Class 23 'Baby Deltic' Profile and Models

The British Rail Class 23 were a class of ten Bo-Bo diesel-electric locomotives built by the English Electric Company (EE) in 1959. The T9-29 diesel engine used by the class was a single, half-sized version of those used in the more powerful British Rail Class 55 'Deltic' locomotives, and the overall design and external appearance of the Class 23 was also similar to the Class 55, but much shorter, leading to their nickname of Baby Deltics. After acceptance trials at Doncaster, they entered service between April and June 1959. The locomotives were put to work on King's Cross outer suburban duties such as the Cambridge Buffet Express as well as services from Kings Cross to Moorgate sub-surface platforms via the 'widened lines'. The locomotives were later banned from Moorgate because of excessive exhaust smoke in the tunnels. By the late 1960s BR had drawn up a "National Traction Plan", whose aim was to rationalise the number and types of diesel locomotives in traffic (and thus reduce operating costs). The 'Baby Deltics' were an obvious target, being only a ten-strong class, and beset with operational problems. The locos were withdrawn between 1968 and 1971.

(Information provided via Wikipedia)

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