Deltic Scotsman anniversary run postponed due to Alycidon delay

THE Deltic Preservation Society has postponed its planned April 30 trip from King’s Cross to Edinburgh to commemorate the final Deltic-hauled railtour on January 2, 1982.

The trip was called off due to delays in the return of Class 55 D9009 Alycidon to full working order.

However, the society is now on the home straight for completion, with a replacement power unit installed and the fully repaired bogies sitting under the locomotive.

Graham Clarke, the society’s head of engineering, felt it was unwise to commit to this tour as the DPS was required to sanction it in January, but with static testing, mileage accumulation and both heritage line and main line high-speed runs to be done first, it was felt prudent to delay its return to main line action.

A revised date will be added later, possibly run as a ‘40 + 1’ tribute on January 2, 2023.

DPS locomotive hire manager Mike Hallam-Rudd said that subject to no hidden gremlins, D9009 should be available for the three tour dates in late July, mid-September, and a trip to be confirmed in December for a ‘Deltic Trans Pennine Express Lament’. There is also another possible tour in the pipeline for June.