THE WAY WE WERE

Blood and Custard

Diesel head: Captain Deltic poses with a pic of a quad of Napiers at the Azuma launch event on 30 July 2019. Philip Sherratt

IN THE long hot summer of 1983, the original Paxman Valenta engines in the IC125 power cars were suffering badly from overheating, exacerbated by loss of coolant. British Rail chairman Sir Peter Parker had sent a strongly-worded letter to GEC boss Sir Arnold Weinstock about the poor performance of his subsidiary’s engines.

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