keefer

obviously a new purchase - they've managed to renumber it, but could do with a bit of weathering http://www.flickr.com/photos/blue-diesels/8328785291/sizes/l/in/photostream/

notice in brushveteran's pic of 5397 that it has yellow window rubbers - would these have been painted or were they actually yellow? don't suppose they'd go to the effort of changing them specially?

pic of blue buffet in 1979: http://www.flickr.com/photos/brianews/5808808267/in/set-72157626627223211/ don't know if the buffet would still have been in use by this time. ISTR these were technically cl.111? looks like a bit of a scratch set, possibly with a cl.122 substituting for a 101 DMS

just come across this cracking pic of 06002 waiting by the signalbox, 15/6/79 http://www.flickr.com/photos/roger_sutcliffe/5954065600/in/set-72157626278361184

the ying tong song - the goons

had a look at another pic in jodel's set of an AL6: http://www.flickr.com/photos/the-evanses/7211554676/in/set-72157630682271572 looks too uniform to be muck/weathering on the roofdome and i suppose would tie in with the then-new rail blue. sorry for going OT!

looking at the AL6, is it a trick of the light or does it have pale (rail) grey roofdome with white window frames?

thanks for that, that's excellent! i must admit i've only looked at the 'old' maps on nls - obviously need to start digging a bit more into what's there. incedentally more about the motorway and pics at Pathetic Motorways

on another topic, someone linked to an unknown-to-me flickr : http://www.flickr.co...olycorner/sets/ the industrials set has NCB & WPR at methil hunslet shunter at thornton: http://www.flickr.co...157632077178578 scottish steam in fife also has some good pics at thornton, leslie etc meant to post a link earlier, but the talk of sinclairtown reminded me i'd seen the entrance to the former up-side goods yard (now a car dealer) looks like the original gates, still with ScR light blue on the tops of the posts? : http://goo.gl/maps/HKn5m go a bit further up and i wonder if these substantial gate-posts show the original station entrance? the large building (now italian restaurant) is the former station hotel, which i'm sure must've still been open as such into the 70s/80s : http://goo.gl/maps/Wqvju

OT as it's ex-caledonian and not GW, but found this nice pic of coaling tubs being used http://www.flickr.com/photos/holycorner/8150976940/in/set-72157631917451460/

there used to be some on the ScR, usually as timetabled 'parcels' trains. e.g. an edinburgh-carstairs used to be loco+BSK or BG and i think there was one dundee-perth or similar

goods loop and headshunt appear on the 1913 OS map, though when they actually were put in, i don't know the same map also shows the two 3-ways here also shown are a trailing connections between up/down mains and from the down loop-down main (on the other side of bennochy bridge). the up main also has a facing connection onto the up loop right at bennochy bridge. these aren't present by sometime in the 50s (on a 1:2500 map on old-maps.co.uk)

me and you and a dog named boo - lobo

had a look again at nls maps and found it on the 1896 OS map - notice how it crosses the cobbled road and ends near the corner, but doesn't actually go into the works fantastic find jamesmc and fantastic info graham and andy just when i think this topic is slowing down, someone finds something else to get it going again! excellent work guys

any guesses at a date for that pic - maybe 1968/9? i don't suppose that mk1 BGs would be too quick into b/g and there's also a lined maroon one. when did the gresley full brakes last until?

link to 1955 OS map at nls maps just been looking at this as i must admit, although i knew of the route generally etc., i hadn't paid too much attention to where it actually went. of course if you have a modern OS map to hand, it makes it easy to compare the line with the M90 which partly took its place (both maps start at dunfermline)

and prayed sybil

blue for you - status quo (going to the FF reunion gig in glasgow in march!)

i've already quoted from it, so i thought i'd scan the relevant pages from the 1969 ScR sectional appendix for your enjoyment! (mods - if i'm breaching copyright, i'll remove the images immediately) table 'A' p.133 - 136 and 'local instructions' p.293 of B.R. 30006 dated 18th. January 1969 i'll have a look through the other sections in the book to see if there's anything relevant to the line, or if there's anything specific anyone wants to know.

the houses on forth avenue were there and still are - but you can't see them in the photo because of the factories between the yard and forth avenue itself. where these factories were, is now landscaped with grass and trees. good view on OS map (1940s): http://maps.nls.uk/os/25inch-2nd-and-later/view/?jp2=82881867#jp2=82881867&zoom=5&lat=8691.5&lon=10632&layers=BT looking at the landscaped bits today, there doesn't seem to have been much 'width' to accommodate factories there, although i suppose the roadway on forth avenue has probably been widened since.

i'm repeating myself, but fantastic pics again! i automatically thought the invertiel viaduct pic was looking west, but it's actually looking east modern google streetview looking at 1943 25-inch OS map at nls, this used to be the kirkcaldy steam laundry

from the 1969 ScR sectional appendix, the steepest grades on the line are: dunfermline lower-touch sth. 1 in 75 touch sth. - townhill jn. 1 in 72 kelty nth. - bridge of earn generally 1 in 73 or 1 in 75

how long was ernest marples in charge of the roads for? (beeching's brother-in-law i believe) i suppose logistically, if it came down to a choice of keeping a 'duplicate' rail line (albeit faster, but with less 'important' stations) or saving £millions on the new motorway by using the available route (i.e. without having to completely engineer a new path for it) the road would win. i don't know if it all came under some other 'unofficial' rationalisation, but there were a hellofalot of closures in the late 60s of lines which had survived beeching - whether it was a case of wait-and-see or wait-until-some-alternative comes along, i don't know - but i think it's accepted that the govt. bias in favour of roads was not an irrational 'conspiracy'

glad to see you back in the saddle dave, looking forward to seeing WW progress

brand new key - melanie