£50,000 has been raised by the DTG to fund a new power unit to get No. D1015 back on the main line.
THE Diesel Traction Group has closed its appeal to raise £50,000 to return No. D1015 Western Champion to
twin power unit operation after sufficient funds were raised in less than a month.
The success of the appeal means that work on replacing the loco’s ‘B’ power unit, which failed in December, can begin as soon as possible and the loco can hopefully return to main line operation quicker than previously thought.
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The new ‘B’ power unit is being supplied by a firm in Germany, which has previous experience with engine work involving preserved former Deutsche Bahn ‘Warship’ No. 220033. A new short block is being provided, with some components being supplied by the DTG from the failed engine.
For the time being, No. D1015 will continue to operate on the Severn Valley Railway with one engine. It is still hoped to operate the ‘Western Glory’ tour, to mark the 40th anniversary of the withdrawal of the ‘Westerns’, at a later date. The train was originally due to run on February 25.
D1062 to go blue
Meanwhile, another SVR-based ‘Western’, No. D1062 Western Courier, is set to gain BR blue livery for the first time in 40 years.
Members of the Western Loco Association voted narrowly in favour of painting the loco into blue at its annual general meeting in late 2016. The diesel-hydraulic has carried maroon livery throughout its entire career in preservation, being repainted at Swindon Works in 1977 shortly after its purchase by the WLA.
Read more News in the April issue of RE – out now!
