Twelve inch to the foot kit bash

[David Holman]

 Though nothing to do with Irish Railways, saw this article in a recent Railway Magazine and thought of modellers of this parish and their splendid efforts at creating Irish models from various prototypes.

 Not sure why anyone would want to build a new Baby Deltic, because they weren't the most successful of the early diesels, but none got preserved, so I guess it was a case of why not? Chances are, it will be more successful than the originals too, comprises as it does the following:

• A Class 37 as the starting point [No 372, otherwise destined to be scrapped]
• A team at Barrow hill have shortened the chassis at the centre and also at each nose end
• Most of the body itself is new
• Bogies and traction motors come from a Class 20
• The article doesn't say where the diesel power unit will come from

 Given that 20s and 37s have been some of the most reliable and long lived BR diesels, you'd think this new mongrel/hybrid ought to have a chance. For me though it surely represents a tribute to all those modellers over the years, who have managed to create a new loco, previously unavailable, from a range of odds and ends.

 Truth stranger than fiction? Quite possibly!

[hurricanemk1c]

It was thought for many years nothing substantial of the Baby Deltics survived, until one power unit was discovered in a store at the National Railway Museum. It's this power unit being used (and has ran). With proper maintenance and care it should be a reliable performer (like the Class 17 has been, and hopefully the 28 and D8233). It's also pretty much a private project, and they sound quite different to the normal Deltics

[Hawkerhellfire]

That's very advanced from the last time I saw a photo of it! Just a pile of bits and a bit of bodywork. Fair play to them. New build steam gets a lot of attention but a fair few diesels got the chop too and had no survivors. 

I wonder if there are enough madmen out there to attempt a Fell Diesel new build!