If you click on a picture to enlarge it, to get back to this page you must now use the back button. This is due to us using a more modern web code (XHTML) that doesn't allow links to open on a new page. Allegedly progress!
Well, I'm told it was a reasonably successful gala and most people had a pleasant day. I hope so but sadly I have to admit I've had better days! I was given the honour of driving a beautiful and newly outshopped (we'd dug it out of the paint shop that morning) class 20 D8110, the sun shone and what could possibly go wrong?
We've owned D8110 for over twenty years now and until that day she'd never actually not got us home but.....
On the first trip we got to Totnes in fine style and left again but ground to a halt before we got to Hampstead Bridge. We'd lost vacuum so checked the train and realised the loco's exhauster wasn't making vacuum. we checked the fuse and had a look around but had no alternative but to call for help. Eventually 33 002 turned up and towed us back. I pointed out to my secondman and trainee that as an ex class 50 driver on the Exeter to Waterloo line, looking through the windscreen at a class 33 brought back a lot of memories. I don't think it went down very well. So next, over lunch we poured over wiring diagrams until we'd narrowed it down to two contactors and sure enough on inspection one had a bent low tention contact, preventing it from working at all.
This was duly straightened and tested OK, so we declared ourselves ready for traffic and set off on another train.
This time we got as far as hood bridge and there was a loud hiss and sure enough the air reservoir gauge dropped like a stone. Unfortunately a design fault of all these 1950s and 60s locos is that a lot of very inaccessable steel air pipes sprout out of the floor, this is no problem for a loco in constant use but for a preserved diesel that spends most of it's time stood around outside, damp conditions form on the floor and the pipes rust. This is what had happened to the pipe between the main and auxilliary reservoirs so it was game over for us!
We were duly towed into Bishops Bridge by D7612 and then ignominously dumped in the "porridge siding"
and the 20 was towed home the next day. A new pipe was sourced and fitted the following weekend.
As I say, I've had better days but we live to fight another day!
The day cheered up in the evening with an amazing fireworks display, bonfire and barbeque laid on by the workshop staff. Maybe it was just as well D8110 was still at Staverton though!
Thanks to everyone involved in keeping the railway going and rescueing us, and to Pete for the offending broken pipe picture! (©Peter Burrow)
Dave our welder has done a wonderful job on D7541's cab floor. It really was a nightmare of a job but as usual, he's made it look easy. Unfortunately there's still plenty more to keep him busy!
20 110 is turning back the clock once more and is currently becoming D8110 again, sporting it's 1960s Scottish green incarnation for the forthcoming gala.
Thanks to Pete for the pictures, (©Peter Burrow)
These pics were Kindly sent in by Phil (© phil Seymour) depicting the recent Severn valley Railway Diesel Gala. It was a very successful gala from our point of view, The weather was kind to us, mild and quite a lot of Sun. D7612 ran beautifully and seemed to be much admired. The SVR is a good railway for a gala, giving the locos a good run and everybody was very friendly, so a good time was had by all!
There is also a gallery here: 
Our big news is our class 25 "D7612" has been invited to the Severn Valley Railway's diesel gala on October 6th, 7th & 8th this year, which promises to be a good few days!
20 110/D8110 is currently in the plog shed to have some rust removed and a repaint. It is hoped to be ready for the diesel gala on November 5th.
Here are some shots of D7541/25 191 on it's journey from the North York Moors to the SDR. Photos: © ? if you know who please let me know and I'll gladly credit them!
D3721/09 010 is now outshopped in a splendid coat of green, and W55000 awaiting it's "Riverail" trip to Totnes. Photos © R.Bruford.
and finally D3721 on it's first passenger working in preservation,when it rescued a steam engine with a broken spring. The 09 is now back in traffic, at the moment on a limited basis as we need to iron out a few of the inevitable teething problems associated with all locos that have been abandoned for a few years. For instance, contactors that appear to be cleaned have a nasty habit of sticking if there's any undetected rust in the moving parts and of course there's crew training still to be done. Photo © G.Bishop.
Here are some pictures from Rob, taken during the Summer.
Photos © R.Kitley.
We really miss 20 118, consequently we are now turning 25 191 into a class 20. The first step was Last Tuesday we removed the second cab. Shall we keep the sulzer engine or shall we fit one of our spare class 20 engines? watch this space!
Photos © Richard Bruford.
The cab has had a repaint and the seats re-covered and generally spruced up in preparation for an external repaint this Summer.
Photos © Pete Burrow
A start has been made, one cab has been prepared, ready for removal and the battery boxes have been repaired and painted, ready for some new batteries that have been sourced at a reasonable price.
Photos © Pete Burrow & Neil Canon
Despite being drained last winter, unfortunately 33 002 suffered from a frost damaged heat exchanger. This was a bit of a set back as it wrote off the the oil and filters as well. Abbey Heat Transfer ltd. Managed to repair the exchanger for a reasonable price, for which we are very grateful and after a lot of cleaning, heaving and hauling 33 002 is now back in traffic!
Photos © Pete Burrow & Neil Canon
The painting of the gronk continues and the workshop staff have been fitting new wheel bearing pads, brake blocks and other bits as they've seen fit. Hopefully it won't be long until it's in traffic. To start with in Buckfastleigh yard.
Photos © Pete Burrow.
After a lot of thought, we have taken the oportunity to purchase Class 25 D7541, or 25 191 to use it's later number from the North York Moors, via the Harry Needle Railroad Company (HNRC). This is another major restoration project, though marginally less dire than 33 002 was. To fund both the purchase and the restoration the very hard decision was made to sell 20 118. 20 118 has now been sold to the HNRC.
The reasons for our decisions are: We love our class 20s but, we're getting more and more noise complaints from the neighbours as time goes on, railways prefer the cab visibility of a class 25 and the power control is easier to handle. For these reasons we also feel that a class 25 will be more popular with other railways to hire.
D7541 was duly inspected at Grosmont, though clearly very rusty, it is complete, was properly "winterised" and in our view very restorable. The deal has now been done, 20 118 has currently gone to the North Norfolk Railway, D7541 has arrived at Buckfastleigh and work is now starting.
It will certainly keep us busy for a while!
Photos ©R.Bruford
The South Devon Railway Trust has decided to buy another class 09 as they are now on the market for rather less than the projected cost of repairing 09 002's running gear. To this end, 09 010 was checked over at Hither Green, bought and delivered to Buckfastleigh. It had a few bits missing, nothing that we feel we can't sort. To see the original pictures go to the 2010b news archive.
This winter we've been busy fitting parts, cleaning and painting the cab and engine room. See the above pictures. Amongst other jobs we've replaced two missing fuel pumps and the governor, re-lapped an exhaust valve, fitted and coaxed into life various brake valves and electrical components. The engine now runs and it has moved under it's own power, but there's still a bit more to do! Also we've finnished painting and lettering our three mink support wagons.
A little bit of information about 09 010: Class 09s are effectively a sub group of class 08 that have a slightly higher traction motor gearing, resulting in slightly less tractive effort and a higher top speed of 27mph, up from the 15mph of an 08. 09 010 was introduced to traffic in October 1959 to Hither Green. originally numbered D3721. It was the last 09 to be built at Darlington, the last one with wooden cab doors and a single exhauster. They are fitted with 350bhp straight six normally aspirited English Electric Diesel engines. They are are a development of a pre war LMS design, there were over a thousand 08s built. Originally there were twenty six 09s built, specifically for the Southern Region, but more 08s were converted in the 90s, sub class 09 1xx.
The Pictures are © Peter Burrow and Neil Cannon.