Scheduled freight services on West Highland and Far North Lines

[lather]

I'm trying to find details of regular scheduled freight services on both the West Highland and Far North lines in the mid to late 1980s. What I'm trying to find is the actual timings of the services, to see how they fitted in with the passenger services, plus any info about the typical consists for the freight services. I know some previous threads here have discussed such services, but the only detail for the Far North Line is from about 10 years previous to the period I'm interested in and, while it does list the reporting numbers, doesn't give the times for the services.

 

I've tried to find a copies of the WTTs for the lines, but they seem to be rarer than rocking horse excrement, so any information at all would be greatly appreciated.

[young37215]

WTT's crop upon Ebay from time to time, you just need to keep checking. The 1987 WTT shows the following northbound services on the WHL which were much the same with only occassional changes to timings throughout the 1980's.

 

7Y31 0510 Mossend to Mallaig Junction Yard

7Y33 0952 Mossend to Mallaig Junction Yard

7Y37 1223 Mossend to Corpach

7Y39 1330 Mossend to Oban

6S56 0712 Blyth to Mallaig Junction Yard

 

There were the same number of return workings each day. Trains ran during the daytime with freight and passenger interspersed and passing at the various crossing points along the line. Interestingly Mallaig Junction Yard was still shown as Mallaig Junction Yard in the WTT notwithstanding the RETB introduction which is when I understood the change of name to Fort William Junction occurred. 

 

There are several RMWeb threads that cover the consists and the usual freight flows. 

 

Edited April 21, 2020 by young37215

[03060]

Information at the rear of Nick Meskell's Scottish Class 37s Vol.2 (also like 'RHS' to get hold of apparently) mentions the 06.05 7D10 FW to M/end and gives a detailed timing path which also passes 7Y31 at Tyndrum Upper. These are also reportedly taken from the 1987-88 WTT but I don't know how they fit in with the info already given from young37215.

 

Regards,

Ian.

[Daddyman]

I was going to suggest looking at captions in the Meskell book - had forgotten he did the thing at the back mentioned by 03060. 

 

Another source, but later, is Michael Rhodes and Paul Shannon, Freight Only, Vol.3: Wales and Scotland (Silver Link Publishing, 1988), which has a list of all freight services from August 1988 for both Inverness and the WHL. There are substantial differences in times and reporting codes from those listed for 1987 above. 

[young37215]

13 hours ago, Daddyman said:

There are substantial differences in times and reporting codes from those listed for 1987 above. 

 

The change in certain freight timings reflected that with RETB the WHL became usable 24 hours a day whereas whilst it remained semaphore controlled, operations were contingent upon signal boxes being open. 

 

There is a 1990 WTT currently being sold on Ebay for those who are interested. Of course passenger services were Sprinter by then.

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ScotRail-Working-Timetable-of-Passenger-Parcels-Freight-Train-Services-1990/254614158831?hash=item3b482fbdef:g:2ZoAAOSwRtBe1OAG