55009 'Alycidon' at 95mph with 'The Capital Deltic Reprise'! - 29/07/23

Milepost 90¼
Milepost 90¼
45,752
0
Published 2023-07-29
Making a return to the mainline for the first time in nearly 4½ years, Deltic Preservation Society's 55009 'Alycidon' took Pathfinder Tours' 'The Capital Deltic Reprise' from Willington to London Kings Cross. From Willington the train would run through Derby, Chesterfield and Sheffield to Doncaster. To allow the train to be facing south, it ran north to Pontefract, and turned right at Gascoigne Wood and again at Selby to rejoin the ECML at Temple Hurst Jn. After a dash to Peterborough, the train would run via March to Ely and then Cambridge to Hitchin to reach Kings Cross. The return ran down the ECML to Newark, where the train would travel via Lincoln to Cleethorpes. Following a reversal to Ulceby, 55009 would lead to back to Willington via Doncaster, Sheffield and Derby.

The Deltic is first seen at Cromwell, north of Newark. At Burton Wetmore Sidings, the coaching stock required a major shunt for the charter, and so it left 47 minutes late. The crew were evidently keen to make up for lost time as 'Alycidon' was racing along through Cromwell at 95mph! The characteristic Deltic drone can be heard as 55009 storms past the level crossing with the eclectic 12 coach train.

Next we catch up with the Deltic at Welwyn North. Having rejoined the ECML behind 2C41 Cambridge - Kings Cross stopper, the Class 55 had a clear line from Digswell Jn. As such, 'Alycidon' can be heard roaring through the Welwyn Tunnels. Two shots hoots and the train bursts from the tunnel, with both engines screaming away in a cloud of two stroke smoke! The train gathers speed towards Kings Cross with no assistance from 47826 at the rear.


Excellent to see 'Alycidon' back on the mainline and on home metals! The Deltic drone is well and truly back!


Timestamps:

00:00 - Cromwell
01:14 - Welwyn North


Filmed on a Panasonic HC-X1500 with an AudioTechnica AT8024 Microphone.


Enjoy.
All Comments (21)
  • @Andrewausfa
    I remember getting the train from Huntingdon back in the 70s as a kid and always wanting the Deltics to be the locomotive. Standing on the platform you could see them coming down from Peterborough over a mile away, even if they were on the 'fast' through track, the rails would start ticking, then this awesome huge snarling monster with that thrumming sound you never forget would flash by. Superb.
  • @ColinH1973
    Lovely footage, thank you. Everyone loves a Deltic!
  • @darrenhillman8396
    First clip is wonderful! That Deltic drone..! Great to see and hear her back on her old home turf.
  • @alastairbarkley6572
    I'm no Brexity, flag waving nationalist but when somebody asked me yesterday "What does England REALLY look like?" I should have told them to watch this. Brilliant...
  • @FrogandFlangeVideo
    Great video !! Thanks for the cool closeup of the beautiful tunnel portal. James.
  • @Qwerty1235945
    Superbly edited together there! Nice work. Thanks for sharing.
  • @Ancatdubh1010101010
    On it, thanks for the video, nice to see and hear from a different perspective.
  • @thegardensentinel
    That was all the better with good headphones. Appreciate the effort and "presence" shared, will listen to this many more times.😊
  • @lewlewis6511
    Thankyou so much for that, just relived my boyhood when the country was still a lovely place to grow up in. As a lad i lived at Harmer Green just up the hill from the station and spent many happy hours and days experiencing those wonderful Deltics storming through Welwyn North. Funny its gone a bit dusty in here.
  • @lilylaw1517
    Great video and what a tribute to the men who built her and have maintained her down the years. I'd love to see a train like that topped and tailed with two Deltics.
  • @paulnash7630
    Brings back memories of when I was a young lad and the White striped Blue Deltic used to come through Lincoln Central and the sound was deafening.
  • @Pluggit1953
    Watching locomotives is my antidote to seeing all the craziness in the news.