On the 2nd of January 1982, a special railtour was held on the East Coast Mainline to commemorate the withdrawal of the Class 55 'Deltic' locomotives from mainline service. The service, titled the 'Deltic Scotsman Farewell' featured both 55015 "Tulyar" and 55022 "Royal Scots Grey" as star traction, and brought an end to the class' 20 year reign on the ECML.
Over the following 40 years, the Deltic Preservation Society has been a driving force behind the continued survival of members of the class. The DPS own and maintain no fewer than three complete Class 55's, among other artefacts and power units.
To celebrate the occassion, as well as the ongoing acheivements of the DPS, a ceremonious running day was held at the Great Central Railway with DPS stalwart, 55019. 55019, although not one of the locos used on the original railtour, was the last 'Deltic' to haul a service train under BR, when it worked an Aberdeen to York service on the 31st of December 1981.
55019 would make three return trips over the GCR from Loughborough to Leicester North, with a supporting service provided by a resident DMU. For the first return trip, engine No1 was used. On the second, engine No2. For the final return, both engines were fired up, producing the full bodied Napier Deltic roar that is synonymous with these locomotives. 55019 carried a wreath on the day, in memory of Roger Newling-Goode. Roger had been heavily involved with the DPS for the majority of its current 45 year tenure. He sadly passed away in late 2021, for which we offer our condolences.
Locomotives:
BR Class 55 'Deltic' - 55019 "Royal Highland Fusilier"
BR Class 101 DMU - E50266+W59506+M50203
All footage filmed on Sunday the 2nd of January 2022.
15 окт 2024
