News, 19 December 2025

We haven’t done a review of the year before, or at least certainly not for some time anyway.

It is worth remembering that everything we do on this project is done for the benefit of the loco and nothing else, it is also worth remembering that everything is done by people who give freely of their own time whilst maintaining jobs, families and (horror) other hobbies too. In addition to working on the loco that means; administration (accounts, filing returns, planning), web updates (website and social media), design (all aspects, from back-of-envelope to full FMEA CAD work), procurement (from sheet steel to complex assemblies and all inbetween) and liaison (everything else, for example see photos of the office move). These tasks alone can take a day a week.

In 2025 we have;

·       Launched and run the ‘D5910 Lottery’, a once a month opportunity to win £250 for entrants whilst raising money for the project at the same time.

·       Restored the radiator cooling fan housing and refitted it.

·       Repaired the engine pre-heater. This second-hand item was bought at a fraction of the price of a new unit, rebuilt and tested remotely before being temporarily installed to the loco. This enabled us to keep the engine warm and enable a pressure-test of the internal coolant passages to prove the suitability of the cylinder liner seals.

·       Procured and fitted the windows, to keep the loco watertight when it’s outside.

·       Finished the roof sections.

·       Had a massive change of direction following our invitation to The Greatest Gathering (TGG) including prepping and painting the whole loco (in undercoat).

·       Attended The Greatest Gathering (the biggest and most successful event of its type in the UK) and showed ~45 000 people what a Baby Deltic looks like.

·       Won an award from the National Transport Trust for our efforts so far.

·       Showed the loco, including cab and engine room visits, to thousands of visitors to Barrow Hill’s Rail 200 gala.

·       Cleaned up, repaired, serviced and tested numerous bits of control gear.

·       Cleaned up, repaired, serviced and tested the two by pass valves (thermostats).

Without being glib, projects like this are as much about managing expectations as they are rebuilding locos. Sometimes, especially when it’s freezing, or wet, the work we do is enough without rushing home to do an update for social media and sometimes the work we do is so dull that it’s simply not worth an update – how many photos of something unrecognisable can you post in three stages of painting?

Have a Happy Christmas, don’t forget that there’s a lottery draw this Saturday and if you’re quick you can still join the draw.

Many thanks for your continued support.

These were the boxes where the traction motor cables passed through the loco floor. We've lost a pair of motors so these are redundant and have been removed. The holes where they were will be plated over once the weather warms up again.

Three photos of work done on the bulkhead between the no. 1 end cab and the auxiliary machine compartment.

To demonstrate the 'other than loco' commitments we have, this is this week's activity - moving the office at Barrow Hill. As part of the site enhancements coming next year my rented office (and BDP Tech Library / messroom) has been moved from its elevated position to a new location further from everything I access frequently. The BDP, literally going down in the world.