Slides — 1984 - ’85

SRPS “The Suburban Centenarian” — Saturday, 1 December 1984

Perth Station Open Day — Saturday, 20 April 1985

SRPS “The Carnegie 150” — Saturday, 27 April

“The Forth Bridge Flyer” — June or July

ScotRail “The Jacobite” — Tuesday 30 & Wednesday, 31 July

SRPS “The Nithsdale Express” — Saturday, 31 August

SRPS “Santa Specials” — Sunday, 15 December 1985

"The Suburban Centenarian" — Saturday, 1 December 1984

To mark the centenary of opening of the Edinburgh Suburban Line (1884 - 1962), SRPS, in collaboration with the Morningside Association, organised a special excursion from Falkirk Grahamston departing at 9am, west through Cumbernauld and Springburn to Cowlairs Junction, returning east on the Glasgow - Falkirk High - Edinburgh main line before diverting round the Sub to arrive in Waverley from the east just before 2pm. Two trips round the Sub followed (about 45 minues each) before Maude returned to Falkirk.

	Click here for route description.

Maude (NBR No.673, BR No.65243) is a North British Railway C Class locomotive, built by Neilson & Co. of Glasgow in 1891. After War Service on the Western Front during the First World War, it was named Maude after Lt. Gen. Maude, Commander of the British Forces in Mesopotamia. It was based at Haymarket and Bathgate before purchase by the SRPS in 1966. During the 1980s NBR673 travelled widely on the main line, operating SRPS Railtours, the 1984 Mallaig Steam Specials and, most notably, a round trip from Falkirk under its own power to the Rainhill 150 Celebrations in 1980. Maude is currently on loan to the National Railway Museum, York. [Plagiarised from the SRPS website.]

Our train arriving at Grahamston	Minor maintenance

		The SRPS buffet car

Maude emerges from the Mound ...		... and heads for Haymarket ...

... leaving her signature behind	NBR 673 "Maude" heads a train into a disused station on the Edinburgh Sub. (Morningside?)

... and off to Aberdeen

Perth Station Open Day — Saturday, 20 April 1985

No.9 at Waverley

As a public relations exercise, ScotRail (or British Rail) organised a few station "Open Day"s around the country. To coincide with the Perth Open Day, someone organised a trip from Waverley hauled by A4 60009 "Union of South Africa" from Edinburgh. I can't remember the route but a lack of photos suggests we did not go over the Forth Bridge.

Most of the exhibits were in the yard at Perth with 47708 "Waverley" on a 4-coach push-pull set (more usually seen on the Glasgow - Edinburgh service) running a shuttle service between the station and yard.

LNER A4 Class 4488 (BR No 60009) Pacific 4-6-2 was built in 1937 at Doncaster Works for East Coast Main Line services between Aberdeen & London and spent most of her working life based at Haymarket.

No.9 at Perth	No.9 at Perth	No.9 at Perth

No.9 leaves Perth station for the yard	LMS 5690 "Leander"	BR A4 60009 "Union of South Africa"

Deltic D9000 "Royal Scots Grey" (55022)	Tender end view of LMS 5690 "Leander"	Front view of LMS 5690 "Leander"

LMS Jubilee Class 5690 "Leander" (BR No 45690) built 1937 at Crewe Works	General shot of the yard featuring No.9, D9000 and sundry track maintenance vehicles	Ethel 1

Ethel — Electric Train Heating Ex-Locomotive — If I've got this right, when ScotRail acquired its first Class 37s, they had been built for freight work and lacked the capacity to supply power to heat Mk3 sleeper coaches. So, ScotRail converted three Class 25/3 locos to supply that power and slotted them into the sleeper trains. Ethels became redundant when Class 37/4 locos arrived.

LMS Stanier Class 5 4767 (BR No 44767) built 1947 at Crewe Works ...	... named "George Stephenson" in 1975	A view of No.9 "Union of South Africa" beyond the empty Inverness platforms

47xxx hauls in a passenger train from Dundee	No.9 "Union of South Africa" in Platform 1	Some elegant CR carriages on a train to Falkirk

British Railways crest on No.9's tender

SRPS "The Carnegie 150" — Saturday, 27 April

Any excuse for a steam excursion. To mark 150 years since the birth of Andrew Carnegie in Dunfermline, No.9 hauled a trip from Falkirk Grahamstown to Edinburgh, the engine turned at Abbeyhill and the train continued over the Forth Bridge to Dunfermline. I presume we returned by the same route to Edinburgh where Dave & I (and possibly others) got off and went to take photos as the train went round the Sub on its way back to Falkirk.

	No.9 hauls "The Carnegie 150" into Grahamston Station

BR A4 60009 "Union of South Africa" emerges from the Calton Hill tunnel in a cloud of steam, having turned at Abbeyhill, and coasts into Waverley

Windae hingin' on the Forth Bridge

A clarty pair of Class 20s haul a train of coal empties past Dunfermline	BR A4 60009 "Union of South Africa" approaches Dunfermline Station

Running round the Sub (Morningside?)

Looks like the Sub, but which junction? And how did we get there so quickly?

... and off to a Waverley trip

"The Forth Bridge Flyer" — Late May or June

Not sure why I was in Dundee. Probably with Dave, but what else did we do to justify the trip? I've no idea who ran the train or what the route was, and I can't find any reference on-line.

A southbound HST heads for the Tay Bridge	No.9 heads for Perth

... and on for an unexplained trip to Fort William

ScotRail "The Jacobite" — Tuesday 30 & Wednesday, 31 July

I think Mike Worling suggested the trip on "The Jacobite" (Fort William to Mallaig). One day for the train trip, photography at Glenfinnan on the following day before returning to Edinburgh. Stayed at Glen Nevis Youth Hostel.

Black Five 44767 "George Stephenson" brings the train out of the siding at Fort William ...		... and parks it in the platform

Windae hingin' is a popular pastime

A pause at Arisaig to cross the service train

At Mallaig

Mair windae hingin' on the return journey

	The Ben from the Caledonian Canal at Corpach	Parking the carriages for the night

Day 2 and out to Glenfinnan for the iconic shots of a train crossing the viaduct

Here it comes

Crossing the viaduct

The train on its way back to Fort William

... and off to England for more trains

SRPS "The Nithsdale Express" — Saturday 31 August

An excursion from Edinburgh hauled by Black Five 44767 "George Stephenson" through Falkirk Grahamston, Cumbernauld and Carmyle to Ayr for the Ayr Station Open Day, the highlight of which was a DMU excursion to Ardrossan Harbour via the Kilwinning Bypass. After a suitable pause, we continued from Ayr to Kilmarnock and down to Dumfries. "George Stephenson" was detached and replaced by a diesel for the return journey. At Kilmarnock, there was an unexpected delay caused by the removal of the diesel and the attachment of No.9 "Union of South Africa" (which had been at Ayr) for the rest of the journey.

	"George Stephenson" manoeuvering at Waverley

Windae hingin' behind 44767 "George Stephenson" with diesel pilot somewhere between Falkirk Grahamston and Carmyle

44767 "George Stephenson" idling at Ayr ...	... and taking a short excursion to Troon

... and on to Linlithgow

SRPS “Santa Specials” — Sunday, 15 December 1985

"Maude" ran several (3?) trips around the Sub. Dave and I travelled on the first then took photos of the subsequent runs.

NBR 673 "Maude" at Waverley for the SRPS Santa Special round the Sub

NBR 673 "Maude" leaving Waverley for the SRPS Santa Special round the Sub.

I think these were taken from the road bridge at Blackford Avenue

I think these were taken at Cluny Ave, Morningside		A southbound InterCity 125 leaving Waverley

Yet another departure from Waverley

And that's all folks, so back to the beginning.

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