British Rail Class 55

Uncommon card · No. 121105

The British Rail Class 55, also known as a Deltic, or English Electric Type 5, is a class of diesel locomotive built in 1961 and 1962 by English Electric for British Railways. Twenty-two locomotives were built, designed for the high-speed express passenger services on the East Coast Main Line (ECML) between Edinburgh and London King's Cross. They gained the name "Deltic" from the prototype locomotive, DP1 Deltic (the running number DP1 was never carried), which in turn was named after its Napier Deltic power units. At the time of their introduction into service in 1961, the Class 55 was the most powerful single-unit diesel locomotives in the world, with a power output of 3,300 hp (2,500 kW). They had an official service speed of 100 mph (160 km/h), and introduced the first regular 100 mph diesel passenger service to Britain. They were capable of higher speeds than this, and often exceeded their official maximum in service, especially in their later years, with speeds of up to 117 mph...

Read on Wikipedia · Image Terry Fougler, CC BY-SA 2.0