hexagon789

Must be then surely, I know there was a short term use of a 2D BFK in one of the Aberdeen Mk2 sets for a period in 1985 (shortage of 2E/F FOs while being painted into ScotRail possibly?) but I have never seen a 2D FK in one of the push-pulls. Interesting that you say it must be another repainting in error (presumably meant to be IC livery). A pity, for a short time there was me thinking there was a new coach ripe for inclusion in my Aberdeen Mk2 set! Oh well, I'll just go for 3284 instead for a slight variation, at least that definitely did appear in ScotRail internal workings!

It's not really Scotland (it's Crewe) but it's a ScotRail livery coach abd it's the 1980s. Mk2D FK 13566, a coach I was not aware was painted in ScotRail, indeed I didn't know any Mk2D FK were: (Copyright Alan Murray flickr) Was anyone aware of any 2D FKs being so treated? News to me!

One small tip, if you decide you want to go to/from Gatwick Airport to/from London DO NOT use Gatwick Express. The premium is not worth it and the services are actually slower than the regular Southern services. (The GatEx trains aren't running currently but are due back later this year.)

Ssh, don't give them any more ideas or we'll lose the Circle and H&C next!

I don't know which profiles LU use, but something like your suggestion yes.

The S-stock doesn’t have any tyres to turn down - one-piece monobloc wheels. Yes, they have one-piece monobloc wheels. Furthermore, the issue is not turning the wheels too much, instead what happened was several S8 stock trains had the incorrect wheel profile machined. Hence service cuts until the affected units can all be rectified.

My reading of how it's split is: UK/EEA queue - no visa entry requirements (so that's the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, US, Canada, Australia, NZ, S. Africa and so on) Other queue - everybody else

Who could fail to like these? Especially with two very handsome Re4/4II in TEE colours.

Compatibility of parts. The SR had of course a huge fleet of EMUs, and the DEMUs share traction motors, bogies, brake equipment and other components with them. The refurbished 205 unit was even modified to be able to multi with EMUs! There was also the flexibility factor such as with the "Tadpoles", very cheaply strung together with ex-Hastings DEMU power cars and various trailers plus EMU driving trailers. For minimal expenditure they got 3-car DEMUs for the Redhill line, the brakes were compatible already and only a minimal adjustment was needed to enable the EMU driving trailer to "talk" to the DEMU power car, the only limitation was when driving in push mode from the DT only 4 power notches were available out of the 7 on the power car. None of the other regions had anything like the number of EMU vehicles and the same level of compatibility of parts wasn't going to be there so using the more common mechanical system pioneered by the GWR probably made sense for other region's operations. When the original Hastings Diesel sets were being developed, BR management wanted to utilise conventional mechanical transmission with underfloor "bus-type" engines, the SR argued it had decades experience with electric motors and the performance was better. Despite the higher cost, the SR won the argument.

It's essentially two services which just happen to share a unit. A ScotRail Glasgow-Dumfries-Carlisle and a Northern Carlisle-Newcastle. Northern essentially "borrow" the ScotRail unit to work one of their own Carlisle/Newcastle semi-fast services. The joint SR/NT through service is indeed being withdrawn in May. This will mean anyone from GSW stations will need to change at Carlisle for Newcastle but that already offers more convenient departure times. The unit saving to ScotRail allows the following: a two-hourly pattern ScotRail Glasgow-Dumfries-Carlisle service instead of the present mote haphazard service which is currently roughly three-hourly. It will also give a near all day (early morning to late evening but two-hourly after 1900) hourly Dunfries-Carlisle service, presently mostly two-hourly.

A superb and wonderfully varied selection. Thanks for sharing them with us, they made my afternoon.

Perhaps the size of the page and all the photos? Can load a bit slow if the Internet speed drops, maybe just give it a minute or two to load everything and then see if the photos appear? I used to have to do this before the phone company renewed the phone line and my connection speed went up 5 times in one go! Hopefully something sorts itself out for you Barry, fingers are crossed for you!

They lasted a while, given the Mk1 bogies were permitted 90mph without special maintenance for secondary routes there would be no need to upgrade bogies. On the Scottish Region nowhere permitted higher than 75mph (except two short 90 sections Dunblane-Perth) until 1982 outside the GSW to Carlisle (80), the ScR section of the ECML (80 until 1977, 100 after) the WCML (75 until 1973, then 100) and E&G (90 from 1971, 100 Glasgow-Falkirk from ~1977). For the Far North 65 was the limit, Kyle just 40, the West Highland 40 until 1979 then 50mph, Oban - 50. Even on the mainlines 75 was the maximum until the introduction of HST limits firstly on Edinburgh-Aberdeen in 1982, and eventually higher loco-hauled speeds such a 90 Perth-Dundee in 1982 and then various other sections of Glasgow-Aberdeen, Edinburgh-Aberdeen, Perth-Inverness throughout the mid-80s. So no reason to upgrade them to 100mph vehicles as such in the 1970s or early 80s and then by the time higher LHCS limits came in, Sprinterisation was beginning. I'd argue that then when Sprinterisation began and it was known most Mk1s used on secondary routes would be withdrawn, there would be no incentive to rebogie them. There was one unusual Mk1 bogied Mk1 working though, on Sundays in certainly 1986 and 1987, possibly 1985 and 1988 as well but I've no evidence for those years, one of Polmadie's 90mph Mk1 bogied dual braked Mk1 BSOT was booked to be formed in a Mk3 push-pull set used on the 1525 GLQ-ABD and 1900 return in the Summer and Winter 1987 timetables. So you had 1976 built Mk3s, a 1974 built 2F and a 1955 vintage Mk1 all in the same train hauled or "shoved" by a 1960s built 47! A true showcase of BR through the years, eh?

Hi Ian, I meant to say yesterday when I saw Barry's post. All the images are displaying correctly for myself - Nos. 166 and 176 included, no issues my end.

You can certainly see the previous double formation around the Culloden area, I think that's the most visibly obvious section.

In fact not even that, Daviot was the southernmost extent of double line, Culloden is where it was cut back to. I'll go back and edit my post though, thanks for spotting my error there.

Superior to anything else that does any Edinburgh-Glasgow route bar the odd use of an XC HST perhaps though seat pitch on those is tighter in Std Class than on the 220/221s. Be warned, the sleeper is quite expensive nowadays and the newer carriages are very rattly. Others may disagree but I don't think the experience now justifies the expense. I don't think you'll be disappointed, even if you don't get a ferry and find Wemyss Bay too small, very easy to get a bus the short distance to Largs where there are many more amenities in the way of cafés and restaurants.

I hope not - a Class 3 is an Empty Coaching Stock move! Presumably it's 1S40, one of the "restored" TPE services from May. Yes, both are Glasgow Cent-Motherwell-(Carstairs)-Haymarket-Edinburgh and vice-versa

And other than the severe curve through Forfar, pretty straight as well. There are a number of logs of A4s from the 1962-66 ScR Swansong of the class show speeds into the 80s even as high as 90-odd attained sometimes. I think that speaks as to the quality of the line.

0748 off Glasgow Central, so it's not dreadfully early. The mainline via Falkirk High os probably better, though there is some reasonable scenery going via Shotts. Likely best left until December when apparently the via Shotts semi-fasts will return abd journey times will be 30 mins quicker. The 385 is probably more comfortable as well, being more an outer suburban unit with proper tables and more than one toilet. If you've the time or inclination, Wemyss Bay is worth a short visit. If you like books, there is an excellent second hand bookshop in the station as well. Most, but not all, York-Scarborough shuttles. These are the current diagrams: Diagram 1 5F48 0443 Longsight-Manchester Victoria 1F48 0554 Manchester Victoria-Liverpool LS 1E25 0654 Liverpool LS-Scarborough 1F66 1234 Scarborough-York 1E35 1420 York-Scarborough 1T78 1834 Scarborough-York 1E49 2117 York-Scarborough Stables Scarborough Diagram 2 1F52 0534 Scarborough-York 1E21 0707 York-Scarborough 1F60 0934 Scarborough-York 1E29 1120 York-Scarborough 1F68 1334 Scarborough-York 1E37 1520 York-Scarborough 1F74 1634 Scarborough-York 1E43 1820 York-Scarborough 1P94 2034 Scarborough-Manchester Air 5H84 2343 Manchester Air-Lonsight Stables Longsight Diagram 3 5E41 1506 Longsight-Manchester Picc 1E41 1529 Manchester Picc-Scarborough 1T92 1934 Scarborough-Leeds (via CFD) SX 1T51 2124 Leeds-Scarborough (via CFD) SX 1T92 1934 Scarborough-York SO 1T51 2200 York-Scarborough SO Stables Scarborough Diagram 4 1F54 0634 Scarborough-York 1E23 0803 York-Scarborough 1F62 1034 Scarborough-York 1E31 1220 York-Scarborough 1F72 1534 Scarborough-Manchester Vic 5H72 1800 Manchester Vic-Longsight Stables Longsight These apply from the May timetable change (subject to the usual caveats re last minute changes): Diagram 1 1F52 0534 SCA-LIV (0834) 1E29 0854 LIV-SCA (1151) 1F66 1234 SCA-LIV (1531) 1E43 1554 LIV-SCA (1851) 1K90 1934 SCA-MAN (2159) 5H90 2229 MAN-XML (2240) Stables Longsight Diagram 2 1F54 0634 SCA-LIV (0932) 1E31 0954 LIV-SCA (1251) 1F68 1334 SCA-LIV (1631) 1E45 1654 LIV-SCA (1951) 1P94 2021 SCA-MIA (2328) 5H84 2344 MIA-XML (0024) Stables Longsight Diagram 3 5P59 0347 XML-MCV (0448) 1P59 0500 MCV-YRK (0640) 1T21 0702 YRK-SCA (0753) 1F58 0834 SCA-LIV (1134) 1E35 1154 LIV-SCA (1450) 5F74 1510 SCA-SCA (1620) 1F74 1634 SCA-LIV (1932) 1E51 1954 LIV-SCA (2251) Stables Scarborough Diagram 4 5E23 0513 XML-MCV (0619) 1E23 0630 MCV-SCA (0852) 1F60 0934 SCA-LIV (1232) 1E37 1254 LIV-SCA (1551) 5E37 1540 SCA-SCA (1750) 1F78 1834 SCA-MCV (2059) 1E53 2115 MCV-SCA (2352) Stables Scarborough Diagram 5 5B62 0437 DON-SHF (0500) 1B62 0521 SHF-CLE (0716) 1B69 0727 CLE-MAN (1002) 1B72 1018 MAN-CLE (1255) 1B81 1324 CLE-MAN (1602) 1B84 1618 MAN-CLE (1853) 1B93 1924 CLE-MAN (2206) 5H99 2223 MAN-XML (2234) Stables Longsight Diagram 6 5B64 0428 XML-MIA (0514) 1B64 0556 MIA-CLE (0902) 1B73 0926 CLE-MAN (1202) 1B76 1218 MAN-CLE (1453) 1B85 1524 CLE-MAN (1802) 1B88 1818 MAN-CLE (2052) 5B88 2103 CLE-DON (2219) Stables Doncaster

I understand the plan was every second service would run fast Fairlie-Saltcoats to obviate the need to reinstall any station platforms. Ie the other line would essentially be a dynamic loop rather than conventional double track.

I believe it was 1968, either fully or begun at least in that year.

Very true, I was bound to forget one! North of Hunterston was singled due to the electrification as I recall, there being one overbridge where clearance was too tight so the line was singled and realigned to pass through the centre. There were recent (2018-19?) plans to electrify and upgrade the freight line was passenger use to permit a half-hourly Largs service, but given the plethora of cuts across the ScotRail network that looks to be pie in the sky now.

Perhaps I misread it, I thought they meant the last 12 months as opposed to last year but as you say - the text is still present and in 90% of cases that's the important bit. I feel for people where photos are illustrating a particular technique or something of use to others where those photos have gone. At least your photos are still over on the AFK website, that's got to be a huge relief given the numbers of them.

I understand recent events have caused all photos posted within the last year to be deleted/removed from rmweb. There is a post explaining it all accessible from the homepage.