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Deltics 16 & 22 - An Update


Wild Boar Fell
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Appears the story was not quite the whole story:

 

www.royalscotsgrey.com/0/2017/10/19/update-on-locos/

 

Wild Boar Fell

 

(Title now amended)

On a more serious note. Why is Rail stating they are up for sale and the owner giving a more ambiguous update referencing timing of Rail's article?

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Cautiously positive news on these locos. NYMR just does not have the facilities for Deltics.

Have the toy train fanciers done with their cheap jokes on this thread?

 

Dava

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Cautiously positive news on these locos. NYMR just does not have the facilities for Deltics.

Have the toy train fanciers done with their cheap jokes on this thread?

 

Dava

The only crane on site that could lift the power plant has 2 leaking tubes on the boiler so has been out for repair, otherwise Martin would have started the engine on 22 by now at Grosmont.  The plan was to drop the plant onto a ZVR or similar so a tent could be put over it to work on over the winter.  However you are right, the valley means the MPD only gets a couple of hours of direct sunlight a day in the winter so it can be cold outside, I'd prefer not to work in those conditions either.  It's not so much to lack of facilities for Deltics, its more a lack of covered facilities for diesels full stop.

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Theoretically you can keep rebuilding power units with new liners and bearing shells - until you get a leg out of bed. Realistically though, how many power units are left in existence, given there are six deltics in preservation each requiring a minimum of two - owned by three diferent groups ?

 

There are "marine engines" in the float including I believe one in 55022 at the moment. They don't seem to get a good enthusiast press, but are they really an issue ? After all 50044 on the Severn Valley is about to return to service with an engine from a Portugese 1800 which had substantially different fittings. I know the Portugese engine had to have a lot of it's external bits and bobs replaced by those from the damaged "English" engine.

Is it the same difference as a marine deltic ?

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Theoretically you can keep rebuilding power units with new liners and bearing shells - until you get a leg out of bed. Realistically though, how many power units are left in existence, given there are six deltics in preservation each requiring a minimum of two - owned by three diferent groups ?

 

There are "marine engines" in the float including I believe one in 55022 at the moment. They don't seem to get a good enthusiast press, but are they really an issue ? After all 50044 on the Severn Valley is about to return to service with an engine from a Portugese 1800 which had substantially different fittings. I know the Portugese engine had to have a lot of it's external bits and bobs replaced by those from the damaged "English" engine.

Is it the same difference as a marine deltic ?

I think it is 16 with Marine unit, I recall that it never ran particularly well when installed in 22 so it got swapped. There are a few spare power units around although these are mostly if not all owned by the DPS. The power units themselves are much more complex than say a class 37, a recent Rail Express article highlighted that liner seal replacement is a major specialist job yet to be done in preservation.

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 Realistically though, how many power units are left in existence, given there are six deltics in preservation each requiring a minimum of two - owned by three diferent groups ?

 

 

Starting off with the Deltic preservation society, including those in locomotives they have a total of 11 class 55 power units, and four marine units, two of which are series 1 units identical to those in the prototype other than having a marine gearbox fitted (and possibly some other ancillaries which could be swapped over), so even getting the prototype running should anyone ever contemplate it would not be impossible.

 

Then there are the four in the locos of Martin Walker, one of which is an ex-marine unit converted to take the place of the one that threw a rod. The broken one may be a source of useful spares like liners, pistons etc.

 

The DPS also had some 9 cylinder marine units that were dismantled for spares.

 

At the current failure rate there should be enough spares to keep the fleet going for many decades...

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See the DPS website to get an insight into the work involved in restoring D9015 Tulyar & keeping the DPS fleet in mainline running condition. The DPS depot at Barrow Hill is worth visiting to see this. Those guys are in it for the long haul. http://thedps.co.uk/category/tulyar/

 

'How it should be done'?

 

Added: Alycidon in action today: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/127368-dorset-deltic/

 

Dava

Edited by Dava
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The problem facing preservation societies isn't that it is impossible to keep old engines working, even if the supply of spares dries up, it is the cost. Even if you crack a block it may be repairable. Liners, pistons etc can be remanufacture and there is a healthy sector of engineering that exists to service that demand.

Those services are not cheap. Low volume bespoke products are never cheap, especially when they have to meet the level of precision and performance of engine components. There comes a point where even those with the deepest pockets walk away. Cosworth's delic work was funded by the Mod as the deltic engine had certain properties that were highly desirable for the RN but even the Mod replaced them with Caterpillar engines.

I suspect preservation societies will probably be able to keep these locomotives pottering up and down a few miles of preserved railway but unless they sign up somebody like Warren Buffet as a benefactor they won't be able to afford the cost of keeping them main line capable long term.

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  • 1 month later...

Incorrect placement of an apostrophe apart, I do hope this partnership goes well.

I've never doubted Mr. Walker's inherent love for the locomotives he's looked after and knowing more than a little about preservation and, done properly, the ability to generate funds from it (one of the good things to come from privatisation) I trust he sees this as a move in the right direction.

 

He's done better than D9000 Locos Ltd did with these "assets".

 

C6T.

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