The Growler Group

The GWR running season has now come to end with the conclusion of the ‘Mince Pie’ trains. 37215 worked the final train from Cheltenham Racecourse on Monday 02 January, in the moonlight, to bring the curtain down on the 2022 season. However, that wasn’t the last turn for ‘215’ as it was also rostered to work stock moves on the 3rd; taking rakes 1 and 2 to Winchcombe for maintenance, taking rake 3 to Toddington and then dropping off a flat wagon full of sleepers at Didbrook ready for the P’Way team to complete their winter track works. click to continue reading

Wednesday 9th November saw a number of the team converge on Toddington TMD to complete the lowering of D6948 back onto her bogies after completion of the work that necessitated the lift. The work order had included the repair of a main reservoir air leak caused by a holed pipe under the cab at No.1 end, changing of dampers and rubbing pads as well as the opportunity to give the traction motor brushes a check, clean and replace (if required). With these tasks completed, and under the watchful eye of Tech Officer (and GG Chairman) Paul Good, D6948 was eased back onto her bogies before being shunted from the David Page shed and back into the Diesel Shed so that the remaining elements can be completed. This will include plugging the electrical feeds back in from the traction motors and, re-securing the brake chains and bogie straps. click to continue reading

It’s been a long, protracted wait but D6948 (of which the Group are custodians) was finally lifted on 24th August after the arrival of the lifting eyelets that we have borrowed from our good friends up at Bo’ness. The lift was required to conduct a number of underframe repairs, including the replacement of an air pipe that had sprung a leak, and to refresh/clean areas of the bogies. click to continue reading

A change to the rosters……. click to continue reading