railography photo galleries : United Kingdom : Class 55 Deltics : 81-UK-0592 : (10 of 23)

Early Morning At The Cross

The days before Christmas 1981 were unbelievably hectic. I left Selby for home in Glasgow on the evening of 22 December and then headed for Birmingham on the afternoon of the 23rd. The journey was notable for having to stand all the way from Motherwell to Preston. After attending a concert at the NEC and then taking a late night additional to Euston, I found myself at King's Cross in time to photograph the first train of the day on the 24th.

55 017 was waiting to leave the Cross with 1S12, the 05:50 to Aberdeen on 24 December 1981. The end of the Deltic era was only a week away and this was the last time a class 55 worked a train throughout from London to Aberdeen.