Scottish Diesels in the 1980s

Scottish Diesels in the 1980s

£17.50 British Rail’s Scottish Region was somewhat set apart from the rest of the system and not just in a geographical sense. During the 1980s, it still had two classes of diesel locomotive that couldn’t be found anywhere else in Britain (the so-called ‘MacRats’, class 26s and 27s) plus the added attraction of loco-hauled passenger trains that ran through spectacular scenery. The weather might not always have been so attractive (nor the summer season midges!) but these elements helped to make the country a place of pilgrimage for many railway enthusiasts from the south.

Using mostly images from the Arthur Turner collection, Scottish Diesels in the 1980s is a reminder of a time when the loss of steam traction from the network had largely been forgotten, and when a new form of interest in the succeeding (though ageing) types of diesel locos was now very evident.

Compiled by Andrew Royle

ISBN 978-1-913893-52-1

Scottish Diesels in the 1980s Compiled by Andrew Royle

Scottish Diesels in the 1980s Compiled by Andrew Royle

© Images and design: Transport Treasury 2024 Text: Andrew Royle ISBN 978-1-913893-52-1 First published in 2024 by Transport Treasury Publishing Limited. 16 Highworth Close, High Wycombe, HP13 7PJ. Totem Publishing an imprint of Transport Treasury Publishing.

The copyright holders hereby give notice that all rights to this work are reserved.

Aside from brief passages for the purpose of review, no part of this work may be reproduced, copied by electronic or other means, or otherwise stored in any information storage and retrieval system without written permission from the Publisher. This includes the illustrations herein which shall remain the copyright of the copyright holder. www.ttpublishing.co.uk Printed in Tarxien, Malta by Gutenberg Press Ltd. ‘Scottish Diesels in the 1980s’ is one of many books on specialist transport subjects published in strictly limited numbers and produced under the Totem Publishing imprint using material only available at The Transport Treasury.

Front Cover: The driver of 27001 ‘gets the tip’ from the guard of a down relief working that has called at Barassie on 25 July 1984. It must have been a hot day as the third bodyside window hatch has been left completely open to aid ventilation. As the new D5347, this locomotive was the first of the uprated Type 2s to appear from the BRCW stable in 1961 and is today preserved by the SRPS at Bo’ness. (Arthur Turner) Frontispiece: Several timetabled freight services, largely in the hands of class 37s, ran to the Stockton Haulage terminal at the site of Stranraer Town station, from where goods would be shuttled by road for the ferries to and from Northern Ireland. Traffic was varied, with even consignments of feta cheese in refrigerated wagons being taken from the Stranraer creamery, en route to Iran. With BR looking to cut costs at that time and unable (or unwilling) to compete with long distance trucks using the A75, this traffic would sadly come to an end. Signalman John Rae, seen here on 23 June 1988 performing the token exchange with the driver of 37357 on an up mid-morning freight, featured in the April 1985 issue of ‘Railway Magazine’. He was only too happy to chat with the author and his father, once the job was done and calm had returned before the next train was belled. (Author) Rear Cover: On 18 April 1981, 40037 accompanies a class 26 in the sanctuary of Edinburgh’s Waverley station. Standing out clearly beneath the nearside horn grill are the two pairs of fixing points for the nose end ladders which would have been removed many years previously, following concerns over the danger of staff climbing too close to overhead wires. An additional grab rail was sometimes attached here instead. (Martin Buck)

Introduction

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n the days when it was still challenging (but certainly not impossible) to mark off every BR locomotive in your ABC, a tour of Scotland and its motive power installations was a necessity - and probably more than once. Many locomotives that were based there had little reason to go elsewhere, unless they were class 47s that were more likely to work over longer distances or pay a visit to Crewe Works for overhaul. Scottish depot supervisors also usually seemed to be a little more approachable than their English counterparts, when it came to allowing visits that hadn’t been arranged beforehand.

The coming of the High Speed Train and Second Generation DMUs, together with an increase in the electrified network also brought about change in the motive power scene. The formation of ‘Scotrail’ under the leadership of Chris Green helped to turn around much of the business, both on the passenger side and initially on freight. With the deregulation of the bus and coach industry, it had been a case of improve what was being offered or see that business go into a rapid decline. Even the headquarters at Buchanan House (in Glasgow) was renamed ‘ScotRail House’.

In many ways, Scotland was a smaller version of the nation as a whole in terms of what could be seen on the railways during the early 1980s. Change would certainly come however as the decade progressed, beginning with an economic recession that affected most industries and ending with a sectorisation process that would lead to privatisation during the decade that followed.

But the essence of this book are the locos and multiple units that stemmed from the Modernisation Plan, as these were the kinds of rolling stock which made Scotland the ‘must visit’ destination that it did in the 1980s. It will serve as a reminder of those times, a period when most passenger trains were still made up of locomotives hauling coaches and a good variety of freight, parcels and departmental traffic could be seen on a daily basis.

Arranged according to areas of railway interest within Scotland, the majority of images come from the Arthur Turner collection and were generally taken in good lighting conditions. Needless to say, the Scottish weather isn’t always that kind!

British Rail’s decision to curtail wagonload traffic did not perhaps serve Scotland well at all; a number of its freight consignments may have been relatively small (whisky, grain, automotive etc) but they tended to be carried over longer distances than normal. So their disappearance was a blow, made worse by later losses of the trainload traffics that BR had instead been looking to depend upon. The closure of Ravenscraig steelworks, a major source of revenue for rail, was to be followed by the complete contraction of the coal industry. Today there is a question mark over the future of the Grangemouth petrochemicals complex. Only container traffic would really hold up strongly.

Andrew Royle, High Wycombe, 2024.

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Glasgow We start our tour of Scotland as many might have done, namely at Glasgow’s Queen Street station on a sunny August morning.

The enthusiast sat on the luggage trolley next to 25226 on ecs duties seems well-dressed for the journey ahead, so perhaps this Area was no ordinary bash that he was embarking upon. Unlike other termini that were built in the city, Queen Street has never been 4

able to handle the longer trains (over eight or nine coaches), owing to its constrained location. The steepness of Cowlairs Bank has presented a stern test for many a diesel on even these modestly sized trains; perhaps 25226 may also have been employed on the odd banking turn out of the station on 4 August 1981. (Arthur Turner)

On the same day, 40192 has arrived at the stopblocks with a train from Dundee, formed of only six coaches. This locomotive was based at Healey Mills (Wakefield) at the time and had possibly been borrowed by the Scottish Region for a passenger working or two before returning south of the border on a balancing working, likely a freight. The class may have been in the process of being run down in this period but continued to range over considerable distances away from home depots, right up to the end of their service. (Arthur Turner)

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Across to platform three some seven years later (on 27 August 1988), class 40s are now long gone from the scene but some equally aged DMUs are still in demand ; so much so that they have warranted a repaint into the Strathclyde Transport colours of orange and black. Set 107429 is led by 52023, based at Ayr depot where three similar vehicles were written off and several others damaged by a disastrous fire in January 1984.

Advertised on the station concourse, Glasgow’s Garden Festival was one of the five national events that took place on previously derelict urban land between 1984 and 1992; the Glasgow event was deemed to be the most successful of all. (Arthur Turner)

Since the end of steam, Eastfield depot had been perhaps Glasgow’s most important source of motive power in the area and on 25 April 1981, few might have predicted its complete closure in a little over ten years’ time. Outside the main shed on that date, we find 08764 ahead of 08196 and 27030, with 27040 alongside it. The importance of having train servicing at this location led to the opening of a new DMU-only facility there in the early 2000s. Note the pink shade on the fine ballast to the right; this was from the ‘Lanark Red’ granite that is still supplied to the railways from Cloburn Quarry in Lanarkshire. (Arthur Turner)

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On 20 August 1983, an immaculate 27014 is shown with ED’s breakdown train. The usual practice was to place the loco’s number a quarter of the way along the bodyside but here we see it squeezed in under the cab window! The cleanliness of the small snowploughs points to a recent emergence from St Rollox Works a short distance away across the city. Class 27s had a propensity to catch fire (often caused by faulty traction motors igniting oil deposits) and St Rollox was so busy repairing them in 1982 that some units had to be sent south to Derby Works to make good the backlog. In the summer of 1984, a few were even sent to Swindon Works for repair. (Arthur Turner)

27043 suffered a fate that was rather more ignominious than most – it wasn’t scrapped but buried at Paterson’s Tip near Mount Vernon (on the outskirts of Glasgow). Having been withdrawn at Eastfield in April 1980, the loco had remained at the depot for several years, firstly for re-railing practise and latterly (reportedly) as an empty shell for storing asbestos that had been removed from other vehicles. Finally, in November 1985 it was taken to the tip and buried along with four DMU vehicles, similarly with a high asbestos content. Railbus Sc79971 had also been buried there the previous year during a period when the rail industry was perhaps undecided on the best means of disposing of large quantities of asbestos. 20 August 1983. (Arthur Turner)

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In somewhat better condition at Eastfield, we have another repurposed machine in the shape of 97250 ‘ETHEL 1’, which was formerly 25310.

One of three ‘ETH Ex-Locomotives’ (with their traction motors removed) it had been converted at Ferryhill depot in 1982 to provide mobile train heating power to air-conditioned sets of coaches in conjunction with class 37s, before any of those had been refurbished as 37/4s with their own ETH capabilities. The Scottish Region had decided that it needed to improve their offering on routes that were popular with tourists and the ETHELs were a low cost initiative to help achieve that. The ETHELs were effectively treated as coaches and were not given yellow ends, as they were no longer capable of being driven. (Arthur Turner)

A final look at Eastfield shed with a very typical view of two ‘MacRats’ awaiting their next turn of duty on 25 April 1981. 27112 and 27109 were two of the initial batch of class 27s equipped to work the new push-pull Glasgow-Edinburgh services in 1971, succeeding the Swindon-built ‘Inter City’ DMUs that had been worked very hard since their introduction in the 1950s. 27112 enjoyed one of the more interesting histories than most of its type: Its first few years (as D5401) were spent on the Midland Region, when it was based at Cricklewood and then Toton depots before it joined the rest of the fleet in Scotland in 1969. It was modified for its high speed duties the following year. In 1982 it was renumbered after an overhaul and was lucky enough to be chosen as one of the locos to work the Royal Train (to Fort William) in 1983. The overhaul had given it favoured status and helped to see it chosen for preservation in 1987. It now resides at the Great Central Railway, back in its original guise as D5401. (Arthur Turner)

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Still hanging on in service from Ayr depot in 1981 were the last survivors of the Swindon-built ‘Inter City’ series of DMU vehicles (TOPS class 126). These were pioneers in many ways, having been ordered originally prior to the 1955 Modernisation Plan and especially for the GlasgowEdinburgh routes. Seen at St Rollox on 25 April 1981 are DMBS(L) (Driving Motor Brake Second Lavatory) 51038 and DMS(L) (Driving Motor Second Lavatory) 51020, both displaying ‘Greater Glasgow’ logos and awaiting return of a trailer to make up the set. The latter vehicle had the sealed up gangway connection with much smaller driving cab windows at either side. With non-standard ‘White Circle’ coupling codes, their final retirement from service in January 1982 probably came as a relief to local operating staff. (Arthur Turner)

Lined up in the Works at St Rollox, with the familiar backdrop of the Sighthill Flats (since demolished), are 27024, 27028 and another class member on a sunny 25 April 1981. Uniformity in the appearance of class 27s always seemed rather elusive; all three here have the BR logo positioned at differing heights and the front one is also of a smaller size than the others. In the early days of TOPS renumbering in the mid 1970s, several were seen with their new numbers made up of old-style BR numerals. The last overhaul of a class 27 took place here in April 1985 with the final one of a class 26 coming in July 1986. Despite claims that the Works were profitable, St Rollox was forced to close in 2019 and the site went into limbo, with the remaining buildings acquiring listed status. At the time of writing, a return to action as a full works had just been announced. (Arthur Turner)

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The new order has arrived at Glasgow’s Central station in the shape of ‘Super Sprinter’ 156507 and a member of staff seems to be taking a moment to inspect it. The angled exhaust plumes suggest that it is now departing platform 3, on 18 August 1989. This was one of fifteen units that were the last of the class to be built by Metro-Cammell at Washwood Heath and allocated to Corkerhill and Haymarket. That summer, brand new sister unit 156502 was driven to Holland to take part in celebrations to mark the 150th anniversary of the Dutch Railways at Utrecht.

(Arthur Turner)

Not just the windows but the very foundations of Paisley’s Gilmour Street station would be shaking at the passing of this empty iron ore train from Ravenscraig to Hunterston, powered by 37190 Dalzell and 37311 British Steel Hunterston on 18 August 1989. ‘Railway Magazine’ reported that the new bulk terminal at Hunterston had been opened in June 1979 and by late 1980 was despatching up to six loaded trains of ore per day to the steelworks at Ravenscraig, 50 miles away. Each 21 wagon train carried a payload of over 1500 tonnes. Only two round trips per day were possible with a set of wagons, owing to the difficulty in pathing them inbetween the frequent Glasgow suburban passenger train services. From Motherwell depot, eleven dedicated class 37/3s (37310-320) were kept on British Steel traffic for a while, working for what was then Scotrail’s largest freight customer. (Arthur Turner)

47709 The Lord Provost has the 09.30 to Edinburgh Waverley working ready to leave Glasgow Queen Street on ‘all the eights’, 8 August 1988. The first twelve class 47s chosen for conversion to 47/7 (at Crewe Works) had all-parallel wiring configuration; this was in preference to any with series-parallel wiring, which was regarded as more susceptible to traction motor flashovers or wheelslip. When drivers were remote from the locomotive in the DBSO, they would be less conscious of such problems developing and not able to take action to prevent a damaging failure.

The remote control cubicle fitted to a 47/7 could be isolated for operation of a conventional loco-hauled formation. A 25% increase in patronage over the Glasgow-Edinburgh route resulted from the improvement brought by the 47/7s, helped by a reduced journey time of 47 minutes. Not all went to plan and at least one class 55 was reported working as a substitute for a failed shuttle locomotive during 1981! (Arthur Turner)

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West Highland Left: The 12.26 from Oban to Glasgow heads through the Pass of Brander with 37025 in charge. Road, rail and water are close together here. The train is passing one of the famous semaphore signals linked to an arrangement of wiring known as ‘Anderson’s Piano’, after the Callander and Oban Railway’s secretary John Anderson, who came up with the original idea for it. According to Wikipedia there are 17 such signals, positioned about a quarter of a mile apart on a section that is prone to falls of rock from the surrounding slopes. The idea was that the wires strung out along the slope would normally hold the semaphores off, but release them to display ‘danger’, should any falling rock disturb the wiring. This standalone system is now said to be out of full use and an emergency speed restriction put in place.

6 August 1981. (Arthur Turner) Right: 37081 powers its five coach 19.40 train to Glasgow up the 1 in 50 gradient out of Oban to Glencruitten Summit on the evening of 6 August 1981, precisely two months before it would receive the name Loch Long in Glasgow (see later caption). At this point, the line is running almost due south but the train will soon be swinging round to head in a north-easterly direction towards Connel Ferry. The headshunt and siding to the right appear to have been in use, so Oban was still a destination for some freight traffic at this time. (Arthur Turner)

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It always used to be the case that Deltics could never be spared for charter train work, so much in demand were they for ECML operations. That situation had changed by the summer of 1981 of course, when the last few members in service began to wander away from their traditional haunts and not only on rail tours. One locally arranged and little advertised trip, which happened on two Sundays that August, was the ‘West Highlands Tour’ (1Z19 09.15 ‘Merrymaker’ from Edinburgh to Oban and return), which used a spare Glasgow/Edinburgh push-pull set to provide a rather more comfortable travel experience. It had originally been planned to use a mark 1 rake but a late switch to the mark 3s meant that only a Deltic would do – class 47s were too heavy for the route at the time and class 37s didn’t yet offer ETH! 55021 Argyll and Sutherland Highlander is ready to return on the 15.00 from Oban, the first of its kind to visit there and posed in the classic manner with McCaig’s Tower (the ‘Oban Coliseum’) prominent on the skyline. The train’s headboard was based upon that of the ‘Silver Jubilee’ one carried by class 55s during 1977. 2 August 1981.

A ‘last hurrah’ for one BRCW class 104 DMU came about in the summer of 1985. This type hadn’t been allocated in Scotland until the 1980s.

Numbers 53424 and 53434 (set 104325) were retrieved from their withdrawn status and painted in an overall Caledonian maroon livery at Cowlairs Workshops, with Scottish Tourist Board advertising slogans. The inevitable Eastfield Scotty Dog emblem was prominent of course, though the speed whiskers on the front looked a little like an afterthought (and not in the same place as when they had been new back in 1957).

Nicknamed ‘The Mexican Bean’, it would see three summer seasons of service working a Crianlarich-Oban shuttle, being based at the port (as seen here on 1 June 1985) and only returning to Eastfield for scheduled servicing. (Dick Riley)

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In a break from the norm, 37111 displays extended yellow nose ends at Oban on 6 August 1981, waiting to take the 17.55 to Glasgow. This loco had been in an early transfer of class 37s from March to Eastfield depot in 1978. It would be named Loch Eil Outward Bound on 6 May 1985 at the same time that the new station of that name was opened (near Fort William). A renumbering to 37326 would follow in 1986 and a renaming to Glengarnock, only for it to revert to 37111 in 1989. It was withdrawn in 1998. Oban signal box would close in December 1982, leaving ground frames to work the remaining sidings. Platforms 1 and 2 were also abolished, with just 3 and 4 seen here left to handle all passenger services. Sadly, the rather attractive old station building was demolished in 1986 to be replaced by a far more modest structure; at least the station clock (from 1880) has survived to be incorporated into the new development that has filled much of the space taken up by the old station. (Arthur Turner)

Two ‘split boxers’ pass at Tulloch on 10 August 1981: 37043 waits patiently at the signal on a ballast working whilst ‘cross-eyed’ sister engine 37025 commands the 08.37 through Glasgow-Mallaig service. Transferred from March to Eastfield depot the previous year, 37043 would be named Loch Lomond at Queen Street station on 6 October 1981, along with 37026 Loch Awe, 37027 Loch Eil and 37081 Loch Long. It was the first time (in Scotland) that four locos had been named together and music was provided by the ‘Strings of Scotland’ orchestra as the locos departed the station. These were amongst the first tranche of locos transferred from East Anglia to help revamp services over the West Highland lines, though reliability would prove to be a problem at first – perhaps March and Stratford hadn’t released their best engines! (Arthur Turner) On Sunday 3 August 1986, Fort William shed (also known as Tom-na-Faire, built in 1975 to replace the original steam-era one following local road improvements) puts on a fine show of resting Scottish motive power; four large-logo class 37s, including 37403, 37425 and 37412, a class 20 (believed to be 20048, see later image) and Black 5 44767 on ‘Jacobite’ duty for the summer. Note also the five fuel tank wagons needed to help keep the show on the road at this remote but vital installation. The sheds in view would later be demolished, leaving quite a bleak prospect for any railway staff that might need to carry out repairs on a vehicle here. The refurbished class 37/4s were largely made up of former South Wales-based units, a number of which had never left their originally allocated depots. Drivers were reported to be disappointed that the refurb work (at Crewe Works) hadn’t extended to proper improvement of their cabs. (Arthur Turner)

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On 10 August 1987, the driver clearly has the power handle turned to the maximum as 37409 Loch Awe accelerates the 17.40 to Glasgow and London Euston, away from Fort William Junction and past the sidings for the Lochaber Aluminium smelter. Having travelled on the last sleeper service to Fort William that was rostered for class 37 haulage, the author can confirm that with such motive power, sleep wasn’t a realistic prospect in the first coach! It is not possible to obtain this view nowadays, due to redevelopment of the site on this side of the railway.

The former 37270 had been modified and renumbered to 37409 in 1985, whereupon it then assumed its name from 37026. Preference was clearly that an ETH-equipped loco intended mainly for passenger service use should carry the name, rather than a lowly unmodified one. Later still, 37409 would be renamed Lord Hinton, latterly with Direct Rail Services. (Bill Sharman)

Enjoying its last few working days in the large logo livery (with Highland Terrier motif) 37401 Mary Queen of Scots accelerates clear of the junction at Fort William with a well loaded freight service, probably for Mossend. Included in the formation would appear to be the fuel tankers from the loco depot on their way back south for replenishment. It is remarkable to think that this locomotive had over twenty years’ service behind it at the time, but would have another thirty-odd in front of it. 11 August 1988. (Arthur Turner)

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On the evening of 2 July 1989, a hint of snow is visible on the upper reaches of Ben Nevis as 37423 awaits departure time with the London sleeper. The top of the mountain is frequently shrouded in cloud and therefore often not visible from the town. As for the 37, this ETH-fitted loco seemed a curious choice for the Trainload Metals livery but was no doubt influenced by the name it would carry: Sir Murray Morrison 1873-1948, Pioneer of the British Aluminium Industry. The naming had taken place on 18 May 1988 at the Lochaber smelter to mark the start of a ten-year contract to bring alumina from Blyth, so it’s likely that the sponsoring sector had wanted their livery to accompany it. It had already been noted in its new guise back in the February on a Speedlink service from Mossend to Corpach. (Bob Wallen)

20127 runs in traditional style, nose end first and ‘escorting’ a trip freight that has just serviced the aluminium smelter sidings at Lochaber Works on 9 August 1988. This particular track is now little used since rail traffic to the works has been confined to the supply of alumina from Blyth (using another access line), with finished product unfortunately transported by road. The outward freight service from Fort William that used to run was a combination of traffics (including timber) but as was so often the case, the loss of one of them would lead to costs being passed on to those that remained and they in turn would also become uneconomic. This would quickly lead to the end of the whole operation.

Note the radio aerial high on the class 20’s nose and the hillside pipes in the distance, delivering water from lochs up in the mountains which would then create hydro-electricity for use at the smelter. (Arthur Turner)

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The new Banavie radio signalling centre is ready to assume control of the lines of the West Highland area on 2 July 1986, as 37410 heads the 14.05 from Fort William to Mallaig. Three different types of coach make up this short train: an aircon mark 2 labelled ‘Inter City’, a mark 1 labelled ‘ScotRail’ and a nonaircon mark 2 labelled ‘InterCity ScotRail’. Take your pick! Close study of the picture shows three people ascending the steps into the old signal box - perhaps making a last visit before the more modern method of signalling took over. The impetus for the introduction of radio signalling was said to have come about following the stranding of a train in snowdrifts near Altnabreac in the winter of 1978; BR needed the assistance of the army with their helicopters and radio communications to help with the rescue. ‘Lessons were learned’, as the saying goes.

(Bill Sharman) An immaculate set of first class mark one coaches is seen against the pleasing backdrop of Loch Dubh on Sunday 28 August 1988, forming the ‘West Highlander’ promotional special; BR’s charter train unit had arranged for the freshly painted rolling stock (based in London at Bounds Green) to pose at various locations on the Mallaig branch for photography. Apart from 37401 Mary Queen of Scots, the two other locomotives allocated for such special trains were 37409 Loch Awe and 37422, all painted in the new Inter City livery. The former Cardiff-based 37268 had been named Mary Queen of Scots by Colonel William Dalziel (chairman of the Scottish TUCC) at Linlithgow on 4 November 1985. This clearly gave it favoured status in the Scottish fleet and was a world away from its former life hauling coal and other freight around the South Wales valleys.

(Bill Sharman)

It almost seems appropriate that the signalman leaning out of the box window is wearing one of Dennis the Menace’s pullovers, as this is a practice that would likely be frowned upon today. A trackside stand had also clearly been provided for a safer exchange of the line token. On 13 August 1981, the still un-named 37012 covers the last few yards of the run into Mallaig with the 08.37 train from Glasgow. The loco would be named Loch Rannoch by ‘Rail Enthusiast’ magazine reader David Knott at Fort William on 31 March 1982, following a competition. The nameplates were removed in June 1986 and transferred to 37408 on 1 September, Mr Knott having written to Scotrail to offer his services in fitting the final rivet at Eastfield! Glimpsed at the rear is the observation saloon Sc1999E, a former LNER inspection saloon from 1945 that only had the observational facility at one end. Given the name Lochaber, it saw use over several years in the early 1980s before it was replaced but later went on to be part of the ‘Royal Scotsman’ luxury touring train. The raised viewpoint used by the photographer no longer exists since the opening of the new road into Mallaig. (Arthur Turner)

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You can always rely on a 20. The 18.50 from Mallaig is brought into Fort William by 20048 on 4 August 1986, a mixed train of coaches and fuel tankers, when the rostered class 37 had no doubt failed earlier on. This situation was by no means an infrequent occurrence and would be reported almost up to the introduction of Sprinters in September 1988. The tankers were used to supply fuel to the fishing boats at Mallaig, where the train engine would engage in some shunting to exchange loaded wagons for empty ones to be taken back to Fort William. 20048 has enjoyed a varied working life, switching between England and Scotland during its BR service and then performing duties at the Channel Tunnel construction site in the 1990s. It has moved around in preservation too and is currently based on the Severn Valley Railway. (Arthur Turner)

Far North Enthusiasts from the south needed to make that long journey to Inverness if they wanted to have a chance to clear their class 26s, as those that were suitably equipped for the Far North lines only ever came down to Glasgow for works attention, as a rule. And a visit inside the depot itself was obligatory, if all those present in the city were to be noted in the book. If you expected to catch them all at the station, you’d be in for a very long wait! On the morning of 7 August 1983, 26032 and 26024 rest inbetween their duties.

The twin sealed beam headlamps, partially set into the cab front, were generally the indication of an Inverness-allocated machine for Far North duties.

This was necessary due to the considerable number of remote level crossings; the combination of a sparse train service and lack of lighting at crossings meant that train drivers couldn’t safely rely on audible warnings from their horn to alert anyone intending to use a crossing that a train was approaching.

(Arthur Turner) 47118 brings a six coach rake into Inverness as the 11.55 from Aberdeen on 12 August 1983 – what a contrast to the two car ‘Sprinter’ DMUs which would take over on that route in the years that followed.

There was even a mini-buffet in the third vehicle. This class 47 was a Stratford-based machine at the time (a grey or silver painted roof was usually the giveaway) so wouldn’t have been a common sight in the area. As D1706, it had also been one of the five class 48s that were originally equipped with the 2650hp Sulzer V12 engine, as opposed to the twin bank 2750hp version fitted to the standard class 47. Unsatisfactory performance led them to be reconfigured with the latter engine by the end of 1971. Immediately behind it may be seen the roof of the Loco Signal Box, which would be abolished in the 1986 resignalling scheme, along with Millburn Jn, Welsh’s Bridge and Rose Street boxes. (Arthur Turner)

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We are now looking over the high wall on Millburn Road for this view of a train leaving Inverness at Welsh’s Bridge Signal Box on 9 September 1983. 26040 is leading 27023 out of the Highland city with the 10.48 departure for the Granite City of Aberdeen, a not especially common pairing that might point to a need to transfer a loco and in the process, save a light engine move over a mostly single track route. The 95-lever frame at Welsh’s Bridge (named after an access bridge that once crossed the railway there) had been fitted in 1948. Such were the constraints on space that one leg of the signal gantry had to be incorporated into the side of the signal box structure (built originally in 1885 by the Highland Railway). The gantry and box would disappear in 1986. (Arthur Turner)

37262 Dounreay and 37025 have just brought a train from Wick and Thurso into Inverness on 28 June 1985 and now begin their move from platform 6 to the loco shed. Steam heat boiler-equipped 37262 had been named at Thurso just two weeks before, whilst sister loco 37261 became Caithness in a joint ceremony at Wick. Their time in the limelight would be rather short-lived as class 37s fitted with ETH would soon start to appear in Scotland and these would become favourites for naming instead. The clouds may look rather threatening but the city of Inverness is situated in something of a sheltered position and as such tends not to be affected by severe weather quite as much as the surrounding mountainous areas. (Bill Sharman)

Class 26 domination of the Far North lines was drawing to a close by the date of this photograph on 9 August 1983, after more than twenty years, though the final sighting of any 26 up there wasn’t until late 1985. 26043 is shown bringing the 07.10 from Kyle of Lochalsh into Inverness, passing the chimney pots of Innes Street as well as a couple of linesmen on the track and the most impressive bracket signal which guarded Rose Street Jn. On the right are the remnants of the harbour branch, which for a time from the late 1990s would see use as a terminal for Safeway supermarket container traffic. (Arthur Turner)

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The 17.35 departure from Inverness to the Far North behind 37021 appears to have a healthy load of passengers on the fine summer’s evening of 9 August 1985, as it crosses the Ness viaduct. What appeared to be a substantial enough structure was not able to withstand the onslaught of raging floodwater on the morning of 7 February 1989: At 08.30 (not long after a northbound freight had crossed over it), the central pillar and the two adjoining spans gave way. Other parts of the 1862-built bridge would collapse into the river over the following days. British Rail, to its credit, gave immediate assurances that the bridge would be replaced and steps would be taken to continue rail services to the north in the meantime, with rolling stock being maintained at a temporary depot at Muir of Ord. Six class 37s and other items of rolling stock had been left stranded by the collapse. However, the existing plans to introduce Sprinter DMUs in place of hauled stock were to continue with low-loaders being used to exchange vehicles between Inverness and Muir of Ord, as necessary. The new bridge opened on 9 May 1990 and fears about the future of the Far North route were put to rest. (Bill Sharman)

Back in 1983, the Isle of Skye was just that little bit more a distant part of Scotland; the construction of the Skye road bridge in 1995 would change that forever and probably didn’t help the economic case for retaining the railway to the Kyle. Increasing tourism has helped sanity to prevail and the line has stayed open, despite any concerns. With Skye looming in the background on 10 August 1983, 26041 is seen ticking over in platform 1, patiently waiting for passengers to embark before it will chatter its way across some typically remote Scottish landscape and dutifully onwards up to Inverness. (Arthur Turner)

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At first glance, it seems a little odd that the builders of the railway to the Kyle should choose to cross the waterway at Loch Achanalt when the road stays to the far side of it. However, it is likely that the better option was to build a bridge to allow exploitation of the flatter landscape, rather than present trains with too many short and severe gradients. 26024 has the 11.10 from Kyle on 25 September 1982 as it crosses the short Achanalt Viaduct at milepost 20¼, that being the mileage from Dingwall. The third vehicle in the rake is a full parcels van, pointing to the importance of the railway for carrying light freight consignments at this time. The introduction of Sprinter multiple units meant that high value shellfish catches, for example could no longer go by rail. (Bernard Mills)

Thurso station was clearly quite a busy place, judging by the lack of rust on all the tracks visible in this view on 7 June 1980. The Wirral Railway Circle’s ‘Orcadian’ special from Liverpool (with 26015 and 26030) was clearly the most important train that day but a further loco is seen waiting in the station, along with some empty coaching stock and wagons in the sidings. Tour participants wander about the platform, no doubt rather bleary eyed from the overnight journey they have just enjoyed up from the south. The oval buffers on 26015 serve as a reminder that this was one of the ‘pilot scheme’ members of its type (built in 1958) and with headlights fitted, possibly the only one of those then allocated to Inverness. It’s also odd how its number has been placed higher up the bodyside than normal. The improvised headboard mounting arrangement is also apparent. (Bernard Mills)

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Moving on in the eighties, it’s now apparent that the class 26s are no longer in charge as two class 37s perform their duties at Georgemas Junction on 8 August 1983. In the background, 37262 is curving away from the station en route to Thurso with five of the coaches that 37114 has just brought up as the 06.40 from Inverness. The latter is now reforming the remaining three for the trip onwards to Wick. Passengers can be seen observing this activity from the train in a situation that today’s operators would shy away from; regardless of the weather, they’d probably be told to wait on the platform whilst the shunting was completed. It is remarkable how tidy everything is here, from the litter-free platforms to the lack of weeds on the track. In 1984, a class 37 accidentally pushed the buffer stops at Thurso back by a few feet, thus becoming the country’s most northerly travelled railway vehicle! (Arthur Turner)

Eastern A nicely cluttered platform end scene meets the eye at Aberdeen, as the driver of 47538 checks on the progress of parcels being loaded onto his 12.55 train for Glasgow. The loco displays one of the more unusual variations in headcode box modifications.

Scotland Built as D1669 in 1965, it was first allocated to Swansea’s Landore depot and in 1966 given the name Python (upon transfer to Old Oak Common) as one of the more favoured class members allocated to the Western Region. A Great Western broad gauge locomotive had first carried that name, being after the Greek mythological creature rather than the snake! But on ETH conversion and before TOPS renumbering as 47538 in 1974, the nameplates seem to have been removed. The locomotive would finish its career as a departmental machine at Crewe, ferrying power units between the Works and the TMD, carrying the number ADB968035 beneath its TOPS large logo numerals. 11 August 1983. (Arthur Turner)

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The continued production of High Speed Train sets up to 1982 led to their ever-increasing and widening workload within Scotland, inevitably curbing the more traditional loco-hauled formations on the premier routes. The 14.55 from Aberdeen to Kings Cross is caught on the stretch of single line at Usan on 15 May 1989 which, thanks to the similarly constrained South Esk and Rossie Viaducts south of Montrose, has never been widened and inevitably presents an operational headache from time to time. It is not surprising that the photographer failed to note the number of the leading power car; at the time that rolling stock was having the new ‘Executive’ style Inter City livery applied, bodyside numbers were reduced in size. Maybe it was one of those bright ideas that turned out to be not so clever and more readable sized ones soon returned. (Bill Sharman)

On 6 June 1980, 40151 has called at Arbroath with an unidentified up train, where a friend of the photographer appears to be holding a door open for him. It would also seem that the loco has suffered sideswipe damage on the nearside front of the nose and the vertical handrail has been welded back into place. Perhaps some yellow paint would get applied later but by this time, expenditure on any class 40 would have been restricted and indeed this example was withdrawn in February 1982. It was taken to Swindon Works for scrapping, rather than Crewe, as might normally have been expected. (Martin Buck)

British Rail would probably have liked to standardise their shunter fleet to just two classes, namely 03 and 08, as these were capable of covering most shunting duties. The survival of class 06 was down to particular local problems of limited clearances and severe track curvature in certain Scottish docks and yards. However by 1980, the workload of these Barclay-built 0-4-0 machines had fallen away and most observers would tend to see them parked up like this at Dundee on 28 June 1981: 06006 had suffered a derailment on its Dundee harbour duties during May 1980 (being withdrawn the following month) and would be succeeded by 06002. The latter was the ‘last man standing’ in September 1981 when final withdrawal for the class occurred. (Bob Wallen)

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47006 gets comfortably away from Kirkcaldy station on 26 July 1984, having called there with the 13.18 Edinburgh-Dundee service. BR’s general cascade of rolling stock permitted the replacement of the DMUs which previously would have worked these sort of services and local passengers got treated to the kind of ride comfort that could only be experienced on Inter City services, where these mark 2 coaches would have come from. A long-term Stratford loco, 47006 had recently been transferred to Eastfield and there appears to be some evidence above the cantrail of the grey roof that it previously possessed. Noticeable in the otherwise deserted station yard is a single bogie wagon laden with steel and a road crane beyond it. (Arthur Turner)

A quiet Saturday finds motive power that would likely be employed on coal traffic during the week, resting at the Thornton Junction stabling point. Up front is 20227, the last of the line as far as the class 20s were concerned. It came out of the Vulcan Works at Newton le Willows in BR blue livery in February 1968, going firstly to Polmadie to help replace the unsuccessful Clayton class 17s. It became one of the earlier recipients of the new Railfreight livery in 1985 before finding work away from Scotland. Ultimately it would be preserved and today bears a London Underground style paint scheme as a mainline certified engine with the Class 20 Locomotive Society. Behind it are similar vintage 20220 and 20221 (with 26034 beyond) and 20208 to the right. 31 May 1986. (Author)

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Here we have an example of one of those coal trains referred to earlier, which were very much a dying breed during the late 1980s/early 1990s.

Just a few miles away from Thornton Junction near the village of Kinglassie, 26042 and 26003 head a wonderfully shabby looking rake of wagons (thought to be former iron-ore tipplers) from Westfield colliery to the power station at Methil on 23 June 1989. The payload was described as ‘coal slurry’ that Methil was specially configured to consume. Despite subsequent closure of the mine, the track is believed to still be extant at this location. Both locomotives though would meet their end at MC Metals (Springburn) during 1995 after a creditable 35 years of service. (Bob Wallen)

Some folk have been enjoying a family day out by train, judging by those passengers crossing the footbridge at Inverkeithing on 26 July 1984. A very tidy Haymarket allocated ‘Met Camm’ set 101361 (led by 53234) forms the 15.34 from Kirkcaldy, bound for Edinburgh, the crossing of the Forth Bridge being the next journey highlight for those remaining on board. Scottish depots seemed to be a little more diligent at applying the full set numbers to the front of their DMUs. (Arthur Turner)

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Completely new stretches of railway were something of a novelty in the early 1980s but this one arose out of necessity, following the internal collapse of the Penmanshiel Tunnel near Grantshouse on 17 March 1979. During work to lower the trackbed, vibration from a passing train was thought to have triggered the rockfall near the southern portal which consequently buried two workers in the process. Such was the precarious nature of the tunnel in the aftermath, their bodies could sadly not be retrieved. BR was fined £10,000 by the High Court in Edinburgh for failing to ensure the workers’ proper safety – a very small sum by today’s standards, of course. On 22 June 1981, the sole named class 46 46026 Leicestershire and Derbyshire Yeomanry rounds the curve at speed on the short diversion that avoids the old tunnel altogether. The loco would be scrapped in 1985 but its name is now carried by preserved class 45 D123 at the Great Central Railway. (Bill Atkinson)

Highland 47461 Charles Rennie Mackintosh approaches the rather bleak Dalwhinnie station with the 10.30 Inverness-London Euston, formed with an interesting variety of liveries and coaches on 3 July 1987. The locomotive had been named after the famous Main Line Glasgow artist and architect at Queen Street station on 22 March 1982 by the writer and broadcaster Ludovic Kennedy, accompanied by Scottish Region General Manager Leslie J Soane. Kennedy presented one of the programmes in the initial BBC TV series ‘Great Railway Journeys of the World’ and Soane would later become a director of the Railway Heritage Trust.

As for the livery, this was Scotland’s modification of the ‘Executive’ style with the red stripe replaced by the light blue.

(Bill Sharman)

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Running some two hours late, 47425 leads 47531 on the 10.35 Inverness-Euston on 13 August 1983, presumably after the latter had broken down. This is slightly ironic for the writer as he recalls being on a failed train (during 1976) that was rescued by the very same 47531. The distinctly worn sign on the slope above the train reads ‘Druimuachdar Pass Summit, Height Above Sea Level 1484ft’. In gaelic terms meaning ‘high ridge’ or ‘the ridge of the upper ground’, the name has often been shortened to the more easily spelt ‘Drumochter’. A more substantial and weather-resistant sign now stands here. A further lineside fixture at this very spot once upon a time was a gradient post which reported the rather extraordinary figure of ‘1 in 3333’ - effectively ‘level’ track! (Arthur Turner)

British Rail’s fleet of class 47s was still at full strength at the time this view was taken (barring accident withdrawals) and railway enthusiasts tended not to take much notice when a formation like this one rolled into a station. The location is Blair Atholl and 47479 was powering the 10.20 Inverness-Glasgow train on 19 August 1983. 47479 led a relatively unremarkable existence under BR until it was taken into the Parcels Sector and then received the name Track 29 in a ceremony at the NRM, York on 27 July 1990 - this was to promote an initiative to attract more overnight parcel business to the sector. The loco’s service would be cut short by collision damage in September 1992 whilst working an engineers’ train in Cornwall and it was scrapped in 1993. (Arthur Turner)

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26044 runs around an engineers’ train at Pitlochry on Friday 19 August 1983. This station is looking delightfully unspoilt by progress with its semaphore signalling and jointed track on both lines. As for the class 26, as a practically new loco, it came to Inverness in 1960 and spent virtually all of its 24 years’ service there until January 1984. The story was that it had been on snowplough duties between Blair Atholl and Dalwhinnie when (in a snowdrift) short circuiting in a traction motor led to a fire. Having spent all its life in Scotland, it was also scrapped there at Thornton Junction by Vic Berry. Note the larger style of numerals on the side, which seemed to be a relatively late application. (Arthur Turner)

Five years have passed since the previous view but class 26s are still around on permanent way duties.

This time we have 26038 in Railfreight livery featuring a Highland Terrier symbol which competes for your attention with the BR double-arrow. Further changes are the concrete-sleepered, welded track and the white and black paint on the footbridge (a listed Victorian structure, which at the time of writing has been the subject of a dispute between locals who want to keep it and Network Rail who want to replace it). The signal box and semaphore signals were to last for another 35 years! 26 August 1988. (Arthur Turner)

Stirling There is a variety of activity going on at Stirling on 29 July 1981, as 47231 departs on the 09.35 Glasgow Queen Street-Aberdeen

service formed of early non-air conditioned mark 2 stock. A DMU waits in platform 3 while in platform 1 to the right are a number of mark 1 sleeper coaches, which are likely to be from the Motorail service that still ran between here and Newton Abbot at the time. With what was probably a bag of laundry alongside it, coach W2551 was a SLSTP (Sleeper Second Twin-Berth with Pantry) and along with all such mark 1 sleepers would be slated for early withdrawal, especially due to their poor fire standards and asbestos insulation; their mark 3 replacements soon emerged from Derby (Litchurch Lane) Works and the final run of a mark 1 sleeping coach was recorded between Inverness and Glasgow Queen Street in May 1984. (Arthur Turner)

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Moving to the south end of Stirling station on the same day we find a hybrid DMU set in bay platform 7. 105377 consisted of cars 51480, 59544 and 51483 and the driving vehicles would only have a few months more in service, being withdrawn in the November and scrapped the following year. The class 101 trailer car would survive in service a little longer (others lasting into the 1990s), these proving to be very useful as centre cars for other types of DMU as well. (Arthur Turner)

26023 has just passed Polmaise Junction box (south of Stirling), in the process of rescuing the 11.05 Aberdeen-Glasgow and running 100 minutes late due to the earlier failure of 47705 Lothian in propelling mode. The branch line to Polmaise Colliery had closed the previous year, curving away from the main line near the box and crossing the fields beyond the herd of black cattle. The signal seen above the third coach controlled the exit from the branch, running as it did down from the sidings opposite the box. Some temporal graffiti may be seen on the abutments of the bridge that carries the railway over Bannock Burn here. 3 September 1988. (Bill Sharman)

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37424 has charge of the 10.55 Euston-Stirling ‘Motorail’ service past Plean Junction signal box on 5 July 1986, with less than four miles to go to its destination. Note the all-first class accommodation. For those who used these services (this particular one ended in 1988), their final loss from the network at privatisation was a matter of huge regret. Whilst the motorways to Scotland have certainly improved in the interim, the ability to let the train take the strain on the long and boring bit would still be attractive to car-owning travellers, if only an operator would be willing to test the market once again. (Keith Sanders)

Perth 30 July 1981 finds 25228 paused on the up loop line at Perth with a short rake of vans. The tripping of freight wagons over relatively

short distances was a common sight at the start of the 1980s but by the end of the decade, quite a rare one as BR sought to eliminate what was seen as a costly exercise. Class 25s powered many of these, so inevitably became fewer in number as the decade progressed.

In Scotland, their fellow type 2s of classes 26 and 27 became the preferred traction, though even in March 1987 (the last month of class 25 operation on BR) 25059 and 25213 were noted in use north of the border. (Arthur Turner)

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In the days when drivers habitually lowered their cab windows at a station stop and looked back down the train in the hope of a prompt ‘right away’ from the guard, 40158 waits at Perth on 9 September 1980. For fans of class 40s, this area had become something of a mecca as the Scottish based examples were fairly dominant on the Glasgow-Aberdeen run at that time. 40158 had been based at Haymarket all its working life (since September 1961), though would enjoy a final spell at Carlisle Kingmoor during its last two years before withdrawal in December 1983. That vertical handrail on a ‘Whistler’ was clearly vulnerable to damage as it is missing completely on 40158! (Martin Buck)

This is the view of Perth station from the St Leonards Road bridge on 30 July 1981, as three movements coincide at the south end. 47417 was one of the early batch of Brush Type 4 locos delivered to Finsbury Park depot in 1962-63 to work ECML duties. Being equipped with an older method of generating ETH power, they were earmarked for earlier withdrawal than the rest of the class. It departs with the 08.15 InvernessGlasgow train. 26026 will leave next and head for Edinburgh. It had been new to Haymarket depot in 1959 and would be withdrawn from there in 1992, having spent some of its life also working from Inverness shed. As for the ‘Perth Station Pilot’ 08761, it was always Scottish allocated too, initially at Ardrossan in 1961 and would also be withdrawn in 1992, but from Eastfield. (Arthur Turner)

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Rail-minded visitors to Perth station would invariably be greeted with this tantalising glimpse of motive power on the stabling point, the sidings of which had been established next to the former freight avoiding lines that once passed outside the west wall. The questions about the identities of these locos would inevitably follow - perhaps a well-informed local person might be able to help with that, if you were lucky! 26039 was identified as the one on the left on this occasion, 31 May 1986. The other two evaded the notebook. (Author)

This single unit DMU (or ‘bubble car’ as they affectionately became known) 55000 has been well-travelled in its lifetime. It was firstly delivered to Reading when new in 1958 and like many of its classmates, seemed to move around the Western Region from one branch line to another; it was as if their introduction to a line was often the final act before operations ceased. A move to Ayr in 1967 presaged a long spell in Scotland before a return to the south at Tyseley in 1984 and then a further allocation to Laira to work some of those West Country branch lines which had escaped the 1960s axe. It now operates in preservation at the South Devon Railway, but here we see it at Perth on 29 July 1981 whilst working services between there and Dundee. (Arthur Turner)

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27033 commands an up TPO working as it sets off from Perth with gusto at 17.50 on 30 July 1981. The train guard watches the photographer and enjoys a taste of the sunshine, perhaps before going about the more serious business of putting the kettle on. 27033 was another one of its class which began life on the London Midland Region, only transferring to Scotland (at Eastfield) in early 1970. Along with Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Inverness, Perth would become one of the last remaining mail centres despatching and receiving the post by rail.

(Arthur Turner)

Steam heat boiler-fitted (and Eastfield based) 47206 approaches Perth from the south with an Edinburgh-Inverness train on 29 July 1981. The early evening sunshine serves to highlight the fact that the leading vehicle in the seven coach formation of mark 2s has recently had some workshop attention, including the fitment of new coil springs. The start of the former station avoiding lines (mentioned previously) can be seen in the foreground, albeit slightly reconfigured from how they would have looked in busier times. In the background, the permanent way department clearly had a strong presence with spoil wagons next to the loading platform and rakes of loaded ballast wagons beyond the overhead crane in the yard. Whereas today we tend to see fleets of smaller Transit vans in use by the railway, BR favoured the larger lorry-based Leyland crew buses that were probably better suited to being driven across rough railway ground! (Arthur Turner)

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26018 draws into Gleneagles on 15 August 1981 with the 12.44 Glasgow Queen Street-Dundee. Formerly ‘Crieff Junction’, the station was renamed and enlarged upon completion of the nearby Gleneagles Hotel in the 1920s. This was owned by the Caledonian Railway so naturally was served by its own short railway from the Crieff branch. Commodities transported by rail (up to closure in 1964) were typically inwards coal for the hotel’s boiler and outwards dirty laundry. As for the class 26, a common modification to these and the 27s was the blanking off of the cabside door window, probably because over time the droplights became reluctant to stay shut, leading to the inevitable draughts and drivers’ complaints. (Arthur Turner)

Edinburgh Area

The old steam shed at Grangemouth lived on into the diesel era, unlike many others of their kind. Poking out from the gloom there on 20 August 1983 were 20146 and 37046. Any visit to an installation like this would leave the soles of one’s shoes very black indeed. Note the somewhat primitive ventilation installed on the roof, which was probably appreciated by the local pigeons – similar venting arrangements were also used on the main shed at Polmadie during the steam era. The author paid a visit here in 1992 and after politely asking the question, was allowed to wander around unattended to inspect what was on shed – ‘let us know when you’re leaving’, was the usual caveat. Privatisation put a stop to this and soon even conducted tours of depots were to be deemed ‘unsafe’ as well, needlessly losing the industry a way of helping to attract its future recruits. (Arthur Turner)

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Waiting at the coal drops of Cockenzie Power Station on 8 February 1989 is Coal Sector liveried 26005. This was said to be the first Railfreight liveried locomotive to carry the cast ‘Scottie Dog’ Eastfield depot logo early that year. Although rated slightly below the class 27, experience had always shown that the 26 was a more reliable performer on freight duties (with a better low speed performance), hence the decision to standardise upon it when the overall requirement for type 2s was reduced. A number of MGR wagons in Scotland were fitted with the top canopy to minimise blow-off of coal.

Clearance issues at most pits elsewhere prevented their wider operation. The MGR wagon was such a common sight around the country but their disappearance from the network and scrapping was a surprisingly quick process and preservationists had to move fast to save the ones that they did.

(Keith Sanders)

Upon closure of Finsbury Park depot and movement of its Deltics to York, the white cab window surrounds that proclaimed their allocation to ‘FP’ were painted out for a while. The effect of just a few weeks of high speed running during the summer of 1981 has revealed some hint of the white paint on 55015 Tulyar as platform end discussions take place at Edinburgh Waverley; perhaps the two enthusiasts on the left are eavesdropping the conversation between the staff and the driver before deciding on their next move! The plaque on the loco’s nose was presented by the Deltic Preservation Society to mark its part in the cavalcade which commemorated the 150th anniversary of the Rainhill trials of 1830. It was said to have helped the chances of the loco’s preservation, ultimately by the DPS, of course.

(Transport Treasury) At Saughton Junction on 24 July 1984, 20201 has one of those interesting permanent way trains to haul (look at that ex-Southern Railway ‘Queen Mary’ bogie brake van, dating from 1936!), the sort which would regularly be seen trundling along at slow speed in the gaps between the more important traffic. Those gaps largely don’t exist anymore on our more intensively used main lines and ballast tends to be moved in larger trainloads between fewer sites. The scene here today is also rather different as the Edinburgh tramway now occupies the edge of the Carrick Knowe golf course that once adjoined the railway. Edinburgh city buildings are visible on the skyline in the distance. (Arthur Turner)

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On 17 April 1982, 27008 brings the 11.05 from Dundee into Haymarket station, the last call before its destination of Edinburgh Waverley.

27007 was also recorded as having its central cab glass window blanked off in this way, though went on to become the first class 27 privately preserved (as D5353) at the Mid Hants Railway in 1985. 27008 would later have the glass restored. On the line side, milepost 46 shows the distance from Glasgow Queen Street but is the last one in its sequence, as the system of railway mileages (the Engineer’s Line Reference or ELR) changes here for the run into Waverley station. (Arthur Turner)

For anyone visiting Edinburgh with a little more time on their hands, a walk up to the Princes Street Gardens would be rewarded with some different and leafier views of trains on the busy section between the Mound and Haymarket tunnels. Today’s overhead wires make photography a little more challenging. On 24 May 1985, 27025 heads towards the Mound and Waverley station beyond with a variety of four-wheel wagons in tow; a rare occurrence since most freight took the Edinburgh Suburban line. The loco is fitted with sliding cabside windows, which it didn’t have in the early part of the decade, so clearly St Rollox were making such modifications until quite late on in the life of this class. (Bill Sharman)

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The Deltics might have gone from the scene by 29 April 1984 but Haymarket depot was still an important depot in Scotland. 20205 and 47703 Saint Mungo head a gathering of motive power that consists of class 08s, 27s and more 47s, as well as a class 101 DMU. The depot would be reconfigured for its new role of handling Sprinter DMUs when loco-hauled trains mostly faded into history. 20205 was another late-built member of class 20 which has survived into the era of preservation with the Class 20 Locomotive Society. The home of Scottish Rugby, the Murrayfield Stadium is visible in the right background. (Arthur Turner)

40173 is shown at its home depot of Haymarket on 25 April 1981. This installation was top of the list for enthusiasts to visit, particularly for anyone from the south of the country as ‘HA’ allocated machines tended to keep to Scottish routes or only venture down the East Coast Main Line occasionally. Only four months later, 40173 would be condemned and later broken up at one of the lesser known railway scrapyards, namely James White at Jamestown, near Inverkeithing. Noteworthy in the background are the visiting ‘Peak’ in the shed and a heavy oil stain on the side of Thornaby-allocated 47288. (Arthur Turner)

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Waverley is centrally placed for many of the sights and attractions that make Edinburgh the world famous city that it is. With the apparent assistance of his secondman, the driver of 26044 is setting back a rake of stock into one of the western end bay platforms on 18 August 1981.

With that damaged windscreen wiper, perhaps the loco is restricted to local or pilot duties as today it would be deemed a complete failure until the wiper was fixed. Fitted with a single headlight and allocated to Inverness, this class 26 would not have been the commonest sight in the Scottish capital (see also p.49). The advertisement on the bus passing by the North British Hotel on the street up above reads ‘What’s good on the telly tonight?’ Back then there were still only three TV channels to choose from. (Arthur Turner)

Millerhill Yard perhaps saw its heyday when freight trains still traversed the Waverley Route from Carlisle and wagonload traffic needed remarshalling and shunting. Consequent to that line’s closure, it was reduced in size though still retained an important role through its position at the Edinburgh end of the ECML. At 15.00 on the afternoon of 4 August 1983, 08586 moves a rake of ‘Cartic’ wagons and fuel tankers. The shunter’s pole appears to be wedged in the steps of the 08 whereas often it might be seen laid across the buffers. 08586 began life on the Western Region but finished up at Ayr in two-tone Railfreight grey livery, withdrawn in March 1996 and cut up there a full four years later. (Arthur Turner)

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Considering how much in demand the class 47/7s were for Glasgow-Edinburgh/Aberdeen services, it was perhaps a little unusual to see 47712 Lady Diana Spencer stabled at Carstairs station on 20 August 1983. ‘Railway Magazine’ reported that 47712 was named on 30 April 1981 at Glasgow Queen Street before working the 09.30 to Edinburgh whilst 47711 was named Greyfriars Bobby at Waverley before taking the 13.00 to Glasgow. The names had been chosen by listeners to Radio Clyde and Radio Forth in competitions run in association with BR and the chairman of the BRB, Sir Peter Parker himself was there to accompany them at the respective ceremonies. (Arthur Turner)

South West Scotland

DMU set 107428 (led by 51988, with an ‘AY’ depot sticker on the front) seems very tidy in appearance as it calls at Troon on its way to Ayr on 25 July 1984. An equally well turned out class 104 set (trailed by 53525) disappears simultaneously in the Glasgow direction. This was as much a period of interest for diesel multiple unit fans as it was for those of locomotives.

Other points of note are the station platform lights which are mounted in perpendicular fashion to the track, instead of the more usual parallel arrangement and the beams reaching across between the respective platform roofs. The building was listed but after a disastrous fire in 2021 is having to be largely rebuilt to modern standards. Is it also worth pointing out that beige coloured Austin Allegro 3 parked in the station forecourt? (Arthur Turner)

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Unlike their Toton and Tinsley based relatives, Scotland’s class 20s were just as likely to be seen working singly as they were in pairs. 20115 whistles gently out of the up yard at Falkland Junction on 24 August 1983 with a set of loaded coal wagons which would have looked equally at home with a Caledonian 0-6-0T just twenty years before. The Firth of Clyde in the background seems relatively calm on this pleasant summer morning, though the future for the boarded-up class 126 DMU glimpsed in the yard will be a rather bleak one. (Arthur Turner)

20205 (again!) teams up with 20223 on a mixed freight consist that is likely to be running for BR’s purposes (judging by the bags of ballast and fuel tanks) and seen leaving the northern end of Falkland Yard on 25 July 1984. The cleanliness of the track suggests that a renewal of the turnout and loop has occurred since the previous view, with some of the displaced track panels now stacked on the ground near to the signal box; the signal gantry has also been abolished. Further back we can see the yard class 08 shunter and a class 37, which is more likely to be employed on a revenue earning train. On the other side of the running lines can be seen a yellow ‘D of M&EE Electrification’ labelled tank wagon, which indicates what the next big thing would be in the Ayr district. (Arthur Turner)

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The Ayrshire coast is the place to be for the rail enthusiast who also likes playing golf! With evidence of the national sport in the background, 27211 approaches Falkland Yard hauling a short train of track panels on 24 August 1983. It would later be renumbered to 27065. Note the two bodyside grilles alongside the far cab door, showing where the additional Deutz diesel engine had been fitted to power electrical train heating.

Having left their high speed duties on the Glasgow-Edinburgh shuttles, the class 27/2s were renumbered into the 27/0 series rather slowly. In fact 27206/207/208 would never receive their allocated new numbers, 207 taking the departmental number ADB968025 for use as a static training loco at Eastfield depot before it was withdrawn during 1986. (Arthur Turner)

When boat traffic off the ferry from Northern Ireland was still important to the railways, the 10.35 from Stranraer to Euston pulls into Ayr station behind 47462 on 22 August 1983. At the time of writing, the former Station Hotel which dominated practically any view of a train in Ayr station, was in the process of demolition. After a long spell out of use, wilful fire damage left it in such a state that rebuilding would prove too expensive. Its proximity to the railway and precarious condition then led to a lengthy suspension of services into the town. (Arthur Turner)

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27059 assists an immaculate 37157 away from Ayr with the 11.35 from Glasgow to Stranraer on 22 August 1983. The class 37 had arrived on its own and was apparently functional so why the services of the class 27 were needed aren’t clear. 37157 would become 37695 after its refurbishment during 1986; at the time, enthusiasts could easily become confused by the way in which refurbished locos were getting renumbered, with some being done in an upwards fashion and others downwards. An up to date ‘ABC’ was vital! Note the subsidiary signal on the end of the additional platform, by this time probably only in use for the stabling of empty stock. (Arthur Turner)

Ayr depot was somewhat marooned in a triangle of lines just to the south of Newton-on-Ayr station. The main road access to it was behind the ground of Ayr United FC, which was probably best negotiated on a quiet Sunday morning rather than a busy Saturday afternoon. On display to the camera on one of those Sundays (21 August 1983), we find 27038/108/059 and 08433/449. Perhaps on weekend fuelling duties, a solitary railwayman walks up to 27108 with one of its small snowploughs missing. It’s something of a grey outlook and the railway in general was in the doldrums at that time, starved of investment and lacking a bit of direction. (Arthur Turner)

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During its last year in service, 40160 works ‘single line’ along the former GSW main line near Carronbridge at a time when the up line had been deemed surplus to normal service requirements; a distinct layer of rust can be seen on its rails.

Nowadays, a more frequent passenger train service and occasional freight demands both tracks to be in use. As for the train itself, this was possibly either a troop special from Stranraer or an Ayr - Blackpool extra. During the ‘Glasgow Fair’ fortnight, Blackpool was still a favourite destination before cheap flights to the continent became more popular. 21 July 1984.

(Author)

47617 University of Stirling restarts a Stranraer to Carlisle working from Dumfries on 19 August 1989; such a short train of air-conditioned coaches like this would have been practically unheard of until a few years before this view was taken. 47617 had received this class 50-style livery during 1984 in preparation for its naming on 17 September, the first of a series of locos to receive the large logo treatment. A reminder of how important Dumfries (a former junction station) once used to be was the Caledonian Railway goods warehouse that formed the backdrop here, for a time passing into non-railway use before its regrettable total demolition during the 1990s.

(Arthur Turner)

78

The Girvan to Stranraer line and the countryside which it passes through has tended to be overshadowed by the West Highland and Far North routes. But it is equally attractive in terms of its remoteness and bleak charm. Glenwhilly passing loop and token exchange point is practically mid-way along the most unpopulated stretch of the line and its signal box is now widely regarded as the most remote in the country. The box still sits on what remains of the former station’s southbound platform (see frontispiece), having closed in 1965. The early 1980s saw first generation DMUs replaced by locomotive-hauled sets of mark 1 and 2 coaches, thus arguably providing the most civilised means of rail travel ever seen on the route. ETH-fitted class 47s were latterly the regular form of motive power, as witnessed here with 47523 heading south on 24 June 1988 with the 12.23 Glasgow Central-Stranraer Harbour. If the wind isn’t blowing in the wrong direction, trains can be heard approaching for at least ten minutes before they come into view, such is the undisturbed quiet in these parts. (Author)

79

80

Stranraer Harbour on an unknown date in the early 1980s sees 37021 being prepared for departure with the colourful Sealink-liveried rake of mark 1 coaches. The shiny rails and oily sleepers show that the station layout was fully utilised at the time. Despite receiving a relatively recent refurbishment, today the box is normally kept switched out and only requires manning when a shunt move is needed or a second train should visit the terminus, other than the regular services. After an extended suspension of services due to the fire at Ayr, trains have returned once more to Stranraer at the time of writing. (Transport Treasury)

Scottish Diesels in the 1980s

£17.50 British Rail’s Scottish Region was somewhat set apart from the rest of the system and not just in a geographical sense. During the 1980s, it still had two classes of diesel locomotive that couldn’t be found anywhere else in Britain (the so-called ‘MacRats’, class 26s and 27s) plus the added attraction of loco-hauled passenger trains that ran through spectacular scenery. The weather might not always have been so attractive (nor the summer season midges!) but these elements helped to make the country a place of pilgrimage for many railway enthusiasts from the south.

Using mostly images from the Arthur Turner collection, Scottish Diesels in the 1980s is a reminder of a time when the loss of steam traction from the network had largely been forgotten, and when a new form of interest in the succeeding (though ageing) types of diesel locos was now very evident.

Compiled by Andrew Royle

ISBN 978-1-913893-52-1

Scottish Diesels in the 1980s Compiled by Andrew Royle