Hornby R30297 Hornby Dublo: BR - English Electric - DP1 'Deltic' - c.1955

History from Hornby's website:

The Deltic was initially a valveless diesel engine designed to be fitted into some of the Royal Navy's smaller ships, such as the 'Dark' class of 1954.

These engines were fitted to a test bed for a new class of British diesel engine in 1955, christened as DP1 but nicknamed 'DELTIC' after the engine. This nickname may have been enforced on the public by the designers of the locomotive, who had 'DELTIC' painted on the side of it in the same cream as the lining nameplate style.

DP1 was built by Dick, Kerr and Co. in Preston, and was outshopped in 1955 in a unique colour scheme of baby blue and cream. It was in service with BR in its original colour scheme and condition until November 1960, when an enormous oil leak was discovered on one of the engines, something that could lead to terminal engine failure if not addressed. The locomotive was sent back to English Electrics works, but work on it was not given the go ahead, and it was officially withdrawn from BR's locomotive roster in 1961.

The locomotive was stored for a few years before being donated to the science museum in 1963. It has never run in preservation, largely because it has been inside on static display in various museums. The engine components were also removed after their failure, resulting in Class 55 'Deltics' being sufficiently different enough to prevent the pool of BR spares being used.