Deltic Preservation and Spares.

Was just thinking about the current work on restoring 55002 to working order and DRS now owning 55016.

What will happen if No. 2 blows a piston or crankcase as per 55022 on I think power unit 413 ?

I am certainly no expert but the Napier power units certainly seem mighty expensive engines to repair in terms of new engine components or repairs from Paxmans. Or is it Mann B & W now ? I forget!

Would the NRM sanction the repair of a damaged unit on No. 2 if it suffered damage ? Of course, let's hope it doesn't suffer damage.

With 55016, yes DRM would presumably have greater financial clout than individual preservationists or societies but even so, if 16 were to suffer a similar fate to 22 and it threw a piston or suffered some other power unit internal failure and even if they could afford to get Paxmans or some other reputable engine repairer to rectify it, how long would 16 be out of revenue earning service before it's repaired unit was fixed ?

I mean, Deltics originally operated on the basis of having a float of spare repaired or overhauled power units ready to fit at BREL Doncaster (excepting the late 1970's!). However, only the DPS, as a result of their foresight and fundraising efforts in the 1970s and 1980s, now continue to have the option of spare, complete and operational Napier units ready to hand.

Not that this is a criticism of the D9000 Fund, latterly DNLL, as they also showed forsight in the spares area by acquiring No. 16 in 1983/4 from BR as a source of spares but obviously also as a runner in it's own right. But as I think Michael Timms stated in about 1992/3 in one of the videos narrated by David Maxey, number 16 might have to play more of a back up role in that if No. 22 was to blow a unit up out on the mainline, a short term measure would be to borrow a unit from 16 pending repairs to the faulty unit.

However, with 16 and 22 no longer owned by the same owners this places the owners of 16 and 22 in the obvious situation of not having immediate access to complete rail Napier units ready to fit in the event of problems with units already in locomotives.

Obviously, I hope the owner of 22 soon finds a solution to the faulty unit in his loco but will DRS continue to want the prestige of owning and operating a Deltic if they start to suffer power unit problems that may end up making the project less viable and more trouble to them than it is worth ?

Again, no disrespect to DRS, let's hope things bode well for them and 16, but it seemed to take a long time for 16 to get unit 406 repaired the first time round after the silencer fire and the fire brigade's foam penetrating the unit's innards and causing corrosion of internal components. Perhaps it was not slowness on Paxman's part but simply the usual administrative hassle one often gets with insurance of many different kinds and establishing liability.

I must admit I had a wee taste of this last year when I had my car damaged by a passing lorry driver in my street and it took six months to sort out the insurance and repairs so it may be that insurance issues surrounding 16's engine damage may have been behind it taking what seemed like a long time.

 

Surely that's all hypothetical. These machines are well looked after now and IN THEORY, shouldn't give any trouble. Martin Walker did a pretty fair job with his when a lump of engine tried (and succeeded)to escape.

 

It should not be forgotten that these are a rather complex engine. With 18 cylinders and 36 pistons (lost count of how many piston rings!), and the crankshafts having to be removed before the former can be attended to, they will not be a fast or easy engine to work on.

I'd venture to suggest that the conn rods are a bit of weak point having seen two cases when on BR of rods coming through the crankcase. It make a bit of a mess in the engine room!

If anyone wants to have an interesting experience try removing all the injectors on both engines in an 8 hour shift. Oh yes, and the loco has come on depot after a 400 mile run from Edinburgh and is blazing hot. By the way, you will need a 3/8" drive socket extension 2' long to do it.

 

16-one broken power unit.
22-one broken power unit,and its replacement is also broken-hence why now on one PU only and not on mainline tours at the moment.
DPS-spare and operational PUs-mmmmmm-don't think they have six operational ones for three locos never mind spares-after the spares spent years in open storage.

In my eyes DPS ,with a little lateral thinking-would now be selling one or two of their complete,spare,seized (ex rail) pu's to Beaversport etc,for a commercial fee,and using the money to complete 15,insulate the shed etc,even pay the rent.
They would still have several spares which they could strip and overhaul in the future if reqd(not that they have done one in 20 years).


Stand to be corrected by the No2 team -who know what they are doing .

 

I thought 55022 had an ex-marine power unit in one end from what I read from their website, are these still available or have they become scarce/too expensive or prohibitive for some reason? Harold.

 

The ex Marine power unit failed on the Carnforth-Huddersfield ECS of Retro Railtours tour to Edinburgh.

I beieve a society has been approached to sell another ex Marine power unit,but the would be purchaser has yet to hear from the committtee of said society.This being despite an overwhelming majority of members voting in favour of such a transaction by show of hands at the AGM.