Meet the Teams - Mechanical (aka the 'Dirty Gang')

The Mechanical (Dirty Gang) Team - updated 18th December 2023

If you are a regular reader of the C&W blog, you will be aware that the Mechanical
team are often referred to as ‘The Dirty Gang’. This title was bestowed on us some
years ago, as we had one day, been engaged on a particularly filthy task and our
overalls were covered in grease and oil!

Almost the entire team on 4th February 2023

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The team currently numbers nine, but new members always welcome.

The Team

Ian - our Head of Department, 03 diesel locomotive driver and a shunter

John H. - our team leader and former shunter

John with his wealth of experience following a career with British Railways / British Rail is a very valuable member of C&W. He has been with us for more than 15 years and in that time has considerably increased our knowledge to bring us up to the level that we now enjoy. We frequently refer to him as our CME. John had retired from volunteering, but we are delighted that he has returned on reduced hours.

Tony Ba. - a shunter

Andy Tu. - a shunter and also a secondman for the Diesel Department (he was previously a fireman for the Loco Department)

Andy Th. - a shunter and also a TTI (formerly a Guard)

Clive – a shunter, a Guard, Deputy Head of C&W, and Rolling Stock Director

Richard J. - our GWSR Chairman, Company Secretary, Travelling Ticket Inspector, and also a member of Railway Catering Services

Bob B. - who is the son of Tony B.

Stuart - our Works Manager who was based at Tyseley and involved with the running of Vintage Trains on the National Network.

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Former members

Alan Squires

Alan had been with us for several years but has now become a member of the Severn Valley Railway.

John Hodder

John was with us for a short time only. A change of job has meant that he has had to cease volunteering.

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What we do

Our main working days are Thursday and Saturday although other days are
worked. Like the other teams, not everyone is available all the time.

We undertake a wide variety of tasks mainly beneath the solebar of our operating
fleet of carriages and carriages which are being refurbished. Beneath the solebar
just happens to be the area of a carriage that accumulates the most dirt, oil and
grease and accessing work areas often requires being a contortionist and squeezing
into tight spaces or lying on your back on the not so clean workshop floor – hence
our very dirty overalls!

Our typical work activities include, but are not limited to: -

• refurbishment of brake vacuum cylinders
• brake block replacements
• adjustment and lubrication of brake linkages
• replacing axle box seals
• buckeye replacement
• checking and adjustment of carriage suspension ride heights
• renewal of broken springs
• bogie overhaul and refurbishment/replacement of the components including
wheelsets. Some wheelsets are sent to specialists in Bristol for tyre turning
• being the C&W ’heavy lift’ gang when anyone else has heavy or bulky items
that need moving or installing (e.g. carriage water tanks!)

We have adapted BR maintenance regimes to reflect our maximum 25mph running
conditions and all work carried out is fully documented.

A lot of our work is carried out in ‘The Barn’, where we are lucky to have a set of carriage lifting jacks which were installed many years ago and have proved extremely useful.

Our team are also responsible for shunting all the vehicles into the Paintshop, Workshop and The Barn for work to be carried out and for general moving of vehicles around the Winchcombe sidings. Most of us are qualified as either a driver or a shunter.

We have to undergo a bi-annual written and practical exam as well as a medical to undertake these duties. Some shunting can be very complex and takes time to plan.

It is also very physical, whether walking the sidings in the yards, operating point levers, releasing brakes, or coupling and uncoupling vehicles. It is often necessary to move other vehicles in the yard to extract a single coach or wagon. Our vehicles are in sidings on both sides of the running line so we co-operate with the Winchcombe signalman on a timetabled service day when access is required to the Malvern side of the line.

[Many thanks to Andy Th. for all the above information]

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Many examples of our work appear in the following sequence