East Kilbride in the 1970s and 1980s

[Ben04uk]

I'm researching a potential new layout of East Kilbride - can anyone let me know the classes of DMU's that would have served the area in the 1970s and 1980s? Would the daily pick up goods service only ever handled by a Class 20 in this period or were other classes used?

[Ian Smeeton]

I only went to East Kilbride once (once too often?)

 

I think that there were still a couple of coal yards still working, with 16t Minerals.

 

I never saw anything else, though. Or a loco. DMUs would have been Derby/Pressed Steel 3 car units or the ubiquitous Met Camm 101s

 

I would think that anything Polmadie based in Typoe 1/2 power classes could have been used, so Claytons (very early), 24's, 25's, 26's & 27's, are all possible as well as the 20's

 

Wasn't there a Radio Times printing plant along the branch somewhere? That may have generated vans out and paper in.

 

I think that the CRA magazine had an article about the branch in recent times. I will have a scan through, failing that, a reuqest for info on the Crassoc Forum may yield some answers.

 

Regards

 

Ian

[keefer]

Some info on RAILSCOT: https://www.railscot.co.uk/East_Kilbride_Line/index.php

The East Kilbride pics page also has a slightly more detailed chronology (start at page 3 for your era):  https://www.railscot.co.uk/locations/E/East_Kilbride/2.html

DMUs for you time period seem to be mainly cl.101,107 and 116 followed eventually by cl.156. Mention is made of the Radio Times works being at Hairmyres.

Edited May 14, 2019 by keefer

[Legend]

Dmus , primarily class 116, 107 with the occasional 101 . 

[pH]

A bit before your time, and not on the East Kilbride line itself, but some more information on the Radio Times traffic:

 

https://www.railscot.co.uk/img/44/312/

 

(I knew I'd seen reference to Radio Times at this station.)

[hexagon789]

01 mostly with the odd 107, 116 and even 126 making appearances. 156s were introduced from October 1989, 101s still appeared right up until the late 1990s, though seemingly mostly on Barrhead rather than EK workings.

[luckymucklebackit]

The layout of the Radio Times Facility can be seen here https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/#zoom=16&lat=55.7635&lon=-4.2165&layers=170&right=BingHyb

I can remember seeing BGs and other parcels stock in the sidings but photographs of the workings are rare.  Note that EK was only a true terminus from January 1966, prior to that the line extended to Mavor and Coulson's Engineering Works and it was common for loco hauled stock to be stored on the extension over the weekend.

 

Jim