priming the bogies and the cab steps have received their top coat and metal foot plates. Dave S has been busy again with his welding skills as well as the filler as more of the cab sides have been identifies as needing replacing or shoring up with filler before priming and undercoating can take place fully.

D5343 is shunted onto Road 11 to allow Dave S to undertake some welding inside the shed. 

Once complete, it was shunted back outside so that sanding could continue as well as the application of more filler. It would also allow work to recommence in the engine room. 

Dave S finds some more spots that need filling. 

Whilst Dave was busy filling and sanding, Alex R also continued sanding and scraping on and around No. 1 end. He also gave a quick blast of the sander to one of the two crankcase doors that had been removed for paint stripping. 

One of two crankcase doors. There is still a bit of sanding to do before it can receive a new coat of paint. 

Warning plate on the crankcase door. 

Whilst this was going on outside, in the engine room and beneath the loco, myself, Simon T, Tony R and Andy D were busy clearing the bedplate of the engine. With the pistons and liners out you can get very good access and it is amazing what you find swimming around at the oily bottom! With the loco over the pit, myself and Tony descended into the depths to access the bed plate drain. Unlike on Class 37s, where the bed plate drain is on the side of the loco between the fuel and water tanks, on a Class 26 it is directly under the tank...beneath the loco!

 With the block removed, it was time to open the cock to allow the mess in the bottom of the bed plate to drain away. The cock is to the side (centre right) and not the easiest to rotate, requiring four hands, two screwdrivers and a lot of elbow grease!

 Once this had stopped, it was back into the engine room to give the main block a good clean to to try and tease as much of the remaining waste down the drain and into the bucket below the loco. Armed with two squeezy bottles of Kerosene and a small broom fashioned from an old paint brush and a stick, as well as a healthy number of rags, Tony, Andy and I got to work cleaning. 

The inside of the main block of a Sulzer 6LDA28-A power unit devoid of it's pistons and liners. 

Although it wasn't quite as successful as hoped, the progress made means that it won't be too long before the new liners and refurbished pistons can be re-sited in the engine. In the shed, some of the water pipes from D5343 have received their first layers of top coat. 

Blue for water!

The generator repairs also continue on 37215 with most of the brush boxes having been checked and cleaned where necessary. Some individual contactors and arc shields need replacing due to arcing damage and this is being carried out in the coming weeks. After his initial assessment, GG Technical Officer, Paul G, is confident that there is no serious damage to the commutator and that cleaning and preventative maintenance should see it right for the foreseeable future. New insulator pots are on order and these will be fitted when they arrive. It is hoped that the loco will be ready to return to service in May.

Our full timetable gets underway on the 2nd April. We also have the final weekend of services in March. Most days are on the PURPLE timetable where the diesel attaches to the rear of the 1510 from Toddington to Broadway and then works the 1530 Broadway - CRC and 1640 CRC - Toddington. We also see the return of the PINK  timetable on Sundays (except the Easter Bank Holiday) where the diesel will work three round trips of the line starting with the 1015 Toddington to CRC. The roster, as it stands looks a little like this, however the usual caveat applies about failures and changes...   

Date	Timetable	Loco
Sat 26 Mar	Purple	47105
Sun 27 Mar	Purple	47105
Sat 2 Apr	Purple	45149
Sun 3 Apr	Pink	45149
Tues 5 Apr	Purple	45149
Weds 6 Apr	Purple	45149
Thurs 7 Apr	Purple	47105
Sat 9 Apr	Purple	47105
Sun 10 Apr	Pink	47105
Tues 12 Apr	Purple	47105
Weds 13 Apr	Purple	45149
Fri 15 Apr	Purple	47105
Sat 16 Apr	Purple	45149
Sun 17 Apr	Purple	45149
Mon 18 Apr	Purple	47105
Tues 19 Apr	Purple	47105
Weds 20 Apr	Purple	45149
Sat 23 Apr	Purple	45149
Sun 24 Apr	Pink	45149
Tues 26 Apr	Purple	47105
Weds 27 Apr	Purple	47105
Thurs 28 Apr	Purple	45149
Sat 30 Apr	Purple	D8137

  
   

It's a cruel wind....

 ....as a famous saying begins and, although it was sunny at Toddington on Saturday 26/02, there was a very chilly wind that blew down off the Cotswold escarpment and down into the yard. It wasn't perhaps the place to be but most of the activity was centred around the yard and the locos within. 

It had been over a month since my last visit (sadly, work and home life has got in the way) and it was good to get back to it and see what has been going on since my last attendance. To be fair, the answer is quite a bit! 

47376 'Freightliner 1995' has been receiving plenty of TLC now that sister 47105 is back in traffic. Both engine room side doors have been removed and the internal sides repainted to tidy them up. The cabs are also receiving a refresh with the desks and walls being given a new coat of paint and general tidy up. It will hopefully return to traffic in April. Sadly, I didn't get any pics as my mobile battery had died so here is one from back before Christmas on its last outing.

Winch The North Pole by twilight.

The BT4F's other machine, 47105 has been in action over a number of days in early February and has a few lined up before the start of the season in a couple of weeks time. A number of P'Way jobs are coming to an end and these required ballasting. During the close our P'Way team have had to remove and replace three sets of points at Toddington, including the MPD south turnout and both sets allowing access to the station. We also have a Tamper on the line to make sure they are all correctly set and level. There will be more ballast services to come as access is returned at Winchcombe to the southern end of the line and the works that have been going on at Dixton and Cheltenham become reachable by rail. The photo below is courtesy of Chris Wall.

47105 becomes the first loco to test out the newly re-laid southern exit at Toddington. At the base of picture you can see the only colour light signal on the GWSR, controlling access out of the depot headshunt. (C. Wall) 

Over the next few weeks, not only will 47105 be out but also 45149 will return to action after it was removed from traffic for a number of repairs. The 'Peak' was withdrawn from traffic just before Christmas with a fuel leak meaning it couldn't take its turns on the Santa Specials. However, repairs have been undertaken which has also included the re-fitting of the returned no.2 end compressor which was removed back in the late Summer after it failed in service. Sadly, it hasn't come back any quieter!!

45149 basks in the early spring sunshine at Toddington on 25 Feb.

Still, having one more loco back on the roster is a blessing as we are still without most of the fleet due to ongoing repairs or restoration. 

Class 20, D8137, inches back towards a return after its traction motor repairs. The 'chopper' has had its motors reconnected with the main electrical system and had an 'in situ' test. It is hoped to have the FTR and B Exams completed ready for test and a much needed return to the roster in April. It's sister, 20228, also inches closer to the end of its restoration. Once D8137 is back in traffic then attention can be fully focused on getting both '20s' in action for the 2022 Gala....which, in the words of a Fast Show (if you are old enough to remember that!) character played by rail enthusiast and frequent GWSR visitor, Mark Williams, will be nice! 

Taken late last year, the sign of things to come for our 2022 Gala....hopefully. D8137 and 20228 in the yard at Toddington.

Also on the return to traffic trail is Class 24, 5081. Taken out of traffic at Christmas as well, the 'Rat' has had some investigation in to its traction motor contactors after a long standing power issue. After investigation the seals were removed as they were considered life expired and a new set ordered. These are in the pipeline and will also see 5081 return to service during the early part of the new season. As will, it is hoped, 37215, which was stopped after suffering a generator flashover in December. After removal of the brush boxes and investigation by the Growler Group's Tech Officer, Paul G, it would appear the the damage sustained was thankfully not too severe and it is hoped that the ever popular '37' will be back in traffic sooner rather than later. 

                    

                             

Above, you can see one of the brush boxes removed form the generator of 37215. Although the other three were very dirty this one appeared to take the brunt of the flashover, as you can see on the flash shield and the damage done to the contactor arm. Whereas the other three boxes will be cleaned and brushes replaced, this one has been split ready for parts to be replaced.

So, to the weekend just gone. On Saturday there were a fair number of us milling around the shed and yard at Toddington. Working parties were split between D5343, DES and D6948. On the Class 26, Simon, Tony and Alex were busy on the continuing restoration of the locomotive's exterior - Alex was busy continuing with sanding with Tony and Simon taking care of the metal work. As the loco is now back outside it has been fitted with a large tarpaulin sheet which has been ratcheted down to stop it blowing around. In the recent high winds the loco was shunted onto the unloading road to protect the tarpaulin and hopefully prevent it from working loose and being blown into the next county!

D5343 is placed between the Goods Shed and the David Page shed to protect it from the anticipated high winds on the 17th Feb 2022. (Courtesy of David Holmes)

In much calmer weather, D5343 sits in the yard on 26th Feb awaiting the attentions of Simon, Alex and Tony.

Tony had already made a start on adding primer to the bogies which had been needle gunned back to the metal. To get into the awkward and fiddly places, a drill is being used with a wire brush attachment. However, it is a case of two steps forward and one step back as other issues with the body work have been identified - particularly on the cab sides. On the driver's side of no. 2 end, a discovery was made that indicated that the loco had had a bodyside collision at some point in BR service and a new 'skin' had been put over the damage. In the picture below you can clearly see through the cut away that a new sheet has been placed over the original metalwork. Over time, water has got between the two sheets and caused bloating. Therefore the cab side will need a new panel welded in at some point. 

The original cabside is clearly visible in the cutaway of the 2nd sheet. You can even see some of the original green livery on the remains of the original sheet.

However, it isn't all doom and gloom as, with the repairs to the gantry having been completed, it won't be long before some of the engine repairs can be started and the pistons and liners placed back into the engine itself. 

In the shed, two of D6948's owners, Peter S and Mark W, had convened to undertake some maintenance tasks on the loco. Still awaiting a final date for its lift and completion of the underbody repairs the loco has been receiving general maintenance to ensure that things elsewhere didn't start to deteriorate or have the potential to cause problems due to the inactivity of the loco. As part of the work done on Saturday, the batteries were checked and topped up as required with distilled water before being put onto charge and the electrics checked. There is still a hope that, if everything goes to plan then D6948 will be back in traffic for the Gala in July. It will be an immense effort if it is but, either way, it will be a massive relief (not least of all to the four owners!) when 'the Green Machine' does return to traffic. 

The third party saw myself, Andy D and Richard S, along with Simon when he wasn't busy with the '26', lending a hand with DES, our Yorkshire shunter. DES has been out of service for some time with an electrical fault. When starting you end up with lots of flashing and fizzing coming from under the desk and the starting circuit. 

The source of the flashing and fizzing. Inside DES' control desk.  

Simon, Andy and Richard have spent a number of days doing some investigative work to try and identify what might be causing the problem and help out the owner, Paul. The initial diagnosis was not good. It had been narrowed down to either a problem with the starter or the generator. Initially, myself and Andy took to the engine compartment on DES to see if there was anything obviously errant between the desk and the generator. 

Andy gets to grips with the wiring loom. Spaghetti Junction has got nothing on this!! It was an absolute mess!

It really was a case of clutching at dead ends with the number of wires that were cut, disappeared or led to nowhere! Without accurate wiring diagrams it was impossible to see what was what. With Richard arriving later in the morning, we had someone who was a bit more clued up on the electrical side of things than myself and Andy. We set about checking the readings from the battery and identified that the four batteries were wired up incorrectly. From the voltmeter readings Richard identified that the two positive terminals were the wrong way round. These were swapped and the readings were then correct. 

The four 12v batteries. The shunter runs on 24v but needs 48v to start. 

We then checked the readings from the batteries when attempting a start, but without pushing the start button. These all checked out so meant that the fault was not with the batteries or the starter, however, without the wiring and technical plans we couldn't really take the fault finding much further. So, for the time being DES remains out of use. Not ideal as Class 04, D2280, is the only serviceable shunter at Toddington as 11230 remains at Winchcombe to help Class 03, D2182 and Carriage and Wagon with shunting the main rakes into the correct formation ready for the season start. 

11230 (L) and D2182 at Winchcombe. (Courtesy of the GWSR C&W Blog)

Not to be left out, Sunday saw the DMU team carrying on with preparing L425 for the new season. Although it won't be seeing a lot of use until the end of 2022, the DMU will have a couple of Sundays in March where it will run, so needs to be in tip-top condition. The corridor repairs on TCL 59510 were completed before the set was reformed and refuelled. 'Spare' TCL, 59505, has had a coat of green paint to make it a little more presentable to passing punters, given that it now sits opposite the Signal Box at Toddington, in the spot originally taken by the Steam Department mess coach. 

Great picture of the base of the Toddington bracket signal! 59510 is behind, in case you were wondering! (Courtesy of the CDRL GWSR DMU Facebook page)

'Bubble Car', W55003 was also emptied of stored materials as this is having a little jaunt to Winchcombe for a month or so. 

L425 all fuelled and ready for its return to action. (Courtesy of the CDRL GWSR Facebook Page)

To finish off, March sees services resume for the 2022 season - hopefully without interruption from COVID, WW3 or other such factors. Although the diesel input is pretty limited, we still have a few days of running to get things started. Saturday March 12th sees things kick off with the PURPLE timetable (as well as the Motive Power AGM) followed by the BLUE timetable on Sunday the 13th. The full list, and current loco allocation, is....

Sat 12 March - PURPLE TT - 45149

Sun 13 March - BLUE TT - L425

Sat 19 March - PURPLE TT - 47105

Sun 20 March - BLUE TT - L425

Sat 26 March - PURPLE TT - 47105

Sun 27 March - PURPLE TT - 47105