The Freedom of Scotland,May 1985

Hi all,

Here are my dads shots from his Freedom of Scotland rover in May 1985.

http://mark-walker.fotopic.net/c1939097_1.html

How things have changed over the years!

Cheers,
Mark

 

Nice bit of nostalgia. I had a Scottish Rover a couple of years earlier when 26s still monopolised the Far North and Kyle of Localsh lines. 37s had taken over the Mallaig and Oban services though.

 

Anyone recall what the small shed at Georgemas Junction was used for?

 

I didn't until I read one of the captions...

I did my first FOS about a month after this.
Highlights included 20208 piloting 47157 Stranraer to Glasgow as far as Ayr, where 37090 (vac only) took the train onwards.
Discussions about whether you could count haulage off Ethels, or just "warmage"....
Seeing my first 37/4s, which were then regarding as exotic intruders.
Shedmaster at Motherwell Depot on a Saturday evening not only letting us wander round, but also offering to check locations of other locos....
Sleeping on mailbags in a BG on the Euston- Inverness from Carlisle in the early hours of the Saturday morning..
Living on sausage and chips, and cans of lilt....which I haven't touched since.

 

Yes,Scotland was really a different place,the way it was operated was completely different. My dad often recalls one time that he went to the depot at Inverness and a young apprentice was asked to show him round,they then proceeded to get the snowblower out specially for my dad to get a fot. Imagine wandering in and trying to do the same today!

 

Can still recall my first FOSs in 1968 / 70; so unusual for the time that I was interviewed on local radio and TV with fees paid that actually covered my ticket costs. Happy Days !

 

http://mark-walker.fotopic.net/p68933074.html

Brings back memories of a Scottish railrover holiday with my dad in the late 1970s. We were travelling up to Thurso, but ended up in the Wick carriages by accident. Suddenly realised that we had been left on the "main line" south of Georgemas while the train engine shunted the Thurso carriages up the branch to couple onto the waiting Thurso diesel. After a lot of shouting and hand waving from the carriages, they held the Thurso train for us until we were finally pulled into Georgemas platform. We then had to clamber into the guard's compartment of the Thurso train from the remains of the platform on the right of the photo.

In the end, we managed to visit the four extremes of the British Rail network in a week. Thurso was the furthest north, but do you know the furthest west, south and east?

Richard

 

Arisaig is furthest west.

 

Penzance is furthest south, and Lowestoft furthest east.

 

Those were great days in the summer of 1985 - you had plenty of loco haulage in the Highlands and West Highlands especially. Also steam to Mallaig had just started the previous year - had the best of both worlds and couldn't go wrong.

 

Shed bashing was so easy in Scotland. The shedmasters at the sheds we had permits for were surprised that we'd bothered applying and at those we didn't apply for the shedmasters let us round anyway. The safety briefing at Motherwell was "don't get yourself run over." Never did crack Dunfermline Townhill though.
Spent a few days at Inverness and did they shed every night. Wondered what our reception was going to be when we walked in on the first night but needn't have worried as the staff were too busy servicing someone's Ford Cortina to care what we were up to.

 

Yeah,as you quite rightly say it seemed to be easy. Some great stories,thanks for sharing.

My dad also tells me of an occasion at Eastfield where the shed foreman came over and said "I'm sorry we dont have anyone to show you round today,they're all argueing over pay in the mess hut!" I can just imagine if you wandered into the modern day Eastfield DMU depot! On another occasion at Eastfield the foreman came over and asked "Have you come by car?" My dad replied "No,I came by bus" and the foreman said "Its a good job,there wouldn't be anything left of it!". Just shows the reputation of that area of Glasgow!


He also managed to get round Springburn works in 1987. A few of those shots are here:

http://mark-walker.fotopic.net/c1672070.html

I shall have to look for the 1984 shots which have his shots from the depot with said snowblower.

Also got some from his '88 FOS.

http://mark-walker.fotopic.net/c1844670.html

Cheers,
Mark

 

You lot are far too quick and clever. Yes - Lowestoft (E), Penzance (S) Thurso (N) and Airsaig (W). Not bad in a week! We even managed a little bit of Southern Region as well.

Richard

 

That's pretty epic. A long journey from Thurso to Arisaig by rail or vice versa when you think about where they are in relation to each other.

 

Oh to go back in time 30 years.....! I would love to do much the same myself! Could do it now but I cant begin to think about 9 hours on a Voyager :O!

 

My FOS started with AC electric from Euston on the FW sleeper, travelling on the cushions, Class 26 from Mossend yard to Glasgow QS, 37 to Fort William and further 37 haulage on the Mallaig portion. Happy days.

 

I remember that we left Euston on the sleeper, woke up outside Eastfield shed in Glasgow. Then off to FortWilliam and Mallaig, ferry to Kyle then train to Dingwall. Overnight there, then 6am train to Thurso. Mad!! Lots of Class 26/27 haulage though.

Richard

 

That's not so bad, I thought maybe you'd have gone Thurso - Queen Street - Fort William - Mallaig or vice versa but getting the ferry obviously cuts out a lot travel.