55016 Gordon

Gordon has had a birthday , 63rd.

 

My eyes!

 

Nearly as old as you Victor!

 

I can remember them when they were new, I can remember when Gerry Fiennes went (allegedly) to the BR Board and said "3300hp please".
Happy days

 

I remember seeing the odd one running LE through Manchester Victoria when brand new, on their way from Vulcan at Earlstown to the Eastern region.
I think that would be about 1961.

 

Then subsequently wound one up to 4000bhp.....

 

If memory serves, isn't the engine actually rated at 2500hp but was heavily derated to increase its life in a traction application?

 

That bit i dont know, i know the marine version tried by Martin Walker was subjected to high levels of vibration, that lead to early failure.

 

"E169 Deltic 18-25
An 18 Cylinder engine similar to 18-12A (engines for Deltic Prototype locomotive) for Rail Traction purposes incorporating special phasing gear casing for flange-mounted generator and to DS102 standard. 1,725bhp (later reduced to 1,650 bhp) @1,500 crank and output shaft rpm.
58 engines produced however two were to Series 3 standards.".

https://npht.org/about-napier/products/marine-engines/deltic/series-2-deltic-engines/

 

Quoted from The Deltics a Symposium,

In its original form, the Deltic engine gave 2500bhp, for a 1000 hour life, Calculations showed by derating to a continuous 1650bhp, for traction duties, should give a time between overhauls of 6000 hours.
Between overhauls, there was very little to do, bar, injector change at 2000 hours.

This was at the time of a conventional 850rpm diesel doing 10,000 hours before a first overhaul, which entailed top end dis-assembly and overhaul in situ.
The deltic trumped this with a 8 hour shift power unit change, being a norm, in squadron service.