I was driving south from Leeds on the M1 last Thursday (19 June 2008) when I spotted a large object on a lowloader in the slow lane. As I drew closer I saw to my amazement that it was a huge diesel locomotive, Alycidon.

A quick Google search threw up the website of the Deltic Preservation Society, which revealed that the 47 year old class 55 loco was heading for my part of the world – an open day at Quainton Road in Buckinghamshire. The giant engine, named after the horse that won the 1949 Ascot Gold Cup, hauled British Railways’ crack east coast expresses from 1961 to 1981. It’s fair to say that Alycidon was rather quicker on the main line than the M1!