Bill Jamieson

Traverse slowly - although a sign in English would be worded differently. Bill

Trevor, Consulting World Steam, it seems that most of the 012s were withdrawn from the start of the summer timetable in 1975, which I suppose started on Sunday 1st June. Certainly I was back there in early May and the 012s were performing as expected on a limited number of diagrams - over two days I saw 012 061/6/75/81 at work (WS records there still being seven serviceable at that time). The one exception was 012 061, retained for railtour duties, and I suppose it could also have substituted for a failed diesel during that summer - WS records the occasional use of a class 042 on passenger duties after May 1975. Bill

Thanks Trevor. While it's true I did get to a few places in West Germany, I was really a couple of years too late e.g. for the Schiefe Ebene - a visit to Hof shed in 1974 only found a handful of class 50s allocated (plus a visting class 44 from Bw Weiden), with the 01 Pacifics all gone. You mention the Harz and for me that was one of the best destinations through the 1980's, especially with the number of freight workings there were until 1990 - mind you it's as well German reunification happened when it did otherwise full dieselisation would have taken place, so it's still a great experience, not that I've been back recently. Bill PS I've really enjoyed your pages on the David Heys Collection site.

That really is a great shot and demonstrates well the flexibility that the square format gives. I wasn't on the tour you mentioned but I did visit Rheine-Emden a couple of weeks later. This was part of what had been planned as an extended shed bash through West Germany and Austria (catalysed by, if I remember correctly, the May 1974 edition of Railway World which had a photo feature on Rheine-Emden and also a long article on surviving steam in Austria). In the event, I did some lineside photography as well, including a day and a half around Lingen and Salzbergen. I’ve uploaded a few of the shots from that and subsequent trips on the German Fotocommunity site and the DB shots can be found here:- http://www.fotocommunity.de/user_photos/1764694?page=1&folder_id=781642 Bill

Thanks Alasdair - I had a feeling that there had been a more recent thread on this issue than December 2014. A pity I hadn't found it as it would have saved me a lot of typing! Bill

A bit of a late response, but I've just been looking in the 1947 LNER Scottish Area General Appendix and noticed the following, which may be of interest. Bill LINE No. 17 - PORTOBELLO EAST JUNCTION AND CARLISLE (CANAL JUNCTION) GALASHIELS SKIN WORKS SIDING - PATERSON’S No. 2 SIDING - PATERSON’S No. 1 SIDING When it is necessary for a train which must return to Galashiels to work these sidings, all concerned must come to a clear understanding, and the Driver must be in possession of the token for the Galashiels-Innerleithen section. After shunting has been completed, the Guard or Shunter must telephone the Signalman, and the engine will thereafter round the train by way of the Peebles Branch connection and the Up Main line. The Driver after returning to Galashiels on the Up Main line must hand the token to the Signalman and the latter must pass it through the Instrument and withdraw another token in order to obtain the necessary release for signal No. 57 G. When handing this second token to the Driver of the light engine the Signalman must instruct him to pass at “Danger” the Down Main Advanced Starting signal (No. 17), propel his train on to the Peebles Branch, and return on the Up Main line. The catch points in the Down Main line, situated about 30 yards in advance of the connection leading to Paterson’s No. 2 siding, are controlled from the ground frame by a slotted joint. The catch points are fitted with a facing point bolt which must be operated before the siding points lever can be reversed. The facing point bolt lever is locked in the reverse position by the occupation of the track circuit in advance of the marker board. After completion of shunting operations in the siding, the train must set back to the Galashiels side of the marker board before the facing point bolt lever and the ground frame can be restored to normal.

Due to severe vandaiism in the Carlisle No. 3 Junction to Darnick Siding area, the down Waverley of 11th September 2016 has been terminated at Carlisle. It is not clear when normal service will resume.

I'm fairly sure the shot claimed to be near Galashiels is actually approaching the closed station at Brisco, on the WCML just south of Carlisle. Bill

Alasdair, I really should join the NBRSG too - it would be well worthwhile for the journal alone, which is an excellent publication. Bill

Alasdair, By chance I bought a copy of NBR Study Group Journal No. 119 (July 2013) at the Hawick show on Saturday and this has a description of the reverse manoeuvre performed by a Queen St. to Scarborough train, which was diverted via Carstairs (after calling at Waverley) in the aftermath of the 1948 floods. If this is anything to go by, you have basically got it right, except that it seems more likely the complete train (including the train locos attached at the rear) would have been hauled out of Princes St. by a pilot loco as far as Haymarket West Junction, where there was an exchange siding located between the Glasgow and Forth Bridge lines. The exchange siding can be seen on the OS 1:2500 map - http://maps.nls.uk/view/82877442 Bill

Ian, Yes, I think you've got it. A derailment south of but close to Carstairs would certainly make sense if the train involved was an Edinburgh portion rather than a train from Glasgow (which could be divertd over the G&SW). The predecessor of the Mid-day Scot in the very last year of the CR (1.30 pm from Glasgow and Edinburgh, 9.30 am from Aberdeen) conveyed through coaches from Edinburgh to Liverpool, Manchester and Euston. The Edinburgh and Aberdeen portions combined at Symington (rather than Carstairs) and would have been a reasonably substantial train - they were united with the train starting in Glasgow at Carlisle - but how long this arrangement lasted under the LMS, I have no idea. Although rather blurred, the number of the leading loco looks to be 920, which was one of two Compounds allocated to Dalry Road from new in 1927, so this at least seems to fit with it being an Edinburgh portion. The loco livery is 1928 maroon but are the coaches later than that? A search for accidents at Carstairs only reveals a February 1930 incident which can be ruled out because of the foliage on the trees, but there were incidents further south, of which a contender is a derailment at Kirtlebridge on 2nd July 1930. Bill PS Alasdair's reply was posted while I was writing the above so I wasn't aware that he had confirmed the identity of the train.

pH, I have my doubts about it being 1940 as well (photography of railways would have been prohibited by that date for example) but it does illustrate why a diversion over the WR could occur. I would agree that in normal circumstances the use of two Compounds would not have been usual by that time but I wonder if the LNER would have accepted a Princess or Duchess at short notice (c.f. recent Network Rail 'gauging issues') - that said the cleanliness factor you mention does seem a convincing argument against 1940. Bill PS The Gretna Jn crash is the only one I can find on the website I gave the link to earlier (and I've checked against Floriston, Mossband, Kingmoor and Etterby as well), but I suspect that a freight train derailment at any of these locations, not involving any passenger trains or fatalities, probably wouldn't appear, even if it shut up the shop for for hours.

Not if the incident causing the diversion happened somewhere north of Carlisle but south of Grtena Jn. Bill PS There was a serious crash actually at Gretna Junction on 5th November 1940. The trees in the shot don't really look that autumnal, but if it hadn't been a windy autumn, they might have kept their leaves that late. http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/documents/MoT_Gretna1940.pdf

Agreed - this obviously complicates the issue for 'Chard! Bill

Well it looks to me, comparing two shots of my own on Railscot, that the spacing is even with a one piece headcode box and quite different from a central split box - https://www.railscot.co.uk/imageenlarge/imagecomplete.php?id=44614 https://www.railscot.co.uk/imageenlarge/imagecomplete.php?id=42178 Bill

I'm inclined to say it's a split headcode loco - with a single box the four characters were evenly spaced but it looks to me as if there might be a larger gap in the middle. My only other comment is that I wouldn't necessarily eliminate a loco because it doesn't appear in Kenneth Gray's list - that is very much a work in progress and new locos are still occasionally found in photographs. Bill

Afraid not - Robin Barbour's diary only listed the date, location and identity of the A4. Bill

The October 2010 edition of Steam Days magazine has a long article entiltled Fish Traffic from North-East Scotland and it has the following to say about the above working in 1963:- The next train from Aberdeen was the 2.15pm for Carstairs, which conveyed traffic mainly for Manchester and Birmingham. Still worked in 1963 by steam, this arrived at Carstairs at 6.42pm. Here it was formed into the 8.0pm to Birmingham (Curzon Street) and the 8.10pm for Manchester (Oldham Road). The 8.0pm working only stopped at Carlisle before detaching traffic at Warrington, Crewe, Stafford and also Wolverhampton, reaching Curzon Street at 4.03am. The second train detached traffic at Preston, including a Liverpool section, and Wigan before reaching its destination at 2.55 am. This will be the same working as appears in many WJV Anderson shots and is described as the 4.45pm from Perth, where locos were changed, with a Kingmoor class 6P or 7P loco (or a Princess in the early '60s) taking over. Bill PS The same article includes a photo of a double-headed fish train south of Aberdeen and although not identified is probably the above train - motive power was an A4 piloted by a 65B Caprotti Standard Class 5.

Apologies if the link below has already appeared somewhere on this site. Despite the title, most of the action ia actually between Aberdeen and Stonehaven. I presume the mail pick-up near the start of the video is at the latter, just south of the station - I once saw this live here in 1957 or '58 (at age 7 or 8) on the annual family holiday, and even after almost 60 years the location still seems vaguely familiar. Bill http://player.bfi.org.uk/film/watch-great-north-of-scotland-railway-films-1963/

Steam trips to Tweedbank for 2016 - two return workings each Sunday from 7th August until 25th September - have just been announced. 46100 will do the honours in August and 60009 in September. Bill https://www.scotrail.co.uk/scotland-by-rail/steam-train-trips?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletterJune2016

60103 romping uphill between Borthwick Bank and Tynehead where the line skirts the top of Maggie Bowie’s Glen. The sun had just emerged from behind a cloud and the 10:45 from Tweedbank had only gone past about 30 seconds earlier, so it was a close run thing! 15th May 2016 Bill

'Chard, unfortunately Hawick South box started a new register just about a week before closure and with it covering the New Year there aren't a lot of days with a full service. Not all the signalmen noted loco numbers either. Bill

5331 didn't work over the WR on the 4th and it's perhaps most likely that it brought in a parcels from Perth. Class 24 No. 5131 (also from Inverness) did, but that left on the 09:20 to Edinburgh and I presume he wouldn't have been in Carlisle early enough to see it (5131 later worked the 16:12 Edinburgh - Hawick and 18:07 return in lieu of a dmu). 5317 was on the 07:06 from Edinburgh and 13:00 return, then the 17:54 back south. A down light engine working through Hawick at 22:29 was presumably it heading back to Haymarket. 5311 worked the 15:00 from Edinburgh and 19:44 return. 264 was on the 22:45 from Edinburgh (advertised only as far as Newcastleton), so would have been seen in the early hours of the 5th. It is presumed to have returned north on 3S01 03:50 mail /parcels to Edinburgh. Bill PS I wonder why he didn't record Black 5s 44932 and 45262 dumped at Kingmoor, and 44767 which was probably inside the old repair shop there (at least it was a couple of weeks earlier when I visited).

60163 on the front tomorrow (Sunday), I understand. Bill

I have seen the video, but it was a long time ago. Bill