DELTIC (DP1) Cab & engine room Guided Tour LOCO TV UK

[@anthonyglee1710]

What a classy and intelligent man doing the tour - fascinating. Real old school Brits. Innocent kind people, no ego or drama - just got on with things, no fuss.

[@dave13dc]

I never realised how much attention to detail went into the styling of her. She's a real work of art inside and out. She screams Art Deco.

[@squach6239]

I'm just glad they stopped the 70's porn music! Really cool lookin engine!

[@deeremeyer1749]

Decades after "Art Deco" was "over".

[@mitchly]

Just about to post a comment until I read yours Dave. You said it far better than I was about to. A beautiful Locomotive.

[@johntapp1411]

This locomotive looks like a double ended Alco PA with a Baldwin Sharknose ceiling and windshields. It actually looks quite tasteful. Where do they put the toilet-the Loo?

[@keithdawson4804]

@@johntapp1411 It's there somewhere (under a hinge-up wash basin). It's shown in a Pathe News video about Deltics running from King's Cross, on YT.

[@paulspickernell6875]

Really enjoyed that, not seen inside one for 55 years, when I was 10 I was invited into the cab of one at Kings Cross station, thanks for the video

[@gromit3315]

Today, 26th of June 2021, this video came up as one of the suggestions. I truly hope that the gentleman in the video is still amongst us. He explained everything in a clear and calm manner. Thank you.

[@thesarus1]

I really enjoyed this. The presenter was so knowledgeable and articulate. Thank you.

[@andyhill242]

One of the best Deltic tours I've ever seen. Thank you for sharing this.

[@thehutt2]

Beautiful, my favourite loco ever.

[@edwardvickers5506]

Found this really interesting,the amount of engineering going on was incredible.I spent my working life repairing electric motors and DC generating equipment including English Electric.Those DC motors with their comutators and brush gear and fields were a beautiful thing and built to last.Now its all boring AC with permanent magnet rotors that last 5 minutes.

[@Martin_Adams184]

An excellent video. I remember the Deltics very well in service, rode behind them many times, and have read widely on them - on their engineering and their extraordinary performances in service. With all that in mind, this is one of the best layman explanations of these locomotives I have come across. Congratulations to the gentleman doing the explanations, and to the videographer, with the occasional close-ups of details.

[@richardclarke376]

I remember seeing it when it was in the Science Museum in London in the 70s. What a gorgeous looking piece of hardcore engineering.

[@stephensmith4480]

Same here. Its a pity they only made 22 of them.

[@Ampex196]

Beautifully delivered presentation. Many thanks!

[@K-Effect]

Beautiful engine, I like the look of the headlight, I wish modern diesels head touches of class like the older stuff does, chrome trim rings etc.

[@ic08jy700]

Great video. It was very interesting to see how all this diesel and electric gubbins went together. Thanks for the clear narrative. What a superb machine.

[@aldothenoo]

really hope one day we will see this beast of beauty run again under her own power.

[@Sparky-Tim]

Great Vid, Very interesting tour from Geoffrey. Liked the way he presented the Loco & the history behind the Deltics. Thanks for filming & posting. More like this please,( if you get the time & chance).

[@kevstewart5919]

my absolutely favourite loco

[@hubs37]

Napier one of the greatest engine designers in the world, mainly for aircraft of course. During the war Napier had a huge factory on the East Lancs Road, Gillmoss, Liverpool for the manufacturing of the powerful Sabre H section engine which powered the Hawker Typhoon, a fantastic piece of engineering at the time.

[@abrahamdesmond5376]

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[@jamalforest1993]

@Abraham Desmond instablaster ;)

[@abrahamdesmond5376]

@Jamal Forest Thanks for your reply. I found the site on google and im in the hacking process now. Looks like it's gonna take quite some time so I will get back to you later with my results.

[@abrahamdesmond5376]

@Jamal Forest It did the trick and I finally got access to my account again. I'm so happy! Thank you so much you really help me out !

[@jamalforest1993]

@Abraham Desmond you are welcome =)

[@steves5172]

A really great video, thanks for uploading! When I was 7 years old we lived at Eaglescliffe, right by the railway (4 tracks at that time) and my bedroom overlooked all 4 lines. I distinctly remember a short train passing the house fronted by a steam loco, several wagons and this blue diesel locomotive with gold/ yellow whiskers and the word “DELTIC” along the side. As it passed I noticed its protective paper coverings were coming loose and flapping in the wind. To see it now is marvellous as it brings back memories of the railway and the night traffic!

[@gordonvincent731]

My favorite British Ry diesel locomotive.

[@robertjones9691]

That is a good looking loco. The designers took care in aesthetics and engineering.

[@laurieharper1526]

Love the driver's ashtray next to the window. Wouldn't see that nowadays.

[@deeremeyer1749]

Only because there are windows are your "new" locomotives.

[@bjoe385]

Apparently smoking whilst in a confined space with lots of flammable fuel and oil is “irresponsible”.

[@BibTheBoulderTheOriginalOne]

No, you just see ash blown all around the cab.....

[@cofjohn]

@@bjoe385 Believe it or not diesel is actually quite hard to set fire to without compression.

[@bjoe385]

@@cofjohn I know, I suppose drivers smoking was more an issue of distraction than fire.

[@bluetoad2001]

really brings the history alive, great informative video, thanks for posting

[@UKRailsandMore]

Brilliant mate, thanks for sharing this excellent footage, can’t beat a bit of deltic action! All the best, Paul

[@normanyates6735]

UK Rails and more! Yes Napier did make complex engines, how about the Napier Sabre used in the Typhoon WW2 aircraft, very powerful but so fragile.

[@rev.randall2292]

Very informative . I enjoy in cab and engine room videos. Thank You

[@andreborowski4954]

It was a pleasure to listen to this man. Short and good. I "grew up" with the OP engine as in my technical school in Warsaw (age 13 till 19) we had a perfect cut-off example of Junkers 600 HP aviation engine, six cylinders only..and every brake between the lessons I could examine any detail of it. It was a Junkers patent from ..1920ties. Napier bough it much later and decided to use the Deltic Desing for locomotives and speed boat propulsion. Using Diesel Oil in aviation had a short and successful history, mostly in Germany. Such engines could bring 1000 HP being not much heavier than petrol engines. Fuel efficiency was better thus less weigth to take with for the given distance. But I think the low temperatures in the height the planes later used ..over 20 000 feet made a problem. And coming back to Deltic...the polution problem with dirty exhaust, here (see my comment below) could be managed with a kind of "afterburner" for production of steam made of engine cooling water with the "dirty exhaust" and additional burner. Good efficiency of the whole unit and cleaner gas in the stack could make it.

[@michaelcollett1175]

enjoy the video , also visited national rail museum in york, it is nice save some trains ,as for museum was great day out

[@salemcripple]

lol when he gets pissed at the screaming kid

[@dscoolitgmailcom]

salemcripple b

[@darrenhillman8396]

Excellent video! She was a real beauty. Wouldn’t it be great to see her working again? I know it will never happen, but we can dream can’t we?!

[@nablicman]

Well never say never... but yeh your probably right no intrest in geting 55002 up and runing so DP1 has no chance.

[@loveparade4824]

It is a great pleasure to see how in the United Kingdom they relate to their history. Superbly preserved locomotive that receives decent care and attention of people. That should be the attitude to your past. And many thanks to Geoffrey for the story and what he does to preserve historical value.

[@krazytroutcatcher]

I know of a production version of one of these, in preservation was put back in service because of a traction shortage just a few years ago, I believe it had in its past covered about four million miles.

[@dannygayler90]

First time I've seen inside a British made loco , "Impressive"!

[@keithpryke7044]

Great video thanks, used to work on these engines back in the 80's, awesome beasts.

[@nablicman]

Cheers.😊

[@drewdam8871]

Thank you, so informative. I could listen to that all over again. The pictures are nice too :-)

[@DutchVanHelsing]

If this is the Engine from the Science museum where I used to sit under her back in the late 60's early 70's I still say that ( and no insults to The Mallard , Scotsman , et al ) this is the most intense piece of Engineering that ever went don a railway track...It is still Awesome !!! I am 60 now and I feel the same as when I used to go see her during school hols and even when I was on a lunch break from work in South Ken....in 82/3 . I ain't a train buff/spotter...I just love this hunk of metal......My only vanity buy if I had the cash from a winning ticket....and a few miles of track too....

[@philhealey449]

Superb technical description free of the dumbing down of mainstream TV, from a hardworking volunteer, presumably a retired senior railways engineering manager.? This is on a par with the gentleman at Bovington Tank Museum who expounds very entertainingly on good and bad tank designs!

[@philhealey449]

@Alexander Challis Looks to be a great read ! Just dipped in and learned already that the traction system uses DC and m now wondering what the field divert is all about in the motors.......

[@johnleonard6471]

Nicely done, good video work, good commentary and beautiful restoration/presentation of the locomotive.

[@kaushertop]

Old world charm old school engineering....rare gems

[@bmwnasher]

I remember this Engine as a lad at Kings Cross in the late 50s?. i remember standing next to it, and it seemed like the gound was shaking.

[@donovanemery597]

I used to think that with the Class 37s in the 70s!

[@bmwnasher]

@@donovanemery597 The good old days?

[@donovanemery597]

Class 47s as well

[@andybailey9347]

What an excellent film! I've become more and more interested in the Deltics over recent years. I've the set of British Transport Films and been to see more than a couple. I learned so much more from this excellent informative film. Some excellent torch action too! Many thanks and I look forward to enjoying more.

[@nablicman]

Thanks for your comments mutch appreciated.

[@JonDingle]

First class video, great history and information and a quality presentation from the guy!

[@terinasargeant138]

He has a very nice and distinct voice. He speaks properly. Nice accent pronunciation 😁

[@pamandrobtrust7624]

I really enjoyed this informative video. Many thanks, good job done.

[@stevedoubleu99B]

Nice video, very informative. Thank you, chaps.

[@likklej8]

My Mother and I after visiting her sister returning from Liverpool got our second class upgraded to First on the Merseyside Express back to London hauled by Blue Deltic. At Euston I was with a couple of kids who managed to cab Deltic. Which if you had a friendly driver in either diesel or steam you could do in early 60s.before jobsworth H&S

[@jw4620]

Nice video! Thanks!

[@grumpyg9350]

Would love to hear this engine run.... Great video and presentation. Thanks 👍👍👍👍👍

[@Spookieham]

Search for videos - there are a few still out there running.

[@smogmonster1876]

Unless there’s two of these then this is now at Locomotion National Railway Museum in Shildon County Durham. Never fully NATO’s these beasts but I knew there was something unique about them. Thanks for a plain simple easy to understand explanation. I get it now. Ugly looking things but utterly fabulous.

[@NeilIves]

Very enjoyable, thanks!

[@railfreightdrivergallagherGBRf]

So lucky, even if it no longer works, to have one of our countries historic diesel loco prototypes. Considering the likes of the LMS originals have gone(though a new one being built) ,as have the likes of DP2, Lion, Falcon & Kestrel. Would so love to see this iconic beast run again one day. Who knows hey! I'd drive it, and would make a change from 47s, 60s, 56s, 66s etc.

[@britishgypsum4347]

Taken down and back to Strand Road today. Was excellent

[@nablicman]

I have seen some pix of her on Strand to day on Facebook shame she can't return to Vulcan and then to Napier at Netherton.

[@svenwillumsen6691]

Great. I love this video and instruktion.

[@HerfingPug]

Brilliant. Thank you.

[@Bigsbeee]

What a gentleman - Fab video.

[@JohnPlant90]

Great guiding. Well done

[@maxjakobsen5526]

Really proff teller and proff video Thanks.

[@2007christian]

GREAT! Thank you!

[@conantdog]

Great video 👍

[@bennickss]

Are there any possibilities of DP1 returning to service?

[@mikecawood]

I recall once travelling by train from Kings Cross to York and this loco was in charge and one Dr Beeching was riding in the cab, I wasn't, sadly, just in a coach near the front.

[@ComputerExplodes]

Shame Beeching wasn't lashed to the track.

[@charlesbutler4646]

Enjoyable and informative

[@D.music85]

It’s sooo clean!

[@Gazvegslayer7]

Thank you, very interesting.

[@pierheadjump]

⚓️ Thanks nablicman 😎 Out western USA … our trains are more braking machines because of mountainous terrain 😀… when CO2 is released for fire suppression air intakes to the engine enclosure/cab are closed to contain the CO2 & eliminate oxygen to the fire. 😎 With the rough duty of a train engine & the amount of dirty air thruput…keeping the fire dampers clean & functional would have been a chore. 🤨. Thanks for the Video

[@battlestarone]

when one of these was coming though the tunnel at Glasgow Queen Street and you were stuck in the tunnel going into the station waiting for it to clear,you were near deaf and gassed by the noise and fumes,huge amount of power,,,,why cant they get this one up and running again?

[@normanyates6735]

battlestarone It is rumoured that there’s no internals inside these two engines in this loco ?.

[@scdevon]

It probably took 200 horsepower just to drive those shaft driven cooling fans. Great design, though. The U.S. and England were at the top of their game in the 1950s. The newer equipment might be lighter, faster, more fuel efficient, more powerful and more reliable, but it somehow isn't as impressive as this gear from the golden era of the mid 1900s.

[@smalllocoguy770]

DEEREMEYER1 oh fuck of all i see is you talking shit about the uk in almost all vids about the deltic yes it blew its engins up so what it was a prototype A FIRST TRY I know for a fact that there were U.S. locomotives that failed so dont go knocking us for one loco that failed if u read up on the deltic u will see that there was a plan to test it in canada and if it had done there may have been some in the U.S. and who gives one about the U.S. having no steam locomotives runing after the 50s we had been bombed for 2 years before u lazy lot turned up to help so all are industry was gone so we had to make do and mend what we had so thats why steam lasted longer and this resulted in alot of them being SAVED somthing u lot dont know fuck all about. And also if british locomotives were so bad then y do u guys have one of are A4 steam locomotives over there TELL ME THAT! IF U DONT LIKE SOMTHING THEN SHUT YOUR BIG AMERICAN MOUTH.

[@burlatsdemontaigne6147]

DEEREMEYER1 __ Why do have to be such a wanker? You're like that Wilbur/soaring fellow. Why the bile and anger in all your comments? Genuinely 😕 puzzled.

[@PenzancePete]

@@burlatsdemontaigne6147 Almost certainly the same person. He operates under several aliases. The clue is the spelling and phrasing that is used.

[@quarryfield]

Wonderful video. thank you.

[@harvestjet]

Good video but the moving on screen graphic is distracting & annoying

James Sheppard and also the camera was never showing what he was taking about.

[@donovanemery597]

Amazing technology for its time

[@britsh_weather_has_bipolar8199]

Napier also developed a similar type of engine for the Avro Shackleton AEW and anti-ship/submarine aircraft. It worked well but never produced the 1000 bhp specified by the RAF so they fitted RR Griffons instead. A shame really, I wonder if with modern materials and technology there may be an application for such engines today?

[@wildcoyote34]

this is a very nice video , well laid out and descriptive ,, i loved the narrator telling about the Loco and it's very unique engine it's actually a very beautiful machine ,,I have always loved trains from the time i was a kid i could watch them for hours just wondering is this machine operational ,,it sure looks good enough to be operational

[@nablicman]

Thanks for your coments and no its not a running loco.l

[@wildcoyote34]

***** that's too bad ,, it would be awesome to see it run ,,I've always wanted to see one of these deltics in person I have plenty of experience with 2 stroke diesels ,, I am a big fan of detroit 71 and 92 series diesels ,,I have numerous different models in my collection ,,most saved from the scrap yard and nearly all of them running or will run with minimum effort

[@nablicman]

There are 6 production Deltics preserved 5 of them are runers there are plenty of videos on my channel of them in action enjoy.

[@wildcoyote34]

***** I've always thought it was interesting how many different designs europeans have come up with to do a specific job I'm from the USA and we never really developed any double engine locomotives and none of the main line units have double control cabs notable exceptions being the EMD DDA40X of which just 1 remains in active service out of 47 built ,,it is massive being 30 meters long and weighing 260 tons 6600 horsepower

[@nablicman]

Hy Peter did they actually offer to sell the loco to you or the engines? I read somewhere about the engines having no pistons and cranks the guy doing the tour dident know anything about that he was a bit stunned when i told him.

[@Cooperail]

On the 50s railway this must has been like a spaceship landing.

[@Ash-928]

+Cooperail True, the same can be said of the HST when it first rolled into stations in the 70s too.

[@deeremeyer1749]

Is that why they were still running steam into the late 1960s? And how in the fuck was a diesel-electric locomotive in the "1950s" like "spaceship landing" in a country that supposedly invented the jet engine, the jet airliner, radar, television and pretty much everything else in history? Or CLAIMS TO HAVE INVENTED THEM, that is?

[@deeremeyer1749]

Did the "HST" still have vacuum brakes like many British locomotives today? How about chain couplers? How did that piece of shit "HST" work out for you folks? And do you use the same "calendar" as the rest of the world? When EXACTLY in "years ago" was YOUR "70s"?

[@jacobjohnston1218]

DEEREMEYER1 yes ok are first HST was a complete flop but it showed us what we did wrong and now look at were we are with the Hitachi

[@trainzandtrombones]

Would you like some sugar with your salt?

[@johngardiner1630]

These engines are cartridge started. An explosive charge is inserted, indexed and fired like a gun. One crankshaft turns opposite way from the other two

[@alexphillips4325]

Nope, not in locomotives. In the locomotives, the DC generatorhad special windings in it that were attached to a battery and allowed it to act as a gigantic starter motor

[@TrainTrackTrav]

Is there any chance that the prototype will ever run again?

[@stephenchecksfield3011]

Be nice to think so but I think it is mechanically incomplete

[@MarkJT1000]

Excellent video. So typical of engineering in those days. No frills, just bare metal with exposed bolts and rivets all covered with a coat of paint. Almost always cream / off white.

[@alexhamilton4084]

I’ve always wondered why, out of 22 deltics, why was only one of them left nameless?

[@railfreightdrivergallagherGBRf]

Which one? They were all named, as I've driven them all!

[@davidpeters6536]

I love the Deltic. I've seen DP1 at Shildon and it is a mighty beast. This is a great look around. thanks. How much power do the electric motors produce? You say Napier developed this engine from a Junkers prewar unit, well I knew it was designed as a marine engine, but not a German one???

[@worldcomicsreview354]

The channel Curious Droid has put up a video that goes into the history. Junkers wanted to make an engine like this, but it had timing problems. A Napier engineer solved them with a very simple solution, and the rest was history. The engine was originally meant for torpedo boats, early in the war the German ones were superior. The Deltic was later used in a Norwegian boat, which the Americans bought for "stealthy" use in Vietnam, as it's engine didn't "sound like an engine".

[@NedPooleD818]

A sleeping giant- time to crowd source a return to service:-))

[@bigfoottoo2841]

Awesome

[@johannesfeigl5309]

This naipier engine was developed for British mtbsto counter the very fast and successful German e boats

[@kevinmottram9491]

British engineering at it's best. Whatever happened to those days?

[@faharoon357]

Might fine.

[@daffyduk77]

Those loco driver control levers looked straight out of an old steam loco, but shinier. Built for heavy-handed folk maybe

[@danilorainone406]

what is the cab black wheel at the right for?

[@peek101]

First class!

[@grahamallen1970]

Wouldn't it be nice to see a main line fit deltic cosmetically altered with head lamp cowl and body styling to do a few years in prototype deltic form?....may be one due a bit of body work now...?

[@ArcturanMegadonkey]

The old girl looks in fantastic condition! I wonder if those power units have been stripped of internals or whether they're still loaded with pistons and conrods?

[@juleshammond5652]

i wonder who at English electric chose the cab colours? Is that cream or khaki?

[@farmerdave7965]

Can't see out the front window.

[@NickRatnieks]

Steam had not reached its development potential and it never really did. However, the steam locomotives used by BR were massively labour intensive, whereas diesels were not and on that basis, the availability of diesels was so much higher than steam. I can recall that BR's Deltic fleet had travelled one million miles in very little time and one reached two million miles in little more than ten years- at least three times faster than an express passenger steam locomotive used on the same mainline would achieve. The Deltics were a success by any standards- yet so few were ever built but they replaced a very much higher number of steam locomotives.

[@worldcomicsreview354]

The Doble steam cars of the 1920's are interesting. They were an attempt to make steam cars as convenient as internal combustion (also of the 1920's, when many were hand-started) and nearly succeeded. I wonder how efficient, even "green", they could be with further refinement. Spray a fine mist of fuel in and ignite it, burn it completely, too. Steam engines want to keep the hot gases in, not expel them as quick as possible!

[@markherzog9484]

Amazing the Deltic was the Merlin/RB211 of diesel motive power….British engineering (although German influenced) at its greatest……..

[@geoffjones6869]

They could design a small version of this engine with modern materials and specs. It would make a good engine for challenger 2.

[@rogerwhittle2078]

Geoff Jones. They did. The Class 23. It had one, 9 cylinder Deltic engine. The Deltic engine family was not limited to locomotives and I'm not even sure it designed specifically for what became the Class 37. They we certainly in small warships.

[@steventhornton4716]

So why can't dp1 run anymore?

[@kainhall]

american here (i know i know..... settle down) . but i love the design of that engine.....very unique (even if the germans built a few.....no where as many as the brits did...and the brits developed it a LOT farther) 2 stroke diesels are so simple....hell, 2 stroke gas engines are simple also! . 2 stroke.... because its closer to running on pure explosions than a 4 joke!

[@PalomboDylan]

Did they get this locomotive up and running again?

[@MontyCantsin5]

Will probably never happen.

[@thecelticprince4949]

Napier made complicated motors 1 should imagine it must have been an engineer's/mechanic's nightmare to fix. Did the Deltic have dynamic braking also or was that before they were invented?

[@garymathews9534]

such a ingenues design for a engine .add 3 turbo chargers per engine ,and do high pressure direct injection ,this engine mite be viable today .

[@dantheman1998]

Due to the 2 stroke design, the air fuel cannot be pressurized into the cylinder. It wont make anymore power by adding more turbo's.

[@andyharman3022]

Who told you that? There are a lot of 2-stroke Detroits out there that are boosted by turbos.

[@johnwade1095]

Piston rings really hate crossing those port cutouts. It would swill oil like Oliver Reed on a bender. And the combustion chamber is a lousy shape so air utilisation would be poor. And the crankcase needs temperature controlled machining and assembly by watchsmiths so it costs a fortune and is prone to built in defects.I could go on. Expensive, dirty, unreliable, and gutless. It was competitive before they invented proper turbocharging and aftercooling, when fuel economy was an afterthought, and no-one cared what came out of the exhaust.The weak structure probably wouldn't be pressure capable with more charge anyway.

[@johnwade1095]

Look at the cross section and imagine where the air goes and all will become clear.

[@andyharman3022]

Pretty much any engine requires temperature controlled machining and precision assembly to be successful today. Applying modern manufacturing technology to the Deltic would yield a better engine. The same goes for fuel injection and turbocharging. Actually many Deltics that went in Royal Navy Nasty class torpedo boats were turbocharged and made 3000+ HP. But I agree with you that the OP engine combustion chamber shape can never be as good as a conventional diesel with a central injector. Relatively poor air utilization comes with the engine type.

[@lfewell2161]

Don't do this for real but could you fit a pair of class 73/9 1600hp MTU engines in.would it weigh more or less.squeeze a extra 50hp from each engine and you have a 3300hp loco .

[@Martindyna]

Your question highlights how good the Deltic power to weight ratio was ….. Deltic engine weight (dry) each = 8,727 lbs (3,958.5 Kg) MTU 8V R43 engine weight (dry) = 11,618 lbs (5,270 Kg) So two MTUs would be 2,623 Kg heavier than two Deltic engines. Of course the MTU four stroke design is probably far superior in fuel efficiency and air pollution compared to the older Deltic two stroke design. I don't know if two MTU 8V R43s would physically fit into a class 55 locomotive but if they did fit it may be worth doing since a 2.6 Tonne penalty is not that much in railway terms, in fact it's not unusual for locomotives to be fitted with ballast weights to aid rail adhesion (e.g. Class 73/9).

[@lfewell2161]

The generators should weigh less as the MTU engine alternators ran at the 1800rpm engine speed, the deltics dynamos I believe ran at less than the 1500rpm engine speed, so the complete power unit would probably weigh about the same.

[@glypnir]

I don’t think that power to weight or power to size are very crucial in locomotives. I think the biggest strength of the Deltic engine was its availability. The EMD 567 may not have had as good a power to weight or power to length, but they sold a few more. If you wanted more power, just add a B unit. Which also gave you more wheel area on the track for more traction.

[@railfreightdrivergallagherGBRf]

Power to weight is vital.

[@glypnir]

@@railfreightdrivergallagherGBRf it is, but it’s not simple because of the low friction and rolling resistance of steel wheels. If you’ve got a locomotive pulling a long heavy train relatively slowly, the locomotive has to have lots of weight relative to its power to get enough adhesion to pull the train. If you’re doing a high speed train you do need a high power to weight ratio, but you really need powered wheels on multiple cars to get enough adhesion to get that power to the rails without slipping. At low speeds, like in switching yards, they use slugs, which are diesel electrics with the diesel part removed and replaced with concrete to keep the weight up. You can have a diesel unit power itself plus a slug. You actually deliberately decrease the power to weight ratio to get more traction. On the longer trains, too much power in a single engine can snap couplings, so you need to distribute locomotives throughout the train.

[@railfreightdrivergallagherGBRf]

@@glypnir Don't worry, I know how to drive as its my job, but they have it all wrong here. The units are 100% wedged in. Likelihood is they will have to be cut on site. Now 30 years old(the 158) and the 159 not much newer. Shame really but the way it is. All the loco power in the world won't shift it, or adhesion if the things are stuck .

[@glypnir]

@@railfreightdrivergallagherGBRf it would be fun to watch, though. It’s only 2 of the 4 axles, so about half of the 41 tons - say 20. 25% adhesion, since it’s always raining in England, that’s only 5 tons of tractive effort. Certainly you’ve got a locomotive that’ll do that? There’d be some marvelous screeching going on, 4 flat tires, and the track worse for wear. Probably lots of sparks? It would be better than a tractor pull. Perhaps railroads should try providing intentional entertainment for a change.

[@racketman2u]

Just your ordinary average 88-litre 18 cylinder triangular boxer diesel engine.

[@stevekelly5485]

It's not a boxer. Doesn't event have cylinder heads. (not edited.) And a triangular boxer? The pistons actually oppose each other and a pair of pistons act as the cylinder. Then two crankshafts rotate in the same direction and the other must rotate in the other. Crazy engine. Not a boxer though.

[@bartram33]

English Electric. The Deltic and the Lightning fighter.

[@chrisbrady-t1u]

Smiths gauges throughout,right lads?I said RIGHT LADS???ANSWER ME,DAMN YOU!