Bill Jamieson

Re colour of Blue Peter's nameplates, I've found quite a few b&w shots from May - July 1966 which suggest that the plates had a black background at that time. One colour photograph quite clearly shows a black background on a claimed date of 1/9/66. However this is certainly erroneous as the buffer heads and smokebox door straps are not painted white, which they were at that date, and I believe it may date from the end of June 1966 when the photographer took a number of other shots south of Stonehaven which appear in the same album. The white embellishments on the smokebox door (but not the buffers) and blue numberplates were present for the LCGB A2 Commemorative Railtour on 14/8/66 and I would suggest they were probably acquired immediately before that tour. Incidentally, a WJV Anderson colour shot from January 1964 hints that the nameplates may have been blue back then. Bill

I hope everyone observed a two minute silence at 02.38 this morning to mark the arrival of D8606 back at Hawick from Newcastleton. I did, barring any snoring of course. Bill

I should have added that, according to Neil Caplan's "Border Country Branch Line Album", 77011 was active between Hawick and Newcastle on the last Saturday of passenger services over the Border Counties (13/10/56). I presume there was no Sunday service and that this was actually the last day. Bill

Kenneth Gray lists 77011 and 77014 as having reached Hawick, presumably over the Border Counties (both had spells at Blaydon). The Tweedmouth 77xxx would be either 77002 or 77004 which were the regulars at Duns in 1965/66 until the end of steam at 52D in June of the latter year. Bill

Getting a bit off topic, but likewise in John Hooper's fairly recent book "The WD Austerity 2-8-0". Mind you more often than not the locos are so filthy it's impossible to tell what is adorning the tender. It all hinges on when exactly the cycling lion emblem was introduced - it was certainly in use by August 1949 but some O7s were being renumbered into the 90xxx series as early as March of that year. As this renumbering wasn't completed until 1951 it looks as if it was only done at works visits when a new cast front numberplate could be fitted. Bill

Sorry for assuming that everyone knew, but Kenneth is a well known (at least to some on this forum) railway enthusiast who was brought up in Hawick, the son of a railwayman. He was a keen observer of events on the WR through the fifties and sixties, albeit for the last ten years or so of the lines existence he worked away from the town but still visited regularly (as he does to this day). In recent years he has kept lists (which I think may have been started by members of the Hawick Model Railway Club - Bruce, can you confirm?) and I quote from the introduction from the one for steam locos (there's also one for diesels):- "STEAM LOCOMOTIVES KNOWN TO HAVE WORKED INTO OR THROUGH HAWICK" "This list has been compiled from the knowledge, records and recollections of local enthusiasts augmented by information derived from various published sources most notably the RCTS Locomotives of the L.N.E.R. and Yeadon's Register of L.N.E.R. Locomotives." Bill

From the reference to an A3, I imagine this was the summer SO train from Scarborough (10.25 from there in 1966, don't know what time in 1965), although that would have passed the photographer a good bit later than "early afternoon". Bill

Yes, that one features in Kenneth's list but under its later BR number of 90038. However as it was at St. Margarets from 1947 until 1953 (when it migrated south to Colwick) it probably ran over the WR as 3038, 63038 and 90038.. Bill

Kenneth Gray's list shows 63030 as having worked on the WR. It would appear that most of the other O7s / WDs allocated to Tweedmouth during the period 1947-51 were also seen - 63001, E3006, 63072, 63106, 63114, 3158, 63190, 79202, 79206 and 79264. Only 63008 and 63162 are missing. Bill

It was D188. Bill

Iain, I'm fairly certain (although admittedly not 100%) that Glenesk Viaduct will not be doubled at present. There may have been an aspiration to do that back in 2008 but the amount of double track has been reduced significantly since then in the interests of cutting costs (but at the risk of unreliability in running the service). Thanks for the offer re the structures file - I presume we're talking an electronic file here, which I would be happy to receive. Bill

The loco involved was D8606 - David Spaven gives a detailed account of what happened in his recent book "Waverley Route". Bill

Robin Barbour photographed 90705 southbound through Hawick in 1958. http://www.railbrit....te.php?id=25897 He also photographed 90004 on shed at Hawick in the same year but that doesn't seem to have appeared on Railscot yet. Bill PS The date is 24th August 1958

That's quite possible - the LNER had 200 of them, numbered 3000 - 3199. A lot of them carried 63xxx numbers under BR before being renumbered in the 90xxx series. Bill

Were there not some really sharp curves in the goods yard at Kelso which would have precluded a main line loco shunting? (but obviously the wagons must have been disposed in such a way that a Clayton could do the final clear-out - or perhaps nobody was bothered if the track got spread a bit). Once the Kelso duty ceased it's difficult to imagine what an 08 could usefully have done. Bill

Yes, I would say the Steam in Scotland shot was taken not far west of Oxwellmains from the old A1 bridge over the ECML. Bill

Bruce, was this was the usual change of pilot loco at Hawick as if it was just a normal Saturday? Bill

Not a link but just to make you aware that the December edition of "Steam Days" has an eight page spread of Waverley Route colour shots. Some of them look very familiar but there are a few which I haven't seen before, including one from Gavin Morrison of double headed B1s at Steele Road on the RCTS Borders Railtour of 9/7/61. Bill

And for once the meaning of the modern terminology is clearer. Bill

By the way, that's me in the light grey jacket, Bill

Come on Iain, less of the anachronistic acronyms please, it was a PWS back in the sixties, not a TSR! Bill

Matt, give me a call before you set off and I'll explain to you exactly where to look. Bill

Maggies Bing? - that one had me scratching my head for a bit before the penny dropped! By coincidence, I walked along here on Friday last and I can report that what appears to be part of the back wall of the box is still standing. I also had a bit of a search around the tip area and there are loads of NBR rail chairs (of different patterns and with dates ranging from 1905 to 1922), mostly still attached to sleepers, to be found in the undergrowth at the northern extremity of the tip. It would probably be worthwhile going again when the vegetation has properly died back but access isn't that easy (probably best gained from the Crichton Castle direction). Bill

Here's another picture from my Lady Victoria visit on 25/5/71 - the A7 bridge just south of Newtongrange station with the platforms visible beyond. Bill

My suggestion is that 92015 had been borrowed by the Motherwell shedmaster to work a Mossend to Millerhill class 8 mineral train and that it most likely went back west as per whatever diagram it was on. That said, the loco is known to have worked over the WR. Bill