| These are all photographs taken by my good friend Mick Sutch, from Coventry. They feature, I'm pleased to say, something hitherto lacking from The Caledonian Gallery - photos of Deltics in BR service!
Enough has been written already about the history and technicalities of these incomparable machines, and by people far better qualified than me, so no attempt is made to repeat that. The pictures are all scanned from 6x4 prints, and date from 1979-1980, at a time when these bellowing beasts had not long been relegated largely to the semi-fast turns from Kings Cross to York and Hull. Not that these diagrams were easy work, though, for the Deltic would follow an HST north from the capital, and stopping at most of the intermediate stations over the next 188 miles, would need all its 3,300 Napier horsepower to stay ahead of the next HST following nearly an hour later, which by virtue of limited stops and 125 mph running would almost have chased it down by York. The drivers and their charges, of course, rose to the challenge magnificently, and I can recall few occasions when they didn't run to time. Suffice to say though that if a Class 47 had to be substituted, punctuality would suffer, to say nothing of the huge disappointment for those of us eagerly waiting at York, with lining paper and wax crayons at the ready! To fill out the details of these photos a little, I have I'm afraid shamelessly plundered the absolute mine of information which Paul Bettany's excellent 'www.55s.co.uk' website provides on all things relating to Deltics. Check it out for yourself, there's a link on my front page - his site is a quite remarkable piece of work. Looking at these photos while preparing them brought back many happy memories of a time when, as now, I was all but obsessed with these fabulous locomotives. Their appearance, performance, evocative names and above all glorious bellowing racket, put them at the top of the list for me. Much as I love my AC electrics, the Deltics are still in a different league. Magic machines, simple as that. :-) |
Reposing inside the shed at Finsbury Park on 12th September 1980 is 55002 'The King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry', alongside vastly inferior traction.... |
55003 'Meld' manoeuvres across the pointwork at the south end of Doncaster station, on 30th June 1979 (?), so as to take over the 16:30 Hull - King's Cross service. |
55003 eases up to the BG at the head of the 16:30 Hull - King's Cross service, at Doncaster on 30th June 1979. |
'Meld' at rest outside its home depot, Finsbury Park, on 05th July 1980. In April 1979 it had received the white window surrounds prior to working a railtour, at a time when the depot was staring certain closure in the face. Something as simple as a lick of paint had a huge benefit in terms of staff morale, and it transformed the loco's appearance. Sadly, 55003 was one of two Deltics to wear its white windows until the very last, being taken out of service over Christmas 1980, and cut up at The Plant by the end of March 1981. A big favourite of mine, much missed. |
55003 'Meld' stands at Newark at the head of 1A13, 09:33 Hull - King's Cross, on 27th June 1980. 'Meld' had but six months of life left..... |
Another shot of 'Meld' at Newark on 1A13, 09:33 Hull - King's Cross on 27th June 1980. |
A glimpse inside 'The Park' on 12th September 1980 sees 55004 'Queen's Own Highlander' and 55012 'Crepello' undergoing attention. 55012 was finishing a 'B' Exam and would that night work The Night Aberdonian as far as Edinburgh, while 55004 undergoes unclassified attention. |
55004 'Queen's Own Highlander' was a machine whose life hung by a thread for many months in 1979. At a time when a desperate shortage of power units saw several Deltics (among them 55001 and 55020, which alas would never emerge) languishing in Doncaster Works awaiting engines. 55004 was lucky, and two units were found, and she finally returned to service on 2nd December 1979, after over twenty months' out of service. In this view it is seen at Grantham in charge of 1D02, 12:05 King's Cross - Hull on 26th May 1980. |
23rd July 1980 saw 55005 'The Prince Of Wales's Own Regiment Of Yorkshire' make a relatively rare daylight throughout run with 1E10, 09;10 Dundee - King's Cross relief to The Flying Scotsman. It is seen here pausing at Newark. |
55006 'The Fife And Forfar Yoemanry' stands at Grantham on 20th July 1979, with 1L41, 10:05 King's Cross - York semi-fast. |
After, by all accounts, a storming run from the capital, 55006 pauses at Newark with 1D04, 17:05 King's Cross - Hull on 12th Jjuly 1980. |
Pulling out of the back road at Doncaster, 55007 'Pinza' heads for London with 1A26, 15:50 York - King's Cross on 20th June 1980. |
The driver leans out of Pinza's elevated cab, awaiting the road north from Newark with 1D02, 12:05 King's Cross - Hull on 23rd July 1980. Due to cattle causing a line blockage, this train had only started at Peterborough! |
Sporting black headcode boxes to the bitter end, 55008 'The Green Howards' looks magnificent in the afternoon sunshine at Doncaster in this undated shot, some time in 1979. |
'Howard' running into Newark with 1L42, 12:20 King's Cross - York on 23rd July 1980. Upon arrival in York, she was sent to the TMD for repairs. |
With 55008 running on one engine, 55009 'Alycidon' was attached to the front of 1A13, 09:33 Hull - King's Cross at Doncaster on 12th July 1980. 4,950 bellowing Napier horses, anyone? Fabulous! |
A chance for 'Alycidon' to stretch its legs - 55009 departs the unmistakeable backdrop of Platform 9 at York, with 1S76, 10:05 King's Cross - Edinburgh relief to The Flying Scotsman HST, on 20th June 1980. |
Three Deltics undergo attention at Finsbury Park on 31st May 1980 - from left to right 55010 'The King's Own Scottish Borderer', 55019 'Royal Highland Fusilier' and 55012 'Crepello'. |
Another view of 55010 'The King's Own Scottish Borderer' inside Finsbury Park on 12th May 1980. She would shortly set forth to take charge of the 16:05 to York. |
55010 - minus a nameplate - stands at York on 18th May 1980, having unusually arrived into Platform 9 with 1L41, 10:05 from King's Cross. |
Resplendent in the early summer sunshine, 55010 runs round to take 1A10, the 15:50 back to King's Cross, on 18th May 1980. |
A lovely shot of two East Coast veterans at the Finsbury Park fuelling point on 05th July 1980 - 55011 'The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers' and 55018 'Ballymoss', sporting the superb white window surrounds which quickly became The Park's trademark. It will be noted that 55011 has recently lost a nameplate...... |
55011 pauses at Grantham with 1L43, 14:05 King's Cross - York, on 20th July 1979. |
About to undergo a 'B' Exam at Finsbury Park, 55012 'Crepello' stands outside the shed on 16th July 1980. |
