It was January 1989 and the grim reaper was about to arrive in Scotland. Over the previous few years many days had been spent riding round the very scenic routes or photographing loco hauled trains in Scotland. The best routes were almost exclusively operated by Class 37s but the end was coming. There was a timetable change on Monday 23 January 1989 and Class 156s were coming and this would be the last week of loco hauled trains hauled by Class 37 locomotives on the West Highland Line. A party of 4 was assembled, holidays from works arranged and a complex itinerary planned. We were going to spend most of the week in Scotland with a couple of trips home for a change of clothes, hot meals etc. The plan was to cover every route worked by Class 37s in Scotland in the week, this included West Highland Line, Kyle Line and Far North Line. This was our last chance and we were going to make the most of it. Nights in Scotland were spent of the overnight train between Glasgow/Edinburgh and Inverness.
This is what we normally did as it saves on accommodation costs and it allows you to move between different routes.
Monday 16 January 1989
The weather was extremely cold.
The first day had been allocated as a day to cover all the branch lines South West of Glasgow and then head north to Inverness. The key train of the day was the boat train to Ardrossen Harbour as only a couple of trains a day want down to the end of the line. If we had gone on the first train from Lancaster it was too late to catch the boat and on the next one we would be unable to reach Inverness before the departure on the overnight train. In order to be able to fit everything in we had had to drive to Carlisle and catch an overnight London to Edinburgh train. We would then come back across to Glasgow and cover the branch lines. Normally the trains between Glasgow and Edinburgh were worked by push pull fitted Class 47/7s but there was a train in the morning peak booked for a conventional 47/4. This was the train were going to catch between the two cities. We got to the train and discovered 47218 on the front which for those not in the know does not have the capability to heat the train. The temperature outside and inside the train was sub zero.
We headed across Glasgow to find the nice warm electric unit that was going to take us on the next leg of our journey. We proceeded to work our way round the branch lines, Largs, Ardrossen Harbour, Gourock and Wemyss Bay before returning to Glasgow. We then head on to Aberdeen and Inverness.
It is then the overnight train back to Glasgow.
Tuesday 17 January 1989  |
| 37405 on the 12:30 Mallaig - Fort William 17/01/89 |
Weather still extremely cold.
This next part of the journey always has been a favourite of mine and if you get the chance it is one to do. We are heading up the West Highland Line to Fort William. As you leave Glasgow Queen St the line enters a tunnel and the loco has to work hard as there is a steep gradient until you passed the carriage sidings at Cowlairs. This has now been demolished, another casualty of the end of loco hauled trains and a new curve built thought the site. You then branch off to the left leaving the Glasgow to Edinburgh mainline. The train winds it’s way though the north west suburbs of Glasgow until you reach Craigendoran Jn where you leave the electrified Strathclyde network and join the West Highland Line. The line climbs from here to Whistlefield summit just before the disused station and crossing loop and Glen Douglas. The line then descends down to Arrochar and Tarbet with excellent views over Gareloch.
From Arrochar the line climbs through glens and past the northern end of Loch Lomond and on to Crainlarich. The climb continues and the glens are left behind as the train reached the peat bog landscape on the top of Rannoch Moor as the railway winds it’s way between the mountains. From Corrour the line descends towards Fort William and the landscape returns to be much greener and you pass lochs, waterfalls and gorges.
The train we catch has originated in London and had additional seating carriages added at Glasgow Queen St. The train was booked to have 8 carriages which was the maximum load for a single 37 on the line and was nearly always a lively ride. The driver always had to work the engine hard to attack the gradients on the line. Today was to be no different. A single class 37 on 8 carriages was always more interesting the two on 12 carriages.
The next part of the journey was Fort William to Mallaig which I still consider to be the best railway line in Britain for scenery. The line passes along the edges of lochs and over the impressive Genfinnen viaduct en route and finally follows the coast for the final part of the journeys arriving in the small fishing port of Mallaig.
On arrival in Mallaig we leave the station and go in search of the ferry to Skye which is not too difficult as it is straight in front of us. We catch the Caledonian MacBrayne ferry to Armadale, Skye, bus to Kyleakin and free ferry to Kyle of Lochalsh.
We then head back to Inverness on the last train of the day from Kyle of Lochalsh. This route is also spectacular to travel on and is also recommended. For the third night in a row we are on the overnight train but go to Edinburgh this time.
Wednesday 18 January 1989
We head back to Glasgow and back to Carlisle for the drive home and a decent nights sleep ready for the second part of our trip.
Thursday 19 January 1989  |
| 37423+37425 on 18:10 Oban - Glasgow Q St 19/01/89 |
Weather still very cold.
Head out again in the first train north. This is going to be the first day of another 3 day marathon. The objective today is to get to Oban. We arrive in Glasgow and across to Queen St for the lunchtime departure to Oban. The Oban line follows the route as the line to Fort William as far as Crainlarich where you turn west rather than heading north over Rannoch Moor. This line is also very scenic as you pass lochs, castles and waterfalls before the final decent into Oban.
We spend a couple of hours in the pub in Oban and return to the station for the return train. To our surprise the train back is double headed. We are now heading back to Glasgow for the overnight train back to Inverness but have time to spare in the itinerary so rather than wait in Glasgow get off at Arrochar and Tarbet and head back to Ardlui and find this train is also double headed. There is obviously a problem and the locos at Oban are being swapped. At Ardlui we join the Fort William to Euston sleeper which as mentioned earlier runs at the maximum load for the line with a single Class 37. All is going well until we leave Arrochar and Tarbet. We notice the train is going very slowly and and is going forward with very jerky movements. What happened next was one of the most memorable train rides I have ever had and I will try to explain what occurred.
Two of us went to look out of the window to see what was happening and why progress was so slow and jerky. As had been the case all week this night was extremely cold and there was a very hard frost already coming down. The railway between Arrochar and Glen Douglas runs along Gareloch but it is in the bottom of a valley with quite steep cliffs on both the side the railway is on and on the far side. For this part of the route the railway climbs at around 1 in 50 between the two passing loops. This journey is taking place in January and it has gone dark several hours earlier and there are no houses on either side of the loch so the only man made light is that coming out of the train windows everything else beyond the light from the train windows is pitch black. The train is formed of 2 motorail vehicles, 2 sleepers, half brake and 3 standards. We are sat in the half brake nearest the engine apart from the motorail vehicles and the sleepers.. With the cold weather conditions it meant that the rail conditions were very difficult and the loco was struggling and slipping when power was applied. Another thing to keep in mind is that this is a very remote part of Scotland and 1989 was long before the arrival of the mobile phone and communication between train and signal boxes was in it’s infancy, so if you failed here it was going to involve a very long walk for someone to summon help.
What we were witnessing was the most amazing piece of train driving the likes I had never seen before and have never seen since. I think the driver was very keen to avoid the long walk to summon help in very cold conditions. The normal way of driving the train from Arrochar to Glen Douglas was clear the station then apply full power all the way up the steep gradient to the summit. This was normally great to listen to, but because of the poor rail condition this was approach was not working, as immediately the power was applied the loco slipped and you would have come to a stand very quickly if the power had been kept on continuously . The train was moving at less than walking pace, the driver was then applying full power which snatched the train forward with a sharp pull. As this happened the loco would erupt with noise accompanied by flames shooting out of the exhaust outlets on the top of the 37. This would be followed by a high pitched screaming from the traction motors and wheels as the loco slipped again. The driver would the shut the power off to stop the slipping and immediately full on again to repeat the process. The railway at this point was very remote and climbing up the valley side meant that the explosion of noise from the loco echoed round the glen. You would get the echo coming back around the glen as the loco was not taking power. The train lurched forward like this coming just to the point of stopping as another explosion of noise and brief pull from the loco came to draw us a little further forward towards Glen Douglas. This continued for nearly two hours until we finally reached Glen Douglas. By this time the train was getting on for two hours late all lost in this small section of track that normally would take 10 minutes or so to pass over.
Writing this nearly 21 years later probably does not convey the atmosphere of this journey even though I vividly remember it and this is probably the best 2 hours I have spent on a train and it was caused by a driver determined not to fail his train in the middle of nowhere. It is very sad that this experience cannot now be relived today. The sleeper train continues to run on this route but is much shorter in length and the Class 37s have been replaced by more modern Class 67 locomotives which in my personal view do not give anywhere near the same level of entertainment while hauling a train.
The remainder of the run into Glasgow was at high speed to make up some of the lost time.
We only just made the overnight train to Inverness. The Fort William sleeper has 2 locos for the rest of the week.
Friday 20 January 1989
The weather was still very cold. Today’s trip was to cover the far 
|
| 37421 at Georgemas Jn 20/01/89 |
north lines to Thurso and Wick. I think this route is not as scenic as the other lines we have covered. The line follows the coast as far as Helmsdale and then comes inland over flat bog land before arriving on Georgemas Jn.
The plan was to catch the first train to Wick find some lunch, return to Helmsdale then catch the next train to Thurso and the plan was working well. We had a few hours to kill before the train went back to Inverness so we checked out the pubs on the main street and selected one with a pool table. We ended up playing pool with some of the locals. As the beer flowed we somehow got into a round of joke telling and one member of our group was one of those people who can sit there for hours telling jokes and had us all in stitches until one very poorly selected joke was told for which I apologise. The joke being “What had 4 legs and goes woof?” the answer being Piper Alpha. This was particularly bad because the clientele for the pub which had previously been roaring with laughter went stone silent. It appears that many of the people in the town had worked on the rig and we did not realise this. We left the pub at great speed and went back to the station at this point. We thought it best not to finish out drinks. Don’t think we will be welcome there again.
Back to Inverness and the overnight train to Glasgow again……..
Saturday 21 January 1989  |
| 37422 passes Courrour 21/01/89 |
Up to this point we had been virtually the only enthusiasts out all week and we had not seen anyone else about. It now appeared everyone had come out to play and we struggled to get a seat at Glasgow Queen St aboard the Euston to Fort William sleeper. One particular individual who will remain nameless was filling the whole carriage in on what he had done that week, whether they wanted to know or not. This was incredibly annoying as all we wanted to do was sleep as this was the 5th overnight of the week. This particular individual later became a good friend so I shall share his blushes by naming him, but he is still loud.
This was the last full day of loco hauled on the West Highland Line. Today’s plan was very simple ride on as many different engines as possible.
We headed back up the West Highland Line for the third time in the week. It was possible travel on this train as far at Tulloch cross over to the train in the other direction and return south. We had had a better idea we were going to leave the train at Corrour the most remote station on the British railway network. It is 20 miles from the nearest road. The station survives to serve the nearby youth hostel. We leave the train and find there is absolutely nothing there except the station. The weather is still very cold and we are in the middle of Rannoch Moor with no shelter. After about 30 minutes the growl of an approaching Class 37 can be heard we get our bags together and wait for the train to arrive. Unfortunately it is not ours and it is a light engine. We settle down again for another wait. It is at this point the Christmas Crackers are produced and we have a belated Christmas sandwich lunch complete with party hats in the middle of Rannoch Moor on the platform on Corrour station. It is a good job we were not seen as anyone else would have thought us to be completely barking, which of course we were. Finally our train arrives and we get out of the very cold wind into the warmth of the train.
We jump from train to train throughout the day running up and down the line and get back to Glasgow in time to return home.
Sunday 22 January 1989  |
37424+37422 arrive on the final train to Glasgow Queen St 22/01/89 |
This is the final day. We have to go to Carlisle by car as there is no morning train from Lancaster and we are returning on the sleeper that does not stop at Preston. We have to travel via Dumfries as this is the only route with a train. This train gets us in Glasgow too early for the train up the West Highland line so we go for a trip round the Hamilton Loop.
Today’s plan is again simple we intend to travel on the last loco hauled train into Queen St. We go on the train out to Crainlarich back to Ardlui and back to Crainlarich again. This last leg is somewhat disappointing as the new order has arrived and the train is formed of a Class 156 unit. On this last day there is party atmosphere amongst the enthusiast travelling as this era comes to an end. We join the last train of the day the Fort William to London sleeper which is hauled by 2 Class 37s following the problems that had occurred earlier on the week. We travel on this train back to Glasgow Queen St. On arrival this is a day of mixed emotions were have had a great week travelling around Scotland but this is the last time we can travel on loco hauled trains on these very scenic lines.
We cross the Central and join the Glasgow to London sleeper as far as Carlisle. The mood is very subdued as we contemplate an excellent week but realise we have come to the end of an era today and this experience can never be repeated.
Traction Log:
| Monday 16/01/1989 | |
| |
| Carlisle - Carstairs | 90009 |
| Carstairs - Edinburgh | 47632 |
| Edinburgh - Glasgow Q St | 47218 |
| Glasgow Ctl - Largs - Kilwinning | 318268 |
| Kilwinning - Ardrossen Hbr - Paisley G St | 318251 |
| Paisley G St - Gourock | 318257 |
| Gourock - Port Glasgow | 318268 |
| Port Glasgow - Wemyss Bay - Glasgow Ctl | 318255 |
| Glasgow Q St - Aberdeen | 47703 |
| Aberdeen - Inverness | 47642 |
| Inverness - Glasgow Q St | 47546 |
| |
| Tuesday 17/01/1989 | |
| |
| Glasgow Q St - Fort William | 37404 |
| Fort William - Mallaig | 37405 |
| Mallaig - Armadale | Ferry |
| Armadale - Kyleakin | Bus |
| Kyleeakin - Kyle of Lochalsh | Ferry |
| Kyle of Lochalsh - Inverness | 37420 |
| Inverness - Edinburgh | 47644 |
| |
| Wednesday 18/01/1989 | |
| |
| Edinburgh - Glasgow Q St | 47710 |
| Glasgow Ctl - Carlisle | 86209 |
| |
| Thursday 19/01/1989 | |
| |
| Lancaster - Glasgow Ctl | 86426 |
| Glasgow Q St - Oban | 37423 |
| Oban - Arrochar & Tarbet | 37423+37425 |
| Arrochar & Tarbet - Ardlui | 37411+37422 |
| Ardlui - Glasgow Q St | 37405 |
| Glasgow Q St - Perth | 47641 |
| |
| Friday 20/01/1989 | |
| |
| Perth - Inverness | 47541 |
| Inverness - Wick - Helmsdale | 37416 |
| Helmsdale - Georgemas Jn | 37418 |
| Georgemas Jn - Thurso - Georgemas Jn | 37421 |
| Georgemas Jn - Inverness | 37418 |
| Inverness - Glasgow Q St | 47460 |
| |
| Saturday 21/01/1989 | |
| |
| Glasgow Q St - Courrour | 37402 |
| Courrour - Helensburgh Upper | 37405 |
| Helensburgh Upper - Crainlarich | 37423 |
| Crainlarich - Glasgow Q St | 37408 |
| Glasgow Ctl - Lancaster | 87028 |
| |
| Sunday 22/01/1989 | |
| |
| Carlisle - Dumfries - Glasgow Ctl | 156437 |
| Glasgow C LL - Bellshill - Hamilton - Glasgow Ctl LL | 314216 |
| Glasgow Q St - Crainlarich | 37402 |
| Crainlarich - Ardlui | 37408 |
| Ardlui - Crainlarich | 156447 |
| Crainlarich - Glasgow Q St | 37422+37424 |
| Glasgow Ctl - Carlisle | 90019 |