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

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148 points mstngl | 1 comments | 03 Nov 25 20:37 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source
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giobox ◴[03 Nov 25 21:23 UTC] No.45804622[source]▶
That "deltic" engine just for the water pumping is incredible, I'd never seen that cylinder layout before.

> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napier_Deltic

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ggm ◴[03 Nov 25 21:41 UTC] No.45804791[source]▶
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.

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lmm ◴[04 Nov 25 01:56 UTC] No.45806702[source]▶
A series of 10 "baby deltics" were built and ran for some years, although they weren't particularly successful on the whole.
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1. ggm ◴[04 Nov 25 04:26 UTC] No.45807414{3}[source]▶
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.