RMweb Gold TravisM Posted January 6, 2022 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 6, 2022 I know that Class 45's got as far north as Glasgow and Edinburgh, but did they venture even further north to such exotic places as Perth, Dundee, Aberdeen or even Inverness on a regular basis? The only pictures I seem to find of a type 4, are Class 40's and 47's; so with the Class 45's having a similar wheel base as Class 40's, I assume that their RA would be the same but traction knowledge might be a different matter. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BR traction instructor Posted January 6, 2022 Share Posted January 6, 2022 (edited) Glasgow central for west/central Scotland until barred due to derailments on tight crossovers. Aberdeen on the East coast occasionally with Freightliner workings, or cement from Oxwellmains…I have a picture on file of one passing Markinch with empty PCA/PCVs on such a turn…45003 in March 1980. 45012 approaching the Forth bridge from the north with empty MGR hoppers in the late 70s is another. LPG tanks from (Herbrandston) to Sighthill was another way of reaching Edinburgh for 45/46s. I have a B&W image of a 45 passing Stirling sbnd from Perth with parcels/newspaper vans on file too…I’ll have a shuftie. Found the pic…Photographer Les Riley, May 1975, 45104 on 5M20 Perth to Red Bank, Manchester. BeRTIe Edited January 6, 2022 by BR traction instructor 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
forest2807 Posted January 6, 2022 Share Posted January 6, 2022 I think I can recall seeing photos of Class 45's at Perth (I'm sure I'm not imagining it) but I am certain I have never seen or heard any evidence of one traversing the Highland line north of Perth to Inverness. As stated previously, they did venture up the East Coast to Aberdeen occasionally in later years. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GordonC Posted January 6, 2022 Share Posted January 6, 2022 It must have happened from time to time, I'd suspect it would have been easier to have traction and route knowledge north of Edinburgh up the East Coast for them rather than north of Glasgow on the west. A few photos I found Dundee Glasgow Central Leith Craigentinney Haymarket 11 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
giz Posted January 6, 2022 Share Posted January 6, 2022 There a few pictures of Class 46s at Montrose on Edinburgh Aberdeens here: https://www.derbysulzers.com/peakseverywhere.html Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold TravisM Posted January 6, 2022 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted January 6, 2022 3 hours ago, giz said: There a few pictures of Class 46s at Montrose on Edinburgh Aberdeens here: https://www.derbysulzers.com/peakseverywhere.html It would seem that Class 46’s were more common than Class 45’s north of Perth, I’ve no idea why that would be. It would seem that 45’s were cut off their cross country trains at Edinburgh Waverley, then given a quick refresh at Haymarket before heading back south. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BR traction instructor Posted January 6, 2022 Share Posted January 6, 2022 (edited) Haymarket had 46s allocated…D153 from 1962, D147 was a Corkerhill loco in 1962, D170/176 were allocated to Haymarket in 1970/71. The short durations however would suggest crew training. This would explain their more frequent appearances in Scotland. BeRTIe Edited January 7, 2022 by BR traction instructor Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Kazmierczak Posted January 6, 2022 Share Posted January 6, 2022 Half the 46s had been at Gateshead since their inception, so very much at home on the ECML and further north across the border. The second post has a pic of a 45, but it looks more like a 46 to me. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PerthBox Posted January 6, 2022 Share Posted January 6, 2022 (edited) 5 hours ago, forest2807 said: I think I can recall seeing photos of Class 45's at Perth (I'm sure I'm not imagining it) but I am certain I have never seen or heard any evidence of one traversing the Highland line north of Perth to Inverness. As stated previously, they did venture up the East Coast to Aberdeen occasionally in later years. Perth men signed them in the 1960s and they were regulars on Perth shed until it closed in October '69. I am sure I've seen a black and white photo on Flickr of a class 46 at Inverness but, of course, I can't find it now. Edited January 6, 2022 by PerthBox 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luckymucklebackit Posted January 9, 2022 Share Posted January 9, 2022 According to Derbysulzers.com they did make it as far as Perth around 1966, I have seen two photographs of peaks working out of Buchanan Street. "Peaks continued to work out of Glasgow Buchanan Street, the 12.00 Dundee - Glasgow, 18.00 return and the 16.25 to Inverness (to Perth) were favourites with D89 noted on Feb 5th & 9th on the former two and D46 on the latter on 26th. Despite their presence in the Glasgow area the EE Type 4s were rare performers on the Dundee turns, Peak failures were normally covered by Class 5s, with the 20.00 hours from Dundee being a favourite for steam substitution. Another working to bring Peaks into the area was the 14.20 Waverley - Stirling, this was normally covered by a Gateshead Peak. A stranger on the daily Auchlochan colliery turn (formerly the Coalburn branch) was D40 on March 8th" https://www.derbysulzers.com/66.html Jim 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
david12345 Posted January 13, 2022 Share Posted January 13, 2022 On 09/01/2022 at 12:58, luckymucklebackit said: According to Derbysulzers.com they did make it as far as Perth around 1966, I have seen two photographs of peaks working out of Buchanan Street. "Peaks continued to work out of Glasgow Buchanan Street, the 12.00 Dundee - Glasgow, 18.00 return and the 16.25 to Inverness (to Perth) were favourites with D89 noted on Feb 5th & 9th on the former two and D46 on the latter on 26th. Despite their presence in the Glasgow area the EE Type 4s were rare performers on the Dundee turns, Peak failures were normally covered by Class 5s, with the 20.00 hours from Dundee being a favourite for steam substitution. Another working to bring Peaks into the area was the 14.20 Waverley - Stirling, this was normally covered by a Gateshead Peak. A stranger on the daily Auchlochan colliery turn (formerly the Coalburn branch) was D40 on March 8th" https://www.derbysulzers.com/66.html Jim I've been working in Coalburn this week and been trying to catch glimpses of the old trackbed on the way to and from, the sight of a Peak on those old embankments must have been something to behold ! 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luckymucklebackit Posted January 14, 2022 Share Posted January 14, 2022 If you can get your hands on a copy of the Bradford and Barton book "Diesels on the Scottish Region" by S. Rickard there is an amazing photograph of an extremely dirty Peak D116(?) on page 44. It is heading a short transfer freight consisting of a van, two tanks, two 16T mineral wagons and a brake van at Balornock Junction, and appears to be coming off the "switchback" line from Rutherglen. It is also in this book that one of the Buchannan Street photos appears, with the peak just leaving the tunnel at what the locals called the "stinky ocean". This was a particularly nasty area where all sorts of chemical wast was dumped from Tennants Chemical Works. Despite a concrete cap being put in place in the 1970s the area still tends to have a unique odour! Jim 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shed Driver Posted January 14, 2022 Share Posted January 14, 2022 They were regular on a passenger train ,early evening, passing south through Kirkcaldy in the early 70's. I believe on an Aberdeen /York train? Obviously they also passed north bound. This train was not usually double headed. Also photo on what could be a fish train again heading south. Both photos early 70,s. Copyright N Blackburn PS I also have a photo of a Class 50 Heading north through Kirkcaldy. Norman 11 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luckymucklebackit Posted January 14, 2022 Share Posted January 14, 2022 One I forgot to mention was they were regular performers on car/light truck trains to and from Bathgate, one working around 11am every morning going towards Glasgow through Coatdyke was one highlight of the day. Only photographed the working once, by which time 40s and 47s were the mainstay. Jim Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium keefer Posted January 14, 2022 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 14, 2022 (edited) Amazing pics @Shed Driver, always nice to see new Kirkcaldy pics especially if they're of rare workings/classes. Thread about Kirkcaldy here: https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/61849-kirkcaldy-area/ Edited January 14, 2022 by keefer 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shed Driver Posted January 15, 2022 Share Posted January 15, 2022 Hi keefer Thanks for that link. I was not aware of that thread The Class 50 and BTH photos posted on 6 Dec 2012 are mine and must have been posted by Ian Addison from a disc that I gave him. The working was on a day of industrial action so I have no idea where it came from or was going. Norman 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold adb968008 Posted January 18, 2022 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 18, 2022 (edited) On 06/01/2022 at 13:00, BR traction instructor said: I have a B&W image of a 45 passing Stirling sbnd from Perth with parcels/newspaper vans on file too…I’ll have a shuftie. Found the pic…Photographer Les Riley, May 1975, 45104 on 5M20 Perth to Red Bank, Manchester. Perth to Redbank 5M20… thats a very long journey for an ECS. I knew redbank swept up empty guvs from far and wide, but never knew it was that far ! I used to love watching the Redbank empties trundle through Bolton first thing in a morning, sometimes 16 GUVs and a single class 40. I never saw a 45 on it at Bolton coming from the North, and assume being 5Mxx this one would have come WCML not ECML to Manchester, where would the 45 have come off ? Heaton to Redbank produced 45’s down the ECML, would it have gone that way ? Thinking of it I never saw many 45’s at Preston either, summer saturdays usually, but not often ? Edited January 18, 2022 by adb968008 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium ColinK Posted January 18, 2022 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 18, 2022 Every time I saw the Perth - Redbank it was a huge train usually 40 hauled. One we always went out to photograph on the Settle Carlisle diversions. Happy days. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BR traction instructor Posted January 18, 2022 Share Posted January 18, 2022 I don’t have the WCML WTT for that year but would hazard a loco swap (to a 40) at Carlisle. 45 traction knowledge might have been an issue in the Preston area in 1975. BeRTIe Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
caradoc Posted January 18, 2022 Share Posted January 18, 2022 4 hours ago, adb968008 said: Perth to Redbank 5M20… thats a very long journey for an ECS. This was returning the empty vans off newspaper trains, which, of course, is (or rather was) a one-way traffic ! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold adb968008 Posted January 19, 2022 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 19, 2022 11 hours ago, caradoc said: This was returning the empty vans off newspaper trains, which, of course, is (or rather was) a one-way traffic ! True, but were there no printing presses in Scotland ? I used to love seeing the Newspaper activity around Manchester, and of course Mail, Parcels, Red Star etc… night railways were fascinating even in the 80’s/90’s…there was a lot more sleepers then too.. I always thought Manchesters catchment area only reached the borders, I didnt realise it went so far up. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pH Posted January 19, 2022 Share Posted January 19, 2022 7 minutes ago, adb968008 said: True, but were there no printing presses in Scotland ? … I always thought Manchesters catchment area only reached the borders, I didnt realise it went so far up. Yes, but some (at least) newspapers supplied Scotland from England. From the 1970s, the Scottish edition of the Express was printed in Manchester. I don’t know how the papers got to Carlisle, but they were taken from there to Glasgow by van. I knew a guy who regularly drove that van - he had previously distributed papers in the west of Scotland from the Glasgow presses. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
caradoc Posted January 19, 2022 Share Posted January 19, 2022 11 hours ago, adb968008 said: True, but were there no printing presses in Scotland ? There were, for the 'local' papers such as the Daily Record and Glasgow Herald, but the national titles came from Manchester by train; The workings on Saturday nights were particularly complex, with, IIRC, two trains (1S03 and 1S04) which divided at Carstairs with multiple portions going forward, even including a single van to Kilmarnock. The newspaper trains were second in priority only to the Postals. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium keefer Posted January 19, 2022 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 19, 2022 To add to @caradoc's post: Glasgow: Daily Record/Sunday Mail, Glasgow Herald/Evening Times (the local paper, the ET had about 6 editions per day!) Edinburgh: The Scotsman Dundee: Courier & Advertiser, Sunday Post plus a multitude of comics and magazines (D.C. Thomson, who also had offices and works in London) Aberdeen: Press & Journal I suppose there actually would have been a relatively small traffic of the Scottish 'nationals' southwards to towns/cities/resorts, maybe could be handled in normal service BGs? 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pH Posted January 19, 2022 Share Posted January 19, 2022 1 hour ago, keefer said: To add to @caradoc's post: Glasgow: … Edinburgh: … Dundee: … Aberdeen: … I suppose there actually would have been a relatively small traffic of the Scottish 'nationals' southwards to towns/cities/resorts, maybe could be handled in normal service BGs? Add the Greenock Telegraph, a daily paper which was one of the first in Britain to switch to web offset printing. Yes, there were some Scottish papers available in England. We used to get the Sunday Mail in a village near Long Eaton. I don’t know what else might have been available. I presume that would have come on the sleeper, which by then was Glasgow - Nottingham. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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