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Catching up!

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Inversnecky

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Hope this is the appropriate forum for my meanderings!


It’s certainly a big task catching up with the latest in the world of British railways!

Before my childhood interest faltered and I moved onto other things in the early 1980s, classes 86 and 87 were the height of modern locomotion, and the HST was tantamount to space age technology (ok, a little hyperbole!).

Now after three plus decades away from the subject, there’s been more than a few changes and more than a few more additions since the appearance of class 56 locos which was the latest when I was last following things.

When once upon a time MUs were never seen in my part of the country, and the roost was ruled by 47s, 37s and 25/26/27s, they have become commonplace, all over, and familiarisation with all the various types is desperately required!

Living in a part of rural Scotland many miles indeed from a railway station, I’ve not even been in a train for two decades, so also haven’t had that day to day experience of seeing the changes rung in.

How the wheels of time turn: while my father used to decry diesel locomotives as soulless ‘boxes on wheels’, compared to the LMS steam of his childhood, I felt the same about the often all too similar MUs, compared to which, classics such as the class 37 seem as characterful as any steam engine.

Privatisation has led to a plethora of new liveries, but at heart I’ll always remain a BR blue and grey man!
 
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Cheshire Scot

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When once upon a time MUs were never seen in my part of the country
Does this mean the DMUs were no longer on Aberdeen to Inverness when you first became interested? They ran in BR plain blue in the latter years - slightly odd as elsewhere Swindon Cross Country sets got blue/grey - and were on the route roughly between approx. 1960 and 1980 before being displaced by cl27s.

I always thought it odd in summer, when that route like all others in that part of the world would be at their busiest, that an Inverness based set moved south to provide the summer dated additional train to Oban although it was comfortable way to go to Oban enjoying the views from behind the driver.
 

Inversnecky

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Does this mean the DMUs were no longer on Aberdeen to Inverness when you first became interested? They ran in BR plain blue in the latter years - slightly odd as elsewhere Swindon Cross Country sets got blue/grey - and were on the route roughly between approx. 1960 and 1980 before being displaced by cl27s.

I always thought it odd in summer, when that route like all others in that part of the world would be at their busiest, that an Inverness based set moved south to provide the summer dated additional train to Oban although it was comfortable way to go to Oban enjoying the views from behind the driver.

I moved to that area in the mid 1970s, and don’t think I ever saw MUs on the Aberdeen to Inverness line. It was always 25/27 or 47. I don’t know when the MUs took over. You’re saying there were MUs there before them?
 

hexagon789

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I moved to that area in the mid 1970s, and don’t think I ever saw MUs on the Aberdeen to Inverness line. It was always 25/27 or 47. I don’t know when the MUs took over. You’re saying there were MUs there before them?
Swindon Cross-Country Class 120s operated the Inverness-Aberdeen services from 1958 until 1981 when they were replaced by sets of vacuum braked Mk2s with Mk1 BSOTs.
 

Cheshire Scot

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I moved to that area in the mid 1970s, and don’t think I ever saw MUs on the Aberdeen to Inverness line. It was always 25/27 or 47. I don’t know when the MUs took over. You’re saying there were MUs there before them?
Yes, Inverness had an allocation of 7 x 3 car Swindon Cross County units (latterly class 120 I believe), plus a couple of single cars which were used for strengthening. These worked all of the Aberdeen line trains (of which there were only five or six per day (plus short workings Aberdeen to Elgin)) and had buffet cars which were staffed on some of the journeys at probably the busier times of the day I have read the start date on the this route was 1 July 1960 and they stayed on the route until early 1980 when replaced by hauled stock with class 27s.

Perhaps you just found the locos more interesting - I certainly did - and as I say the Aberdeen service was infrequent, so easy to overlook.

Sorry, Hexagon789 replied whilst I was typing and researching my reply - apparently they were initially allocated to Hamilton depot and transferred north in 1960.
 

GRALISTAIR

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Hope this is the appropriate forum for my meanderings!
Privatisation has led to a plethora of new liveries, but at heart I’ll always remain a BR blue and grey man!
Welcome. Sorry this is just not right imho!!!. BR blue was boring. Loved the two-tone Immingham Class 47s and now we have a wonderful array of liveries.
 

Inversnecky

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Welcome. Sorry this is just not right imho!!!. BR blue was boring. Loved the two-tone Immingham Class 47s and now we have a wonderful array of liveries.
Just the familiarity of youth I suppose. Must move with the times, and learn that things have moved on from about 1985!

I just enjoyed the days of loco hauled carriages, and semaphore signalling: the ‘encroachment’ of DMUs and colour light signals to the north heralded the end of days :)
 
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