Deltic (British Rail Class 55)

The British Rail Class 55, known as the Deltic, is a diesel-electric locomotive built by English Electric at the Vulcan Foundry between 1961 and 1962, twenty two of them constructed for high speed express services on the East Coast Main Line between London King's Cross and Edinburgh. Each locomotive carried two Napier Deltic engines, originally developed for marine use, giving a combined output of 3,300 horsepower that made the class the most powerful single unit diesel locomotives in the world at their introduction, with an official top speed of 100 miles per hour and recorded peaks above 125 miles per hour on descending grades. Once the full fleet was in service in 1962 it cut about an hour from the London to Edinburgh journey; the InterCity 125 High Speed Train displaced the Deltics between 1978 and 1982, and all were withdrawn by December 1981, with six preserved today.