For the true effect, you need to be working on the steam heat boiler, between the engines, when they open up to full power. You actually feel your internal organs try to find a safe place to hide.. I will never forget it.
Wow. Sounded like a bucket of marbles in a paint shaker at first, but really it sounded very smooth and powerful soon after. It fired instantly, and the little blip of the throttle said a lot. Very cool.
Sure did. What kind of start process is: 1: marbles and spare nuts into the intake 2:send that ish hard 3: purr like a kitten The sound of reliability. Heavy is good, is reliable, if it does not work, you can hit them with it.. Hahah
I remember the Deltics in Edinburgh in the 1970s......they would regularly run light engine through Haymarket station to and from the depot and Waverley station. Makes me feel really old!
The exhaust piston leads the inlet piston by 20 degrees, and the only way to get it all to work is by the bottom crankshaft rotating in the opposite direction to the two top crankshafts. A work of geometric genius.
I used to be a signalling instructor at Doncaster railway school which was just over the wall on platform 1. My overhead projector would vibrate when a Deltic had pulled up just opposite us and all my students would go to the window and look out in awe at these magnificent engines.. halcyon days 👏👏👏👏👍
What a great sound, I remember watching these as a kid (late 60's) at Finsbury Park (London). You could hear one coming from a mile away. I can't believe they chopped up about 15 of these for scrap metal. Does anyone know whether any of the remaining locos are used for "Driver Experiences" I drove a 37 class at Llangollen Railways last Sept it was brilliant, while on hoilday from Australia, and I would come back again for a crack in a Deltic.
The only way to achieve the correct piston timing was for the bottom crankshaft to rotate anti clockwise. There isn't enough room, or I would have shown you a timing diagram. Anyway the phasing gearbox easily absorbs any difficulty. The engine is still running happily on H M ships in the Royal Navy.
Only at high speed where the howl is quite fantastic, they really don't like low speed though. The growling 37s have proved more flexible (and hence long lived).
Jalu The name Deltic comes from the Greek letter Delta. Deltic, is the name of the engines but has also become to mean the Class 55 locos. The arrangement of the cylinders is in this form, namely a triangle, such that there are crankshafts at each corner (3 in total) and 2 opposed pistons in each cylinder. So the basic unit is 3 cylinders with 6 pistons, but practically, the engines were produced in 9 cylinder and 18 cylinder versions.
As a second man in the 70’s driving these to re-fuel at Kings Cross was our first experience at the controls we were only supposed to use one engine but we always used two, we would crack open the throttle to full and be pushed back in our seats and cover the inside of KX canopy with black fumes . The only downside was rattling along at a ton and the steam heating boiler starting to play-up as it was between both Engines.
dougson. So you cracked it full open going into Gasworks ? What about the 15 mph and the 8 mph limit on 1 route. I was always at the North end with only the North end engine running. My driver would always drive on to the train.
@@arthurrytis6010 Do you know I’ve been trying to remember his name ! Do you remember a Gay driver from Finsbury Park I seem to remember he Said that he lived in those tall flats behind the shed , his name I recall was Peter , some of the other drivers used to wind me up and tell me that he would try to have it off with me 😂😂😂
@@paulpugh5315 Dear Paul, I am a mechanical engineer and a big fan of diesel engines. The Deltic Motor is an ingenious construction. Which I admire very much and find very good. My praise goes to the inventiveness of the British. Greetings from Rainer from Bavaria 
Das ist interessant, da sieht man wieder wenn die Nationen zusammenarbeiten, ist das was Gutes. Kriege sind einfach nur dumm. Bleibt Alle gesund in den verückten Zeiten. Ganz liebe Grüße Rainer aus Bavaria in Germany
I have ex MOD Perkins V8 540 55kva gen set running our 3 phase workshop machinery She sounds awesome & gives you a buzz every time you fire it up 🤠 But It used to be very thirsty 12-16 litres an hour depending on load & was always very smokey ( lot crankcase pressure). Therefore had Injection pump & injectors reconditioned ,no noticeable improvement. Still very smokey, fitted new performance K&N air filters , new oil & filter change, rerouted breather pipes into oil catch can away from intake manifold, didn't have any improvement............. Rather than do full engine overhaul (new rings etc) Experimented running it with 2 x 24 volt 1700 watt HHO generators ( 1 each bank cylinders direct into plenum chamber) Smoke disappeared , crankcase pressure disappeared...................... She runs whole lot sweeter & only uses 6-8 litres red diesel an hour now together with about 5-6 litres of fresh rain water to feed HHO generator to turn into hydrogen gas (chlorinated tap water doesn't work ) Engine oil stays golden colour for 8-10 cold starts , used to turn black after just couple of cold starts 🤠👍
The more I learn about these weird engines the more I am impressed by them. Normally, I am not impressed with British machinery but Merlin airplane engines and now the Deltic impress me.
I've seem them being driven by the public on some occations, but don't know of any currenly ready to drive. Preservation railways do it as and when deltics are on loan to them.
How can something that looks so beautiful in two tone green sound like an utter bag of spanners when it is idling and shutting down. Graceful they look and boy, do they motor, but give me a conventional 4 cycle diesel anyday. Never saw DP2 but I reckon that was probably the ultimate
I think you are referring to the fact that two crankshafts rotated in one direction and the third in the opposite direction. I'm not sure the reason but I think that this was crucial in the operation of the Deltic and I think it was all to do with achieving an effective scavenge. The opposed pistons operated slightly out of phase with each other, in that way the fresh charge scavenged out the previous charge then gave some supercharging, before compression started.
why do these locomotives always have the engine compartment windows open? i'm guessing it's to do with the amount of heat generated by the two engines so therefore it must get extremely hot in there especialy when the engines are being run at full load.
@SamueleusPlaythrough Thanks, i now have sony vegas which is complicated but so much better than movie maker, i think we need to make another silly film at some point.
Just one. Class 55s were usually driven on the main line using both Diesel engines but sometimes on slow duties only one was used. Because the engines were, I understand, used in sequence (not in parallel) the second engine could get `oiled up' with too much idling and so was often shutdown on slower, less arduous duties.
Michel Linschoten Yes, they do sound quite busy don't they? I was in a rail museum in Portland, Oregon yesterday that has a loco that looks very much like the Deltic but is not double ended and has a single V-12 ALCO. Manufactured in the early 1960's. Deltics are similar to a Fairbanks-Morse engine but only two cranks on a straight engine. They were deemed to be too complicated by the old line mechanics. We have a small submarine here that has a Fairbank-Morse of the same opposing piston design. They are fun to listen to.
Headlights are a complete waste of time. Yes, they advertise your approach, so anyone on the tracks has time to get off. But the driver can see NOTHING outside of the beam. The night vision is totally destroyed. If he sees an obstacle within the beam...he is far too close to take any useful action. I read a similar comment the other day regarding the Titanic...1912..something to the effect that a headlight would have shown the iceberg earlier..... Dear-oh-dear.
How are these engines started? Do they use an explosive charge like some other two stroke diesels such as the Field Marshal tractor? It certainly seems to start more abruptly than when a conventional started motor or donkey engine is used. I heard three bangs and the Deltic has three crankshafts unless I'm mistaken. Could these three bangs be an explosive cartridge being activated for a cylinder in each crank or am I barking up the wrong tree?
@@arthurrytis6010 The same as the way the Class 205 /207 Thumpers are started. Can you help me regarding that unrefined clattering sound before start up 0:50 ?? Presumably that's the engine itself making the noise may be due to larger clearances when cold and not properly lubricated ? Perhaps the engines are a little worn.
@@Martindyna as far as I know most diesel engines are started by taking power from the battery's to turn the engine over via the main Gen. The only engine I know to make a lot of Clattering when turning over was the Deltic
@@arthurrytis6010 Thanks. Another commentator said `The clattering that can be heard (before start up) are the straight cut gears on the radiator fan drives'.
It is Diesel Electric and had two Diesel engines. It was usually driven on the main line using both Diesel engines but sometimes on slow duties only one was used. Because the engines were, I understand, used in sequence (not in parallel) the second engine could get `oiled up' with too much idling and so was often shutdown on slower, less arduous duties. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napier_Deltic Also search Class 55.
Just one. Class 55s were usually driven on the main line using both Diesel engines but sometimes on slow duties only one was used. Because the engines were, I understand, used in sequence (not in parallel) the second engine could get `oiled up' with too much idling and so was often shutdown on slower, less arduous duties.
For the true effect, you need to be working on the steam heat boiler, between the engines, when they open up to full power. You actually feel your internal organs try to find a safe place to hide.. I will never forget it.
And now I want to experience that 🥺
@@xandercraw you would soon dislike it.
Ray Griffiths. Always made me laugh, maintenance staff had proper ear defenders we had rolled up cotton wool
They were a beast !
Ray Griffiths. I was oh so glad when they fitted ETH. My mate said when coming into KX. Time to turn the Telly off for some reason
These engines truly are engineering marvels.
Wow. Sounded like a bucket of marbles in a paint shaker at first, but really it sounded very smooth and powerful soon after. It fired instantly, and the little blip of the throttle said a lot. Very cool.
I think the expression you sought was a skeleton wan king off in an oil drum
I think your description of that sound was right on! Napier Deltic was really smooth when hot and throttled up.
@@johnbishop5316 dem bones dem bones
@John Bishop
That there skellington's got some rapid wrist action.
Sure did.
What kind of start process is:
1: marbles and spare nuts into the intake
2:send that ish hard
3: purr like a kitten
The sound of reliability. Heavy is good, is reliable, if it does not work, you can hit them with it..
Hahah
I remember the Deltics in Edinburgh in the 1970s......they would regularly run light engine through Haymarket station to and from the depot and Waverley station. Makes me feel really old!
The exhaust piston leads the inlet piston by 20 degrees, and the only way to get it all to work is by the bottom crankshaft rotating in the opposite direction to the two top crankshafts. A work of geometric genius.
WHAT AN AWESOME SOUND Those Napiers are!
Nice mug of Builders always at hand. I love traditions.
I used to be a signalling instructor at Doncaster railway school which was just over the wall on platform 1. My overhead projector would vibrate when a Deltic had pulled up just opposite us and all my students would go to the window and look out in awe at these magnificent engines.. halcyon days 👏👏👏👏👍
I live in Doncaster I remember seeing a deltic pull into Donny station felt it in my chest magnificent feat of British engineering
I realy love the sound of the deltic and i love the body work and the liveries .
It is so nice to see a such lovley loco in preservation.
😊👍😊😊👍👍👍👍
Best beautiful Deltic I have seen !
Beautiful start up! Liked the gush of clag that billowed out! :)
What a great sound, I remember watching these as a kid (late 60's) at Finsbury Park (London). You could hear one coming from a mile away. I can't believe they chopped up about 15 of these for scrap metal.
Does anyone know whether any of the remaining locos are used for "Driver Experiences" I drove a 37 class at Llangollen Railways last Sept it was brilliant, while on hoilday from Australia, and I would come back again for a crack in a Deltic.
No , go away soft Arse......................
Watching these at full chat from site of Thirsk Junction on ECML was sensory overload! Awesome stuff 😊
What a gorgeous machine!
The only way to achieve the correct piston timing was for the bottom crankshaft to rotate anti clockwise. There isn't enough room, or I would have shown you a timing diagram. Anyway the phasing gearbox easily absorbs any difficulty. The engine is still running happily on H M ships in the Royal Navy.
Love the sound of the Deltic. Like no other.
BEST loco EVER built IMHO.
Only at high speed where the howl is quite fantastic, they really don't like low speed though. The growling 37s have proved more flexible (and hence long lived).
I think you will find that the best loco built was the EMD SD40-2 followed by the EMD GP7-9 and EMD F3-9
@@gregrudd6983 - Lol, sure!
Jalu
The name Deltic comes from the Greek letter Delta. Deltic, is the name of the engines but has also become to mean the Class 55 locos. The arrangement of the cylinders is in this form, namely a triangle, such that there are crankshafts at each corner (3 in total) and 2 opposed pistons in each cylinder. So the basic unit is 3 cylinders with 6 pistons, but practically, the engines were produced in 9 cylinder and 18 cylinder versions.
What a wonderful burble. Everyone loves a Deltic!
What a beast!
Amazing how easily these deltics start, meanwhile the class 37's and 50's painfully splutter and smoke into life !
Still Luvin that awesome Napier Deltic Music!!!! :)
And the horn! Amazing..
As a second man in the 70’s driving these to re-fuel at Kings Cross was our first experience at the controls we were only supposed to use one engine but we always used two, we would crack open the throttle to full and be pushed back in our seats and cover the inside of KX canopy with black fumes . The only downside was rattling along at a ton and the steam heating boiler starting to play-up as it was between both Engines.
dougson. So you cracked it full open going into Gasworks ? What about the 15 mph and the 8 mph limit on 1 route. I was always at the North end with only the North end engine running. My driver would always drive on to the train.
@@arthurrytis6010 we shut off once we got halfway up the platform.
@@dougson56 I hope Greggy wasn't watching
@@arthurrytis6010 Do you know I’ve been trying to remember his name ! Do you remember a Gay driver from Finsbury Park I seem to remember he Said that he lived in those tall flats behind the shed , his name I recall was Peter , some of the other drivers used to wind me up and tell me that he would try to have it off with me 😂😂😂
@@dougson56 Peter Green.who was your regular mate ? Angry silence ? I can’t remember his name either
Nice looking locomotive. 👍
Mega die Lokomotive, Ihr Briten habt es auch drauf. Großes Kompliment., Glg from Bavaria
can't understand your message,but hopefully your a fan....Import some of these engine's and make people happy.
@@paulpugh5315 Dear Paul, I am a mechanical engineer and a big fan of diesel engines. The Deltic Motor is an ingenious construction. Which I admire very much and find very good. My praise goes to the inventiveness of the British. Greetings from Rainer from Bavaria

@@raineradler5652 apparently the deltic was adapted from one of the junkers jumo engines from ww2, unsure about whether this is true or not
Das ist interessant, da sieht man wieder wenn die Nationen zusammenarbeiten, ist das was Gutes. Kriege sind einfach nur dumm. Bleibt Alle gesund in den verückten Zeiten. Ganz liebe Grüße Rainer aus Bavaria in Germany
@@paulpugh5315Gross kompliment - you don't have to speak German to understand this. I am Czechoslovakian and l fell in love with Deltic..
I have ex MOD Perkins V8 540 55kva gen set running our 3 phase workshop machinery
She sounds awesome & gives you a buzz every time you fire it up 🤠
But
It used to be very thirsty 12-16 litres an hour depending on load & was always very smokey ( lot crankcase pressure).
Therefore had Injection pump & injectors reconditioned ,no noticeable improvement. Still very smokey, fitted new performance K&N air filters , new oil & filter change, rerouted breather pipes into oil catch can away from intake manifold, didn't have any improvement.............
Rather than do full engine overhaul (new rings etc)
Experimented running it with 2 x 24 volt 1700 watt HHO generators ( 1 each bank cylinders direct into plenum chamber)
Smoke disappeared , crankcase pressure disappeared......................
She runs whole lot sweeter & only uses 6-8 litres red diesel an hour now together with about 5-6 litres of fresh rain water to feed HHO generator to turn into hydrogen gas
(chlorinated tap water doesn't work )
Engine oil stays golden colour for 8-10 cold starts , used to turn black after just couple of cold starts
🤠👍
1:07 Job done! Time for a cuppa.
British mechanic never works without cup of tea.
Magnificent sound. Not like anything else.
Fantastic model-making.
I went to NYMR the other day and was surprised to see a deltic running;
the only loco that u can feel in ur guts when it is idling!
Ekins!!!! A pound for you.... Five for me! The man who like the money.
Great sound.
what is the difference in fuel comsumption comparatively with the normal diesels?
Guys you know what is br class 37 blue?
Yes, in normal service with BR they used both engines.
Great video. To think the Motor Torpedo Boats had Deltics is mindboggling. Not much longer than these locos!
So glad they saved some of these engines
I love that sound! POWER! it's saying open up my taps and LET ME RUN!!
What a train for starting straight away beautiful
Love it!
Must be one greasy cup of tea that guy's having.
Even his tastebuds are deaf.
The more I learn about these weird engines the more I am impressed by them. Normally, I am not impressed with British machinery but Merlin airplane engines and now the Deltic impress me.
How about jet engines?
@@whitemonkey7932 Sorry. I forgot about the RR Trent engines.
@@ph11p3540 hovercraft?
‘’Normally, I am not impressed with British machinery’’
What?
@@MontyCantsin5He doesn't know, what he si talking about.
Amazing sound!! 👏👏👏
I've seem them being driven by the public on some occations, but don't know of any currenly ready to drive. Preservation railways do it as and when deltics are on loan to them.
Love that BR Deltic livery
She looks straight out of the box!
How can something that looks so beautiful in two tone green sound like an utter bag of spanners when it is idling and shutting down. Graceful they look and boy, do they motor, but give me a conventional 4 cycle diesel anyday.
Never saw DP2 but I reckon that was probably the ultimate
Another commentator said `The clattering that can be heard (before start up) are the straight cut gears on the radiator fan drives.
Phil Bartlett. Dp2 was a testbed for the class 50. Same engine 2,700 hp English Electric. The Deltic was 3,300 hp
She only has one power unit working still ?
I miss the way those engine's shook your insides, beasts.
Make you feel like you've been fracked.
2000 liter?
Great Video.
Superb video, awesome beast.
I think you are referring to the fact that two crankshafts rotated in one direction and the third in the opposite direction. I'm not sure the reason but I think that this was crucial in the operation of the Deltic and I think it was all to do with achieving an effective scavenge. The opposed pistons operated slightly out of phase with each other, in that way the fresh charge scavenged out the previous charge then gave some supercharging, before compression started.
@ay76 thanks
Incredible sound!
I love seeing the man drinking tea as he is removing the chokes😁
Why am i listening to this at 11:00 p.m. on a Sunday 😁
Vibrate floor like ....😀 love the hum
ive been in this beast at barrow hill 8-) on my birthday in december :O
not bad . the person in the cab didn't have to keep the start button held down for a good while. engine to turned over properly right away
why do these locomotives always have the engine compartment windows open? i'm guessing it's to do with the amount of heat generated by the two engines so therefore it must get extremely hot in there especialy when the engines are being run at full load.
That noise is biblical!!!
High speed engines and the fastest locos are so much more fun. The Ferraris of BR’s fleet of diesels!
@SamueleusPlaythrough Thanks, i now have sony vegas which is complicated but so much better than movie maker, i think we need to make another silly film at some point.
Only one engine out of the two started?
Just one. Class 55s were usually driven on the main line using both Diesel engines but sometimes on slow duties only one was used. Because the engines were, I understand, used in sequence (not in parallel) the second engine could get `oiled up' with too much idling and so was often shutdown on slower, less arduous duties.
At first I heard a little rattly noise and then second I heard a much more robust noise. Was the first the starting motor?
+Khadijah Brown If this is a deltic, it's engine is insane..32 pistons in a triangle shape.
Michel Linschoten Yes, they do sound quite busy don't they? I was in a rail museum in Portland, Oregon yesterday that has a loco that looks very much like the Deltic but is not double ended and has a single V-12 ALCO. Manufactured in the early 1960's.
Deltics are similar to a Fairbanks-Morse engine but only two cranks on a straight engine. They were deemed to be too complicated by the old line mechanics. We have a small submarine here that has a Fairbank-Morse of the same opposing piston design. They are fun to listen to.
+Michel Linschoten
36 pistons, 18 cylinders.
Originally designed to power motor torpedo boats. (Look up "Napier Deltic" in Wikipedia if you don't believe me)
That's per engine, and the class 55 had two of them!
Magic!
are you getting one for your layout
So, all it takes to start one of these is a hammer and a cup of coffee?
Gizza go !
1st word that came to mind ,,,,, Colossal......💪👊👌
I love big engines.
Love them how many Gallons to Mile do they Do ❤️🇬🇧
A Class 50 does about 1mpg at cruise, and these are probably worse.
Don't know but the much maligned BR `Pacers' could achieve 10 mpg (UK) btw.
Where are the headlights on a Deltic locomotive? I don't see any. Were they designed to not ever run at night? That seems unlikely.
Headlights are a complete waste of time.
Yes, they advertise your approach, so anyone on the tracks has time to get off.
But the driver can see NOTHING outside of the beam.
The night vision is totally destroyed.
If he sees an obstacle within the beam...he is far too close to take any useful action.
I read a similar comment the other day regarding the Titanic...1912..something to the effect that a headlight would have shown the iceberg earlier..... Dear-oh-dear.
best locos ever!!! loved em all but 55007 pinza was the best!!! :-)
How are these engines started? Do they use an explosive charge like some other two stroke diesels such as the Field Marshal tractor? It certainly seems to start more abruptly than when a conventional started motor or donkey engine is used. I heard three bangs and the Deltic has three crankshafts unless I'm mistaken. Could these three bangs be an explosive cartridge being activated for a cylinder in each crank or am I barking up the wrong tree?
The main generators were used to turn the engines from the battery's
@@arthurrytis6010 The same as the way the Class 205 /207 Thumpers are started. Can you help me regarding that unrefined clattering sound before start up 0:50 ?? Presumably that's the engine itself making the noise may be due to larger clearances when cold and not properly lubricated ? Perhaps the engines are a little worn.
@@Martindyna as far as I know most diesel engines are started by taking power from the battery's to turn the engine over via the main Gen. The only engine I know to make a lot of Clattering when turning over was the Deltic
@@arthurrytis6010 Thanks. Another commentator said `The clattering that can be heard (before start up) are the straight cut gears on the radiator fan drives'.
Huw Williams. Sorry to keep bashing on but I don't know of any British loco that was started by cartridge. It would not be practible.
Smooth start compared to inline or V-16 diesels.
And then it runs and sounds like a rock crusher full of wrecking balls.
Thats true; the infamous blue 'Old Oak Haze' was nothing compared to the smog that emanated from the KX stabling point!
smooth
Nice, but I like the low RPM rumble of a GE loco.
Nice to see one that starts
You can't be serious at KX it was midday before you could see though Gas Works tunnel after the morning diesels left.
Awesome :-)
Wow, she looks like being new...
how old is it?
oh yes! deltics forever!
well said not to forget that the private train operators get more money now than BR ever got.
Ok guys, out of interest to see if those at the back were awake, anyone tell us what was odd about the crankshafts on these engines and why??
POWER
i thought deltic is an electric train?
It's a 2-stroke diesel that produces It's own electricity to drive the six traction motors.
It is Diesel Electric and had two Diesel engines. It was usually driven on the main line using both Diesel engines but sometimes on slow duties only one was used. Because the engines were, I understand, used in sequence (not in parallel) the second engine could get `oiled up' with too much idling and so was often shutdown on slower, less arduous duties.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napier_Deltic Also search Class 55.
@@Martindyna Thanks for answering. I was young & stupid back then and didn't understand the concept of diesel electric trains haha
2 stroke or 4 stroke?
2 stroke .... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napier_Deltic
1:10 Tea time any time
Needs to be louder! :)
Was that both engines starting?
Only one. Only one engine is ever used in Heritage / Gala and even mainline freight use these days.
Just one. Class 55s were usually driven on the main line using both Diesel engines but sometimes on slow duties only one was used. Because the engines were, I understand, used in sequence (not in parallel) the second engine could get `oiled up' with too much idling and so was often shutdown on slower, less arduous duties.
Now it's BR blue.
But first thing first: a nice hot cuppa tea!
72 pistons. That’s many pistons.
Not strictly true. Not so much a primary and secondary...more of 2 of the same engine/generators each rated at about 1650 hp.
That BLOWS!!! No blowdown 🤨 No prelude 🤬 Shot from standing outside … WTF?
I (wrongly) assumed it was from diesel-electric. Never too old to learn!
It is Diesel Electric with 2 off Diesel engines used in sequence (not parallel). Six electric traction motors. Search BR Class 55 & Napier Deltic.