A tale of two cabs!
When the Deltics were scrapped, two of the distinctive cabs were saved. Forty years on, the future is looking bright for both cabs, after they fell into disrepair.
During the scrapping of the Deltics, two cabs were saved, with the No. 2 end cab from 55008 The Green Howards and the No. 1 end cab from 55021 Argyll & Sutherland Highlander finding salvation. Both still survive, and projects by their respective owners will see them return to their former glory.
The cab from 55008 was bought from Doncaster Works in 1982 (see page 67), but subsequently passed into the ownership of the Deltic Preservation Society (DPS) several years later. After a number of years painted in two-tone green, it was painted blue and modified to allow it to be used as a driver simulator, with a large monitor fitted in place of the windscreens.
Despite being welded onto a road trailer, the cab started to deteriorate and was getting into an increasingly poor condition when the decision was taken to install it inside the DPS depot building at Barrow Hill and restore it. But this isn’t just a case of rebuilding the interior of the cab; the cab has been lengthened with the fabrication of an additional four feet of bodywork, which provides a small section of bodywork behind the cab – sufficient enough to allow the installation of a bodyside window and for the 55008 numbers, data panel and Gateshead depot stickers to be proudly displayed.
DPS volunteer Nigel Lacy explained that the aim is for the cab to be a museum piece, so visitors to the DPS depot can see how a Deltic cab looked. “We want them to experience what it’s like to sit in the drivers’ seat,” he said, “but eventually we also want to make it as interactive as possible, with the addition of sound chips to simulate the noise of a Deltic being started, taking power, running on full power, sounding the horns and so on.”
Volunteer Beth Marsh, who has also been working on the project, said: “It’s been hard work but we are really pleased with how it looks and we have had lots of favourable comments. We will continue to refit the cab over the winter.”
This work will take place while Barrow Hill is closed to visitors, with hopes that an event will take place at the beginning of April to showcase the restored cab.
In the case of 55021’s cab, it was originally bought by an enthusiast who had it transported to Reading for display in his garden. It was subsequently sold and moved to another private location in Yorkshire, where it was used as a storage shed.
Eventually the cab was donated to the DPS to add to its collection and it moved to Barrow Hill, where it remained for a number of years in an unrestored condition. With the DPS already having one Deltic cab in its collection, the decision was taken to sell the cab from 55021 – and that’s where cab collector extraordinaire Richard Benyon comes in.
The South Wales-based businessman has amassed cabs from many different types of locomotives over a number of years, which are stored at The Cab Yard in Bridgend. However, the opportunity to add a Deltic cab to his growing collection was something he couldn’t miss.
Richard explained: “When I found out from a friend about 55021’s cab being offered for sale, I wrote to the DPS outlining my plans for the cab as part of my collection.”
The DPS responded positively and a deal was done for Richard to buy the cab, although a condition of the sale stated that if he ever decides to sell the cab, the DPS has first refusal to buy it back.
At the moment, the cab has been partially stripped to bare metal, and treated and painted with silver paint; this has been done as a way of monitoring corrosion. The lower portion of the bodywork is in poor condition and Richard is seeking a welding contractor with experience of locomotive fabrication who can re-skin the bodywork. Once this has been done, the bodywork will be properly prepared for repainting into a more authentic Deltic paint scheme.
Internally, the cab has been stripped out, but Richard says he has about 95% of the parts required for its restoration. It is in an as-withdrawn condition internally, but like the DPS at Barrow Hill, Richard intends to rebuild it so it can be displayed to show the public how a Deltic cab looks.
It is likely that it will move to the Llanelli & Mynydd Mawr Railway, where a number of Richard’s cabs will be displayed and where he also has use of workshop facilities to assist his restoration work.
Richard hopes restoration will make good progress during 2022 and expressed his gratitude to the DPS for the assistance it has given him since he purchased the cab.