Review of "The Deltic Tribute to Doncaster Works"
The big event of the year for the Deltic Preservation Society has been and now sadly gone but what a fantastic weekend of Deltic action. Four out of the six Deltics worked trains on Barrow Hills demonstration line providing plenty of thrash and clag for all. There was the fantastic opportunity to get photos of all six Deltics lined up for the first time in 24 years. Not to mention the surprise of 55021's cab arriving and creating a scene from the old days, possibly being parked next to each other in Doncaster works. Visitors had the opportunity to visit the cabs of D9009 on Saturday and on Sunday 55022 which was also due to go on load bank but unfortunately was not able to due to it being a wet day but instead was started up and put on full throttle while staying stationary for all to hear some Napier music. There was a large display of Deltic memorabilia including nameplates, worksplates and locomotive parts. Also Bachmann who sponsored the event brought along a large display of railway models, while Stoke Bank visited the DPS Depot in the form of a large model layout. In the Barrow Hill Roundhouse there were a number of trade stands selling models, books, videos and various other items. A huge thank you needs to be said to Ian Lewis and his team of volunteers who will now be reintroducing themselves to their families and completing those lists of jobs put on the fridge by their wives. Photos from the weekend are available here, starting on the Friday setting up for the event.

Restoration on the 19th August
Today was a day of getting back to normality (whatever that is) for the volunteers after last weeks big bash. The day started and finished with resetting up the depot workshop area. Frame repairs got underway again on D9015 so it will soon be ready for its new body skin to be applied and work also continued on the overhaul of the seats for Tulyar. D9016 had a top up of anti freeze and was also started up to get this pumped around its systems. A couple of pictures are available here.

Restoration on the 26th August
Another busy day was had by all with progress for the DPS on D9015 and preparation for DPSCS on 55022. D9016 has had the upgraded lights removed and the original lights are now being replaced. 55022 has a mainline test run scheduled for Tuesday 29th August due to leave Barrow Hill around 1000, initially running to York with a rake of coaches, a FM rail class 47 and the NRM's Deltic 55 002. The 47 and 55 002 will be detached at York where KOYLI will return to the NRM. 55 022 will then work the rake of stock to Newcastle and back for its mainline certification test run. The class 47 will then be collected from York prior to returning to Barrow Hill. Fingers crossed, all will go well on the day. Today 55022 was being cleaned and checks were being made on the loco in preparation for its run on Tuesday. D9015 has had work continued on getting its frame ready for reskinning, also the 12 engine room window frames have been painted in primer as well as 13 sheets of its inner body skin. Pictures are available here.

Autumn Highlander
The Railway Touring Company are using 55022 and 40145 to haul their 4 day “Autumn Highlander” land cruise in early October. From Kings Cross, picking up at major stations on the southern section of the ECML; all silver-served meals; 3 nights in a good Inverness hotel; optional steam-hauled trips on The Strathspey Railway; optional guided tour around Dunrobin Castle and full-on EE thrash for 4 day’s are included in the ticket price of £595. No standard class and no part fares. The expected loco roster is as follows:

Friday 6th October
55022 London Kings Cross – Edinburgh
40145 Edinburgh – Inverness
Hotel

Saturday 7th October
T&T 55/40 Inverness – Kyle of Lochalsh & return
Hotel

Sunday 8th October
T&T 55/40 Inverness – Wick
T&T 55/40 Thurso – Georgemas Junction
T&T 55/40 Georgemas Junction – Inverness
Hotel

Monday 9th October
40145 Inverness - Edinburgh
55022 Edinburgh – Kings Cross

More details and booking forms will very soon be on www.royalscotsgrey.com or www.cfps.co.uk as both are doing a block booking. We’d encourage you to book through one or the other as the bigger the block booking the more likely rail tour promoters will sit up and take notice.

September
55022 on the East Lancs Railway
3rd of September and a day off from Barrow Hill and I found myself at a wet East Lancs Railway where they were having their annual diesel gala. 55022 was put on trains throughout the day with three runs in the morning from Bury to Heywood toping and tailing with D5600. Then at 12:45 it was toping a service train from Bury to Rawstall with 56003 on the rear. On the return trip Royal Scots Grey was started up at Ramsbottom where it pushed the stock back to Bury due to 56003 failing. Later on RSG worked two more trains from Bury to Heywood with D5600 tailing again. 55022 performed faultlessly throughout the day and a great but wet time was had by all visitors. Pictures available here.

Restoration on the 10th September
After another working day at the DPS depot, D9015 inner body skins have been painted with all the skins between the windows painted on both sides whilst the skins for the windows have been painted on one side. One of Tulyars fuel tanks has received attention while work on repairing the frames continued. The cab heater covers have been receiving a lot of attention being rubbed back down to bare metal while the cab seats are now looking very smart. D9016 has had its second end marker lights replaced and the other the set have been painted in primer. Pictures available here.

Restoration on the 17th September
Another day at the DPS depot and more jobs have been carried out. First thing 55019 and D9009 swapped positions so Alycidon can be taken out easier because it is taking a trip to Darlington for next weeks second community rail festival event where it will be on display. D9015s frame is coming along very well and it is hoped to have it completed in the next two working weekends. The rest of the inner body skins that did not get painted with primer both sides have had this job completed and the cab seats have had a second coat of paint. Rust maintenance work has started on the cab of 55008 and the starting point was on the roof which has had the top layer of paint taken off and areas of rust cleaned out, then a layer of primer paint has been applied. In the depot some more tidying up was also done at the end of the day. Some pictures of the day’s activities are available here.

Restoration on the 24th September
A quite day with a small group of people working but work continued as normal. The cab of 55008 has been receiving attention with a number of rust patches on the loco now gone and painted with primer, also a dent in the bodywork where it had been pushed in for welding has had filler applied to smooth out the bodywork. Inside the cab the paint has been rubbed down ready for repainting. While in the depot Tuylar's frame gets ever closer to being completed with more frame repairs being done today. The shelving rack that has a lot of D9015 components on it has been cleared and is to be moved to a new location in the depot. Also the DPS Hilton Hotel coach has been receiving attention like a good cleaning in the lounge area so we must all now remember to remove our dirty boots before entering. No pictures of the days activity i'm afraid.

October
Restoration on the 10th October
Today at the Depot work has progressed as usual. The cab of 55008 has had the front nose rubbed down, and the roof plus areas of rust and filler have been painted in undercoat along with the white windows. D9015's frame is still having work done to it, not far off now we hope for its completion. Repairs on the radiator covers for D9015 were continued. The frame to the rack that was holding some of D9015 parts has been disassembled and awaits to be rebuilt else where in the depot. Some pictures of the day’s activities are available here.

Darlington
Here are some images of D9009 from last week when it took part in the second Community Rail Festival event at Darlington.

Photo by Ian Lewis

Photo by Ian Lewis

Photo by Ian Lewis

Photo by Ian Lewis

55022
55022 started it's four day tour on the "Autumn Highlander" but sadly just after leaving Doncaster it suffered damage on power unit 2 with a conrod coming out through the crank case, aka a leg out of bed. RSG took the train to York where the damage was assessed and it was decided to continue to Edinburgh where 22. would be taken off and the back-up loco would take its place. It has been reported that 40145 and 55022 (on one power unit) will work the tour from Perth back to Kings Cross. Below is a photo from Retford station on the "upward leg" of its journey.

Photo by Pete Sargieson

Regards
Deltic Follower team

Restoration on the 15th October
After another working day at the DPS depot, 55008 has had the paint that was applied last week rubbed down and waits for a new top coat of paint, while inside the cab the painting continues. Tulyar’s frame repairs are on going while the roller covers for the cab doors have been stripped down to bare metal and painted in primer. A hole is being dug in front of the coach near the depot to lay pipes. Some paying guests have arrived at the depot, these being 86901 and 86902 (one of the DPSCS projects during 2004). They have arrived at the depot to have a B exam and OTMR fitted which is being done by an external company, not the DPS or DPSCS. Pictures of the days activities are available here.

DPS Cinema night
The Deltic Preservation Society are holding a cinema night at their depot on the 2nd of November, showing two films which are "Two Deltics and a Helicopter" and the premier of "Deltic Power 5". Donations raised will go towards Tuylars bogie appeal, for full details please click here.

Restoration on the 24th October
A busy weekend at the depot with Barrow Hill having its annual steam gala. On Saturday the usual band of merry volunteers came to work on the DPS Deltics, D9015 was having more frame repairs while in number 1 cab the paint was being rubbed down with a lot of attention around the power handle. Attention was also being given to D9015 radiators in the workshop while along side 15 the sales team had set up a sales stand for the weekend. Outside and no work was done on 55008 but it was open to visitors to have a go on the cab simulator.
Sunday and only three people in the depot to run the sales stand and do depot explaining with visitors, while outside the normal team were running the simulator and were looking a little tired after an all night running session. A bit of fun was had in the depot putting "The Hull Executive" headboard on 55019 during the morning and later on in the day moving it onto D9015, while D9009 had its head code panel changed a couple of times to display various routes. Some pictures from Sunday are available here.

Correction on 55022
Martin Walker has asked me to clarify the situation after the power unit damage while on the Autumm Highlander tour "the decision to continue north was actaully made shortly after the problem occured whilst still en-route to York. The slight delay at York was down Network Rail pathing".

November
Restoration on the 5th November
A day of back breaking work for the DPS volunteers who all joined the BHESS putting in a new point to the DPS depot off the main line connection. The only other job looked at today was more work on Tulyars frame repairs. The committee were also present on site and had a meeting. No pictures of the day’s activity I'm afraid due to it being a busy day.

DPS Cinema night
A group of 19 people turned up for the nights two films "Two Deltics and a Helicopter" and the premier of "Deltic Power 5" in the DPS depot. It was an evening enjoyed by all and we hope will be repeated again in the future.

Restoration on the 12th November
Another day of progress at the depot with various projects. 55008 has been running all day and the team have been adding new routes to the simulator, a few problems occurred but nothing they couldn't fix. The engine room doors located in the cab have been removed and are to be rubbed down and repainted, also the steps leading up to the cab have been modified for safety reasons for when the cab visits Warley. Inside the depot more frame work was being done on D9015 and the undercoat paint on D9009 yellow panel has been made more symmetrical. Pictures of the day’s activities are available here.

Restoration on the 19th November
Full throttle a head today with a lot of the volunteers working on 55008 getting it prepared for Warley. The exterior of the cab has received a complete repaint and a lot of work preparing the inside of the cab has been done. This afternoon all the volunteers had a meeting in the coach to discuss items on the latest volunteers briefing on various projects. D9015 has been receiving further frame repairs with a lot of grinding and welding done. Tulyars new bogies have also arrived at Barrow Hill but they require a lot of work before they can be used and many of the parts will have to be sent to specialist firms for re-certification. D9009 has had another layer of undercoat paint applied to its nose to create a yellow box panel and the kick plates have also been reinstalled. Pictures of the day’s activities are available here.

Restoration on the 26th November
Today at the Depot work has progressed as usual, 55008 has been receiving a lot of attention inside ahead of its visit to Warley next weekend. The pods that cover the windows have been rubbed down and repainted, various areas around the cab have had a fresh coat of seagull grey paint, the floor has been scraped to remove a number of marks and repairs have been done to the centre nose bar that holds the doors shut. Inside the depot a GLV coach has turned up while another coach sits in front of the depot, these are in the depot in a space hired by Bralesford Engineering Services Ltd and they are being modified and returned to traffic to scrape the third rail and lay heated de-icing fluid. During today contractors have been in the depot rubbing down and undercoating one side of this coach so D9009 has had to have a big sheet put over the top to protect her from dust. On D9015 more work done to the frame today and the centre sections we being worked on. Pictures of the day’s activities are available here.

Film Show
On the 1st December Norman Bevan will be showing on large screen with his DVD Projector his high quality film on East Coast Deltics. Video film not to be missed. DVD's of tonights show will be on sale at the Deltic Preservation Society's sales stand. Entrance £3 Donation Pie & Pea supper £2 on entrance. ALL WELCOME. Starting time is 19:30 and is at Irwell Vale Village Church, Irwell Vale, Rossendale, Off the B6257 Haslingden - Edenfield road signposted Irwell, AK.

December
Restoration on the 3rd Decmber
An interesting day at the depot with jobs continuing as usual but we got a glimpse of the future as well. 55008 has had the electrical cubicle doors and engine room doors refitted as well as some general tidying up and one of the troublesome door handles has been taken off stripped and rebuilt (twice) to stop the lock sticking, while on the outside the ETH got a fresh coat of paint. Inside the depot, frame repairs are still on going on D9015 but the repairs list is getting smaller. On the inside of Tulyar a laser was being used to measure the frame while on the outside parts of the new body skin were being temporally fitted with clamps for more measurements. At the end of the day 15 was vacuumed in the engine room to clean up all the dust. The equipment area had a tidy up and some items have been moved. The GLV in the depot has been painted by contractors into bright yellow while Alycidon is still covered over. Pictures of the day’s activities are available here.

Restoration on the 10th December
Another working day in the DPS depot and there's been a bit of change. On D9015 the frame has been completed on one side and the other needs a few minor repairs and the centre sections completing then we can get underway with the big of job re-skinning (once the frame has been inspected and passed). With one side of the frame being complete the walkway between 19 and 15 has been reopened but the pathway between 15 and the warflats/powerunits has been closed while repairs are focused on this body side. While this was happening, inside Tulyar various pieces of the inner body skin were being tested fitted to show their final positions, needle gunning was done on the centre section of the frame to remove spots of surface rust before painting this in primer and in number one nose end this has been given a good clean to remove dust. In the workshop one of the engine room doors is well on its way being stripped back to bare metal. The GLVs have swapped positions during the week and the second unit is receiving the same external treatment as its partner. Pictures of the day’s activities are available here.

Restoration on the 17th December
Short but exhausting day in the depot with a number of the volunteers having their Christmas meals today, but while we did have some people on site before filling themselves with turkey and stuffing, the frames for the ballast weights have been installed on D9015 at both ends of the loco. The exterior of the frame had a number of areas in primer repainted in undercoat and on the other side of the loco then new centre section pieces have been cut and started to be fitted while in number one end the door frame of the nose was being rubbed down. In the workshop the engine room door taken to bare metal has been painted in primer. The second GLV is now in a bright colour of yellow and a number of contractors were on the coach. Pictures of the day’s activities are available here.

Restoration on the 24th December
A small group of volunteers in the depot today but many jobs have been done. 55019 and D9009 had their batteries attended too being topped up with de-ionised water and for most of the day 55019 has been on charge. On D9015 more inner body skin on the second quarter of the frame has been cut and temporally fitted while the frame for the ballast weights has been levelled off with wood to make it easier to position the ballast weights on it (the most challenging and annoying jigsaw ever). Also the exterior of Tulyar's frame currently in undercoat grey has been painted with a top coat of black paint. Up high in the depot and the lights were having some maintenance like cleaning done to them to keep them in bright working order. The space occupied by the GLV's has been freed as the coaches have left. Pictures of the day’s activities are available here.

Restoration on the 31st December
A significant step today in the major overhaul of Tulyar with the frame being complete and twelve tons of ballast weight arrived. As soon as the A frame was set-up no time was wasted in getting the ballast into D9015 and by late afternoon Tulyar was twelve tons heavier (six tons either end of the loco). While this was going off 55019 has been topped up with coolant and some maintenance work was also carried out on 9 and 19. Pictures of the day’s activities are available here.

Farewell To The Deltic

Saturday 6th January 2007