Pagey

Hmmm - only one of them I have to get. As a former volunteer at the Lochty Private Railway when we got the 88DS from the North British Distillery at Haymarket it has to be that one. Seen here just after Pete Westwater finished the original repaint.... The loco actually arrived at Lochty in a drab green livery

Lets go back a bit in time.... 20014 still in green livery and apparently lacking an emblem on this side anyway along with an unknown partner haul mineral wagons through Derby in the summer of 1975 20220 waits in the bay at Markinch with mineral wagons while 60009 simmers in front of the goods shed - May 1975...

Hi Howie, Was there quite a few times and always wondered what the big flat area was - always assumed a big factory of some sort because of the difference in height to the running lines - I never thought of sidings. Thanks for that info.... Pagey

Hi All, 37's were few and far between in the early to mid 1970s around Edinburgh and Fife. Don't have one photo of them at that time around here. However I did save up and take photographic trips to Newcastle when I could. The first five photos are taken from what was the waste ground opposite Gateshead Shed in 1974 or 75. The remainder are at Stratford in the 1980s(?), I was obviously more interested in the new P&O container than the 37 in the last photo... apologies

Well Edinburgh was my favourite haunt from 72-74 or thereabouts and the East end was where I spent most of my time - as you say not as busy as the other end but found it more interesting. I did use the platforms but sat up on the wall on Jacobs Ladder as its called. Took these photos from there....

Hi Keefer, Just lucky that the photos I have left are of interesting subjects.... As I said in my original post I'm now kicking myself for not keeping all the pictures I took around Kirkcaldy - some were B&W and a bit ropey on an old camera but the content would have been interesting. One I remember was taken after a slight mishap in the yard. A Class 40 pulled into the loop northbound with a cement train (probably about 15 to 20 Cemflos - air braked so no van at the rear). It reversed back into the yard with the intention, I assume, of going into one of the long sidings behind the signal box. Unfortunately the points had been left set into the Class 06 shunter lie which ran up to the side of the signal box. Sitting in the lie was the usual Class 06 - standard brake van - Class 06 and another standard brake van against the buffer stop. The Cemflos hit the Class 06 and shunted the two locos and brake vans towards the signal box. The only damage in the end was the brake van finished up at 45 degrees up the buffer stop..... I spent a lot of time working on 60009 Union of South Africa when it was at Markinch - here's a photo taken of a DMU there - don't ask me why its on the Up line heading for Waverley with a destination of Dundee on the front!!!

Hi 65288_62C, Bringing back memories with some familiar numbers for the Metro Cammells... I don't want to stray out of the area of this post but since you listed all this info relating to the multiple units at Haymarket I do have this photo from the East end of Waverley taken probably late 1973 or 1974 - two Gloucesters and a Cravens on what I would guess is a North Berwick train. Apologies for the colour - I've tried to fix it a bit - was taken with Kodak Ektachome - without a UV filter... oops. :S

Just thought I'd add a couple of pictures in that I posted recently on another forum. The first I know would be a sight seen throughout the country at various times of a broken down Class 101 being towed by a Class 26. The second is of an unusal DMU formation (similar to the original picture that started this post). A single Class 101 coupled to a combination two cat Class 101 and Cravens and bringing up the rear a three car 101.

Hi Keefer, I'm not certain of the date but all the 1970's features of Kirkcaldy are still there, semaphore signals (and hence obviously the signal box), the 06, although I think there is just one, often there were two and accompanying brake van etc so you could be right about the mid seventies. As others have said, to my eternal shame, from about 1973 to 1976 I was probably at Kirkcaldy station on average every second Saturday heading for Edinburgh or Glasgow or if I had enough money Newcastle to "trainspot" (there's an admission I never thought I'd make!) and my entire remaining photo collection of Kirkcaldy consists of what you see here! Hi 65288_62C I'm not up on the designation of the DMU vehicles - I just knew them by their names, Metro-Cammell, Gloucester, Cravens etc but you're right the third car is a Cravens. Also because of the lack of corridor connections on the driving ends in reality this train consists of three different non connected sets. A three car Metro-Cammell at the rear, A Cravens and Metro-Cammell combination in the middle and a solitary Metro-Cammell at the front. Your comment on the platform width is correct - where the bay curved out to join the main line the platform was very narrow. I remember getting local trains (2 or three car DMU's) from the bay to Edinburgh in the early seventies. The Class 26 was hauling a failed Metro-Cammell - I'd like to see them try that these days! Done a bit of trawling the internet for the info on this one - the Class 50 was on a railtour as you can see - it was on 06/03/2005 the loco was 50 049 Defiance. It's in large logo with grey roof. Not sure if it's been mentioned earlier in the thread but does anybody remember the Class 122 Gloucester units that worked round Fife in the 70's? I think there were three - SC55001,2 & 3. They normally worked coupled to a two car Metro-Cammell or similar but on one occasion I remember getting on one working on it's own. Various other memories come back of Kirkcaldy in the 70's. The regular Aberdeen - York train usually worked by a Peak Class 45 or 46. The fish train worked by a Class 40. The "Merry-go-Rounds" from Seafield, three Class 20's and 41 MGR hoppers, Various pickup freights stopping at the yard. Late at night the grain train went through heading south - Class 40 and Grain wagons (the Hornby blue "Johnnie Walker" type). As Ian Kirk says we all had aspirations of building a model of Kirkcaldy. I lived until quite recently on Balsusney Road backing on to the railway between Bennochy bridge and Rosebery Terrace and thought of making a model of this as a "watching the trains go by" type layout with the two mainlines and the goods loop / headshunt for the yard....

Hi All I know I'm a bit late joining this discussion (about three years for the main Kirkcaldy items!) but thought I'd share the photos I have left of Kirkcaldy. I had lots more since I lived ten mins from the station but they've got lost over the years. Anyway just thought I'd share and if Ian Kirk reads this - yes it is me... Gary...