D9009 Alycidon repairs approach the final stages

THE DELTIC Preservation Society is forging ahead with repairs to its flagship locomotive, D9009 Alycidon,

following its catastrophic failure during a main line charter in March 2019.

It was working the return leg of ‘The Auld Reekie’ charter from Edinburgh Waverley to Doncaster when it suffered a serious failure at Berwickupon-tweed. The failure resulted in damage to one of the generators, as well as serious damage to electrical equipment and all of the traction motors.

Following an extensive investigation into the cause and a subsequent insurance claim, the DPS has been busy preparing a set of bogies, recovered from 37229 after it had been sold to CF Booths for scrapping, for fitting beneath D9009.

The bogies have been overhauled, fitted with new tyres and fully refurbished traction motors, and it was hoped that D9009 would receive its new bogies before the end of November.

DPS power unit engineer Pete Stojanovic told Railways Illustrated

during a visit to its Barrow Hill base at the end of October that one of the two power units fitted inside Alycidon

was to be removed, as the generator fitted to the engine requires repairs and needs to be removed for this work to be carried out. The engine was successfully removed from D9009 on November 8.

Again, the DPS has an engine – power unit 451 – with overhauled main and auxiliary generators ready for fitting into D9009 once the existing engine has been removed. The second engine and generator already fitted inside D9009 remains in good condition and does not require any additional attention.

Mr Stojanovic also explained that all of the cubicle machines from the locomotive have been sent away for overhaul and are due back at Barrow Hill in the near future for fitting back onto the Deltic. Most of the traction cables have been renewed, as a lot of the cabling needed replacing.

Once work has been completed, D9009 will undergo testing at its Barrow Hill base, prior to moving to the Great Central Railway (GCR) for further testing before the locomotive will be declared as fit for a return to main line action.

The GCR is able to provide facilities for testing locomotives at higher speeds than are usually permitted on heritage railways, and the use of the railway for testing will further cement the already good relationship between the two organisations. The DPS is also currently raising funds to allow 55019 Royal Highland Fusilier to be recertified for the main line. The locomotive is in good condition but has not run on the main line since 2005 and requires the fitting of On-train Monitoring Recorders and other mandatory safety equipment before it can be re-registered. Mr Stojanovic said the failure of D9009 had been a setback for the DPS, but had also shown that having two main line-registered locomotives would give them more operational flexibility and provide a contingency in the future should one locomotive need to be out of service for maintenance or repairs. 55019 is currently the only operational member of the DPS fleet but the society is hopeful that all three locomotives in their care will be serviceable again by the middle of 2022.

More information on the DPS and its locomotives can be found on pages 58-62.

John Hales Class 55 Deltic D9009 Alycidon has been out of service since suffering a serious failure while on a main line tour in March 2019. The locomotive is now nearing the end of a comprehensive programme of repairs and should be back in main line action during 2022. On December 30, 2017, D9009 approaches Bamber Bridge station, working ‘The Trans Pennine Deltic Reprise’ from Pathfinder Tours.

Andy Coward Andy Coward Power unit 451, fitted with overhauled main and auxiliary generators, stands inside the DPS Depot at Barrow Hill on October 31 prior to fitting into D9009 during November. The overhauled bogies prepared for D9009, complete with new tyres and overhauled traction motors. It is hoped that the bogies can be fitted to the locomotive before the end of November.