Railway Vehicle Information Sheet

[1963-80 - DELTIC]

Company

E.E.Co.

Type
Wheel Arrangement

Co-Co DE

Class

Name

DELTIC

Number(s)

Current Number

Builder

English Electric Co.

Works Number

2007

Order / Lot Number

Cost (new)
Date Authorised

c.1951

Date Built

1955

Rebuilds / Alterations
Date of Withdrawal

March 1961

Final Mileage

455,000

Locomotive Details
Length (with tender)
Maximum Height
Maximum Width
Weight

106 tons

Museum notes
This locomotive was built as a speculative venture by the English Electric Co in
order to improve upon the inherently low power to weight ratio of contemporary
diesel electric locomotives, by adopting the German devised (Junkers, 1929)
triangular opposed piston diesel power unit. Rights to manufacture these in the UK
had been secured by Napier Ltd in 1934. The locomotive project was initiated as
early as 1951, but the locomotive named DELTIC (after the triangular Greek
capital letter delta). The locomotive was rated at 3300HP and weighed 106 tons.
Deltic thus developed 31.1hp per ton, a remarkable 150 per cent improvement on
English Electrics previous designs. The EE Co. designed Class 40 1 Co-Co 1,
introduced on BR in 1958, weighed 133 tons and was rated at 2000 HP, giving a
power to weight ratio of only 15.0 HP per ton. These were being delivered
simultaneously during 1961-2 with the production Deltics (99 tons) which yielded
33.33 HP per ton.
The Deltic was initially given trial on the London Midland Region of BR in 1956
before transferring to the Eastern Region in January 1959. It was realised that
electrification of the East Coast Main Line might be a little longer in coming than
first thought with the announcement of the BR Modernisation Plan in 1955. The
then ER General Manager, Gerald Fiennes, had already taken the bold step in
early 1958 of ordering 22 production 99 ton versions (of which 55002 also features
in the National Collection) as a stop gap, ostensibly to replace 55 steam 4-6-2s.
These were delivered in 1961-2 (and were themselves displaced by High Speed
125 trains in 1978). Electrification between London Kings Cross and Edinburgh
was eventually authorised in 1984 and completed during 1989-1990.
Deltic failed in service in March 1961, (just as the production locomotives were
about to arrive) and returned to its builders. In April 1963 it was presented to the
Science Museum (it is believed with its power units already removed).
A copy of the BTC/BR Performance and Efficiency Test Bulletin (No.19) covering
the prototype Deltic and published in September 1956, is filed in the Technical
Archive at Test/Diesel/1.
This was produced with reference to Run Nos.451-499, 26 April to 27 September
1956 between Carlisle and Skipton, with LMS Dynamometer Car No.3 (see Log
Book, Vol.3, at TEST/DYNA/8C). During the course of this, runs 461-464 27-28
August, LNER No.2 Dynamometer Car was also marshalled into formation for
calibration purposes (Run Nos.127-130). Later this vehicle was used to evaluate

the vehicle on the ECML in March 1959 (Run Nos.254-265, 5-21 March 1959) see
its Log Book, at TEST/DYNA/10.
Select bibliography:
The Deltic Locomotives of British Rail, by B Webb, David & Charles, 1982, at NRM
E10A/167
The Deltics A Symposium (2nd revised edition), by C J Allen et al, Ian Allan Ltd,
1977, at NRM E10A/30
Deltics at Work, by A Baker & G Morrison, Ian Allan Ltd, 1985, at NRM E10A/209
The Diesel Impact on British Rail, by R M Tufnell, Mechanical Engineering
Publications Ltd, 1979, at NRM E10A/133
A bound volume of Prototype and Production Deltic test reports is held in the
Technical Archive at TEST/Diesel/8.