The Mack Super Pumper was a locomotive engined fire fighter (2018)

The type 55 "deltic" locomotives, named after army regiments used to do the east coast Edinburgh-London train run, there were 22 of them in service and one in the science museum London. They had the first 100mph rating for diesel passenger service.

The engine had a unique characteristic whine or whistle. As an avid train spotter at Waverley station in edinburgh I loved hearing it, saw every one and was in the cab of two thanks to long suffering kind engine drivers.

There was a mini deltic too. I'm not sure it went beyond a testbed loco.

Those are amazing engines. It's a pity that in the future we'll just be using magnets and coils, there something about these designs that moves me in a way that nothing electrical ever will. And I'm a great fan of renewable energy, and realize that the pollution that has been created (and is still being created) is absolutely unsustainable.

There are people working on internal combustion engines with a very similar design currently, for many applications (military, trucking, etc) diesel or diesel electric is the only realistic option for the foreseeable future: https://achatespower.com/

A series of 10 "baby deltics" were built and ran for some years, although they weren't particularly successful on the whole.

They were basically out of service by the time I was out of short trousers. I made special trips south to see the "warship" class 43 hydromatic transmission in Western Region out of Old Oak Common in London, the type 44 "peak" series and the diminutive type 3 diesel shunter at Birkenhead. The baby deltics were probably parked in a yard waiting scrapping.

I have dim memories of being held up over a bridge to watch steam trains pass, but by the time I was obsessively writing down numbers they were special trains like "Sir Nigel Gresley" and "the Flying Scotsman"

I left britain before the east coast electrification. I do still see my favourite type 8 Diesel shunter, the most ubiquitous kind in Britain, when I pass by.

If you want sheer power, It's a Deltic every time. That high pitched whine, it's unmistakable.

> avid train spotter at Waverley station in edinburgh

We probably met. I was there every day traveling to and from school but did casual trainspotting on the side. Oblivious someone would one day write a book with that title..

About 12 years ago they used to use 55022 as a shunter at Springburn yard, because it was "road legal" and could couple up to older carriages that were being taken in for refurbishment. Nice cushy retirement job, easy shifts and a well-appointed engine shed to park up it at night ;-)

I used to hear it all the time, working in a nearby industrial site. I'd maybe just take five minutes to sit outside and drink my coffee, listening to that weird shimmering howl.

There are no good recordings of it on Youtube and I suspect like a lot of things you have to experience it for yourself.