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

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!

The team currently numbers eight (but new members always welcome!): -

 

John H. - our team leader and a shunter

 

 

Ian - our 03 diesel locomotive driver and a shunter

 

Tony Ba. - a shunter

 

 

  Andy Tu. - a shunter and also a fireman for the Steam Department

 

 

Andy Th. - a shunter and also a Guard

 

 

Clive – a shunter and also a Guard

 

 

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

and

Alan S. - our newest recruit to the team and all being well will shortly start his shunter training

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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

 

 
 

 
 

 
















And finally a trip down memory lane in 2015

 On the clothes racks in our new changing room - these didn't stay clean for long!

Happy memories, GWR175 Gala

 In 2010 the GWR was 175 years old, and all the GWR heritage railways in the land co-ordinated their celebratory galas to mark the occasion throughout the year. The GWSR's was, I believe, one of the bigger ones, and certainly the biggest event we have ever held, over two weekends and the week in-between of pure Great Western nirvana. Not long before, disaster struck with the landslip at Cheltenham, so I imagine it must have been some pretty sleepless nights for whoever had to re-write all the timetables to terminate everything at Gotherington.

I was 11 at the time, so some years before I joined as a volunteer, but Dad took me for the day and it was firmly etched into my mind for many years after as a brilliant day. There were a huge number of guests brought in, so many that it was impossible to run them all every day, some locos were brought in for static display, and we even hired in a couple of GWR coaches and a few wagons as well.

So here's a few pictures from Dad and I from our visit:


1450 on Autotrain duties at Toddington


8F 8274, numbered here as Swindon built 8476. The gala was its first running days after restoration.


Earl Bathurst (or Drysllwyn Castle) along with "Kerosine Castle" both on static display.


The only time a steam engine has worked on the "Gotherington Branch"? This was "Olwen" from the Gwilli Railway, dressed up as an absorbed ex Swansea loco.


Railway vehicle display at Toddington.


9F Black Prince at Gotherington


And Winchcombe.


813 on static display at Winchcombe with GWR Queen Mum royal saloon coach - which is now sadly rotting at Carnforth.


4160 at Winchcombe


4612 at Winchcombe filling up.


Broad gauge Iron Duke on display at Toddington


The Narrow gauge railway joined in too!



I think this was supposed to be the largest collection of miniature live steam GWR locomotives ever assembled. I'm quite prepared to believe it!


And finally here I am in the cab of Cadbury No.1, which was on static display in the bay platform at Toddington at the time. Feels like an awfully long time ago now!

Dave was a volunteer at the time, and I asked if he had any photos. He was only to happy to oblige, so over to Dave...

Dave's photos from GW 175 Gala

Many missing ones of course, such as all our locos and especially the Toddington static displays from Didcot - the Brown Boveri, 7018 Drysllwyn Castle, the broad gauge loco. The Barry wreck was photographed after the Gala.

8274  - 30th May 2010 - its inaugural spell of running following restoration

4612 - 31st May 2010 with the goods train (14-15 vehicles - Neil stipulated that the train mustn't be longer that a 6-coach rake, presumably because of the track-circuiting within station bounds, etc.

9466 - 31st May 2010

On the footplate of 3803 at Toddington with the autotrain approaching - 2nd June 2010. 3803 was at the time based on the South Devon (formerly Dart Valley) Railway

General view of the shed - 4th June 2010

1144 at Gotherington on 4th June 2010. This was a facsimile renumbering. The original 1144 was a Hawthorn Leslie loco that was owned by Swansea Harbour Trust and then taken over by the GWR. It was withdrawn in January 1960 (and presumably scrapped -  nothing in brdatabase.info to indicate preservation) . I presume this was the same type of engine as there were several different builders for this small class. 

It was a treat to have a ride along Bryan Nicholl's little railway - he used to run the PWay pump trolley and little petrol motor when there was a gala, but a real live steam loco? Now, that really was something special!

 1144 at Gotherington on 4th June 2010


  1144 at Gotherington on 4th June 2010


 4612 with the goods train - 4th June 2010

 4612 with the goods train - 4th June 2010


 A sad moment ! - 9th June 2010

The Barry 2-8-0 wreck (forgot which one this was) - 9th June 2010