And so we found ourselves on the Blue Train into Glasgow Queen Street, parents relaxing in the knowledge we were playing football not too far away. The focus of our attention was the gathering of British Rail leaflets, which had become a short-lived craze. Mum surreptitiously threw them all out months later, but it was good while it lasted.

Rail Blue was now gaining a foothold on the locomotives, the Class 21/29, 26 and 27 locomotives commonplace at Queen Street were down to about 50% green at this time.
And why stop at Queen Street? There we were in the centre of Glasgow, aged about 9 years old, what boy could resist a visit to Glasgow Central? And on the way take in the delights of the Clyde Model Dockyard and Argyle Models, the 2 model shops on every local boy’s radar.

The Clyde Model Dockyard was founded in 1789, which may have given it the longest history of any such business. Sadly it closed in the early 1970’s.
The only other modelmakers with that sort of history would have probably been the shipyards, perhaps Scott's at Greenock (1711-1993) may have given them a run for their money. Builders models of ships are an ancient art. But who knows for sure.... ?

There is something very satisfying in simply staring through a well-stocked model shop window and doing a little window shopping. And whether that be in the 1960’s or 2016 I tend to conclude that I want it all.

Sadly I had missed the era of the four great Glasgow Termini, Central, St Enoch, Buchanan Street and Queen Street by little more than a whisker. St Enoch and Buchanan Street had gone in 1966, I have always wished I could have visited St Enoch in particular, the station that is, not the patron saint of Glasgow. But instead we had Glasgow Central, a grand station in every respect, both then and now.

Back in those days we never had ‘train stations’, we only had ‘railway stations’. I have noticed the term ‘train station’ has crept in, particularly in the last 10 years. I have nothing particularly against the term, but for me they are ‘railway stations’.

Central was exciting, a huge station full of locomotive exotica. I particularly liked the distinctive wooden departure boards, so unlike anything I had seen. The West Coast Main Line had not yet been electrified to Glasgow and the big expresses of the day were mainly in the hands of the monstrous English Electric Type 4’s known later as the Class 40’s. And pride of place went to the ‘Royal Scot’, the pre-eminent named train to the South, just as I had pored over in my ‘Locospotters Annual’.

That Annual (1964). Still to be found on my laden shelves after 50 years of travel, and one of my early inspirations. Slightly water-damaged when the secret police hotel room I used for storage in Bulgaria was flooded by a burst radiator.

Of course there was no TOPS numbering system at the time, but I pause to observe that TOPS was just what we railway enthusiasts needed, a simple way to identify locomotives that didn’t involve manufacturer’s names, transmission equipment, the Type of a locomotive, electrical gear etc. My applause to the inventor of TOPS!

Central also hosted Blue Trains, a variety of DMU’s, varied other locomotive classes and a huge selection of British Rail leaflets and timetables. We returned home laden from the 'local station’, smuggling bagfuls of leaflets into our bedrooms.