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skipepsi
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Driver Ron Kennedy

Just wondering who BoxBrownie's uncle is.

My memories of Deltics as a secondman at Kings Cross from december 1975 till about August 1978 when I got promoted to driver at Addiscombe. some promotion...

But, the thrill of the twin engines pulling out of the Cross, the chance to race along the main line at speeds in excess of the ton (see my thread about fastest Deltics elsewhere on here).

They gave a good ride, a good view from high up, but the cab seats, oie most EE locos, were bloody uncomfortable. and the draughts from the side windows were something else. the Deltics took a good bit of skill especially when pulling away; you had to open up then sut off as the amps went up, or the overloads would trip out and you'd have to start again!

But they were a legend and a good replacement for the Gresley pacifics they replaced.

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Found this piccy........my Uncle took 60009 out of the Cross on its return as he was driving on its last official booked job into the Cross at the end of its career on BR.

 

My young son and I went along to wave him off......my son was so happy when Ron threw him a lump of coal across the the line to the platform (we were on the opposite platform), he still has the coal and he treasures it still....he is now 26 :imsohappy:

 

No wheel slip either on the climb to the tunnel :yes:

 

post-6591-0-53555700-1366207472_thumb.jpg

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  • 1 month later...

I rememder Ron Kennedy well. A real gentleman and a good driver and teacher. I remember booking on to secondman him one day at the Cross in the early 80's. His first words to me where "What you want to be today. Driver or fireman". I answered driver . We then stood there looking at each other for about 30 seconds before I asked him what was the first job was. His answer was "I don't know .I only started here as a DA today. Your my driver , you should know". That's how it went on for the rest of the shift. He made the tea swept out loco cabs if I asked him to, worked the boilers, and if any shunter or guard asked him a question about working the train or shunting he would point to me and say, "Ask him he's the driver". It taught me a hell of a lot that day about the responsabilities of a driver and what the job really meant. I never forgot what he taught me.

 

Paul J.

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Paul, thats my Uncle Ron all over......I shall be popping in to see him next week some time and I'll remind him of that, he'll remember for sure. He surely was (and still is) a real gentleman and thoroughly honest bloke.  He was a counciller in Southen for a long time and got voted in as Chairman of Essex CC even though the majority of the council was lead by Conservatives (needless to say he was a staunch Labour man), they respected him that much.  A number of years ago he was awarded an MBE (I think it was MBE, could have been something else!) for services to the community.  I am sure he even tried to talk HM into joining the Labour party while he was there! LOL

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Hello David, give Ron my best wishes when you see him. He might remember me from another incident which is relavent to this topic. I'm pretty certain Ron was the first driver to allow me to drive a Deltic main line with a train, as apposed to LE or ECS. It was on the 14.05 York semi fast. I got it going OK, a bit hesitant but I didn't overload it. It was at the first stop at Huntingdon the wheels came off. I made a complete hash of it and only got 1/2 the train in the platform, the front half. I put too much brake in and of course with a Deltic you couldn't just open it up and try a drag the train against the brake, it would overload. So we ended up stopped with the loco and about the first 5 coaches on the platform. I looked across at Ron and said sorry. His reply was something like "you cocked that up, now shut the window and look forward. don't do it again". Needless to so at Peterborough I stopped in the platform, but still got told off as I ran up the platform at around 2 MPH and most of the passengers had got on and off by the time we stopped. Give Ron his due he still left me in the seat to Doncaster and subsiquent stops where made a lot better. As he said as we got of the loco at Doncaster, "you learnt something there. Only a fool makes the same mistake twice!". An absolute professional of the highest order.

 

Paul J.

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

I can think of so many fantastic Deltic experiences from 1978-1982 but some that stick out in particular for me....

 

being at Darlington when 55004 came in on 8/12/79 on the 09.50Edin-Ply - it was a cop for me as she had been stuck in Doncaster works with 1 & 20 for 18mths and had only been out for about a week - her blue bodywork was really faded and patched up but she sounded fantastic - no gen much then - she just appeared and surprised us all!

 

55009 coming into Durham across the viaduct late in the day in the summer of 78 on a KX-Edin working - this was my first year of discovering BR Blue.

 

55003 coming into Durham into the dusk on the 20.30New-KX 'London Mail' on 26/8/80 - it was the last time I saw Meld as it turned out as she avoided me after that!

 

55006 haulage from Durham-Edin on the 05.50KX-Edin on 17/5/80 - a freight train failed at Chathill causing delays - I was in the 1st coach with my head out for miles & miles.

 

Sat 2/8/80 - the day I saw 14 separate members of the class (of the remaining 20 at the time) in one whole day - this was helped by a friendly driver offering to show me round York depot.

 

Lineside photographing amongst other places at Hett Mill on the ECML in my school summer holidays in 1981 as their days sadly became numbered was another highlight.

 

I could go on.......

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My first memory of the Deltics were almost being sucked off Newark platform in the 1970s as I stood to close to the edge of the plaform as one passed through at great speed. I'd just moved near there after growing up near Newbury in the land of the western which never seemed to go as fast as the Deltics, sorry I diden't get its number.

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Being a relative new starter, I'm still busy going through any threads of interest and who could not be drawn to the subject of Deltics.

 

My first was The Kings Own Scottish Borderer, spotted at Croxdale, at speed, going north onto the viaduct, in about September, 1969.

 

We were lineside and I mean about 6 feet from the track. The challenge was to read the name as is raced past. I managed to get The Kings ...............

 

It's strange that with experience I could read the full name as they passed but for a spotter on his first day, it was impossible.

 

In the same location, we would sit on the viaduct with our arms tight around the railings while the Deltics raced passed just 2 or 3 feet away. Madness.

 

I was almost run over by D9005. We were playing football whilst spotting and the ball ended up in the 4 foot on the furthest track which was backed by a cutting. It was my ball so because nobody else would get it, it was left to me.

As I bent down to pick the ball up, the board came off and as I looked left The Prince of Wale's Own was hurtling around the bend, in a cutting, towards me.

All I could do was pick up the ball and push myself against the cutting whilst the train whipped passed behind me.

 

All great memories but I wouldn't dream of doing it now.

 

My last was D9009 Alycidon, at Newcastle Central Station, in 1970.

 

We regularly spotted at Croxdale, next to the viaduct and I recall the Deltics going south would accelerate coming off a bend onto the straight viaduct. The sound was fantastic.

 

I lived about 5 miles away from Croxdale but at night, in winter, with a bit of temperature inversion, you could hear the Deltics accelerating onto the viaduct and know exactly where they were.

 

Happy days indeed.

 

So, in preparation for a layout that I hop to complete one day, I have the most memorable Deltics:

 

 - The Kings Own Scottish Borderer

 - Alycidon

 - The Durham Light Infantry (as I am from Durham).

 

Maybe I should have the one that nearly did for me as well. 

 

Bob 

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  • 2 weeks later...

I have many memories but the best was my first cab ride down the platform at york 1st July 1981, 55002 had just been repainted green again, the December 1980 repaint was getting shabby and it was now immaculate. She had gone to London on the 8.07 from York heading back there in the evening. We followed the empty coaching stock down the platform I couldn't believe it when the driver didn't boot me out and off we went, pure magic, he made my life! Have had a few rides since and driven 9 and 19 but that remains very special, thanks to that driver.

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my deltic memories started at grantham in January 1978 I went with a fellow schoolmate and his dad. it was dark, then there was this noise in the distance coming from the old A1 road bridge to the south it got louder and louder then it roared through heading north with lots of litter flying all over the platforms what a sight that was. my mates dad said theres your first deltic. later deltic 6 pulled in northbound and I just stood there looking at it and so began four years of following them to the bitter end. in October 1981 on deltic 10 on the 15.50 to kings cross she was racing a class 47 which was known as the York races, no 10 was minus one nameplate filthy condition but sounding great she almost made it but failed at gasworks and deltic 11 off the park was sent to push the train into kings cross what a day that was, great memories.

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Can't believe I haven't noticed this thread before - my favourite class of 'big' diesel!

My first experience with the Deltics would have been in the mid-seventies watching the Sunday diversions at Saxilby station on the GN&GEJt.

post-6843-0-11560600-1418779072_thumb.jpg

Then, after my Mam decided I was old enough to be let loose on my own (probably in 1978/9, when I was 11/12), a couple of East Midlands Rangers every summer holiday, meant blasting up & down the ECML between Donny & Peterboro' amongst other delights!

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Unfortunately, I only had a really cr*p camera at the time (Kodak 126 Instamatic), so these are the best photos I have to show for it...

 

Since their sad demise in BR service, I've crossed the survivors' paths more than a few times in preservation, including the 'Deltic 50' gathering at Shildon in 2011, which was very special indeed.

Deltic photos


A couple of videos from 'Deltic 50', too...
 

55002 'KOYLI start-up - 'Deltic 50', Locomotion, Shildon, 9th October 2011
 

D9009, 55002 & 55022 running - 'Deltic 50', Locomotion, Shildon, 9th October 2011

 

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Ahhh, Deltics !!

 

Wigan Grammar School trip to York back in 1966. Did the Cathedral, Railway & Folk museums etc. We were allowed a hour or so on our own, so we decided to bunk York shed, still steam back then, saw a couple of B1's, V2's and K1's, walking up the yard we heard "the noise" - a green (unidentified) Deltic leaving York heading north. What an impression of power. Then back to the minibus and off to Harry Ramsdens chippy !!.

 

In later years I bought an all line 1 week railrover. On Wednesday 25/10/1972 a day trip was Wigan - Euston, The Flying Scotsman 10-00am up to Edinburgh behind 9013 Black Watch. Stood in first coach behind loco all the way - too fast to stick my head out of the window most of the time !! Across to Glasgow (5404 & 5410) and home to Wigan behind 448 to Preston, 1636 to Wigan. Where to tomorrow - back to the Cross of course !!!

 

Deltics - Wonderful machines.

 

Brit15

Edited by APOLLO
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Having been in awe of the beasts for most of my formative years, I remember having a conversation with the driver of a Gainsborough MRS charter trip to Edinburgh in May '86 - he was a long-standing ECML veteran, so we asked him what it had been like to drive our beloved Deltics? "Bloody horrible!", he said, "I hated the bloody things - plenty of power, but you couldn't see owt out of them little windows!"

Bit chastening to say the least, but what did he know, eh...? ;) :)

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Having had the privilege to cab ride one of them, albeit on a preserved line, I was surprised to find out how high the seating position is.

 

He's correct though, it is a bit like looking through a telescope - narrow aperture and limited field of view.

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Good to see some more links and photos of these legendary machines. My earliest spotting days were at York and Doncaster in the early 70s and even now I can still clearly recall the utter thrill of seeing these monsters bellowing through the latter station at full bore. There is no other sound on earth like it and those far-off sunny afternoons spent lolling around on the platform barrows until someone cried "Deltic" always come flooding back whenever I hear one today.

 

Living in Hull meant we were somewhat detached from most of the hustle and bustle of the main lines, but in 1978 we got lucky; Deltics were allocated to all the Hull-King's Cross trains. I worked in the city centre, so lunchtimes were spent at Paragon station taking in the sights and sounds as they arrived and departed. Travelling home by train after work meant I also got to sample the late afternoon departure as well. Trips to York, Donny or London were timed to travel behind them and sitting in the first coach was mandatory. I was lucky enough to get a ticket for the last trip of all on 2nd January 1982, a sad day indeed as the realisation kicked in that this really was the end. Have to say my interest in railways waned a bit after that as the stuff that was left somehow just didn't quite compare.

 

My camera travelled with me every day and so I have a fair collection of these monsters in their last four years of service. Feel free to look through some of them here:

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/sydpix/sets/72157625258228962/

Edited by SydTrax
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When I was very young we had many family holidays at Berwick-upon-Tweed. Standing on the pier you could hear Deltics heading north for miles, before coming into view above Spittal, through Tweedmouth and over the Royal Border Bridge. A sound never to be forgotton. Many thanks to everyone for preserving a few Deltics for us all to still enjoy.

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When I was very young we had many family holidays at Berwick-upon-Tweed. Standing on the pier you could hear Deltics heading north for miles, before coming into view above Spittal, through Tweedmouth and over the Royal Border Bridge. A sound never to be forgotton. Many thanks to everyone for preserving a few Deltics for us all to still enjoy.

Yes, you certainly could hear them a fair way off! My Auntie and Uncle moved up to Newtonhall on the outskirts of Durham in 1969. As kids we used to go and stay with them and one of my most distinct memories is of lying awake in the small hours hearing the distant drone of Deltics as they raced through the night, the sound rising and falling as the railway passed through the cuttings. The line was about half a mile away but that far-off sound was often accompanied by small vibrations of ornaments on the shelves in the room. Quite a haunting sound, and one which obviously left an impression!

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This photo brought memories flooding back of still nights and Deltics..

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/51265696@N03/15206626011/

 

The comment i left on the photo..

 

My curfew as a 13 year old meant i had to come out on the 2015 Deltic hauled train. i had to change trains at Stevenage and face the wrath of the parents for being late in again. They never did find out what i did in the evenings

 

I'd be 'in bed' when this passed through Hitchin. In fact i'd be up with the windows open listening for it after Stevenage, losing it for a while around Wymondley and a couple of other places. On a good night with still air you could hear it all the way to Sandy.

 

The GUV is in fact a Motorail NXV, sometimes up to three on the front.

 

Super picture.

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Just discovered this topic, so thought I would add my memories.

I grew up 'across the harbour' from Portsmouth, so trains were rows of green carriages shuttling in and out of the Harbour Station on my rare trips across on the ferry. Around 8 years of age my parents started to take me up to my paternal grandparents, where I would be left for a week. The trip was fascinating, opening up a strange new world of open cast mining near Corby, white V bombers at Wittering, Bloodhound missles next to the A1 and life in a city (Grantham). I looked forward to these trips and especially trips to Grantham station with my uncle. He had an encylopedic knowledge of railways, traction engines and wood-working, so was the ideal person to keep a younger me entertained! There was my first non-stop A4 (Silver King, I think) going through, which prompted that strange mixture of terror and excitement in the 8 year old me; the ringing in the ears and the smell of steam lingering in the air after it passed. There was also a big MPD to keep you amused before the next one went by.

The highlight of the annual visit was being allowed to stay up late on a Saturday night to see the Aberdonian. More knowledgable people on here may correct me if I am wrong, but it stopped at Grantham around 9:30pm (for a crew change?). I only remember it being Deltic hauled and being in that beautiful two tone green that looked so good on them. I'm afraid the later corporate blue did nothing for it's looks in my opinion. Sorry about that, if you are a younger member of this site! One particular evening I was invited up into the cab. That left an impression....

My Uncle and Aunt moved to a new house on the outskirts of Grantham overlooking some fields with the ECML at the bottom of them. One quiet summer's evening I heard that unmistakeable sound in the distance and wanted to run over the fields to see it go by. "We've got time to walk over', said my my Uncle and he was right!

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33 years ago this afternoon I watched 55021 pass Escrick on its way back to york about 1245 only to be switched off for the last time shortly afterwards. My last live Deltic sighting of the year after having travelled from Selby to York behind 55022 on IS12 earlier that morning thanks to my dad and his trusty Honda C90 !! For a days Deltic chasing.

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Yes, you certainly could hear them a fair way off! My Auntie and Uncle moved up to Newtonhall on the outskirts of Durham in 1969. As kids we used to go and stay with them and one of my most distinct memories is of lying awake in the small hours hearing the distant drone of Deltics as they raced through the night, the sound rising and falling as the railway passed through the cuttings. The line was about half a mile away but that far-off sound was often accompanied by small vibrations of ornaments on the shelves in the room. Quite a haunting sound, and one which obviously left an impression!

My compliments sir from another Hull person (Newland Ave) on a fine set of Deltic photographs especially those taken at Hull Paragon.

I feel I must offer my unworthy examples.

post-276-0-59243200-1420056641.jpg

D9014 in 1963

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Unknown I'm afraid. 

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This is also 1963 as far as I know.

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The only comment I can pass about this photo is the person standing on the bridge was my girlfriend and has been my wife since 1965!

Edited by Judge Dread
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All I can say is thank God they preserved Alycidon!!  Despite a very active spotting career from 1965 onwards D9009 eluded me completely.  I saw every other one at least once, starting with Crepello at Edinburgh Waverley in 1965.  I finally caught up with Alycidon on the North Yorkshire Moors railway in the 80s.

Best memory was an overnight from York in 1976, my mate and I had a day's spotting followed by a pub crawl round York and caught the train home shortly before midnight. Thanks to the mixture of good Yorkshire beer we fell asleep quickly, but I awoke in the early hours to see OHLE masts slipping past in the darkness, I went to the door and was treated to the sound of the Deltic lifting the heavy train up Beattock.  We also were treated to a trip round the Edinburgh "sub" so that the train was the right way round to go to Aberdeen - Great memories.

 

JIm

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