DPS celebrates 40 years of Deltics in preservation
THE Deltic Preservation Society marked 40 years of ownership of Nos. 55009 Alycidon and 55019 Royal Highland Fusilier with a special event at the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway on August 19. Both Deltics were in action throughout the day, which culminated in a double-headed run over the entire length of the line.
While No. 55019 is on a threemonth visit to the GWR, the appearance of 55009 was much briefer – it arrived from the Great Central Railway on August 18 and departed for the Severn Valley four days later.
Nos. 55009 and 55019 were handed over to the DPS on August 20, 1982, after which they were hauled from Doncaster Works to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, where they entered service the following day.
The society later (in 1997) purchased No. 55015 (D9015) Tulyar, which is currently stopped for overhaul, though nearing completion. The loco has been repainted in two-tone green with no yellow panels, and was displayed as such at Barrow Hill’s ‘150+2’ gala on August 26-28. It should be reunited with its bogies in the coming months.
Following its brief stopover at the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway,
No. 55009 was transported by road to the Severn Valley Railway on August 22, where it will remain until the autumn, taking part in the line’s gala between September 29 and October 2. During testing at the Great Central Railway, the loco developed a faulty radiator fan gearbox which requires changing, and this will be carried out at the SVR, along with replacement of fuel pumps and other work in advance of the loco’s planned return to the main line. Its first such outing is likely to be a light engine run from Kidderminster with one of the Class 50 Alliance’s locos acting as load/ insurance.