D318 / 40118 / 97408

 The locomotive is owned by D318 Ltd., and based at the Birmingham Railway Museum, Tyseley, Birmingham. The 16SVT Society act as custodians of the locomotive, and deal with fund raising from sales stands etc. Please visit the 40118 website for the latest restoration news.

40118 was also built at the factory of Robert Stephenson and Hawthorn in Darlington, allowing the production capacity at Vulcan Foundry to build the 22 production Deltics. Of the RSH batch, it was the last to be withdrawn, outliving 40124 by over 2 years.

As with many of the class 40's, 40118 spent much of its life out of the public gaze hauling freight trains in and around the north and north west of England. It was none the less a favourite with the Class 40 enthusiasts, working various passenger trains over a long career. The loco featured in 'Robbery', the 1967 film about the 'Great' Train Robbery of 1963. With continuing fascination about the events, 40106 and 40135 have since also been filmed portraying the part of D326 on the ill-fated Royal Mail Train, most notably 40106 in the hit movie 'Buster'.

After first withdrawal from BR service, the loco was reinstated in 1985 (with 40012, 40060 and 40135) for the Crewe remodelling work. The engine carried a new number, 97408, officially allocated to BR Headquarters. It was withdrawn in September 1985, only to be reinstated once more - in November 1985. It remained in traffic until 26th February 1986 when, after 25 years and one day, it was finally withdrawn from traffic. It was purchased on 22nd September 1988, and moved by rail from Leicester fuel point to Tyseley on 31st October & 1st November 1988.

Final withdrawal from BR was due to two major faults: a seized cam-follower, causing a damaged camshaft, and a collapsed bearing on number 5 traction motor. The motor armature had seized, totally destroying the gear wheel on the axle. The pinion cog on the armature was then cut off by BR to enable the engine to remain in traffic on reduced power. Poor storage between withdrawal and purchase also resulted in damage to the engine block. The coolant had not been drained and this froze, punching a six-inch by six-inch hole in the free end of the block.

Restoration work
The work undertaken so far on the engine has mostly centred on the number 2 end, and can be detailed as follows:

Number 2 Bogie
Reunited with the engine in December 1998 after a total rebuild. Traction motors rebuilt. Number 5 motor received a new armature from 50043 Eagle, and replacement gear case. New wheelsets fitted (ex-40088). Brake cylinders overhauled. Bogie pipework and fittings overhauled. Multiple working cable and fittings replaced. This bogie has been passed fit for mainline running by Resco.

Locomotive underside
Accessible sections cleaned and overhauled. All pipework cleaned, checked and re-lagged as appropriate. Traction motor connection boxes restored. Fuel filling system overhauled. Water tanks removed but not yet worked on (all internal baffle plates have rotted away). Hand brake assembly fully overhauled. New drain holes added to number 2 nose-end.

Number 2 Cab
Number 2 cab rebuilt. All woodwork replaced with new. Bulkhead sheeting replaced (ex-40139). All bulkhead fittings stripped, tested and replaced. Much of the wiring replaced. Cab heater circuits replaced. Extra wiring circuit added for headlight, if required. All cab gauges replaced with re-certified gauges. All power handle equipment stripped, cleaned and refitted. Brake valve equipment overhauled by British Rail. Windscreen wiper equipment stripped and rebuilt. Hand brake wheel and indication flag refitted, now working.

Air System
Operating satisfactorily, leaks identified were generally minor. One corroded brake feed pipe replaced. Several one-way valves will need overhaul. Air receivers to be removed during 1999 for certification and overhaul. Main reservoir tank requires extensive repairs. All flexible pipes to be replaced.

Number 2 Nose
Bulkhead cleaned and repainted. Fixtures and fittings on the bulkhead removed, overhauled and refitted Indicator lights and internal lighting overhauled. Traction motor blower and exhauster overhauled, awaiting refitting.

Power Unit
Damaged camshaft and cam-follower repaired. A-bank cleaned. Replacement of top end parts in progress. Frost damage repaired, and pressure tested, awaiting remedial attention. Main generator cleaning work under way. Heaters have been placed next to the generator for 5 years, ensuring it does not suffer from damp. Engine room and power unit repainting in progress. Much of the fan room bulkhead painted.

Control Cubicle and Battery Boxes
Battery boxes stripped and replaced. Wooden battery trays cleaned, to be reused. On-board transformer and battery charging box to be fitted with external mains socket. New batteries required. Control cubicle half-overhauled, much wiring tested and some sections replaced. Some relays replaced. Field diverts undergoing bench overhaul. Control cubicle air supply to be tested. Two coats of anti tracking paint applied to cubicle.

Boiler
Untouched so far, to be assessed when locomotive is back in traffic. Unit is complete, and was functioning on withdrawal.

Number 1 End
Re-glazed. Air system leaks sealed by fitting gauges etc. to the cab (gauges are not calibrated, awaiting renewal). Air supply to AWS system sealed. Some wiring circuits replaced.


Progress update - June 2002
A round-up of recent restoration and repair work:

  • · boiler roof section has now been painted after re-skinning, awaiting refitting
  • · main air reservoir corroded lower section replaced, now ready for craning back in after re-certification
  • · the first two cant rail grilles now sprayed and ready for fitting (all being replaced due to extensive rot). The painting of these is also being contracted out. Build quality is superb, carried out to original construction drawings at a very reasonable rate
  • · NRN radio equipment installation is slightly different to D345's: the main units are installed in a purpose-built enclosure, mounted in the nose end compartment
  • · all the field divert resistance banks on top of the cubicle have been cleaned and tested
  • · all three field divert contactors have now been stripped and rebuilt. Dowding & Mills have made new components for the divert blow out coils and new contact tips.
  • · much of the cubicle wiring has been worked on, tested and replaced as appropriate. Some wiring was found to be different to BR schematics!
  • · control cubicle cut out switch in pieces (fortunately they know which piece goes where)
  • · work on the power unit side of the cubicle is nearing completion, while descaling and cleaning work on the boiler side has started recently
  • · no. 2 cab door frames removed and in process of replacement (totally rotten)
  • · small battery box completely refurbished including a new battery volt meter fitted next to Battery Isolating Switch. Large battery box requires replacement battery shelves and repainting. Both battery boxes then require a road crane for refitting
  • · new battery charger and DC power supply unit wired and ready to go, so 40118 can then be plugged into a 13A mains supply to operate internal lighting and battery charging. This will be fitted in the engineroom above the doorway to no. 2 end cab
  • · all 4 turbo blowers have been disconnected and are ready to go for overhaul (waiting on aforementioned crane and the large battery box restoration). All four spin but are being overhauled for good measure. A2 and B2 are to be overhauled first. Some coolant pipe work is damaged below B2 turbo
  • · flooring between no. 2 end bulkhead and the control cubicle has been lifted, and all wiring conduits in battery box area refurbished / replaced with new
  • · no. 2 end cab is looking superb with the work done so far. The floor panelling has been removed to expose various conduits, pipe work and the cab door framework
  • · no. 1 end bogie frames will be stripped and grit blasted. The spare bogie, recently bought from Trevor Dean, will be stripped and swapped for the Class 40 Appeal's spare bogie, currently under no. 1 end. The loco can then remain mobile, enabling the underside to be accessed for restoration through the bogie frames, instead of being static on stands. The overhauled traction motors and other components will then be fitted to the restored bogie frames
  • Progress update - w/e 13th, 14th July 2002
  • · the air system was recharged, and the sanders, AWS and horns were proved
  • · no. 2 end bogie brake pipework was reconnected and operated successfully for the first time in preservation
  • The startup date has been deliberately put back so other jobs could be attended to - there is no rush to get 40118 into traffic. The group would rather not take the loco back out of traffic to do any of the bigger outstanding jobs; they'd rather do them now! Several jobs can be completed when the road crane is hired soon - as many craning jobs as possible will be done together.

    • The power unit is now thought to be in good order - the lubrication oil priming pump is thought to operate correctly, and good water pressure is obtained. Several cylinder heads have been removed during restoration (and stitch welding), and nothing untoward found. So, if all goes to plan, they hope to get the loco moving under its own power on two overhauled motors soon. Certainly the group are itching to at least fire the unit up in 2002.


    The Future
    Very early on, the group took the decision to re build the locomotive to main line standard. This was years before any preserved diesels ran on the main line. This does not mean that the engine will necessarily go main line, but the work will enable it to should the opportunities arise. Any main line work will be on their terms - tours are more likely than Virgin trips to the seaside, and then only once or twice a year.

    Many thanks to the 16SVT Society for providing the above information and preservation photos.
    They can be contacted via the Secretary, Colin Frew:     info@40118tyseley.co.uk

    Operating status: undergoing restoration - yet to operate in preservation
    Steam heat status: steam heat generator awaiting restoration
    Livery: BR Corporate Blue and Yellow
    Running number: 40118

PRESERVED 40s