English Electric Type 2 Bo-Bo 'Baby Deltic' Locomotives

This book looks at the history of the Class 23s, covering their introduction, technical idiosyncrasies, appearance design and performance. Issues with the original ‘Deltic’ engines were ultimately dealt with via a major rehabilitation exercise during the 1963-65 period; whilst various re-engining options were considered , including a new ‘U’ series English Electric high-speed engine design, the original Napier engines were ultimately retained. The work involved in the whole rehabilitation process is discussed in detail using internal English Electric archive material and forms a central focus of research. The fleet survived intact until 1968, when withdrawal commenced as a direct result of declining traffic levels across the UK. All ten locomotives were withdrawn by March 1971. Individual locomotive histories, allocations, fire and accident incidents, liveries and detail differences, storage and disposals are provided for each locomotive.