Although it is early in the year, 37215 has already broken cover and has been in use at the GWSR. As it stands, ‘215‘, along with the Class 26, are the only available, serviceable, locomotives and so, on Valentines Day, ‘215‘ was employed on a stock move in preparation for the upcoming Race Trains.
‘215‘ was used to bring rake 3 to Toddington North Siding from Winchcombe as this will be used on the final day of the Race train schedule. As the loco hadn’t been in use since the end of October 2025 a fair amount of preparation had to be completed to bring the loco back into operational use. This included heating the engine room as it had a fair amount of condensation about due the fluctuation temperatures that we have experienced over the winter, before charging the batteries and pre-heating the engine. This in itself is a task as the pre-heater for ‘215‘ is a very antiquated, oil-fired, external heating unit – D6948 has an electrical one.
With the loco back in the shed, the B Exam is next on the agenda as 37215 will be the only one of our pair in traffic for the early part of the season.
We are keeping our fingers crossed that D6948 might be fit for traffic before the ‘Double Up Sunday’ booked for our ’37s’ in April, however it will be a close-run thing.
After having our oil sample returned showing that coolant was getting into the oil, investigations found that coolant was leaking into B1 cylinder – this is the first cylinder on the Driver-side of the engine at no. 1 end (the free end). Having removed all the crankcase doors it was pretty evident that this was the only water-ingress however the whole engine still needed pressure testing to confirm this. This was completed in early January and demonstrated that the failure was just on B1.
The following week saw the loco drained down of coolant and preparations made for removal of the rocker cover, head and eventually the piston and liner.
With the head removed, the Wednesday Gang on 18/02 (which includes former GG Tech. Officer Paul Good) set about removing the piston and liner. The weather was a bit unsettled with a biting wind and the threat of snow, but Paul’s availability meant it was now or a long wait. Paul G, Andy T and Keith had made a start in the (slightly!) warmer confines of the Diesel Shed meaning that the time spent outdoors was a little shorter.
After a bit of shunting D6948 was positioned under the A-Frame gantry and it wasn’t long before the piston was raised above the roof.
With the piston out it was time for a well-deserved cuppa and warm up before heading back out and removing the liner. This was extracted in much the same fashion and, within three hours, the piston and liner were both hanging up in the shed. Immediate impressions were that the damage was not as bad as feared however a full assessment needs to be completed. It does mean that D6948 will be out of action for a while.
With this task completed focus briefly moves to completing the B Exam for 37215 to ensure the loco is fit for another year.
Away from the loco updates a couple of dates for your diary. Firstly, the Growler Group AGM takes place on Saturday 21 March 2026 at 11am. The venue will be the Tim Mitchell Building at Winchcombe Station. It would be nice to see a few more than the regular handful that turn up to the meeting – as members this is your opportunity for direct input to the running of the group.
Secondly, and hot of the presses, we will be having a Growler Group Members Day on Friday 21 August 2026. This will see both locos utilised on a special day event to raise money for the Group and to celebrate all things Class 37/Growler Group. Although termed a ‘Members Day’ it will be open to non-members as well however it will be a non-GWSR event so GWSR fares and discounts will not be accepted. Look out for more details and pricing in the coming weeks!!
