jhock Posted February 8, 2012 Share Posted February 8, 2012 Does any one have any pictures or links to pictures of Scottish timber trains from the 80's to present they can share? I am trying to find out which loco's where in use and if the trains where just timber or mixed goods. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed-farms Posted February 8, 2012 Share Posted February 8, 2012 37/4's would be a regular feature of the trains, before them I am guessing 26's, 27's and 37/0's would have held sway. I just googled "timber train Crianlarich" and selected images and a few came up, in theory if you googled "Timber train" and the name of any Scottish station on a line you are interested in should bring something up - I also tried Corpach. Hope this is of help Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhock Posted February 8, 2012 Author Share Posted February 8, 2012 Thank for that, I will give it a go, a have few pics from doing something similar. The issue for me is knowing stations to try it with. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
emac Posted February 8, 2012 Share Posted February 8, 2012 As said A bit of hunting on the WWW should bring a few images using google images a start for you http://www.railbrit....te2.php?id=3591 Intresting timber mannagement booklet which will be downloaded in pdf format for you to read has info on OATs you will have to copy link to browser to work http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=+scottish+timber+train+Crianlarich&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCQQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.timbertransportforum.org.uk%2FUpload%2FDocuments%2F41_TomCurry.pdf&ei=sQUzT-fUDMe38QPvruWEBw&usg=AFQjCNEWUGOv64LsD1XbTp8-Cb8RdITipg&cad=rja happy surfing eddie Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
emac Posted February 8, 2012 Share Posted February 8, 2012 Link downloaded booklet okay to my mac eddie Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhock Posted February 9, 2012 Author Share Posted February 9, 2012 Thank you for those links, the DRS PDF is very interesting and useful. I think the idea of conterised timber has been tried before in 2002. It is a good idea but would require investment from the road haulage firms as their trucks are not set up for it at present, but it would be good to see it work. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold beast66606 Posted February 9, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 9, 2012 I have a feeling the Chirk Kronospan timber loaded at Ardlui for a short time a few years back, it may have been in the class 56 + MBA era when EWS worked it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham R Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 This is a bit before the period you're interested in and the quality is horrible, but maybe it will encourage someone else to post better shots This is 27011 at Crianlarich Lower, October 1974. I don't have the WTT for that date but I would mistrust the 8B03 headcode - in 1975 and 1978 at least, that was the 0150 Cadder goods to Fort William, and it would have passed Crianlarich in the dark. I am guessing the loco was diagrammed to pick up empty timber wagons at Corpach after working 8B03, take them to Crianlarich, and bring a loaded train back to Corpach. Maybe someone who knew the West Highland in the seventies can confirm. I think the working would have been in the conditional WTT, or maybe a trip notice. Anyway hope it's of some interest. Graham Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest billS Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 In general terms - pre the demise of Speedlink in 1991, most timber was moved in mixed goods Speedlink services. After speedlink finished, pretty much all freight finished north of the central belt apart from a service to Aberdeen, which I recall ran as part of a "train ferry" residual network, and the bauxite, aluminium and paper trains on the West Highland. The exception was timber traffic from Inverness, Elgin, Huntly and Inverurie, which for a couple of years was serviced by a weekly train, almost invariably double headed by a pair of 37's. This ran empty North up the Highland main line to Inverness, and then returned south via the Aberdeen, dropping off empties and picking up loaded wagons. I can't recall the number of wagons, but it must have run to the maximum line capacity. I think there was a similar arrangement for timber on the West highland, but I don't know the details. In the mid nineties, Transrail started additional flows, pretty much rebuilding the Speedlink network in the area, and once again timber within mixed freight trains became the norm. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
retbsignalman Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 Hi! Another interesting attempt at wood carriage was in the 80's when a couple of OTAs were attached to a service train to Kyle and returned the following day (obviously three air braked coaches were used - TSO+BSO+TSO - vice the normal vacuum braked stock). Unfortunately this was short lived. The timber traffic following the demise of Speedlink ran to/from Inverness as billS described, and prior to the opening of the Channel Tunnel was booked for a Tinsley RfD 47 for a while, thereafter by a pair of 37s. The trains were indeed up to maximum capacity and went directly into Millburn Yard, Inverness where empties were left and loads picked up. It then went on towards Aberdeen in the afternoon (headcode 6M69 to Chirk rings a bell....) dropping off and picking up at Elgin, Keith, Huntly and Inverurie along the way. When this finished, the Aberdeen - Elgin service was run as a trip service, which in its later days often produced a Crompton (either 33025 or 030)! This also carried any traffic in vans (VGA/VAA/VBA) for the MOD based around Elgin. The Inverness traffic was carried on the daily Mossend service, which had a class 56 or 47 or occasionally a pair of 37s as motive power, and ran as part of the mixed traffic (as opposed to a dedicated service) - cement, ferryvans, VGAs, BDAs etc. Despite the vast tracts of woodland in the far north, there have only been a couple of attempts at transporting it by rail in the recent past. The most notable of these being around 2003/4 when EWS ran a service of OTAs from a specially made loading pad at Kinbrace to Inverness, from where it was taken by road to Norboard at Dalcross (6 miles east of Inverness). When EWS lost the contract to carry timber on the WHL, the OTAs came to Inverness for storage, and last year went to Elgin for furthur storage when Millburn Yards' ownership transferred to Network Rail. Unfortunately, They were cut up on site at Elgin earlier this year. Its very unlikely class 56's would have been on the WHL at all due to their Route Availability (too heavy for the WHL) and a lack of RETB equipment required beyond Craigendoran. Dispensation - with severe speed restrictions and portable RETB equipment - was granted to Colas to run 57s to Crianlarich for a recent contract. It is hoped that the Kinbrace traffic will restart this year with a different company and method of working.... Hope this helps, Cheers Graeme In general terms - pre the demise of Speedlink in 1991, most timber was moved in mixed goods Speedlink services. After speedlink finished, pretty much all freight finished north of the central belt apart from a service to Aberdeen, which I recall ran as part of a "train ferry" residual network, and the bauxite, aluminium and paper trains on the West Highland. The exception was timber traffic from Inverness, Elgin, Huntly and Inverurie, which for a couple of years was serviced by a weekly train, almost invariably double headed by a pair of 37's. This ran empty North up the Highland main line to Inverness, and then returned south via the Aberdeen, dropping off empties and picking up loaded wagons. I can't recall the number of wagons, but it must have run to the maximum line capacity. I think there was a similar arrangement for timber on the West highland, but I don't know the details. In the mid nineties, Transrail started additional flows, pretty much rebuilding the Speedlink network in the area, and once again timber within mixed freight trains became the norm. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
coachmann Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 The Elgin-Deeside (North Wales) timber trains were in the hands of Class 56's and 60's by the time I started to photograph & film them, but prior to that it was double headed Class 37s (not 37/4's as they were busy working passenger at the time). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irishswissernie Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 Check out the Scottish Gallery on my Flickr site; there are numerous examples of Timber trains in the 1980's thereon. http://www.flickr.com/photos/irishswissernie/ regards Ernie Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhock Posted February 9, 2012 Author Share Posted February 9, 2012 Thank you for all the information, all very useful. Excellent collection of photos Ernie, just what I was after. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottishlocos Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 Hi all I am sure a few pics I have seen of more recent enterprise type trains on the West Highland line featured OTA timber wagons ICA silver bullets and tiphook curtain sided bogie flats 2 of each wagon and a dutch split box class 37/0 providing the power. Timber was loaded in sidings at Fort William depot. regards Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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