STEAM IN SCOTLAND
THE GEORGE C BETT COLLECTION
Introduction
TheGeorge C. Bett collection in the hands of the Transport Treasury consists of approximately 1,400 negatives, the vast majority of which were taken in and around the City of Dundee. George’s interest in railways started in the early 1940s when his parents gave him an Ian Allan ABC of Southern Electrics and after the family moved to Dundee his interest grew after witnessing, whilst travelling to school by tram, the Garter Blue A4s that carried stainless steel lettering.
Acquiring his first camera in the late 1940s, a Kodak folding 620, and later during his National Service with the RAF in 1955 purchasing a Zeiss 120, he started carrying out his own developing and printing. Working in the insurance industry from the early 1950s gave scope for more travelling and the opportunity to photograph railways around Scotland. A move to a house near the Tay Bridge in 1960 allowed him to continue recording the transport scene and witness the demise of steam locomotive power around Dundee.
This volume contains a choice of photographs from the collection dating between 1954 and 1966, showing a variety of locomotives operating in and out of Dundee West station on the former LMS route to Perth, connecting there with the lines north to Inverness and south to Glasgow. British Railways
Standard ‘Clan’ and ‘Britannia’ Class 4-6-2s are regularly seen along with Standard Class 5 4-6-0s, both the Walschaerts and Caprotti valve gear versions. Sir William Stanier designed Class 5P5F or ‘Black 5’ 4-6-0s are also seen working along with the occasional LNER class of locomotive.
The former LNER route between Edinburgh and Aberdeen through Tay Bridge station saw much passenger traffic between the two cities, with about ten expresses in each
direction pausing at Kirkcaldy, Tay Bridge and Arbroath all still steam hauled by Class A1, A2 and A3 locomotives. This continued until the late 1950s when diesel locomotives took over the workings. Goods traffic consisted of daily meat and fish trains from Aberdeen and the northern fishing ports to the south, which was normally in the hands of a ‘Pacific’ with locos being changed at Waverley station in Edinburgh. General goods traffic from Guild Street Goods in Aberdeen and Tay Bridge Yard in Dundee was often in the hands of either Class V2 2-6-2s or Class B1 4-6-0s with coal trains heading north from the Fife coalfields worked by one of the many ex-LNER Class J38 or J39 0-6-0s or occasionally a WD Class 8F 2-8-0.
Commuter services working around Dundee consisted of that from Tay Bridge to Tayport on the northern Fife coast opposite Broughty Ferry, with eighteen trains daily in each direction serving the residential areas around Newport-on-Tay (West), Newport-on-Tay (East) and Wormit stations. These were latterly in the hands of BR Standard Class 4 2-6-4 tanks with DMUs taking over some of the services in September 1958, with complete closure of the branch coming in 1969.
To the east of Dundee lay the fifteen miles of the former Dundee and Arbroath Joint Railway line that served the residential towns of Broughty Ferry, Monifieth and Carnoustie which saw large numbers of visitors throughout the summer season along with golfers visiting the many links and courses along the coast. The 1956 timetable shows a service of fifteen trains each way per day, taking about forty minutes to complete. Locomotives used were former NBR Class C16 4-42 tanks until Dundee East station closed in January 1959 with services being transferred to Tay Bridge station using DMUs.
February 1955. Approaching Dundee West station at the head of a Class 9 goods train is ex-LNER Class D49/2 4-4-0 No 62744 The Holderness .
Constructed at Darlington Works in 1932 as a part 2 version of the class, fitted with Lentz Rotary Cam valve gear instead of the earlier Lentz Oscillating Cam operated valve gear, and originally numbered 273, later becoming No 2744. She would be allocated to Dundee Tay Bridge shed during 1952 and be withdrawn in 1960 whilst based at Hawick shed. (GCB358)
Left: Friday 19 April 1957. Seen approaching Dundee with a passenger working from Perth is BR Standard Class 5 Caprotti fitted 4-6-0 No 73146. Constructed at Derby Works and entering service three months earlier, she had been allocated to St Rollox shed and by 1966 would be based at Motherwell shed, being withdrawn in 1967. A total of thirty members of the class were constructed with British Caprotti valve gear with Nos 73145 to 73154 being allocated to St Rollox shed. In comparison to Walschaerts valve gear, the fitting of Caprotti valve gear was intended to increase available operational time between services. (GCB470)
Right: Tuesday 18 June 1957. Working hard on the climb from Tay Bridge station to reach the Tay Bridge, Class A2 4-6-2 No 60536 Trimbush is hauling a passenger train bound for Edinburgh. Constructed at Doncaster Works during 1948 and named after the racehorse that had won the 1947 Doncaster Cup, she would initially be allocated to sheds in England but spent time at both St Margarets and Haymarket sheds in Edinburgh between 1949 and 1962 before being allocated to York during 1962 and being withdrawn a year later. (GCB259)
September 1957. Standing in Camperdown Street, adjacent to the Camperdown Dock Warehouse with the Dundee Corporation Gas Works gas holder in the background, ex-NBR Class B (LNER Class J37) 0-6-0 No 64545 is moving goods wagons within the harbour lines. Constructed at Cowlairs Works during 1915, she would be withdrawn from service in 1962 whilst based at Dunfermline Upper shed. (GCB362)
September 1957. Standing at Dundee Tay Bridge shed is ex-NBR Class A (LNER Class N15/1) 0-6-2 tank No 69136 which had been a product of the NBL during 1910. She would be withdrawn from service in 1961 whilst based at Thornton shed. Introduced during 1910, the William Reid Class A tanks continued construction until 1920 by which time sixty-nine examples had entered service, all coming from the NBL Works in Glasgow. A further thirty examples were delivered post-grouping, twenty from the former NBR Works at Cowlairs and ten from Robert Stephenson & Co. (GCB1257)
Left: February 1964. Attached to a single brake van, former NBR Class B (LNER Class J37) 0-6-0 No 64577 is waiting to proceed into Dundee. A product of the NBL during 1918, she would be withdrawn in 1966. With the remains of a snow fall covering the bowling greens in the immediate background, the building in the distance with the spire on the roof is the Royal Dundee Institute for the Blind which had been opened in 1885 and is now sheltered housing. (GCB373)
Right: Saturday 7 March 1964. Bearing a 64A St Margarets shed code, Class B1 4-6-0 No 61349 is about to pass through Portobello station working light engine. She had the distinction of being the very last steam locomotive to be constructed at the former GCR locomotive works at Gorton in Manchester during 1949. Allocated new to Kittybrewster in Aberdeen, she would end her days after only seventeen years of service based at Thornton Junction shed, before being withdrawn in 1966. (GCB333)
The George C. Bett collection in the hands of the Transport Treasury consists of approximately 1,400 negatives, the vast majority of which were taken in and around the City of Dundee. George’s interest in railways started in the early 1940s when his parents gave him an Ian Allan ABC of Southern Electrics and after the family moved to Dundee his interest grew after witnessing, whilst travelling to school by tram, the Garter Blue A4s that carried stainless steel lettering.
This volume contains a choice of photographs from the collection dating between 1954 and 1966, showing a variety of locomotives operating in and out of Dundee West station on the former LMS route to Perth, connecting there with the lines north to Inverness and south to Glasgow. British Railways Standard ‘Clan’ and ‘Britannia’ Class 4-6-2s are regularly seen along with Standard Class 5 4-6-0s, both the Walschaerts and Caprotti valve gear versions. Sir William Stanier designed Class 5P5F or ‘Black 5’ 4-6-0s are also seen working along with the occasional LNER class of locomotive.
ISBN 978-1-913893-60-6
£13.50
