WCRC 47812 & 47802 on the ROYAL DUCHY + WSR DEPG Hymek 50 years of preservation with D7017 & D7018!

Today we set out to catch both the Railway Touring Company Royal Duchy excursion to Par and some footage from the West Somerset Railway, who were celebrating 50 years of Hymek preservation with a special Hymek running weekend.

We begin at Taunton to see the Royal Duchy, and there was some speculation about which locomotive would work this railtour given the failure of Black 5 45212 on a test run last week, and the potential to swap and bring Black 5 44871 back from Scotland. However it was officially announced that due to a shortage of mainline operational steam locomotives, it would be diesel throughout and so today began with West Coast Railways Class 47s 47812 + 47802 working top and tail with the tour, pausing briefly before continuing to Par.

We then head over to the West Somerset Railway. It is now half a century since a group of enthusiasts got together to try to preserve at least one of the diesel hydraulics built for the Western Region of British Railways. Today the Diesel and Electric Preservation Group has constructed a large depot and workshop building at Williton and has eight locomotives in its care, two of which are the Class 35 Hymeks, and DEPG celebrated half a century of preserving D7017 and D7018, two Hymeks that have spent four times as long on the WSR as they did in British Railways’ service!

Highlights included a double headed service with both of the Hymeks, seeing D7017 fresh from recent overhaul and repaint and we also catch the last departure as D7018 leaves Bishops Lydeard in some nice evening light, prior to it's road move this week to the Great Central Railway where it will star in their forthcoming diesel gala! | 31.08.2025

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