Wigan Album

Thank you so much for these train pix. My dad, being a Goods Guard, always used his full amount of tickets. he loved his job & we have had some lovely train journeys with him.

Just out of curiosity Peter, did Ian have a brother David who attended Wigan Grammar in the 50's?

My brother Eric Barrow worked at the Vulcan Foundary studying for his A.M.i. mac.E. I was lucky enough to go with him to an apprentice prize giving when this engine had just finished the overhaul and was ticking over in the workshop.We were allowed to go aboard and have a look over it,all I can say is it was BIG.I think it went up to York afterwards.Some good and some very sad memories from this photo, as Eric lost his life in a car accident in 1964.

Ian never mentioned a brother Josh. Ian was pretty tall, about 6feet and medium build. I have some photos of him but they are still in the negative state; I am at present getting all my photos sorted out, negatives, transparencies and prints before they are perished beyond saving, as moving them about all these years, has affected some. I will upload some of Ian in the not too distant future.

The word Deltic short for Diesel-Electric, as in Asda-Associated Dairys.

such a mega beast of a deltic this deltic came by road back up to preston last month it may well still be there

Deltic named after Greek Symbol 'Delta', Triangle. The configuration of the pistons in the engine is this shape but inverted. {Must have been moved, it was at York Museum}

Diesel-Electric..diesel engine that drives large generator that powers the motors that drives the wheels. V12 diesel.

The Deltic locomotives had two engines. Each engine consisted of 6 banks of three cylinders arranged as an equilateral triangle, i.e. 18 cylinders with three crankshafts (hence the name Deltic). Opposed pistons were fitted in each cylinder (removing the need for heavy cylinder heads seen on conventional engines) and these attached to the three crankshafts (one at each point in the triangle). These crankshafts feed into a phasing gear case from which an output shaft drives the main generator. Other outputs and drives operate the auxiliary generator, scavenger blower, pumps, etc. The engines operated on the two stroke cycle which eliminated the need for valves and, having a scavenger blower, ensured that the engine efficiently expelled the exhaust and recharged the cylinders with clean air. This link will take you to a drawing of the engine http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?q=deltic+engine&hl=en&sa=X&biw=1241&bih=606&tbm=isch&prmd=imvns&tbnid=Y0Fv-8i9XDSZMM:&imgrefurl=http://royalscotsgrey.com/deltics.htm&docid=-MzkvkRtdSosNM&imgurl=http://royalscotsgrey.com/images/deltic-lo.gif&w=330&h=404&ei=dw5qUI_9EcXG0QWDvID4Bg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=545&vpy=121&dur=3362&hovh=249&hovw=203&tx=132&ty=112&sig=114339412165482460866&page=1&tbnh=125&tbnw=102&start=0&ndsp=19&ved=1t:429,r:3,s:0,i:80

Information spot on David, as you say they had 2 Napier 'Deltic' 18 cyl 2-stroke turbocharged engines, fantastic sound passing the box, being higher than the top of the traffic, every exhaust note could be heard, a different story when a steamer was pulling out of the station and had just been stoked-up. Is the Link all one or a series of Links.

Peter is correct regarding the origin of the name Deltic (in the shape of a triangle). The Napier engine was named Deltic, not the transmission !

Cullie! You weren't dreaming when you saw this loco, it went to Preston to the Ribble Steam Railway which as you may know, is in the dock area. It could still be there, but we could have missed the Preston Guild Show.

It's all one Peter, just copy and paste it into your browser.

Thank You David; will do.

It's a deisel electric or locally known as english electric. Based loosly on the American trains.

Gary, we know it's a diesel electric, as were and still are the vast majority of diesel locomotives in Britain. It was indeed manufactured by English Electric as were very many other locos but these all had more conventional engines. The Deltics were so called because of their unique DELTA shaped engines as already stated in other comments. Only the "Baby Deltics" had similar but smaller (hence baby) engines.

It wasn't mentioned so here goes. Baby 'Deltics' had 9cyl.strokers of 1,100 HP.

Went on the site via the link David, I was on the same site some while ago, I think it has something to do with the DPS, there is some interesting stuff on there.

All these comments and I still don't know where this photo was taken. Please can you enlighten me Peter ?

I am not sure myself David. Ian Ratcliffe and I used to go just anywhere with our free passes, sheds, stations and any place where we saw Rail traffic, and this picture I remember, he took; we both saw it but he snapped it before I did so I didn't need to shoot it. I know this prototype did not have a regular depot, especially if it was for any length of time, and this is the only time I have ever seen it. I remember it was somewhere in the East of the country, South Yorkshire is possible, can't say for sure though. I think there is a list of depots it visited; we could have a look on the internet.

Back in service in 2011.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13592652

The youtube clip was very interesting Gary; thanks for entering the comment.

in the 50s this engine ran past springs branch every day about 4 30pm came off the Liverpool line and went up north

in the 50s this engine ran past springs branch every day about 4 30pm came off the Liverpool line and went up north

As roleview says it was tested for a while, (l thought it was the early 1960's)running from Liverpool to Preston and back daily, it was run as a passenger train, for passengers they put the old cast iron brakeblocks on each seat, I remember one day it was coming from Liverpool on the slow line, it was switched to the fast line just before it got to the station, during the switch it scraped the platform edge at the bottom of platform five.

Further to Rolands anecdote, By the time that story filtered down to our late 1970's playground,it was widely accepted that the Deltic Prototype once "demolished" a platform at Wigan NW, and thats why you dont get "Dely's" coming through Wigan!Nice to know there was at least a grain of truth in it after all these years!

This prototype looked magnificent in its Caledonian Blue with gold go-faster stripes. But soon we spotters had seen it so much we got fed up and wished it'd go somewhere else. Then it did, next time I saw it was in the Science Museum.

I remember signalling this very locomotive at Woodside signal box on the first running of it from Liverpool to Euston Station. The livery was a very bright blue and couldn't be mistaken in its approach, but probably the most thing I remember about this particular engine, was prior to working on the main line it was used for freight work and on its very first day in service as a light engine it became derailed in front of me whilst working as a Relief Signalman in West Deviation Junction Signal Box, Widnes. The reason for the derailment was that the lines spread because of its excessive weight.