30 years ago

[Hermit 109]

Hi everyone,

Re; the Deltics, I was lucky enough to have several trips on every loco in the fleet and kept a log of all of them. The first trip was in the early sixties when I fell in for a Grantham return on a night sleeper. It was before the cabs were fitted with the soundproofing screen and curtain and there was only a single door into the engine room, so you can imagine they were quite noisy in those days but the cab was quite roomy compared to later years
.
They were also responsible for destroying my hearing. We had a Deltic one night on the 01.00 Newcastle lodge turn, it was before we were issued with personal ear plugs. The boiler failed just after leaving the "Cross" and I spent the best part of the journey to Peterborough in the engine room before we declared it a failure and swopped for a 47. When we were relieved at Newcastle, I had gone almost deaf and still to this day have a constant Deltic whistle in my head.

One of the Scottish Deltics had a Regimental Crest mounted in a glass case above the door into the nose compartment, however, when they were fitted with Electric Train Heating the plaque disappeared. But they were magnificent loco's and I think, were suitable successors to the great loco's of the Gresley/Peppercorn era which I was also lucky enough to experience as a very young fireman.

[cambois]

Deltics had a style of noise unlike any other diesel, which seemed to travel long distances. I have fond memories of lying in bed, a bit before midnight, in a bungalow at Gilberdyke some 1/2 mile from the station, and hearing the Deltic on last down Kings Cross - Hull opening up after coming from the 40 PSR off the Goole line. It let me know the day was nearly finished, and I was unlikely to get a call.

Used to be a Doncaster crew who went home LD after the coaches were lifted off by the white stained 03 and put through the washer. One night they took the rear bumper off a car at Thorne Moor Ends AHBs. Never found the car. Lucky or what!!

Lots of other memories of these great engines including as SLW through Penmanshiel Tunnel - and almost ducking!

[Mickey]

Deleted

[PinzaC55]

Deltics had a style of noise unlike any other diesel, which seemed to travel long distances. I have fond memories of lying in bed, a bit before midnight, in a bungalow at Gilberdyke some 1/2 mile from the station, and hearing the Deltic on last down Kings Cross - Hull opening up after coming from the 40 PSR off the Goole line. It let me know the day was nearly finished, and I was unlikely to get a call.

Used to be a Doncaster crew who went home LD after the coaches were lifted off by the white stained 03 and put through the washer. One night they took the rear bumper off a car at Thorne Moor Ends AHBs. Never found the car. Lucky or what!!

Lots of other memories of these great engines including as SLW through Penmanshiel Tunnel - and almost ducking!

On that note I couldn't resist providing this link to the awe inspiring new "Baby Deltic" project.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_9MbgkpDyo

[StevieG]

" I don't suppose that there are to many on here that can say that they have been in the engine compartment of a DELTIC at speed with those twin Napier turbines going flat out WITHOUT wearing ear protectors!!. .... "

... I hope you were ready to try ducking in case one of the engines suddenly 'threw one out of bed'.

[Blink Bonny]

Ay up!

We had the Deltics fairly regularly in thw last 18 months or so on the Liverpool - Newcastle expresses. They toyed with the schedule which was fairly tough for a Peak, OK for a 47 but beyond a 40's capability.

They also nearly turned Huddersfield Tunnel into Huddersfield Cutting!

[cambois]

BB you are spot on. My first Deltic run was a morning down Newcastle Executive in early 1969, quite a change after the Southern that I was used to.

Occasionally Deltics turned up on the morning up Edinburgh - Newcastle stopper 4 vehicles includeing an empty TPO off the sleeper. - they waited time at every stop!

But it is also worth sparing a thought for those who provided the infrastructure, as without the gradual, incremental line speed improvements they would not have had the track on which to perform

I always prefered the LNE approach - incremental upgrade - to the LM approach of a big (and now very expensive and still not finished) bang. It is still happening - eg Hitchin and Shaftholme/John Croft Jn (although there were some regretable lapse - removing slow lines between Huntingdon & Peterborough, and Holgate Jn (just reinstated)

And still more to do. Target ought to be a regular 4 hours with 3 stops, Kings X - Waverley.

[StevieG]

In the last year or so of the Deltics, there was a shortage of serviceable HSTs (when they were having significant troubles with the Valenta engines? [during '81?]), and I particularly recall several weeks (summer?) when a 55 + 8(?) loco-hauled formation was substituted for a return KX / Leeds or two.
The relevant trips were re-timed of course, for the supposed theoretical speed-obeying 'lesser' capability of this formation, to be about 25 (+5) minutes longer.
One day I specifically remember the middle-day up train (1A14 I think) arriving in 'the Cross' about 10 minutes late ...... against the normal HST schedule! - (i.e., at least 15 early on its official temporary schedule).

[v3man]

I too can remember lying in bed in Inveresk listening to the Deltic on the London sleeper opening up after the speed restriction at Monktonhall Junction and powering off towards Prestonpans.

The first timetable of Deltic working many regulating signalmen were caught out as they totally under estimated the Deltics ability to make up time when reported as being late. A new symbol then appeared in the working timetable to denote 'Deltic working' and so that signalmen knew to expect some, or all, of the lateness would be made up. At Portobello West they received and booked the time of every express passing Drem and a late running Deltic could really make up time on that section and catch the Portobello man out!

[v3man]

I should have mentioned the symbol referred to in the East Coast working timetables was a black circle.

[v3man]

I should have mentioned the symbol referred to in the East Coast working timetables was a black circle.

[JeffB]

Micky wrote.
I don't suppose that there are to many on here that can say that they have been in the engine compartment of a DELTIC at speed with those twin Napier turbines going flat out WITHOUT wearing ear protectors!!.

I write.
We did when we first got the Deltics, they came before the ear plugs. I spent years on them , Newcastle , Leeds, York , etc, and am convinced they damaged my hearing, even say so even to this day. And I was always wary of of them 'throwing one out of the bed'. It did happen once or twice that I know of.

I went to see a railway doctor for my plugs, at Marylebone Station, tried a few, as they came in slightly different sizes, one pair he said "they,ll do", by which time I think it was too late, my hearing was going.

[Mickey]

Deleted

[Blink Bonny]

Ay up!

The EE4s were loud enough when ticking over in the engine room, what they were like at full thrape.......

Eh? You what?

[JeffB]

I spent as little time as possible in the engine rooms, the only trouble was the steam boiler on the Deltics was in the middle off the two engines, always a bit wary when I walked passed them. The engines screaming away, and sometimes resetting the boiler, it started with a bang. Was always glad to get back to the cab.
As for the 'small place', I always thought the Deltics where the worst, situated in the nose, in front of a suction intake. If you got near it, it would suck you in nearly. The 2000s and 47s I could live with.