Perthshireman

Thanks for that. Now I know which one to buy. I rather doubt that I’ll be able to achieve results up to your standards, but I’ll give it a try. I just look forward to your next update.

James.

Stunning as always! I was looking at the Affinity software, and I see that it is now on version two, and there look to be three different versions, Designer, Photo and Publisher. I’m not sure if all three come as one package, or are purchased separately. If the latter, can I ask which one you use?

James

Hi Dave,

I've had a quick look through my records, and the mineral traffic for Kelvinbridge in 1909 shows that just under 71,000 tons were delivered to the station, while 1,711 were sent out. As I was concentrating on the Glasgow Central Railway, I don't have the figures for L&D stations such as Partick, but I would think that the figure would be come thing similar. It would certainly add up to quite a lot of wagon loads. 

For or the year ending 1899/1900, the number of wagons (waggons, as shown in the original document), delivered to Springfield & Mavisbank, Queens Dock, and Princes Dock were 98,406 or 346.90 daily. I suspect that the vast majority of them would have originated from the coal fields to the east of Glasgow, but it might justify you building a fair few extra coal carrying wagons!

Perthshireman

What a wonderful layout! I have only just discovered your blog, and thoroughly enjoyed catching up with it.

I have often thought that Kelvinbridge would make an excellent prototype for a layout. Tunnels at both ends, and the sort of intensive train service that many models of rural branch lines seem to enjoy! As part of my undergraduate studies, I wrote a dissertation about the history of The Glasgow Central Railway, and have often wondered whether it could be expanded into a book. I doubt that it would interest many people, and I'm a lazy so-and-so, so I very much doubt that it will happen. Whilst at uni, my girlfriend (now wife) and I had a flat in Kensington Gate, and we often used to walk the old GCR lines, particularly around Maryhill. Happy days! As you say, there was a large amount of coal for domestic consumption handled at the various (above ground) stations. Though I haven't seen any photographic evidence, one very elderly chap that I made contact with assured me that during the summer months, as the coal was stockpile in readiness for winter, the piles were whitewashed in order to prevent, or at least show, any pilferage. He also said the he remembered, during WW1, the Royal train being berthed in the tunnel between Kelvinbridge and Botanic Gardens, with soldiers posted at each end in order to protect King George. The Royal Train running through Partick - that would be something different!

As a point of interest, how big is your layout? I am almost tempted to divert my modelling interests from the Southern Railway to the Caley!

Keep up the superb work,

Xavier Onassis