As the wonderful age of steam approached its demise in the early 1960s, there was a need for British Rail to come up with a powerhouse diesel locomotive to take on the arduous long distance haul up and down the East Coast Main Line. In 1961/1962 it found the answer in the most powerful diesel locomotive yet produced, the Class 55 “deltic” named after the distinctive twin Napier Deltic engines that powered these monsters up and down the line, through Peterborough, right up to their demise in 1982.
Not surprisingly, a number of these iconic engines were saved from the cutter’s torch and some have even been restored and maintained well enough to be allowed back onto their old stamping ground where they haul occasional and very popular day excursions.
On Saturday 12th June 2010, the “Capital Deltic” excursion coasted down the main line and through Peterborough, hauled by East Lancashire Railway’s “Deltic 22”, 55022 Royal Scots Grey.
