Photo: Gerry Capelin.

The 19th June 1979 was a milestone in the career of the Deltic locomotives. With the class displaced from the majority of Anglo-Scottish express services by HST's and the ECML still in turmoil with the collapse of the Penmanshiel Tunnel the class were continually finding themselves on more mundane moves and semi-fast stopping services. On this day 55015 (D9015) "TULYAR" was employed on the first production Deltic run to Liverpool, via the 1M73 11:28 Newcastle - Liverpool service, and is seen at Stalybridge. The class were no strangers to Stalybridge as the York-Aberystwyth and Shrewsbury-York postal trains had seen them employed as far as Stockport on many occasions...


Photo: Gerry Capelin.

...Venturing further west was virtually un-heard of, however, and making the Manchester Victoria stop 55015 is in unfamiliar territory with the 1M73 11:28 Newcastle - Liverpool service on 19th June 1979...


Photo: Gerry Capelin.

...55015 (D9015) "TULYAR" becomes the first production Deltic to visit Liverpool Lime Street on the 19th June 1979. The 1M73 11:28 Newcastle - Liverpool on this day was the first in a long line of visits by the class, which included every member (apart from 55001 and 55020) culminating with the last of the class to break new ground, 55007 (D9007) "PINZA", on the 16th August 1981...


Photo: Gerry Capelin.

...Liverpool Lime Street at 16:00 on the 19th June 1979. 55015 makes history as the first of the production machines to visit with the 1M73 11:28 from Newcastle, it would return east with the 1E16 17:05 Liverpool - Newcastle service.

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