Late 1970's 0110 Glasgow to Oban

[young37215]

A train that has always interested me but one which there is little information that I can find was this early morning service. There are a few pictures around of the train sat waiting departure from Queen Street but not much else. One such picture can be found on Page 80 of 70's Spotting Days around the Scottish Region which shows 27011 at the head of a 3 coach train comprised of 2 passenger vehicles and a parcels/mail van in September 1979.  

 

From the working time table of 1980, the train was booked as 2B01 with a 245 tonne trailing load equating to load 7. In the comments it states 'Mail' which makes sense and I'll guess that there was a passenger and mail connection to early morning ferry departures from Oban. There is no return working that I can find, just the usual 3 passenger trains and a single freight were scheduled to depart Oban. The passenger trains were all booked as 280T in both directions indicating that none of them added the 2B01 consist to return it to Glasgow. How did the stock get back to Glasgow I wonder? Obviously as a train of some description but why was nothing booked? It was not always a passenger service, for example in 1977 it was headcoded 4B01 although still a 245T trailing load.

 

What can the combined knowledge of RMWeb add to this I wonder?

 

 

 

[clachnaharry]

In 1980 the freight used to run from Oban in the early hours of the morning. I was camping by Loch Awe for a week or so that summer. It must have crossed crossed the 01.10 on it's journey.

 

280 ton would be the maximum allowable load. A loaded Mk 1 weighs in at 30 tons and most trains were 5 coaches or less, so tacking on the additional vehicles would still have kept one of the return workings within the load limit. I suspect they were added on to the consist of the first up train of the day.  I do not recall any coaches hanging around during the day when no loco was present in the station. 

[young37215]

If 2B01 ran typically as load 2 or 3 then it is feasible that these were added to one of the passenger rakes for the return to Glasgow and just as likely so would the loco. There are a few pictures around of short parcels consists at Oban, the one below from January 1978 of load 2 plus loco is probably from 4B01 as it was at the time. Around this time there are a number of pictures of trains departing from under the old station roof before this was condemed. Thinking about this further it is quite possible that these were a function of the passenger rakes being shunted to pick up the stock from 2B01.

 

Hopefully somebody out there can add more detail to the debate.

 

 

1978 departure

 

 

 

[Strathyre]

the 0100hrs Oban was a throwback to the night mail that ran from Stirling for decades and served Oban and the stations on the line through Callander with the Royal Mail. It continued to run until around August 1980 when the WHL was closed on the nightshift. It crossed with the freight from Oban at Crianlarich. Eastfield crewed it to Crianlarich then returned with the goods.

 

There was a Glasgow-Oban goods at 0350hrs that was worked by Eastfield men normally as far as Taynuilt (although as far as I recall they were booked to take it to Dalmally) where they waited for the first passenger from Oban, swapping with the Oban crew and taking it to Glasgow. If the goods had tanks for Connel Ferry the Eastfield crew only worked it to Taynuilt; if no tanks they would frequently take it into Oban then take the passenger back, earning mileage payment for reaching Oban. As an Eastfield secondman I frequently worked these trains. I am not sure but I expect the passenger carriages from the 0100hrs Oban mail returned on the first passenger from Oban

 

Paul

[young37215]

6 hours ago, Strathyre said:

the 0100hrs Oban was a throwback to the night mail that ran from Stirling for decades and served Oban and the stations on the line through Callander with the Royal Mail. It continued to run until around August 1980 when the WHL was closed on the nightshift. It crossed with the freight from Oban at Crianlarich. Eastfield crewed it to Crianlarich then returned with the goods.

 

There was a Glasgow-Oban goods at 0350hrs that was worked by Eastfield men normally as far as Taynuilt (although as far as I recall they were booked to take it to Dalmally) where they waited for the first passenger from Oban, swapping with the Oban crew and taking it to Glasgow. If the goods had tanks for Connel Ferry the Eastfield crew only worked it to Taynuilt; if no tanks they would frequently take it into Oban then take the passenger back, earning mileage payment for reaching Oban. As an Eastfield secondman I frequently worked these trains. I am not sure but I expect the passenger carriages from the 0100hrs Oban mail returned on the first passenger from Oban

 

Paul

 

Most interesting; thank you for the information, itch nearly scratched!. Do you recall a typical loading? was it just the load 2 or 3 in the few pictures i have seen?

 

 

[Strathyre]

a BG and a passenger coach, sometimes two