Leith Central was an enigma amongst sheds. That suffix, 'H' - allocated late and following on from a certain legendary Waverley route shed, Hawick. The facility itself, adapted from a white elephant terminus station eclipsed by Edinburgh's tram and bus network. A premises whose relics survived closure by many years, achieving secondary 'fame' in TV and film.

Enough for now, that chapter of industrial and social history has been told elsewhere, we can return to it here at leisure.

Main line diesels available to the Edinburgh South division have been dissected on the 64B blog, here I turn the spotlight on the substantial DMU allocation, and in this first snapshot, the inter-urban fleet of Metro-Cammell triples, later Class 101. The period concerned is the Waverley's twilight years, 1966-69.

Thirteen sets were allocated to 64H as follows:

51465 + 59563 + 51535

51466 + 59564 + 51536

51467 + 59565 + 51537

51468 + 59566 + 51538

51469 + 59567 + 51539

51470 + 59568 + 51540

51795 + 59686 + 51802

51796 + 59687 + 51803

51797 + 59688 + 51804

51798 + 59689 + 51805

51799 + 59690 + 51806

51800 + 59691 + 51807

51801 + 59692 + 51808

by March 1974, the units were still operating in the Central Belt, only by now the first half dozen at Eastfield (4) and Dundee (2). The latter batch of seven were still in Edinburgh, having transferred to the by now better appointed DMU facility at Haymarket.

This grainy legend purports to be 64H:

http://www.edinphoto...tral_deltic.jpg

Amazing what you find out, the following detail is so epic I may have to link to the Waverley images thread. I think I need a drink...

Supported by this:

"Moving on to a photo on the site of 'Deltic' at Leith Central I have a little more info on that. The loco in the photo is in fact the prototype of the Deltic class and that came into service with British Rail in 1955. It did not appear on the Edinburgh area until 1959 when it spent five days of testing on the Waverley route. It was then diagrammed to work the East Coast Main Line (ECML) alongside the A4 Pacific steam locos."

This is added gen from Napier chronicles:

8th June 1959: L/E Carlisle - Edinburgh (via Waverley route), then to 64H

18th June 1959: L/E Edinburgh - Carlisle (via Waverley route)

And on that bombshell, even Jeremy Clarkson becomes a Waverley Route enthusiast...