Class 55 Deltic - The Racehorses

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

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!??

I am old enough to have travelled behind these. The thing I remember is the noise you could feel in York Station.

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.

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.

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!

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

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

Truly iconic locomotives. Nothing... absolutely NOTHING ...sounds like a Deltic!! Awesome machines.

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.