The DPS Members Day will this year be held at the Great Central Railway on Saturday 4th September.

There is free travel all weekend (4th and 5th) on the GCR for DPS members. If your membership has lapsed or you want to join the DPS please do so now and you will receive full travel worth well more than the cost of your subscription!

The plan is that Alycidon will work the following diagram but of course this is subject to change:

Saturday:
10.55 Driver Experience light engine Loughborough (LBH) to Leicester North (LEI) - return arrive LBH 11.55
12.15 Passenger service LBH-LEI with Griddle car service - return arrive LBH at 13.26.
13.55 Driver Experience light engine LBH-LEI-LBH arrive 14.55
16.45 Passenger service LBH-LEI-LBH arrive LBH 17.55.
19.00 DPS Special Fish and Chip Train - more details later.

Sunday
10.55 Driver Experience
12.15 Passenger
13.55 Driver Experience

A full steam passenger service will also be operating and DPS members, as mentioned, have free travel.

We are planning some extra attractions but isn't this enough to get you to Loughborough for the weekend? Hopefully see you there.

We reserve the right to modify the programme due to operating issues. Remember that we can only do our best and that the DPS Board is only human.

Peter Kennan

Better late than never. The much awaited book on Finsbury Park DMD is here. The book was delivered on the Thursday before the Finsbury Park - Diesel Dawn event.
Could this be the book of the year?

It is hardbacked with a full colour dust jacket, 280 pages with 16 colour pages. Contents range from the depots construction right through to the site today. All classes of locomotives associated with the depot are represented as are all 22 Deltics.

Photos of the Depot after closure are included, which are not only a part of the depots history but are very useful if you are looking at modelling a diesel depot. A review of the book will be featured in the next issue of Deltic Deadline.

Priced at £24.99 plus £4.00 p&p to UK mainland. Please enquire for overseas postage rates to salesATthedps.co.uk (please replace AT with @).
Please note that due to the book weighing 1.6kg delivery from date of postage will be 4 to 5 working days, delivery can be faster but at extra cost for this option please contact us at the above e-mail address

An ideal fathers day present (June 20th), please order in good time.

Due to the books size, and the fact that no boxes containing the book were opened prior to the event, packaging has had to be sourced after the weekends celebrations. Pre-orders are being processed and dispatched.

Sales are going well, the first print run is 750 copies. Please order your copy now to avoid disappointment.

During the visit of Alycidon to the Great Central Railway a Deltic Pullman dining train has been organised on 30 September leaving Loughborough at 7.30pm. The train will use the GCR's new Pullman rake - Green Deltic and Umber/Cream stock hopefully with an appropriate headboard. Almost ECML 1960's.

The 5 course meal will cost £48.50 for DPS members (including rail ticket) and the menu is below.

DELTIC PULLMAN MENU

Fan Melon and Parma ham served with dressed Rocket
Melon with Fresh Raspberries (v)
xxx
Spring Vegetable soup, fresh crusty bread & butter
xxx
Crispy Pork Belly served on a base of Apple Puree and Roast Gravy
or
Goats cheese tart with Asparagus sauce (v)
xxx
Broccoli Florets
Baton Carrots
Green Beans
Roast Potatoes & New Potatoes
Xxx
Lemon Tart with Fresh whipped cream
or Fresh Fruit Salad
Xxx
Coffee and Petit Fours

Bookings should be made via the Booking office at Loughborough on 01509 230726. The best person to speak to is Steve Saunders who usually works on Wednesdays and Fridays.

Further details are on the GCR website - www.gcrailway.co.uk. Alternatively e-mail me at secretaryATthedps.co.uk (as usual replacing AT with @). I hope to see you there.
Peter Kennan

During Alycidon's visit to the Great Central Railway this summer there are a variety of Driver Experience Days available. As a driver experience host at the GCR (my moonlighting job), I can promise you and your family and friends a great day out.

Bronze: Saturday/Sunday including a light locomotive drive over one round trip to Leicester North shared with another guest. The cost of the day is £310 and includes:

Introductory briefing
Route learning trip by DMU over the line
Signalbox and shed tour
Lunch for the driver on the 12.15 Deltic hauled passenger service.
The driver can bring along as many guests as he/she wants and they just have to buy a concessionary runabout ticket and any meals/drinks. They are involved all day.
You might even have me hosting you for the day if you are really unlucky.

Silver/Gold packages: £650/£995 which will held midweek.

The package is similar to the Bronze in format but gives more time on the locomotive with 2 round trips (Silver) and 4 round trips (Gold) driving Alycidon with a train. Lunch may not be on the train as a passenger service may not be operating. It is possible to share it with a number of friends (up to 8) so that drives the cost down and makes it a full day out with Alycidon on the railway.

If you are interested in a gold package but not at the full price, then I am happy to co-ordinate a group of 8 DPS members on a particular day. Just let me know if you are interested.

Bookings are through the Booking Office at Loughborough on 01509 230726 and Steve Saunders is co-ordinating matters. He generally works on Wednesdays and Fridays.

If you have any queries please contact me on secretaryATthedps.co.uk (as usual replacing the AT with @).

Peter Kennan

The winners of the Finsbury Park - Diesel Dawn raffle are:
1st Prize Model of 47 408 – A. Williams
2nd Prize Model of 55 015 – Pete Sargieson
3rd Prize £20.00 Sales Voucher – Thomas Lively
4th Prize £15.00 Sales Voucher – BH Volunteer Russ
5th Prize £10.00 Sales Voucher – Bill Blackwood
Thank you to all that supported the raffle

Children’s Quiz

The children’s quiz was won by Erica Richardson, well done to all those who entered all the questions were correctly answered.

On behalf of the Deltic Preservation Society I would like to thank all the Deltic Preservation Society & Barrow Hill volunteers that helped to make this weekend's event such a success.

A big thank you to all the visitors both members and non members that came and supported the Society, especially the Finsbury Park lads who attended.

A gallery of the weekend is available HERE. please send any photo contributions to the webmaster

Ian

The event is very near, and we enter the last week of preperations for what will I'm sure be an excellent weekend.

The event will open at 10.00 Saturday and 10.30 Sunday.

I am pleased to confirm that the shuttle bus service from Chesterfield railway station to Barrow Hill will be running. Many thanks to Spire Fleet Line Preservation Group who run this service. Whilst this is a free service donations are welcome to help cover the cost of diesel and the upkeep of these vehicles.

The AC Electric Group will be manning the cab of 89 001 over the weekend, a chance for visitors to see what might have been the current traction on the East Coast Main Line.

The book on Finsbury Park Diesel Maintenance Depot, published by the DPS will be launched at the event.

The Deltic Simulator will be in operation, this weekend it will be free, with time at the controls governed by demand. Certificates will be available (while stocks last!) at £1.

The photo of ex Finsbury Park staff is planned for 12.00 on Saturday.

We look forward to welcoming you over the weekend.

DELTIC TO VISIT GREAT CENTRAL RAILWAY FOR SUMMER SEASON 2010

Driver Experience packages announced

Mail By Rail Gala

DPS Members Day

Diesel Gala

The sound of powerful Napier engines will fill the air at the Great Central Railway this Summer. The railway is welcoming back the Deltic Preservation Society - but this time with D9009. The green liveried machine has never visited the railway.

Finsbury Park Diesel Dawn

May 8th & 9th 2010

This year is the 50th anniversary of the opening of Finsbury Park Diesel Maintenance Depot, to commemorate this important milestone in British Railways history the DPS are holding an open weekend at the DPS Depot, home to D9009 ALYCIDON & D9015 TULYAR both ex Finsbury Park locomtives.

I am pleased to announce that subject to availability Nemesis Rail’s class 31 number 31 128 will be at one end of the shuttle trains, this locomotive is in blue livery and is from one of three classes of locomotive that were the mainstay of the depots allocation. The other end of the shuttle will be one of our operational Deltics with D9009 & 55 019 sharing the duties.

The event will include:

Deltics on shuttle trains
Photographic display
The sole remaining class 23 ‘Baby Deltic’ engine will be started throughout the weekend
Finsbury Park memorabilia display
No.8’s cab the ‘Deltic Simulator’
Real Ale
Cab access to 55 021’s cab
Cab access to D9015's cab
Models
Raffle
Sales Stand

If you worked at Finsbury Park and you are coming to the event please get in touch, as this is a very important anniversary we are looking to get as many ex Finsbury Park employees as possible for a photo call.

One of the main objectives for project 2011 is to make our Depot a focal point for members of the Society, and to develop the visitor display area of the Depot. If you have not visited the Depot yet then one of the best days to visit is when we stage an event, I look forward to seeing you there.

Advance tickets are available priced

Adult £8.00
Child (5 - 16) £4.00
Concession £6.00
Family (2 +2) £20.00
Prices on the day

Adult £10.00
Child (5 - 16) £6.00
Concession £8.00
Family (2 +2) £28.00

Please return advance ticket applications by May 1st 2010, the earlier the better.

Ian Lewis

Burgess Design & Print have kindly put together this A4 poster for the Finsbury Park event, together with an A5 flyer. If anyone requires either one to display at work, model shop or a Railway club please contact me and I shall post them out to you.

I hope to see you at this years event.

Ian Lewis