My collection of transparencies/prints from unknown photographers includes many from Scotland; a country that (sadly) I never visited until my early 20s. My mother’s holiday requirement for sun, sea and sand in the 50s & 60s did not fit with the unpredictability of the Scottish weather, and I missed all the wonderful branch lines, plus the last years of the ex-LNER pacifics.
By the time I did get that far north, even the Claytons and NBL Type 2s had gone as well.
Here are some images just to illustrate part of what I was never destined to see.
Any new negative scans will be posted at the top, for convenience.
On April 4th 1958, we see K2 2-6-0 61764 ‘Loch Arkaig’ and N15 0-6-2T 69197 moving around at Eastfield shed in Glasgow.
Many of the Robinson D11 Large Director 4-4-0 locomotives were allocated to Scottish sheds. This is Thornton Junction on April 6th 1958, with 62678 ‘Luckie Mucklebackit’ awaiting another duty. The names of these locomotives were from characters in novels by Sir Walter Scott.
The Clan Pacifics were designed to work in Scotland, but were not particularly successful. Here 72008 ‘Clan Macleod’ arrives at Gleneagles on June 27th 1964.
Britannia pacific 70038 ‘Robin Hood’ leaves Perth with a fish train in May 1964. Modellers note that almost every van behind the locomotive is a different shade of their original base colour.
Another Britannia, this time 70036 ‘Boadicea’ is seen near Stonehaven on June 29th 1966. In just over 3 months time from the image date, this locomotive would be withdrawn from service.
I purchased some Norman Preedy images many years ago. This is BRC&W type 2 D5415 photographed at Mallaig on August 15th 1969.
Another NE Preedy image; this time at Glasgow works in the late 1960s. Sulzert type 2 D5067 looks a little sad in faded BR green livery.
Swindon Inter City unit on a working to Ayr circa 1960. I am not clever enough to know the difference between the early units, and the class 126 without seeing the numbers.
Standard class 4 2-6-0 76001 does a bit of shunting at Mallaig on August 13th 1960.
This is Greenock shed yard on April 5th 1958. Pickersgill 4-4-0 54497 shares a siding with 0-6-0T 47169 and Drummond 0-4-0ST 56031.
I buy old b/w negatives in job lots occasionally, but most are the usual poor quality Box Brownie type of images. However, occasionally a real gem turns up – and I consider this to be worth the cost of the entire box. ex-Highland Railway ‘Clan Goods’ 4-6-0 57951 is seen at Inverness during LMS days. This locomotive was withdrawn in 1951.
Reid designed J35 0-6-0 64492 is seen in the Edinburgh area during the early 1950s. The locomotive was allocated to St Margarets, and so the location might be there.
Aberdeen station on 19th December 1963. Awaiting departure are 76104, 60851, and a uid B1.
4F 0-6-0 44234 poses when fresh out of Inverurie Works on 11th September 1959. I wonder how long it will remain in this condition. Only 3 more years to go at this point. The loco carries a St Rollox shedplate when the books say it had moved to Grangemouth 65F some months earlier.
A clean Black 5 44794 leaves Gleneagles with an eastbound passenger train on 28th May 1966.
Another Black 5 45472 departs Inverness in July 1955.
46247 ‘City Of Liverpool’ climbs Beattock on 4th June 1960, and seems to be making light work of the gradient with an 8 coach train.
With only 9 months to withdrawal CR 4-4-0 54495 appears to be in good condition as it waits in the sunshine at Dingwall for its next duty. 23rd October 1961.
Climbing past Dundee shed with a fitted van train in September 1965, Peppercorn pacific 60532 ‘Blue Peter’ would give BR another 15 months service until withdrawal at the end of 1966, and then proceed to a much longer life in preservation than the almost 19 years it managed on the national railway.
Trainspotting data from 1947 until 1980 