This excursion was originally due to run on 11 May was re-dated to 3 August as D9009 Alycidon was undergoing repairs and was not going to be available on 11 May. However, although we had been led to believe by the Deltic Preservation Society (DPS) that D9009 ‘Alycidon’ would be repaired in time to haul to our train on Saturday, 3 August, we learnt (in late April) from them that this will not be the case and therefore we are cancelling the excursion on this date. It is hoped that The Harrogate & Humber Deltic Reprise will now eventually run in 2020.
For two decades the 3300hp 100mph Deltic diesels were the mainstay of the fastest and heaviest trains on the routes from London Kings Cross to York and Leeds, taking in Harrogate and Cleethorpes amongst other places. Our train travels over a variety of those routes, and some where the appearance of a Deltic would have turned heads.
D9009 Alycidon heads the train from the start, via Derby and Sheffield to York, then via Harrogate, Leeds and on to Doncaster. Then it is main line to ‘The Cross’ (Kings Cross), for an afternoon break of about 2 hours, before the return north. At Newark we turn east to Cleethorpes, for a short stop. A Class 68 will then haul the train to a reversal at Ulceby, with D9009 resuming command for the return journey through Doncaster and Sheffield to Derby and Willington.
Named at Doncaster Works on July 21st 1961 before introduction to traffic, D9009 maintained the ‘racehorse’ tradition of the LNER by commemorating the winner of the 1949 Ascot Gold Cup. Based at Finsbury Park in North London, Alycidon was one of eight ‘racehorse’ Deltics stabled there. In May 1981, she moved to York after the closure of Finsbury Park and was one of four Deltics prepared to work a series of farewell railtours during their final six months of operation. Her final outing in BR service was on January 2nd 1982 as standby locomotive for the ‘Deltic Scotsman Farewell’.
| Joining Stations | Depart | Return |
|---|---|---|
| Willington | 0610 | 2300 |
| Derby | 0625 | 2245 |
| Chesterfield | 0650 | 2220 |
| Sheffield | 0710 | 2200 |
| Doncaster | 0735 | 2130 |
| York | 0810 | --- |
| Leeds | 0930 | --- |
| Doncaster* | 1010 | --- |
| Cleethorpes | --- | 1945 |
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