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Surviving Relics of a Railway Past - Auldbar Road

Bob Reid

Entry posted by Bob Reid

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Coming from the Scottish central belt you get used to the obliteration of track formations and structures caused by "progress" - goodness knows what some of the property developers would have done without the BR Property Boards once vast portfolio of redundant trackbeds and yards. The downside of this "progress" is that much of the recognisable railway has progressively disappeared over the years. Move out of the Edinburgh-Glasgow corridor north-eastwards (in our case by 125 miles) and it's incredible the difference it makes.

 

Whilst over the last two years I've wandered here and there up and down for a location for a layout, never really settling on a location, it became obvious that much of what I was after was on our (literal)! doorstep. One prospective candidate was Auldbar Road on the Caledonian main line between Forfar and Guthrie Junction. The line closed in 1967, and though the station closed in the 1950s a surprising amount still remains - almost all still exists (if a little overgrown) bar the wooden station buildings and of course the track and signals! The original stationmasters house remains, and adjacent to that, Auldbar Road signalbox, functioning as a private outbuilding these days, but looking better than it did in the early 60s when it was then a "redundant" BR asset.

 

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Perhaps you can see why I'm inspired to use this location for a layout.

 

For more info on this section of the Caledonian main line to Aberdeen I'd thoroughly recommend The Arbroath & Forfar Railway by Niall Ferguson published by The Oakwood Press

 

Bob

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Flood

And I thought you were modelling in 7mm part of Cowlairs works!

 

Is this location a probable or just a possible, OO or 7mm and which era? I must admit whichever topic you are talking about you have an ability to keep the reader interested so keep us all informed and I'll be following your progress.

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Bob Reid

I am Graham :huh: I've started constructing a 7mm diorama of part of the Carriage Shop at Glasgow Works (St.Rollox), purely to display / photograph the (infrequent) 7mm models I do, so therefore it's small (and non-functioning) in 7mm terms - which is about as much space as I have for an '0' gauge layout!

 

Fortunately I do have enough room (21ft x 7ft) in one of the lofts to fill with a 4mm scale / '00' gauge layout. I've tried a few locations however never being able to settle on a specific location didn't help! As most of my 4mm modelling has been in the 1960-68 period, and I've a leaning towards main-line as opposed to branch trains, Auldbar Road is more than a probable as I guess it ticks all the right boxes. Fortunately trains on the Glasgow-Aberdeen main line in that period were well photographed - and allow a typical for the period Scottish mix of ex-LMS and LNER locomotives!

 

Bob.

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Jamie

Manageable scope of works, mainline trains, not too sprawling - looking back into it, the Auldbar Road scheme does seem to be a pretty well balanced option.

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Bob Reid

Your quite right Jamie - seven points in the scenic area (C+L) and whatever it takes in the fiddle yard down the other long side. Main line trains certainly help as does the length to run them in - though I'll probably have to increase the A4 fleet by a couple and get my name down for a Bachmann A2... Oh and increase the number of Maroon Mark 1s - so if you feel like chucking yours in the bin, I've the perfect bin for them ;)

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Guest Max Stafford

Guest Max Stafford

Posted

You need to be getting on with this one Bob, I'd love to see Auldbar Road making progress!

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'CHARD

No idea why I've not visited your blog before Bob, but I love the lamented Glasgow - Aberdeen main line; I've only scratched the surface of it, and most of this since buying the awesome coffee table book on lost ScR lines late last year. It's a great subject, and if I could afford to spread my leisure time any thinner it would be my second strand for research after the Waverley (and my other favourite branch/ secondary network, the Moray Coast lines). ;)

 

I'll keep popping in to see what's been going on, great to see more fledgling ScR '60s projects, really great!

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Bob Reid
No idea why I've not visited your blog before Bob, but I love the lamented Glasgow - Aberdeen main line; I've only scratched the surface of it, and most of this since buying the awesome coffee table book on lost ScR lines late last year. It's a great subject, and if I could afford to spread my leisure time any thinner it would be my second strand for research after the Waverley (and my other favourite branch/ secondary network, the Moray Coast lines). wink.gif

 

I'll keep popping in to see what's been going on, great to see more fledgling ScR '60s projects, really great!

 

Thanks Chard......Still not managed to make a start on it - slightly (an excuse will do) delayed by getting partially flooded in November past thanks to the small river at the back of our house (normally 6-12" deep) becoming a 7-8ft deep torrent.......fortunately most of our house is upstairs but access this week was by a ciuple of the builders planks. Okay excuses over.

 

Still torn between this and the somewhat more local but bigger station at Stonehaven - still on the Glasgw-Aberdeen main line but about 35 miles further North and the ability to legitimately run East Coast expresses from Edinburgh and all point South with impunity. Failing that I've a fall back position of something entirely fictional still in the same area but like Dave the Dog using all the best bits!

 

Oh and there's the small matter of a 2010 challenge to build when I can develop all or any of the nonsense in my head I've in mind for it.

 

This is to be my Chinese year of the Layout - where I'll actually build enough to run the stock I have......A shunting Plank would do rolleyes.gif

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