Hello again! :D
A video long requested since I started doing these documentaries around 2 years ago, we venture back to the East Coast Mainline, where, for over 20 years, the top expresses of this integral route were powered by a series of 22 specially built locomotives known as the Class 55s, the first diesel engines to operate at a sustained 100mph in the UK, and, through their styling and the superb sound of their humming Napier Deltic engines, left an impact on the UK railway scene that rivalled the classic steam engines they had been built to replace.
All video content and images in this production have been provided with permission wherever possible. While I endeavour to ensure that all accreditations properly name the original creator, some of my sources do not list them as they are usually provided by other, unrelated KZheadrs. Therefore, if I have mistakenly put the accreditation of 'Unknown', and you are aware of the original creator, please send me a personal message at my Gmail (this is more effective than comments as I am often unable to read all of them): rorymacveigh@gmail.com
The views and opinions expressed in this video are my personal appraisal and are not the views and opinions of any of these individuals or bodies who have kindly supplied me with footage and images.
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Thanks again, everyone, and enjoy! :D
References:
- The Deltics and Baby Deltics A Tale of Success and Failure by Andrew Fowler (and his respective sources)
- Class 55 Deltics: From the Final Years to Preservation by Colin Alexander and Ian Beattie (and his respective sources)
- Wikipedia (and its respective references)
My late grandfather was the foreman at Finsbury park depot for years and he kept the deltics running for years prior to withdrawal after British rail stopped replacing parts for them so they had to canabalise the old broken deltics in order to keep the others running. He ended up being the reason that so many deltics survived so there ended up being 7 survivors of the class including DP1 instead of the 1 that British rail wanted to ensure the rest were scrapped because of how my grandfather prevented it and managed to save 6 more than BR wanted until preservation provision could be provided
I like your grandad a lot. Thank you for sharing.
@@neilog747 Thanks grandad hes brought me many happy hours watching deltics
Tell your late grandfather that hes a hero (if he still lives, if not my condolances) Edite: Thanks for sharing the story btw
@@generalsquirrel9548 Erm, ' if he still lives' - what do you think 'late' means then?!!
Your grandfather might just be the best person ever, i could never live in a world with only 1 deltic 😭
in 1979 BR switched out a scheduled Intercity 125 service (reason unknown) with a Deltic 55 and 10+ MK2 coaches. I was 6 years old at the time, and was travelling from Bristol to London. My memory is hazy but I believe the destination station was Paddington. I'll never forget the sound of the marine engines of the Deltic. Come to think of it, it might have been Exeter.
I wasn't a rail enthusiast - but this coverage has won me over. I photographed a Deltic Diesel - The Red Rose and its father - a steam powered (guess 4-6-2) next to each other on platforms at Lime St station, Liverpool. I've read a little about the deltic engine design and thought it to be a 'perfection' of engineering balance. Currently, from my house in Cottingham I'm watching a pair of Deltic Diesels promenade up and down the Hull> Beverley line multiple times a day. The 2 have approx 6x tank wagons spacing them apart = I cannot see that they are being used as goods hauling nor passenger paying revenue earners - I'm left CURIOUS as to their activity!??
My father worked for British Rail Engineering and we travelled all over the country... But the one memory that will always stick in my mind and always makes me emotional is not so much the sight as the SOUND of a class 55 starting out from Kings Cross. It seemed apocalyptic... That sound... the vibration... It seemed like the whole station was shaking. The very epitome of POWER!
I used to live very close to the East Coast Main Line and could hear the distinctive snarling roar of the Deltics in the era before the HST and electrification. It never ceased to shiver the timbers.
I am old enough to have travelled behind these. The thing I remember is the noise you could feel in York Station.
Agree - the canopy at York enhanced the higher pitch growl of a Deltic.
That's incredible! How much did you remember from that time?
An excellent informative video, I learnt a lot. The idea of using the Napier engine was a classic piece of English imaginative thinking. I used to travel from York to Newcastle on Sunday evenings in the 1970's - hopefully by Deltic! I remember the wonderful sound as it hauled out of York Station - unfortunately after complaints by residents living close to the track, I believe driver's were told to use considerably less than full power until clear of the city - spoilsports!
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Not only the noise. What about the clouds of exhaust smoke ?
Great video on the legendary 55s. I first experienced a Deltic at the tender age of five. Having travelled from my then home city of Hull to Kings Cross. I had boarded the train with my mum, blissfully unaware that at the head of the train, lurked a monster. On alighting at KX I innocently starting walking towards two, motionless, but clearly alive monsters (there was actually four of them at the buffers, but two were thankfully hidden from view). Which were making a noise unlike anything my scant five years of life had prepared me for. A noise that vibrated in your chest, even at idle. I promptly screamed Kings Cross down. Much to my mother's chagrin. When I returned, at the age of seven, older, wiser, I was brave enough to walk up to one these beasts at the buffers (not too close. I'm not an idiot) and I noticed it wore a plaque. The words The King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry were emblazoned upon it and I thought, if someone was able to stick that to the side, they must be tamed. Thus starting my forty-five year love of Deltics. Thank you for the video.
That is a grand story.
Not just 5 year-olds affected by the heterodyning of those engines. I had the same experience with KOYLI at York within weeks of their withdrawal. I must have beem 17/18 at the time!
I’ve done something similar with 37’s. I saw a 37 at Norwich, screamed it down, but then the driver let me into the cab. I sadly can’t remember the name, but can remember sliding the window up and down. I was about 4-5 and was an enthusiast even back then.
That's something I miss about the old locos we had. I used to travel from Newcastle, so we were treated not to an idling locomotive at the buffers, but one rolling past you on its way into the station with the engine revving and screaming so loud it vibrated right through your innards. As a child, it was terrifying but so very awesome at the same time. The Electric plastic boxes we have today are just not the same at all.
I travelled to doncaster on an hour long bus journey to train spot at the age of twelve and within minutes of being on the platform i saw my first ever deltic and i was hooked from that momnent , most saturdays i made that journey for the next three years and travelled to York and back behind them a few times , 1981 was a bad year seeing both the deltics and the class 76 electrics that ran past my house being withdrawn , i would make pilgrimages to doncaster works and both guide bridge and redish to say my farewells to both class's , never did i think Deltics would still be running now i'm in my fifties but i am so glad they are .
Late 70s. I'm 5-7 years old. My Mother, Father, sister and I are taken by the Taxi (usually a Ford Cortina) down to Newcastle Central Station, for our annual holiday to Butlins (Filey or Skegness, alternating!). The Yorkshire & Lincolnshire holiday charters ran for 10 years. Taking holidaymakers from Newcastle, Durham, Darlington and York, onwards to the huge Butlins Holiday camps at Filey and Skegness. 5 coach, relatively short consists. The first year we travelled on these fantastic charters, it was a Class 55 Deltic hauling us towards Filey. To say that the looks and sounds of this awe-inspiring machine had an emotional impact on me would be an understatement. I was in love! I was obsessed. For the following three consecutive years, the duty was relegated to a Class 47, which just did not strike my senses and emotions in the same way that the Deltic had. And then, on what turned out to be the final year of our Butlins jaunts, in 1979, we arrive at the station and there she was..... the huge nose and purring idle of another Class 55. I was more excited about being hauled by the Deltic, than by the rides, outdoor swimming pools, Gaity theatre, snooker halls and amusement arcades that lay ahead at Skegness. I can still tune into the emotion and excitement of just standing on the platform before departure, staring at this illustrious, handsome, beast; sitting at the front of our Mk2 coaches. The happiest of memories.
When I was a kid my Grandfather was a driver on suburban trains out of Kings Cross, driving trains to Hertford North, Welwyn Garden City and I think as far as Hitchin. He was based at Hornsey shed (which I think is still in use as a service centre for electric trains?). One day when he was on a day off we went on the bus to Hornsey Shed so that he could show me something brand new - the proto Deltic loco. Not only did I see it, but I got to sit in the driver's seat (no, engines were not running). They say I was on cloud nine for the rest of the day. From your video I guess this would have been about 1957 and I would have been 4-5 years old at most. I honestly don't remember much detail, but I remember how absolutely huge and futuristic it looked to me. Your video now makes me wonder why it was parked up at Hornsey, maybe it had failed or maybe just between turns - no way to know now I guess - but whatever the reason it was definitely my gain!
A core memory for a 5 year old I imagine! What a wonderful thing your grandfather did for you.
@@ed4415 He did. Sadly I repaid him a few weeks later by embarrasing his wife. We'd been into central London for some reason and as luck would have it, my Grandma got us onto a train on the way home that my granded was driving. When we reached Wood Green, the train came to a rather rough stop and someone in our carriage commented on it. I innocently piped up (quite loudly I'm told) "It wasn't grandad's fault was it nan?"
@@ed4415 Lovely!
Great memories. Finsbury Park TMD wasn't commissioned until April 1960 and prior to this Hornsey depot was used for diesels in the KX area. Couple of errors in that commentary l noticed, only the FP locos were named from new, the others a few years later. The ETH did not replace their steam heating, they remained duel heat, in their last three years l served as secondman on all but nos. 1 and 20, and the reason l.was there - to operate the boiler
Great memories of being at the southern end of York's platform 8A, in the late 70s and early 80s, waiting for a Deltic to go 'throttle up'. That gloriously off-beat mechanical symphony was etched into my brain forever.
My late and greatly missed friend Ted was an obsessive train enthusiast, who seemed to know everything there was to know about all twentieth century British locomotives. I once asked him what his favourite engine was, expecting it to be a steam loco, but was surprised when he said without hesitation "The Deltic!". I now understand why.
My Dad was a young engineer, just graduated in 1948/49 who arrived in England from Canada to work for Napier. I clearly remember the photos of him on the deck of the RN Deltic-equipped torpedo boats, though possibly they were the re-powered E Boats; but he was later assigned to the development team for the Deltic railway units. The detail that stung in this video was the mention of the original prototype, and the failed plan to send it to Canada for evaluation. My father was part of that, having moved to the Napier office in Montreal, where he and his new English bride had been relocated by the company. A huge amount of my 5th and 6th year were full of Napier references, and I was obsessed with a beautiful but now lost cast metal model of the Napier Deltic, which my father had as part of his kit as a newly minted sales engineer for Canada. He spent a number of years from probably 1955 to 1963 in this capacity, trying without success to find use cases and buyers for the Deltic power units. And was obsessed with the Napier Company's superior engineering to rivals Rolls Royce. There was a culture of having been hurt by wartime favouritism in the British Cabinet that denied Napier the successes that they deserved (or so it was felt). My father abruptly left Napier for Pratt and Whitney in 1963, as a result of the cancellation of the project to import the Deltic prototype - something that he had worked hard to bring about. Canada at that time was coming to the end of the steam age, and there were US competitors ready to sell motive power, but a Commonwealth allegiance to the UK, it was felt, might favour Napier - thought this might have been wishful thinking. in any case, he ended up with the P&W affiliate United Aircraft, and was involved heavily in the PT6/ST6 gas turbine development and sales. He was very involved in the Canadian Turbo Train project, that right down to its styling was a stand out (though not always outstanding) that seemed to have more to do with British and European train design, including the TEE. I'm sure that he was picked for this because of his past Deltic experience. One of the most crucial aspects of the Turbo Train, to deal with the complete lack of familiarity in Canadian, or North American maintenance shops with turbines, was the ability to pull the power units out, exactly as the Deltics were built to allow, for offsite rebuilding by the manufacturer. The idea was to eliminate retooling and retraining, and maintain high uptime, until such time as the crews who were transitioning from the steam era could be modernized and trained. I don't think this is a coincidence. The Turbo Train also incorporated the shared bogies and unit-train configuration of the British High Speed Train, which although was outside Napier, certainly was a huge influence on my Dad, who perhaps brought that into the design process.
Sat as a boy on Doncaster station and we'd see the centre line lights go green as far as you could see and we'd know it was going to be a Deltic going full-chat with a non-stopping express - brilliant sight & sound.
It's amazing how these loco's, along with other preserved machines, are still generating revenue. When they built these things, they built them to last
Same with the Class 37 too - First built in the 60s and still going now and I don't think they are in preservation with DRS they just run them! they are at least 50 years old!
@@martinjh999 DRS and Colas very much still use the 37s in revenue service. Class 37 and 55 locos will be fitted with ETCS.
@@bfapple , DRS want to remove theres. But colas and i think DB still have them.
@@bowlerstuff9589 Yes - I work with the 37s.
First encountered a deltic quite late on, about 1978 or 9. Sitting light engine in a parcels bay at Peterborough. Impressive, but odd looking engine thinks me. Then it is started up. By god, that must be a DELTIC!!!! So glad several preserved, loudest humming bird in the universe when at full chat, a bag of bolts being shaken when being shut down.
Saw the Deltic at York Museum when I was young, my dad was very excited, as he worked for English Electric his whole life. I also have a soft spot for the Intercity 125. Great video, thanks.
Sitting on Retford station in 1977 as a small boy, just waiting for the Deltic to pass through from Doncaster... I'll never forget the musical hum of those engines, and the doppler effect on their sound as they approached, then left... the sheer speed of them... and they looked so huge! Great memories. I bet they spawned a lot of budding engineers!
Retford? I lived there for a while. I bet it was a sight thundering through there !
Retford is where I saw my first Deltic. Something I'll never forget, what a sight & sound that was. Now I occasionally hear and sometimes see the odd Deltic coming past my house. It's still an awesome sound, there's nothing quite like it.
Had to smile when I saw the APT on here as when attended Watford College 82-83 we looked out the window and saw a broken down APT,it was there a fair few hours,some great things were made in the UK, Deltics,Concorde,Spitfires to name but a few,thankfully Deltics can still be seen as can and flying Spitfires,I even got on a Concorde well it's at Duxford and a walk around, Best wishes.
The InterCity 125 HST is a fine example. For a "temporary stopgap" it's one the greatest trains ever made that gave 40+ years of service, plus it has hardly aged.
I love the sound of the Deltic engine, it screams like a sports car! Sad that the prototype loco never made it to other side of the pond, it would have been interesting to see a Deltic power an American or Canadian road switcher! The Deltic engine did make it to New York City in 1965, where it was crammed into a fire truck called the Mack Superpumper. It was designed to draw massive amounts of water from large mains or bodies of water and distribute it to other dedicated trucks in its system to hose down major fires. It was retired in 1982 and is preserved. A spare Deltic engine for the Superpumper is apparently for sale.
I don't think the Deltic power units would've seen much success in NA even if DP1 made the trip. Fairbanks-Morse was already trying (and failing) to market opposed-piston engines to North American railroads, and the FM units had lower maintenance requirements than the Deltic at the cost of performance. The EMD 2-stroke diesels were just too reliable for opposed-piston engines' higher power outputs to be worth it, evident by how quickly EMD gained a foothold in the UK when they finally entered the market with the Class 59 and 66.
The Superpumper was actually a fireboat pump on a trailer, powered by the Deltic engine, pulled by a Mack F series tractor. The MPO had to wear a headset when operating it, it was so loud...but boy, it sure could move water. It is still the most powerful land based fire truck ever built.
My dad used to but me and my brother on the train at Ely station which took us to Peterborough station where we would collect numbers of the Deltics we saw, some didn’t stop and came thundering through the station,I’ll never forget the noise and sight of it, absolutely love these beasts
Great video. Will always remember the awesome sound when watching these leave Newcastle station in the late 60s. They certainly impressed me as a 12 year old and still do today.
My childhood right there! Lived in East Barnet by Oakleigh Park Station growing up in the 1970’s. Used to stand on the footbridge just south of the station listening to the Deltic’s unique sound in the tunnel between Oakleigh Park and New Southgate. It would then burst out of the tunnel mouth heading north at full chat, so exciting, so cool 😎👍
The Deltic has to be the best damn engine the Brits ever made. Powerful, reliable, and an unmistakable sound that meant you _knew_ you were getting to your destination on time, and without a hiccup. The fact that opposed-piston diesels never got any more traction (pun intended) for locomotive use since then is an absolute travesty. These things just won't die.
Amazing piece of kit; but they could only make a few cause each one used an entire months worldwide supply of pistons.
And an absolute nightmare to work on, the maintenance guys did not like them.
And let's not talk about 2-stroke emissions. And certainly not DIESEL 2-stroke emissions! Although a colleague of mine did 'emissionise' a naval variant with an oxidation catalyst. I'm sure thst would have ruined the magnificent noise these locos made (when both engines were working!)
Amazing technical concept and cannot disagree with your comment about their sound. Having considered diesels to be glorified Spam-cans for many years, I draw your attention to the InterCity 125, a 'stop-gap' concept in the 1970s which has only very recently been retired and had timeless styling. Find Valenta Sunset, kzhead.info/sun/dpWCc8eHrGKEnoU/bejne.html on KZhead, however, wind the volume up to 11 and I hope your jaw drops as much as mine did.
@@martinwilson7246 interestingly much of the iconic sound of the original Valenta engined HSTs is also due to Napier, but in this case the Turbocharger. Napier produced large turbochargers that had loud and distinct whistling sound (leading to the nickname "Whistlers" for the Type 4s aka Class 40s which were the first production loco to use them). When combined with the fast revving Valenta the whistle became a scream.
Edinburgh, Waverly. The sound of a Deltic spooling up and pulling out of the station was apocalyptic :)
Saturdays at st neots station about 1975 i would sit, not long, then that unmistakable sound in the distance, getting louder until you saw and felt a 55 go through at full pelt. I'll never forget the drone from the twin Napiers as it thundered through.
I remember seeing these brutes at Kings Cross as a schoolboy and hauled by one to York in the late 70's. Then sneaking into Finsbury Park depot with some school chums, getting caught and having a guided tour of a Deltic. HAPPY DAYS! Thanks for posting, great documentary as always!
I have such fond memories of travelling up and down the ECML on a Rover ticket seeing how many miles we could clock up behind these wonderful engines.
It was a pivotal moment in my life the first time I saw a Deltic, 55 006 at Kings Cross, when the engine fired up I could feel the reverberation through my body, I knew I was in love.
I got the same emotion with the short-lived Fell diesel-mechanical, a real platform shaker!
Remember being on a trainspotting trip and Crepello going over a bridge nearby. That was it. Last one i needed to have seen them all. Right place, right time.
I spent many hours on York Road platform waiting for a Deltic to start up, shuffle back and forth into the Gasworks tunnel and then on to a waiting train. Great days.
Wow what an opening scene. I was off duty from signalling, the only time one came to Blackpool Nth [1978--88]. Great videos, thanks.
Amazing that so many of these locomotives had such a short serviece life.
Tollerton signalbox in the opening scene, one of the best views to watch trains go by and a great box to work in during summer but freezing in winter.
Thanks Ruairidh, another splendid Deltic video is out there. My favourite beasts when I was growing up near the ECML, that noise is utterly unmistakable. We'd always be the annoying kids on the end of the platforms at Newcastle getting ready with the brown paper and crayons to take rubbings of the nameplates, still got mine somewhere :) On the last day in Jan '82 we were all present to watch 002 fail and 015 take over, and I was so determined to take decent pictures with my crap 110 camera I climbed up a BRUTE and promptly fell off it. Watched the end of the trip on the News At Ten at home. I never thought that come 2022 I might be able to actually drive one...
Black Watch was a favourite of the NE drivers at Gateshead and Heaton. It's power plant had some sort of turbo charger which increased the pulling power. The same men reckoned the machines were flogged to death in the early eighties, with short turn arounds at Kings Cross.
This comment about no. 13 is really interesting: I've heard before the suggestion that The Black Watch, which seems to have been many people's favourite, had some form of uprating... but I've never seen any confirmation and never really understood how it would work, so have wondered whether it might have been a bit of an "urban myth"! The thing is, obviously Deltics were intended to have their engines swapped at frequent and regular intervals of course - so if TBW had some sort of modification, how would that fit with that? I don't know either way of course - but would love to!
You knew what was coming well before you saw one , especially if it was pulling away . I am sure i saw mine pulling freight . An awesome beast for a young trainspotter .
Glad someone had the wisdom to preserve some of this great model of train ,, because once they are gone they are gone,, brilliant when British engineering with maintenance is Great stuff,, love the video,,we never had these. But Hornby did😁☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️ from northern Ireland
00:07 that howl of the Deltic engine is music to my ears. I worked at York in the mid 70's and the sound of them leaving the station was wonderful
On the last day of service of the Deltic’s, I went to photograph them in Edinburgh. Back then, it was 35mm film as digital was in the distant future… I fired off a full roll of fill, sent it off for processing and, a week later, picked up my prints. Every on was black… the film hadn’t caught and as a result, never captured the Deltic’s at work… 😭😭😭😭
I remember travelling from Leeds to Southampton in a carriage pulled by a Deltic numerous times 95/96 while at University.
I travelled the ECML many times as a young passenger on trains hauled by these distinctive and potent locomotives. An amazing sound! For some reason, I had a soft spot for Tulyar and I can only guess its because I must have had a couple of particularly pleasant trips behind that engine.
They were the only Diesel Electrics that caught my attention. We sometimes saw them in Cleethorpes, at the other end of the route from London King's Cross, standing in for Class 47 locomotives. I still love the sound of them accelerating hard, burning about 20 gallons of fuel per mile. When on song, they really do sound like an MTB. Thanks for this video.
20 gallons per mile!!? That would mean they would need nearly 8000 gallons to get from KX to Edinburgh!!
I was a driver at crewe and in 84, I think it was the king's own came in from the north on a special. The loco was to be detached and sent to the fuelling depot ready for its return journey. I was the driver sent to relieve the incoming crew and take it for refuelling and stableing. Because it was such an iconic loco I asked if I could go via the independent line line so I could get a feel of its power which they allowed. I wish I knew back then how important it was I would of taken a few snapshots.
Truly iconic locomotives. Nothing... absolutely NOTHING ...sounds like a Deltic!! Awesome machines.
I can remember the excitement as we saw its unmistakable silhouette appear way in the distance. On Doncaster station late 60s the deafening roar as it pulled in and me hoping it’d be a cop. You could almost tell by the length of the nameplate what it was from a distance. Oh no - it’s NOT Meld ! Never mind , it’s a Delly.
Class 37s are in the same category in terms of distinctive sound though the note (!) was different. Back in the mid-late 2000s there was a train arrived YRK with a short rake of unusual carriages in Arriva livery sandwiched between two 37s that came into York station from the south, stood on the current platform 5 (platform 9 a b and c when I was a kid😉) for about a quarter of an hour then both belched an atom cloud of blue smoke departing north. You could feel your ribs vibrating in sympathy. But in pure engineering terms the Deltic was probably as good as it got, if not the loudest.
@@warringtonminge4167 Absolutely as good as it gets mate. As good as it gets.
Athough I'm a steam fan, the Deltic is my favourite British locomotive. There's just something indefinable about 55s that gives them that special appeal. The sound in particular reminds me of the old Vampire jets that used to operate out of Bankstown (NSW, Australia) airport when I was a kid in the 1950s. The roar from little more than a mile away when they were preparing to take off stopped us kids in our tracks as we hoped one would fly overhead. I can only imagine kids in Britain being thus affected by the sound of distant 55s coming closer and closer - and WOSH by !
I’m not a diesel locomotive fan, I prefer kettles, but I do have a soft spot for the Deltics. The sound of a Deltic at full throttle is unmistakable! The two tone green paint scheme was truly beautiful too, far nicer than the horrid BR Blue but it added cost to the maintenance when it came to rebuilding/overhaul. Now that you have covered the Deltics, you need to do the Blue Electrics soon… PS I remember one rail tour where a Deltic set fire to Dunbar’s station canopy… oops
I used to lean over the wall at York Road beside King's Cross. As you say, you never forget a full throttle "take off". Unlike classes 47 and 50, which are just rectangular tin boxes, classes 37, 40 and 55 have noses, which give them some character. We should also remember that the HSTs really saved BR's bacon, before electrification of the ECML.
Interesting to see the Driver wearing a Parachute Regiment cap badge above the peak on his drivers cap (3:35). Im led to believe it was popular during that time for WW2 veterans to wear their old regiment badges and also medal ribbons on their work uniforms.
As a retired CM&EE (Eastern Region) York employee, I was totally fascinated by this film. Thanks.
I was a pupil at Taunton School 1967-70 - the GWR railway line was right next to the school and I remember the noise the diesal locos made leaving Taunton and heading for Exeter - pure nostalgia❤️!
Well they wouldn’t have been Deltics , not for long.
When I worked in a signalbox at Wakefield Kirkgate West Junction on a summer night you could hear the up sleeper leave Westgate station and you could still hear it for ages in the distance. Still gives me goosebumps to remember the sound of those engines.
One of the class was trialled on the Hunterston- Ravenscraig iron ore trains in 1979.
I loved the sight of them on the East Coast main line, especially when they carried the Flying Scotsman winged thistle. I do however, prefer the lines of the original blue Deltic, which I only ever managed to see in service once when I was on the top deck of a bus passing New Southgate & Friern Barnet station.
I remember the class during the early 1960's, with some pals in, I think July 1963, we camped at the mouth of Stoke tunnel at High Dyke, during the week we saw the entire class pass by hauling the passenger expresses. Mixed emotions I remember, sad that the A4 "streaks" had gone, but these were impressive locos.
One thing I love about English locomotives is how they're named. Each train no matter how many there are in that class are each named. Each one is as important as the last. It's Hella cool.
Brilliant as always! Thanks. Rob
Its a pity i was born in 1992 but i can imagine sitting in York or Newcastle in the 70s seeing these incredible machines in full action!
Brilliant video Ruairidh, thanks, including the best DP1 footage I have ever seen. Bravo!
A superb video with some wonderful footage. Thank you for your efforts in making and posting it. Sadly I only ever saw a few of them, both at York station and being given the beans northbound on the ECML north of Selby, when I was working in East Yorkshire in the late 1960s.
In my train spotting days I used to love seeing these beauties at King's Cross. Early on, being a Horse Racing fan, I really loved the Finsbury Park locos....and a lot of the others hadn't yet been named. Gradually we would see one that we had already "copped", but that had had no name, turn up with the name of a Regiment. The full, throaty sound and billow of exhaust as they set off for the North is never to be forgotten. I reckon only a Rolls Royce Merlin engine has a better sound...and that ain't too bad a tribute !!
You have just made my day! Fantastic machines.
Excellant presentation Ruairidh, thank you.
Thank you,my friend,for featuring my home station of Hitchin.Also The Legend of Finsbury Park,the Deltic!
A superb documentary - many thanks!
Excellent quality and informative video. Thanks for posting.
This was fascinating, I touched the the last steam engine to run in NSW when I was 8.
Good video, very enjoyable and very informative. Thank you for posting it 👍
Great informative video as always from you Sir 👍🏻
trains are awesome! Hearing a locomotive whistle is one of the sweetest sounds... unless it's bearing down on you!
Very interesting, this could be played at a museum. Thank you for your work!
Superb video!. The Deltics were in their last days when I started trainspotting as a boy, but they are magnificent machines
Excellent narration and a really interesting video of a once great powerhouse of an engine. Thankyou.
Fabulous ! a great effort , well done and thanks ;)
So pleased you mentioned the North Blyth connection. I hadn't realised it was being used there and one day stumbled upon it hauling hoppers. It was quite some sight and sound!
My favourite engine. I have a model of the dp1. I've no idea what it's made from,but it's heavy, and painted silver xx
Amazing locomotive video as always. I hope you do more steam and diesel locomotive videos.
A really good video. I particularly liked the section at the beginning which explained the origin of the Deltic engine. I only saw one of these in actual service once. We were on the Tyne-Tees Pullman (HST) and there was one sat at Selby station with a North-bound train. It would have been late 1980 or early 1981. I was about nine or ten but recognised it as I had "Meld" which came in my first Lima train-set.
Thanks I really enjoyed that. I love the noise they make.
Second man at King's Cross 1973 to 78 drove all those deltics . My drivers fav trick ...get me to check the boiler between both engines Shut them down then open up controller to full while I was in the engine room . I loved driving them. Often got wheels spinning comming out of Wakefield Plenty of sand from sand boxes stopped it . We could shut controller down and free wheel down Stoke bank to Peterborough and still be doing 100. Once we got 110mph (unofficially) out of the Loco nimbus lol
Keith - where can I see one of these in action now?
@Keith Dean. My regular Driver was Eric Hemmings in the lodge link. Many a good trip.
Thanks for this excellent video! I remember the prototype at the science Museum in about 1970 as a small boy - having grown up in the West Country I have yet to see one of the class in action but hope too.
Another great documentary, thanks for the education
I remember the colossal reverberating sound of Deltics pulling out of York Station on their way North. It never quite substituted for the smell of sulphur, and steam of the Gresley Pacifics, but it was a good second!
There was a parallel,with the Fairbanks-Morse opposed piston engines. Originally designed for submarine service,they were later put into locomotives,and did fairly well,but the shopping was specialized,and it helped to have a fair number in use! The Long Island,Santa Fe,and New York Central,were all users of Fairbanks-Morse locomotives,and therein,lies a very mixed tale! Thanks for an excellent commentary,and filling in of information 😀 👍 😊 🙂! Thanks again! 😊!
Very interesting documentary. Thank you.
The locomotives of my childhood. I've travelled on many trains headed by Deltics.
My favourite class of Locomotives! I was lucky enough to have a cab ride in D9016 on the GCR (video on my KZhead channel). I remember seeing DP1 at the Science Museum in London back in the early 80s when I was a young kid. It fascinated me so much seeing such a huge locomotive up close.
THANK YOU Ruairidh: so much information, so much good footage and total absence of pointless 'music'.
Very informative video, thanks. Also thanks for not running stupid music underneath, and letting us hear fully that wonderful sound.
A wonderful video, thank you.
Excellent documentary.
An excellent video, thank you!
Deltics were cracking engines, right up to the point of over revving, and then they were excellent at firing their internals out. They were used in the hunt class minehunters in the royal navy and most of the class had a plaque with engine components bolted to it in the ships control center. All that said they were good engines that have sadly all been replaced in upgrade packages with more modern CAT diesels.
I wonder what RPM they would’ve grenaded at.
"Charismatic" is such a good word to describe Gresley's Pacifics.
amazingly imformative video and i understand a lot more now about these wonderful locomotives, would have love to hear the soundtrack they made just to finish off
Brilliant machine, another wonderful piece of our Islands talent
We went train spotting up to York hoping to see some deltics & the first I saw was Green Howards. Very excited. We also cabbed a couple too but I can't remember which ones.
Nice to see you're own footage included at the end.
Cracking stuff. They just still sound epic!
I really enjoy your videos and the research you put into them. I enjoy all things transportation be it aviation, rail and automotive history and technology. I am definitely glad to have found your channel and subscribed, you have a new and loyal subscriber and I look forward to more of your great videos. Greetings from the US :)
Another great video. Small correction. Although converted for ETH and air brakes the Deltics continued with their steam heat boilers to the end thereby being one of the very few classes (The first 20 class 47s being the only others I know of) that were both dual heat and dual brake. In the latter days I recall travelling on the overnight York-Aberystwyth mail train from Stalybridge to Stockport Deltic hauled with both heating systems in operation. "Because I can " said the secondman. (It might have been that the TPOs on this trip were vacuum brake steam head only whilst the passenger carriages were dual heat)
Abit before my time but still a interesting insight into how this classic locomotives came about and still a few in service far as i know.