ISSUE 58 - DECEMBER 2000

INTRODUCTION

The section on the Association's web site about railways offering DMU driver experience courses requires to be updated. Could any lines that offer these courses contact me to make sure that you are featured, or that your current details are correct.

BUT Service Bulletins Thanks to the Strathspey Railway we have now a copy of most of these Bulletins. However, there were a few missing. Does anyone else have a copy of these? If we can complete the set then they will be copied to CD-ROM and be available to all. They may not be essential in maintaining DMUs, the BUT manuals being dated later, but they are a fascinating insight in to the technical development of the BUT equipment. So please contact us if you have a set of these, or indeed anything similar.

Saturday 13th January is the deadline for Issue 59 of The Railcar.

SUPPLIERS

TRIMMING The Dean Forest DMU Group report that trimming bits (material, seat-type things, fixings, piping cord, door seals, etc.) can be found at: SEGAL Ltd, 29 Blackfriars Road Salford, MANCHESTER M3 7AQ; Tel. 0161 834 7994. The owner is Alicia Parker, and it's a small firm who have been helpful to them. They don't do BR moquette, but she remembers it all from earlier days! Their main line now is for car upholstery material and fittings.

PROP SHAFTS We have received details of a firm who claim to have the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway and the Llangollen Railway as satisfied customers. 'The Propshaft Clinic' - Buck House, Buck Street, BRADFORD BD3 9QP; Tel 01274 305399; www.propshaft.co.uk  - offer the repair, manufacture and dynamic balancing of prop shafts.

APPEALS

Class 112/113 The release of the DC Kits model of this type has brought in many requests for information from modellers. It seems the kit has been supplied with four engines and the plans included show the standard Class 105 underframe equipment layout. Does anyone have either plans or a drawing of the proper underframe layout of these single-engined vehicles, or any side-on photographs?

Exhausts Pete Catt from the Swanage Railway requires to change all six exhausts on their Class 108s. He would like to here from anyone who can identify a source for these, or drawings for them.

Llangollen DMU Gala Tony Shackell (Wiliton Traction Group) would like copies of any group pictures that were taken at this event.

PRESERVATION

COLNE VALLEY John Joyce reports: "I had a phonecall from Tony Fox, requesting help with the heaters on the bubble at Colne Valley, as neither would work. One was quickly sorted out (flat batteries put on charge), but the other was a bit more of a head-scratcher. The heater would fire up OK, but stop firing after a few seconds and just make plenty of white smoke. Then back to firing after a few more seconds, and so it repeated. Initially I thought it was just air in the fuel, as the tank had been run dry, but it showed no sign of clearing itself up. It obviously had fuel and a working glow plug, as it was firing; but why did it stop periodically?

To cut a long story short the fuel flow to the heater was inadequate. Undoing the small nut holding the inlet pipe to the fuel solenoid showed plenty of fuel, but there is a small filter inside the solenoid which is made of very fine mesh. This can be removed after taking the inlet pipe off by undoing the adaptor in the bottom of the solenoid. Said filter was almost (but not quite completely) blocked up. Blowing through it (doesn't oily diesel taste horrible!) removed a couple of lumps of crud, and on re-assembly all was well."

EAST LANCS RAILWAY Since the DMU Gala, the Class 110 has operated as a shuttle for a "steam gala", running between Bury and the locomotive works in the old Bury Car Shops. After this, it was the turn of the van section in 51813 to receive the attention of the "DMU Mafia" (local nickname!). The main colour was changed from a flat grey-green to Brunswick Green, as close as they could get to the original colour found underneath the weight distribution transfers on the door. All conduit was painted black and the emergency cupboard, fire alarm bell and the vac-handle were painted red. The pie warmer and heater grille were rubbed down and repainted with black Hammerite to simulate enamel. The lighting and buzzer boxes were painted silver Hammerite to obtain the same effect.

Since the last report the Cravens trailer has undergone quite a lot of rebuilding and welding on the driver's side; there is now just a small section of the middle saloon to complete. However more welding is only the beginning of the job. Replacing window frames and other wood sections which have deteriorated is a long job, some parts having to be created from measurements only. The power car has been brought in from the storage yard with a view to working on the engines as soon as the weather lets up.

The Wickham has been making driver training trips on the Heywood line extension, planned to open in 2001.

SWANSEA VALE The Class 116 set, vehicles W51135 + W51148, together with 117 trailer W59490, were running twice-weekly through September and October carrying school children on educational trips linked with the Swansea Maritime and Industrial Museum and proved to be very popular with teachers and pupils. The cars are currently running in unlined Brunswick Green with cream speed whiskers and they have performed faultlessly throughout the season.

The other Class 116 set comprising W51147 + W51134, has now returned to Swansea from a four-year period on the Glos. Warks. Railway. As both vehicles are mechanically complete it is hoped to get at least one power car operational before the end of the year.

"Bubble" W55026 is a runner but restoration of the passenger saloon and exterior body panels is on hold. However, it remains in use as a driver training and P. Way maintenance support vehicle.

Class 116 trailer W59445 is still being used in the loco-hauled set, however we hope to reunite it soon with W51135 and W51148 to reform what we believe to be the only three-car original unit in preservation! If anybody has further information on this it would be very much appreciated.

TELFORD 104 The unit has continued in service long after the end of the season, due to a requirement to supply a service for several children's birthday parties and Driver Experience workings. The downside is a lack of time to carry out vital maintenance tasks in the winter period — the unit is required to provide seating for the Railway's annual Thomas event throughout December, so leaving January and February in which to try and rattle off a C+ exam, plus work on the body and interior of 53531.

A recent (but thankfully rare) in- traffic failure was on 53479, when the Brake Feed Valve started to stick. A spare valve (recovered as a refurbished and tested item) was brought out of storage. Previously tried a couple of years ago, it had failed and was stored for future use. On stripping the lump down to utilise a recently-purchased overhaul kit (thanks to the Dean Forest lads...) Frank Nicolas noticed that there was a hole on the inside of the bottom casting, which did not appear on the outside. A prod with a Newton Heath screwdriver revealed that the "enthusiastic" repair staff at RFS had put masking tape over the hole prior to painting the valve, thus effectively stopping the valve from working properly, whilst the addition of a gasket under the spring cover had also sealed that atmospheric opening... Removal of the tape, followed by subsequent fitting and testing on the unit, has improved the vacuum system.

AWS magnets have been fitted to the running line during the course of the year, providing audible warnings for the end of the passenger line and on the exit road from Spring Village. The AWS certainly impresses (and deafens) the passengers travelling behind the driver — out of hours demonstrations of its effectiveness at 10mph have also impressed the crews in more ways than one... Frank inspected the windscreen at close quarters during one trial as the brakes took hold.

The delivery of 53556 to Telford is still awaited, due to problems at the Sheffield end. 59228 has not had much done apart from minor running gear maintenance.

• If you can help any of the following groups with their needs or information, please e-mail us at editor@railcar.co.uk

WANTED

Oil Separator - Eric Maxwell, of the Tanfield Railway (Tel. 0191 274 2002) is looking for an oil separator to work with a DMU exhauster.

Circuit Boards - 2 Tacho Generator circuit boards, if not available does anyone have a cct drawing? Gwent 108 Group.

Spring - Both Midland Railway Trust power cars have hydraulic fluid self-contained in the torque convertor. Does anyone have any info on the small spring in the quick release valve under the front of the bogie. We require some spares. Midland Railway Trust.

Tyre Gauge - Does anyone out there have a tyre thickness gauge, BR catalogue number 39/29799, that I can borrow? As per the VMI, I am adjusting and checking the speedos. Having made a test rig, I need the tyre gauge to get an accurate reading to set the speedo. Telford Steam Railway.

URGENT - Free-wheel bearings - K&WVR DMU Group.

FOR SALE

Class 107 - ex-Sandite vehicles DMBS 51993 and DMC 52012. Restoration has started, with all welding completed on one cab. Comes with separate seats and an engine to replace the missing one. Brechin Railway.

CD-ROM - 101 Twilight CD containing over 100 high-quality digital photos of 20 units, in N. Wales and around the Manchester area. Cost £6.50 plus £1 p&p. Cheques made payable to "Gwent 108 Group".

DMU wheelsets - 2x plain axle, 1x vee belt pulley axle, 1x final drive unit. All wheelsets overhauled 1992/95 and have been unused since. In very good condition, 34" diameter, 2" tyres and full new profiles. Price will be subject to negotiation dependant on quantity required. Loading will be arranged on site which must be cleared ASAP. Also available are 6x primary leaf springs, (4x 8 plates, 2x 9 plates) and a small quantity of bogie brakework linkage including adjustment screws. Full details from Paul Ramsden, Rampart Carriage & Wagon Services Ltd, Derby, tel. 01332 230543, mobile (anytime) 07801 924494, e-mail rampart.cw@talk21.com

"DMU Disposal" book - by Ashley Butlin. The book is A4, 72 pages, and has a soft cover. It costs £7.95 including P&P from the publishers: Coorlea Publishing, Beech House, London Road, Washington, Pulborough, WEST SUSSEX RH20 4BA.

Brake Feed Valves - we have overhaul kits available, costing £15 per set, which includes two diaphragms and one seal. P&P is approx. £1. We had only 70, there are now only three left, and when they are gone... Dean Forest DMU Group.

NEXT ISSUE : 17th January 2000

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