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Strachur - BR blue in the West Highlands


Max Legroom
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A little known trial took place in late 1970 on the southern part of the WHL. Class 17s were trialled on featherweight freights as they were thought suitable for shunting the small goods yards in the area. The results were predictably bad! 

 

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5377 drags a dead D8574 into Strachur after the Clayton had expired on the climb to Rest and Be Thankful hauling three vans and a brakevan. D8574 was dumped in a siding for a few backs before being towed back to Glasgow - never to be seen again in these parts.

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I've been playing trains at Strachur. The 08 shouldn't really be there but it is an old favourite - a Bachmann model that runs beautifully and has a dcc chip hard-wired. The local boating folk are starting to take over the abandoned fisheries yard (models by Model Dockyard).

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10 hours ago, Max Legroom said:

A little known trial took place in late 1970 on the southern part of the WHL. Class 17s were trialled on featherweight freights as they were thought suitable for shunting the small goods yards in the area. The results were predictably bad! 

 

str9.jpg.b146a141a3c3e5cd05b41874acfba2eb.jpg

5377 drags a dead D8574 into Strachur after the Clayton had expired on the climb to Rest and Be Thankful hauling three vans and a brakevan. D8574 was dumped in a siding for a few backs before being towed back to Glasgow - never to be seen again in these parts.

Great livery combination, very much "of the time".:victory:

Istr mentioning a route via Rest and be Thankful, as a possible way of reaching Crinan to someone, eyebrows were raised at the gradient and engineering prospects!  It is also my excuse for 4 coaches max load for a type 2.....So no wonder the 17 had expired!

 

Martyn.

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On 23/07/2020 at 08:13, Max Legroom said:

A little known trial took place in late 1970 on the southern part of the WHL. Class 17s were trialled on featherweight freights as they were thought suitable for shunting the small goods yards in the area. The results were predictably bad! 

 

str9.jpg.b146a141a3c3e5cd05b41874acfba2eb.jpg

5377 drags a dead D8574 into Strachur after the Clayton had expired on the climb to Rest and Be Thankful hauling three vans and a brakevan. D8574 was dumped in a siding for a few backs before being towed back to Glasgow - never to be seen again in these parts.


No wonder that Clayton expired on the Rest and Be Thankful . Apologies for the dark image but at the time of day the sun was in front of me , although in true Scottish fashion, behind a cloud !  Hopefully you can still get an idea of the climb involved by following the road . The old road is visible beneath . By the way I posted a smiley on your post as I really did think a Clayton expiring on the Rest and Be Thankful was quite a laugh , I wasn’t being cheeky !  Anyway it was a nice trip today up the Rest and Be Thankful then continuing on to Lochgoilhead and back to St Catherine’s. Then Strachur Loch Eck and Dunoon. Wee ferry back across the Clyde . Really some stunning scenery . 

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5 hours ago, Legend said:


No wonder that Clayton expired on the Rest and Be Thankful . Apologies for the dark image but at the time of day the sun was in front of me , although in true Scottish fashion, behind a cloud !  Hopefully you can still get an idea of the climb involved by following the road . The old road is visible beneath . By the way I posted a smiley on your post as I really did think a Clayton expiring on the Rest and Be Thankful was quite a laugh , I wasn’t being cheeky !  Anyway it was a nice trip today up the Rest and Be Thankful then continuing on to Lochgoilhead and back to St Catherine’s. Then Strachur Loch Eck and Dunoon. Wee ferry back across the Clyde . Really some stunning scenery . 

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I’m very jealous of your trip and can’t wait to get up there. Alternative realities are good fun but I was really pushing things with the Clayton! (It is one of the early poor runners picked up cheaply with the gears and pick-ups removed.) Having said that, I was running a yellow class 07 on Strachur earlier and it looked quite at home! Brilliant model too!

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  • 2 weeks later...
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By the late 1970s, freight traffic had dwindled to domestic coal, the odd van of agricultural supplies and occasional timber from Cairndow. However, on this particular day the daily freight, hauled by 20002, included a vanwide and was met by the local PC. Along with the shunter, he kept watch on the van until a military truck arrived at which point any onlookers where sent on their way by the constable. Enquiries in the pub later that day revealed that the contents of the van were part of some top secret military trials further down the loch. Being as it was the height of the cold war no more was said!

 

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It's the end of the line for Strachur in its current form and the boards have been stripped for use in my next project which will be an urban layout based on Glasgow (inspired by Dalnottar Riverside). However, I think the idea of Strachur may resurface at some point perhaps in a slightly smaller form. The tracks parallel to the boards never quite worked for me and the low level of traffic meant that I was operating a lot of non-prototypical trains. The next layout will feature more action.

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5 minutes ago, Max Legroom said:

It's the end of the line for Strachur in its current form and the boards have been stripped for use in my next project which will be an urban layout based on Glasgow (inspired by Dalnottar Riverside). However, I think the idea of Strachur may resurface at some point perhaps in a slightly smaller form. The tracks parallel to the boards never quite worked for me and the low level of traffic meant that I was operating a lot of non-prototypical trains. The next layout will feature more action.

What a shame 

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2 hours ago, Max Legroom said:

It's the end of the line for Strachur in its current form and the boards have been stripped for use in my next project which will be an urban layout based on Glasgow (inspired by Dalnottar Riverside). However, I think the idea of Strachur may resurface at some point perhaps in a slightly smaller form. The tracks parallel to the boards never quite worked for me and the low level of traffic meant that I was operating a lot of non-prototypical trains. The next layout will feature more action.

 

Really sorry to hear that as it was a stunning looking layout .  Central Glasgow quite different although I'm sure will be equally good . Not familiar with Dalnottar Riverside is it on here?   Are you thinking Cathcart circle with cuttings , Island stations ?

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Here a final couple of photos.

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It was a tough decision to make but I've only got room for one layout this size and my Portmahomack micro gives me a chance to slow the pace down a bit when I want to.

 

The new layout will be based on the north bank of the Clyde with an island platform and small permanent way yard. Lots of short freight trains running back and forth. I'm thinking of calling it Jamaica Road and I'll start a new layout topic as soon as I get the track down.

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Ahh the Caledonian Lanarkshire and Dumbarton line perhaps ?   There is a very fine layout called Kilbowie that you may be interested in . I don't think its on here but one of the mags had it last year . Kilbowie is actually in Clydebank near the old Singer factory . Really great model .

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What a pity, it was a super wee layout.

I'll second Legends post; Kilbowie is ace but I was a bit underwhelmed by Dalnottar Riverside. It didn't look quite as good in person (at Model Rail Scotland) as it did in Chris Nevard's photos. Perhaps the lighting was a bit austere and it was set at kids viewing height which didn't help.

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On 28/10/2020 at 09:18, Max Legroom said:

It's the end of the line for Strachur in its current form and the boards have been stripped for use in my next project which will be an urban layout based on Glasgow (inspired by Dalnottar Riverside). However, I think the idea of Strachur may resurface at some point perhaps in a slightly smaller form. The tracks parallel to the boards never quite worked for me and the low level of traffic meant that I was operating a lot of non-prototypical trains. The next layout will feature more action.


Sorry to hear this but completely understood and it’s rule No. 1!
 

Thanks for sharing it though and I look forward to see the next project :good:

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It is a shame Strachur has reached the end of the road, as others have said it was a super layout. But I do understand how interest can wane once a layout is "complete" and the "what shall I do next?" thought processes start to kick in. Space is usually the factor that decides the outcome. 

 

I also look forward to seeing the new venture.

 

Martyn.

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