Freight through Fife in the late 70's

[jbg06003]

Thanks Dave,

 

I'll have a look out for the books.

 

I presume that the Bachmann 30t unfitted bolster is the appropriate vehicle?

 

Re Dundee shed.

 

The entrance was located near the western end of Roseangle. It was flattened in the mid 80's around the time the area was resignalled and the track rationalised. A great pity as the shed staff were usually brand-new.

 

This view is from the opposite direction to Brian's and was taken in November 1980

 

 

Another view of the shed interior - DMU's in the northern half of the shed in Jan 1981

 

 

Outside again - check out the missing fish plate on the foreground track!! For such a small shed it always had plenty variety.

 

 

Bruce

[Lokomotivfuhrer]

If Bruce and the other emembers will permit me, I can give a little bit more info about Dundee Depot, specifically in relation to the photo images.

Thanks to all who have contributed up to now - it certainly begins to add labels to some of the trains I saw and photographed.

 

As a small token of thanks here's some pics.

 

 

'Chard mentioned the Dysart pit - or Dubbie shunt as it was known locally. Here 27037 hauls an Edinburgh to Dundee service past the remnants of the junction of the pit branch with the main line. There was also a station sited close by.

 

Yeah the old Dysart station was on that curve.

 

 

Kirkcaldy's third station was Sinclairton - here 27021 passes also with a northbound Dundee service.

 

The platforms were still there at that time. In fact you can just make out the remains of the staircase to the Down Platform just above the rear coach in the image.

 

 

South of the town was the large Seafield pit - here 20222 shunts engineers stock after closure of the pit. In happier days class 20's in 2's and 3's were needed to take away the coal.

 

Can't tell you much more about this. Thornton men ruled the roost here.

 

 

Further north 40122 passes Leuchars with the southbound fish

 

Note the fuel tanks in the background in at RAF Leuchars, on the what were the only remains of the old branch to Tayport etc.

 

Dundee shed

 

 

The Class 40 and Class 26 are in the "Table Lye". The DMU sets in the background are in the "Tank Road", named after the Fuel Storage Tanks just out of shot to the left.

 

 

47342 and the DMU Car appear to be in No.2 High Pit Road in the Shed. The Class 25 and 08 are in No.3 Road. It's a little difficult to tell from the anlge of the shot.

 

Hope this brings back some memories.

 

Bruce

[Lokomotivfuhrer]

Here is a bit of Dundee shed taken on the walk from the station to the depot from a bit of a park if I remember.

 

The Park you refere to is called the Seabraes, being the old Brae or Hill down to the Sea (well the River Tay actually) which came right up to that point before the Cally filled it in for puposes of constructing the railway.

 

The DMU Power Car is as Brian says on the Table Road, probably for turning to make a up a Set.

 

The Breakdown Crane is sitting in the "Table Lye".

 

The Class 27 is sitting at the Locomotive Fuel Point. (the DMU Fuel Point was on the approach to 5,6,7,8 roads.

 

The Class 26 is sitting just outside No.1 High Pit road.

 

The DMU sitting at bottom of shot is sitting in the "Tank Road".

 

You can just see Buckingham Junction Signal Box to the right of shot, which controlled entry/exit to the Depot, and

Dundee West Yard, and in it's heyday, to Dundee West Station. Behind that are the Boilerhouse and Main Stores.

 

The Driver in the image standing mid-shot looks like Will Copeland!

[Lokomotivfuhrer]

The "wee" shed (the one that became the diesel depot) was located at the west end of the whole Seabraes area. If you stand in the playpark at the bottom of Roseangle and look back towards the station the shed was located between the tenement block and the running lines.

 

http://john-duffy.fo.../p24923969.html

 

seen to the left in this photo.

 

In the photo of the class 40 in this thread you can see the church at the top of Roseangle and the top of the university tower.

 

The entrance was down Roseangle and not far from the bottom off to the left, "a cinder path" led to the sheds.

 

The facilities were quite extensive with (if memory serves) 8 roads. 4 were used as stabling and 4 were the workshops.

 

John

 

Sorry to detract once more. The entrance road to the Depot ws in fact tarred, and there were 2 car parks, 1 adjacent to the Admin Block, and another which was a "cinderbed " as John said against the North Wall of the Shed Building. If anyones interested, the official address of the Depot was:-

 

British Rail

Dundee Diesel Depot

45 Roseangle

Dundee

 

Must be getting old - can't remember the Post Code!

[brian daniels]

Just walking down the approach road to see 47208 following it's bump.

[sulzer27jd]

Sorry to detract once more. The entrance road to the Depot ws in fact tarred, and there were 2 car parks, 1 adjacent to the Admin Block, and another which was a "cinderbed " as John said against the North Wall of the Shed Building. If anyones interested, the official address of the Depot

 

I was paraphrasing the old Locoshed books, sorry if it was too subtle.

 

There are lots of locations that are only now a shadow of their former selves but Dundee now bears no resemblance to the photos shown above and at that time it was just a shadow of its previous status. I have a copy of Trains Illustrated from around 1956/7 in which Dundee was "resort for railfans" no 36 or there about.

 

I was looking through some old photos and found this pretty awful shot, but it does show one of Dundee's home based 08's - 761. And the winter scene seems appropriate.

 

 

J

[Lokomotivfuhrer]

Just walking down the approach road to see 47208 following it's bump.

I was in Edinburgh the when that day I think. She's sitting just outside No.8 road. That's where they removed the Sulzer engine from her, before she was towed to the West Mineral Yard, where she sat for months whilst being slowly broken up.

 

Strangely enough, my car is just out of sight to the left of shot - I've seen another image taken from inside the shed and my car is in it.

[jbg06003]

To sort of get back on thread - not that I'm complaining as I was probably responsible for the diversion

 

From a source which quite frankly should have occurred to me before - Aberdeen pipe traffic :icon_redface:

 

As a poor attempt to deflect the scorn, my fading memory does suggest that the pipe trains from my yoof were carrying larger pipes but maybe that's best left for my analyst...

 

Bruce

 

PS The Dundee Tay Bridge shots were a very welcome diversion but what about that Fife enigma - Dunfermline Townhill????

[Lokomotivfuhrer]

I was paraphrasing the old Locoshed books, sorry if it was too subtle.

 

There are lots of locations that are only now a shadow of their former selves but Dundee now bears no resemblance to the photos shown above and at that time it was just a shadow of its previous status. I have a copy of Trains Illustrated from around 1956/7 in which Dundee was "resort for railfans" no 36 or there about.

 

I was looking through some old photos and found this pretty awful shot, but it does show one of Dundee's home based 08's - 761. And the winter scene seems appropriate.

 

 

J

I believe round that time Dundee had 08 725, 08 761, and 08 762. I can find many references to them in my "diaries of the time" !

['CHARD]

No, the cinder path reference definitely wasn't lost, in fact it triggered a wry smile and sensation of a lost era.

 

I always approached depots in the early eighties along their regulation 'cinder path,' in accordance with the relevant entry in the Locoshed Directory. Although I suspect the copy had altered little or nothing since the demise of steam, subtle changes had occurred on the ground; certainly many a cinder path had become a rutted track or some uncomfortable concreted right of way, shared with what would today be road-railers.

 

As we were invariably on foot, access roads steeped in the ghosts of steam were and forever will be 'cinder paths.'

[Lokomotivfuhrer]

To sort of get back on thread - not that I'm complaining as I was probably responsible for the diversion

 

From a source which quite frankly should have occurred to me before - Aberdeen pipe traffic :icon_redface:

 

As a poor attempt to deflect the scorn, my fading memory does suggest that the pipe trains from my yoof were carrying larger pipes but maybe that's best left for my analyst...

 

Bruce

Good point. Some of them most ceretainly were. A lot of these were destined for a new Gas Pipeline between Nigg Bay and somewhere on the East Coast of England. Strangely enough, the pipeline actually went under the ECML at Fetteresso, North of Carmont SB.

[sulzer27jd]

I believe round that time Dundee had 08 725, 08 761, and 08 762. I can find many references to them in my "diaries of the time" !

 

The other one I remember was 08712.

 

re the pipe traffic, the other size was much bigger;

 

 

Some of these had a coloured coating if I remember correctly. Bright yellow or green rings a bell.

 

John

[jbg06003]

Mark,

 

Yer pals..

 

 

Note the Perth Station Pilot board

 

 

 

Bruce

[jbg06003]

The other one I remember was 08712.

 

re the pipe traffic, the other size was much bigger;

 

 

Some of these had a coloured coating if I remember correctly. Bright yellow or green rings a bell.

 

John

 

 

Hi John,

 

Not sure if this was a different traffic - from memory the pipes came from Hartlepool(?)and were coated at Leith but where they went after I don't know. You're spot on about the garish colour though

 

 

Bruce

[Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71]

Bruce,

 

I've only seen fitted bolster 'c' examples used in these trains, so far.

 

Cheers

 

Dave