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The Deltic holds the unofficial, unverified world diesel speed record. Did I get your attention ? 😀 This is all anecdotal of course. But seeing this video reminded me of a story from 40 years ago I had completely forgotten about. A story told by an old, long retired driver in my Dad's pub in Peterborough. My Dad believed him, he said he wasn't the kind of guy taken to BS-ing. Who knows for sure though. I'll tell what I can remember of the story he told in 1983. It (55020 Nimbus) hit 152.x mph (I forget the x now) running with seven carriages, on Stoke Bank at around 1:30am, on Thursday March 4th 1976 (I remember the date, because it's also my own birthday (different year though), driven by Jimmy Warner who was based out of Finsbury Park. It was Jimmy's final jaunt before retirement, and it was all set up with help of the boys at Finsbury Park and a couple of friendly local bobbies with speed guns positioned 1 mile apart. The traction motors had their governors removed, and the gearing was changed to make it possible (I may be misremembering the technical details, I was an 11 year old kid, and this was 40 years ago). They (the FP Depot) wanted to take the 1973 record for The Deltic, from the HST Prototype (143mph), which they didn't consider a "real" locomotive, and for 'Depot pride'. Mr Warner said the loco still had a little left in the tank after they hit the top speed, they just "ran out of track". He said Nimbus was always the "liveliest" of the Deltics. Once the record was taken, later on the loco was returned to standard spec and noone was ever any the wiser. Certainly not BR Management ! 🙂 There's no reason it COULDN'T happen. If a 2,250bhp HST cold hit 143, then a re-jigged Deltic could certainly power it's way through that mark. We'll never know of course. The only locos with a faster claimed speed than a HST are also totally unproven and uncorroborated.

Very noisy trip, like an out of control country bus! Exciting when sea is choppy, one crossing ripped its skirt but we limped on to France, miss it.

I will never forget the trips I took in the early sixties over the vale of York one of the first 100mph sretches.. The power and the exhaust note were memorable as was the rock and roll of Mk 1 stock! I think the two tone green BR Livery really looked great. Halcyon days.

I travelled on them a few times. Very quick but noisy and a bit bumpy. Gone now

British Cold War expedient. Looks as though English folks got a return on their investment. Glorious!

In the 80s, we once sailed on our small sailboat from Calais to Dover in pea-soup fog. These hovercrafts were The Best navigation aids as their tremendous noise !! helped us moving in the right direction. Always remember, always thankful.

Those car alarms on the deck remind me of a camping trip on Mull a few years ago. It was a foggy morning, and emerging from the mist was the serenade of car alarms as the morning ferry from Oban made its way into port. Every morning was like that.

"Loverly to this day.. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇬🇧💪

I've driven a full size tour coach in there, back in the 1980's, I think it could take two coaches one behind the other in the centre of the deck for balance ..

If they can be able to bring this specific giant hovercraft back to service even if its four times a year where tourists and enthusiasts book early in advance just to get the experience I'm sure it would be very successful, I wish the considered

Very interesting.

Was at Kinloss with the idea of Mr4. They sent up Trainee people straight out of college and as they had no clue what to do just took photographs so as they could copy previous builds .when they got home. FRA were paying us less than a quick fit Fitter. So our guy's were leaving at least one a week. The RAF panicked, and called a meeting so FRA had to increase our wages .But not enough. This was the end of the Nimrod at Kinloss.

really enjoyed this. . Was on the hovercraft from Dover to Calais back in the early 70,s ( a young 20,s something traveling for the first time.) From NZ .I remember quite a rough trip but loved it.

What is the purpose of playing the stupid noise you call music ?

What an incredible sight one of those things must've been under full power, blasting across the surface of the Channel. Fascinating video, and that cockpit tour is a study in contrasts - the almost 1940's-style controls for the pilots, and the (for the time) up to date computer-controlled radar system for the navigator. I would have loved to have seen one of these in service!

But what did you catch? I didn’t see any fishing tackle 🤭

Did several jumps from this fabulous aircraft when it was one of the regular jumpships of the Army Parachute Association based at their Netheravon drop zone in Wiltshire.

"Wasn't a place to come back to?" Sums up the stupidity of it all, really? If you've done it, the deterrence had failed.

Apocalyptic, desolate and, apart from my companion on the day, lonely was that bitterly cold day in January 82. At 14 years old we sneaked across the Pennines (having not been entirely upfront with our parents as to where we were going) to Donny. The poorly maintained chain link fence down the alley way to the left of the entrance gates was breached and after negotiating the odd piece of decaying rolling stock their stood, in the icy mist, the image seen in this video at 28:53 - indeed, this footage might well have been the same day! Perhaps one of those days most can relate to? Childhood memory that at the time was just another day. We made many journeys to York, Donny, London etc. having saved dinner money, washed cars and nipped to the shop for Mrs Haig at number 22. This day stands out most with the passage of time for many reasons. When one of the remaining mythical 'Beasts from the East' passes up the west coast on a heritage trip, thoughts return of my first trip to York, turning a corner and, for the first time, confronting the enormous mass of yellow howling away towards the north. Pinza was her name. As with the occasional Merlin passing over head I just watch, smile and, of course, listen! Then I go back to paying the bills.

To think it all started with the Halifax.

SAVE HER FROM THE SCRAPPY !...

The DH110 'prototype' had a wing-structure which couldn't take the stresses expected of it.

In 1968 I was on 60MU , travelling to RAF Shawbury ATC training centre,to repair a Vampire following a bird strike, 1st operational a/c I worked on , what a privilege.

I love travelling by ferry from Dover to Calais. Would have loved to travel on the hovercraft.

Concorde of the Seas.

I went on one of the first hovercraft which you could experience the frill of the hovercraft in the channel for 12 and six pence those were the days

I had no idea they were that bumpy. 🇦🇺

This is by far one of the best documentations about the famous SRN4 and the Hoverspeed Cross Channel Service I've seen so far. So sad that almost all SRN4 have been scrapped. There's only one left: The Princess Anne at the Hovercraft Museum in Lee-on-the-Solent.

A Factory in Preston, not Liverpool. Dick Kerr Works on Strand Rd

She is beautiful.

Great but it could have been a longer video.

Great use of area rule on the airframe envelope. A proper, optimised transonic aeroplane.

1928 that chap that worked at Blackburn looked well

Is a biplane inherently stronger than a monoplane?

Used this quite a few times. Great for motorbikes and I would love to see ferries to Ostend being reinstated.

"Thank God for the Navy".

Wonderful design from Handley Page. It still looks sci-fi today.

those pilots were built different back then ... those type of men are what we need most today

You studied foul it’s not you that I wand see but but what are tou looking that’s intrusting not you

Really nice...

Beautiful for the early to mid 30s.

A magnificent aircraft

This gives me the feeling of a real life postman pat episode. Everyone is so well spoken and friendly. Brings a tear to the eye.

I knew a pilot who flew Gladiators in 40/41 with the SAAF, he went up against the Regia Aeronautica in Africa and their CR42'S. He was dead fast adamant that the Gladiator had several performance advantages over the Italian fighter.

Always loved the prototype Deltic - I was born on the 13th December 1955!

The Gloster Gladiator had no right to be as useful as it was.

My Two favorite Gladiators: RNoAF Swedish AF

In the early 1960s I used to para out of the Beverley and it was always a good jump due to its lower jump speed compared with the later aircraft. Happy days indeed!

Beautiful; an excellent _homage_ to a classic aircraft. Just PLEASE repaint her in the stunningly beautiful 1930s RAF livery!!

Apologies I noticed a glitch so re-uploaded after first few views, but wanted to post John's comment below, as it's the type of info I really enjoy and appreciate John jephcote This was the one that 'Bill' Waterton 'found' lying around at Gloster when he was working for them on Meteors and Javelins. he had it spruced up and flew it. I last saw it in a display at Whitehall about 1962/3. The mid-air collision with Sgt. Gaskell's Gladiator just pre-war resulted in the distinctive cheek scar of Stanford Tuck (from the rigging's streamlined RAF wire).