Kirjahaku

The Deltic (or Class 55) was one of the most powerful diesel locomotives ever to run on the British Railways network. Capable of a top speed of 100mph, its 'maintenance by replacement' system at Doncaster Works meant it set expectional standards for reliability and availability. From the 1950s until the start of the 1980s, the Deltics saw service between London and Aberdeen on the East Coast Main Line's Deltic fleet - once the most powerful locomotives in Britain. The Deltics had revolutionised rail travel in the late 1950s. Only 22 were ever built but over 10 survive in preservation today and some have even been hired out for main-line service in the past three years. The 'Deltic' captured the imagination of the public and represented the peak of the diesel era. Alastair McLean, a railway enthusiast and author, memorably photographed the last season of running in 1981 in black and white.

The Deltics were a transport phenomenon. They improved timings on the east coast mainline (ECML) from poor steam locomotive times to matching the new electric locomotives introduced on the west coast mainline (WCML). The Deltics were introduced in 1961 and twenty-two production locomotives were built. At the time of building the Deltics, they were the most powerful locomotives in the world. They were powered by two Napier engines that developed a massive 3,300 hp and could cope with heavy train carriages with ease. The prestigious trains were speeded up overnight, improving the receipts on the ECML to compete with air travel that was becoming more open to the general public. The first moves to threaten the dominance of the Deltics came in the mid-1970s with the introduction of the Inner-City 125; the 125s started to take over the main services and improved timings. As a consequence, the Deltics were demoted to 'semi-fast' trains, although their area of operations increased to cover Aberdeen, Hull, Liverpool and Glasgow.

In 1980, the first of the Deltics was withdrawn from service. By late 1981, they had all gone, after two decades as Britain's fastest and most powerful locos. This unique class of twenty-two diesel locomotives was powered by twin Napier Deltic engines, originally designed for minesweepers, but utilised in these high power, high speed locomotives. Designed for the East Coast Main Line, the Deltics were a common sight from Kings Cross to Aberdeen, with occasional forays onto other routes. Alistair McLean spent the last year of Deltic power photographing the various members of the class throughout the country. His images give an idea of the power of the Deltics, as well as their scrapping. Luckily for us, today, six members of the class survive in preservation, with some being used in main line service on an occasional basis, some thirty years after withdrawal from service.