“GRUMPY” CAME HOME WITH YOU

Built For The War Effort – Still Working At Avon Valley Today

WD824 – “Grumpy” – At Fanara 1952

358 was built by Andrew Barclay Sons & Co Ltd of Kilmarnock in 1941. Based on a Drewry Car Co design, (that became the basis of the BR class 03 and 04) the locomotive was one of a batch of ten locomotives built under sub-contract from the Drewry Car Company. This was part of a WD order placed with Drewry for twenty small 0-4-0 diesel mechanical shunting locomotives. Whilst the Andrew Barclay works number for the loco was 358, it was given a War Department number of WD 43.

358, along with many others from the same group, was based at the Longmoor Military Railway and initially saw very limited use. Eventually 358 was prepared during spring 1944 for the invasion of Europe. At this time it was given a new number: 70043

358 was shipped from Southampton to Cherbourg in September 1944. It was carried across in a “conventional manner” unlike the four that landed on the Normandy beaches during the first days of the invasion as can be seen in photos at that time. Initially the loco was stored in France in the town of Bayeux, before being moved in 1945 to the Detmold Military Railway. The Detmold Military Railway was a 30 mile branch line in Germany that was requisitioned by the British Army for training for the Royal Engineers.

The loco remained at Detmold until it returned to the UK following the cessation of hostilities in January 1947, after just under three years in Europe. It is presumed that the loco was then stored from January 1947 until January 1952 when it was chosen, alongside 6 sister locos, to be transported across to the Middle East, Suez Canal Zone.
Following overhaul by Sentinel of Shrewsbury, the loco was shipped across the globe and when it and its colleagues arrived in Suez, they acquired the names from some of the dwarfs in “Snow White”. 358 becoming “Grumpy” in the process. The loco was also renumbered for the second time in its life at that point and became WD824.

‘Grumpy’ then made its way back to Britain in 1955, being spotted at the Bicester Military Railway Workshops in March 1955. In May 1956 358 was then moved and based at the Hilsea Barracks near Portsmouth, which was a training base for the Royal Ordinance Corp. It stayed there until July 1959 when it went back to the Bicester Military Railway Workshops. These workshops were the main locomotive workshops for the War Department, and therefore it was a regular occurrence for the War Department locomotives to return there periodically.

On the 21st January 1960 358 was then sent to Thatcham Central Ordinance base, where it was used for general shunting until the 18th April 1968 when it back to Bicester Workshops for refurbishment. It was here that it was renumbered for the third time to “Army 200”. On the 29th August 1969, 358 then moved to RNAD Dean Hill where it would remain for the next 24 years.

358 was then put up for disposal in the early 1990’s and was purchased by the Bitton Railway Company on the 7th October 1993. Initially the loco was stored at Long Marston, alongside numerous of the organizations coaches, but was moved to Bitton in 2001 for full restoration to be carried out.

Interestingly, 358 is the sister loco to WD 31 which was based at the Avon Valley Railway from 23rd November 1978 until 25th November 2005. WD 31 assisted in the development of the railway, and as such 358 is a representation of a class of loco that was key to the railways development.

During this restoration the locomotive was fitted with the vacuum braking equipment required to allow it to haul passenger trains on the railway. It now plays a regular part in 1940s weekends, often using that braking system to pull passengers up and down, and has even hosted “Winston Churchill” (Actor).

Once restoration was completed, 358 was turned out in the livery it would’ve worn in the 1950s with its 2nd number WD70043, but with the name “Grumpy” added in reference to its time at the Suez Canal. The loco has seen regular use on passenger services and undertaking shunting around the yard as and when required. In 2021/2022 the locomotive underwent a repaint into its earlier War Department green

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