On January 1st 1948, the former 'Big Four' railway companies: London North Eastern Railway (LNER); London Midland & Scottish Railway (LMSR); Great Western Railway (GWR) and Southern Railway (SR) were amalgamated to form the new British Railways. A total of 20,211 steam locomotives were taken into State ownership consisting of: 1,838 from the SR, 3,856 from the GWR, 6,525 from the LNER, and 7,805 from the LMSR. The rest was made up of service engines and Departmental locomotives.

In 1948, six new BR Regions were formed, their new boundaries corresponding closely to the lines of the former 'Big Four' railway companies. Britain's railways was now made up of the Western Region, Southern Region, Scottish Region, Eastern Region, North Eastern Region and London Midland Region - the old LNER being divided amongst the two newly-formed Regions - Eastern and North Eastern, whilst the Scottish Region was composed partly of the former LMS and LNER. Over the years, the Regional boundaries diminished significantly as many locomotives (from an operational standpoint) worked beyond their arbitrary Regions, so in many ways it is meaningless to classify any particular class of locomotive as belonging to any one of the six Regions during the transition from steam. For example, it was not unusual for the Stanier 'Black 5s' to be found working hundreds of miles from the Region they were initially allocated.

(Above) The Gresley Class A4 is regarded as the ultimate development of Pacific technology at Doncaster, and as befits such a distinguished class, no less than eight members have survived into preservation, including No 60019 Bittern seen here approaching Glasgow Buchanan Station with a train from Aberdeen in May 1966. See further colour shots in Allan Trotter's 'Scottish Region Photo Album' featured further down the page.

(Above-Below) Situated in delightful Scottish scenery between the villages of Arrochar at the head of Loch Long and Tarbet on the shores of Loch Lomond, the West Highland Line station was opened to passengers on 7th August 1894 by the West Highland Railway. The station came under the auspices of the North British Railway then later part of the London and North Eastern Railway during the Grouping of 1923. The station then passed on to the ScR on nationalisation in 1948. Here, WP Reid's North British standard passenger tank engine - push-pull fitted 2P Class C15 4-4-2T No 67474 - awaits departure with a train for Glasgow in 1957. (Below) In the opposite direction, another NBR loco designed by Reid, the superheated 5F Class J37 0-6-0 No 64580 introduced in 1914, awaits Class K1 No 62038 in the distance.





(Above-Below) Seeking to identify the location of Black 5 No 44968 I contacted Ian McKellar, who writes - 'The island platform has a Swiss chalet-style building, which together with the backdrop of mountains tells me that this is the West Highland line. The sidings and coach in the background draw me to either Ardlui, Arrochar or Crianlarich Upper. However the station at Crianlarich is more extensive and the mountains are too close for Bridge of Orchy, while Rannoch and Corrour are far too bleak, therefore I suggest Ardlui station. The Black 5 is heading a train for Glasgow. The topography looks right..' Thanks Ian. (Below) A classic ER Morten study of Fort William Station in the early Fifties.

(Above-Below) Staying with the West Highland line, a superb view of Crianlarich Lower Junction looking east in 1957; the line to the left goes to Crianlarich Lower station and on to Callander, while the line climbing to the right goes to the present Crianlarich station joining the line from Fort William and so to Craigendoran and Glasgow. Crianlarich station opened concurrently with the West Highland Railway in 1894. In 1953 British Rail added the suffix 'Upper' to the station's name in order to distinguish it from the nearby station on the Callander and Oban Line which then became known as Crianlarich Lower. Following the Beeching cuts in 1965, the Callander and Oban Line east of Crianlarich was abandoned and trains to Oban were rerouted up the West Highland Line as far as Crianlarich Upper station where they joined the remaining part of the Oban line by means of the link line; when Crianlarich Lower station closed in 1965 the Upper station's name reverted to Crianlarich. (Below) This view is looking west towards Oban. My thanks to Allan Trotter of Eastbank MRC for help with the captions.

  

(Above-Below) Classic shots of steam days at Edinburgh Waverley station in 1957. M Holmes's NBR 2F Class J38 0-6-0T introduced in 1900 for light freight and station passenger pilot duties at Waverley station - the Waverley pilots had Westinghouse brakes, later dual-fitted. Here No 68474 looks pretty as a picture! (Below) Built at Darlington North Road Works in February 1928, Gresley's Class D49/1 4-4-0 No 62713 Aberdeenshire was one of 28 D49/1s fitted with piston valves, Walschaerts valve gear and derived motion - but by the time this photo was taken she is not long for this world! No 62713 has the dubious distinction of being the first of the D49/1 class to be withdrawn from traffic on 9th September 1957 from Thornton Junction shed; she was cut up at Darlington North Road Works at the end of the following month.

 

(Above-Below) Another cracking shot from the ER Morten photo collection shows sparks flying - and smoke billowing - from the brake blocks of this WD 2-10-0 No 90766 heading a southbound express freight at the bottom of Beattock Bank on 14th April 1953. (Below) Stanier 'Black 5' No 45158 Glasgow Yeomanry - one of the four members of the class endowed with names of Scottish Regiments - heads an 'up' train at Bridge of Allan. Photos © ER Morten

(Above Left-Right, Below) John Stoddart's Scottish bash back in 1964 will evoke memories of the ScR long forgotten. In the late summer of 1964, John bought a Scottish Railrover pass, valid from Carlisle north - and armed with a box camera, a 1959 Ian Allan Combine and a Scottish Region Timetable, planned to travel behind the gaggle of Gresley A4s reported to be working the Glasgow-Edinburgh three-hour expresses. At that time, just about every ScR branch line north, east and due west of Inverness was under Beeching threat, and the Railrover pass gave John a chance to do some last minute branch line bagging before time ran out.  Click on photo-link for 'Rail Cameraman' page. (Above Right) painting of 'down' 'Royal Scot' on Beattock. (Below) A splendid 1957 view of Blair Atholl showing 'Black 5' No 44796 awaiting departure with a mineral train, while BR Standard 2-6-4T No 80126 and Fairburn 2-6-4T No 42169 are in residence at the shed.

 



                                    (Above) View from a train...super-wide image of the Tay Bridge

BR's Scottish Region inherited a network of lines built by companies best known prior to grouping in 1923. For example, the LMSR was made up of the Caledonian, the Glasgow & South Western and the Highland Railway, whereas the LNER was comprised of the North British and Great North of Scotland Railway. All lines north of the border were amalgamated to form the new ScR, and the gallery shows some of the former pre-grouping company's engines that entered British Railways stock. For further information on this subject you'll find all you need to know on the LNER Encyclopedia website - it's a cracking site listing all LNER locomotive classes from A to Z!

ScR GALLERY

THE BR STANDARD CLASS LOCOMOTIVES

In 1948, the Railway Executive of the British Transport Commission (BTC) announced its preference for developing future steam power rather than dabbling with new, untried diesel traction. This led to the Locomotive Interchange Trials, supervised by RA Riddles, then member of the BTC's Railway Executive who was responsible for mechanical and electrical engineering. He was assisted by ES Cox, then executive member of the British Transport Commission for design - both ex-LMSR men, who doubtless had in mind their well intentioned plan for evaluating the relative performance of former companies engines in normal operating conditions. However it came as no great surprise that out of the twelve new BR standard classes (numbered in the 70-80,000s and 92,000s) many designs incorporated the latest features taken from LMSR practice.

(Above) Out of the ten BR Standard Class 6MT Clan Pacifics built at Crewe between 1951-52 Nos 72000-4 went to Polmadie (Glasgow) and Nos 72005-9 were assigned to Carlisle (Kingmoor) for duties previously worked by the Jubilee and Patriot classes in Scotland. However, their performance was hardly distinguished and withdrawal of the Polmadie five began as early as 1962, long before the withdrawal the ex-LMS types they had intended to replace. Here, sporting a Carlisle Kingmoor (12A) shed code on the smokebox door, No 72008 Clan Macleod shows its true mixed traffic capabilities h eading a loose-couple freight for Carlisle Kingmoor off t he Glasgow & South Western line at Gretna Junction on 14th April 1953. The train is crossing the River Sark, marking the Anglo-Scottish border, which is represented on the Scottish side by a sign displaying a Thistle above a Crown. Photo © ER Morten

(Above-Below) Although fractionally less powerful than the Class 6MT Clan Pacifics, the new BR Class 5MT, numbered 73000-73171 in the series, were a more useful addition to the BR fleet. The Class 5 was a direct descendant of the well-known LMS 'Black 5' and, on the grounds of utility and proven excellence in service the BTC might well have been justified in adopting the Stanier design as one of the standard engines. Here, sporting a Perth (63A) shed plate on its smokebox door, No 73009 heads the 'up' 'The Saint Mungo' at Bridge of Allan between Dunblane and Stirling on 28th July 1952. Photo © ER Morten

(Above-Below) Yet another direct derivation of a former LMS engine is the 'BR4' 2-6-4T which came from the Stanier and Fairburn Class 4MT 2-6-4Ts introduced in 1945. The 'BR4' retained the familiar Stanier tapered boiler, trapezoidal-shaped smokebox and other detailed designs, but the cylinders had a smaller diameter, and the coupled wheels were also fractionally smaller. This gave a higher tractive effort of 25,100lb than the 24,670lb of the Stanier engines. Several of these engines were allocated new to Kittybrewster for use on the Aberdeen-Inverness service. Here, No 80111, is seen on the turntable at Inverness Shed in May 1961. In the roundhouse are three Type 2 Bo-Bos awaiting their next turn of duty - a BRCW Co numbered in the D53XX series; one of the temperamental North British Loco Co Type 2s numbered in the D61XXs and a BR/Sulzer Type 2 Bo-Bo with the message 'GO' in its route indicator panel.

                                                ALLAN TROTTER'S SCOTTISH REGION PHOTO ALBUM

Most steam enthusiasts remember the transition from steam north of the border with mixed emotions. The high point was the relocation of seven Gresley A4 Pacifics to Scotland and their final fling on the 3hr schedule Glasgow-Aberdeen expresses, two in each direction, the last hauled by No 60019 Bittern on 3rd September 1966. Another highlight was the amazing sight of preserved engines from the GNSR, NBR, Caledonian and Highland Railways, decked out in their respective pre-grouping liveries for hauling steam specials on the main line. The downside was the Beeching cuts which had a devastating effect on the ScR's rail network. In particular, the closure of major routes between Aviemore and Forres; Dunblane to Crianlarich; Dumfries to Stranrear - and, of course, the Waverley route between Edinburgh and Carlisle was typical of Beeching's excesses. Miraculously, despite proposals for the complete closure of the Far North line from Inverness to Wick and Thurso, and the Skye line from Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh, both routes remained stubbornly intact.



(Above-Below) Allan Trotter of Eastbank MRC (link bottom of page) has trawled his collection of old slides of ScR steam for inclusion on this page. I am delighted to feature Allan's shots of the last public run of Class A4 No 60019 Bittern on the Glasgow Buchanan Street-Aberdeen special which took place on Saturday 3rd September 1966...almost 50 years ago! Unbelievable how time flies! Allan's scans include a photo taken from the cab of Bittern and another showing an overall view of enthusiasts gathering at Aberdeen station from the lofty heights of the signal post...imagine trying to take a picture like that today!





(Above-Below) Class A4 No 4464 Bittern emerged from the famous Doncaster 'Plant' in 1937 painted in the LNER Garter Blue livery. Allocated initially to Heaton shed, Bittern was transferred to Gateshead on in March 1943, but with the outbreak of World War 2, austerity measures led to Bittern losing her garter-blue for a dull wartime black livery. During the Second World War ECML expresses were inevitably cut back and the A4 fleet was called upon to perform duties such as heavy passenger and freight work. A combination of heavy loads and poor maintenance finally took their toll and by the end of the war the A4s were in a poor state. Following nationalisation in 1948, the A4s saw something of a revival and Bittern was transferred to St Margarets in 1963. However, with the new diesels making major inroads, the A4s reign on express passenger services was short-lived. After a short period in storage Bittern was moved to Aberdeen Ferryhill shed in November 1963. Allan Trotter's superb colour shots give us a glimpse of the last A4s in public service, No 60024 Kingfisher and 60019 Bittern, being prepared by shed staff at Ferryhill, thus bringing the curtain down on 30 years of service. After the last steam-hauled Glasgow to Aberdeen special, Bittern was withdrawn from British Railways service on 5th September 1966 and subsequently bought by Geoff Drury three days later.













(Above-Below) Another Class A4 with a long ScR association is No 4488 Osprey built at Doncaster Plant in April 1937, perhaps better known as 60009 Union of South Africa, the first of five Class A4s Nos 60009-13 to be named after countries of the British Empire. Elsewhere on this page mention is made of the origin of locomotive names, many of which had young spotters scratching heads as to their significance, and this is especially the case with some of the more obscure loco names. No 60009 Union of South Africa was named after a dominion of the British Empire founded in 1910, where the British monarch was represented by a governor-general. The Union of South Africa came to an end in 1961 when the nation became a Republic. The springbok plaque on the side of the locomotive was donated in 1954 by a Bloemfontein newspaper proprietor. Following withdrawal in June 1966, 60009 was purchased by John Cameron for preservation on the newly-formed Lochty Private Railway in Fife, Scotland. This private line occupied the abandoned trackbed of the former East Fife Central Railway, a fifteen mile-long freight only branch built to serve the coal pits and agriculture in the area. After closure in 1965, a shed was built to house the newly-acquired A4 and 3-4 mile of track was relaid; one pair of points and one line leading into the shed, the other to the old loading bank which was modified to serve as a platform. Every Sunday afternoon during the summer No 60009 was steamed up and down the line for the benefit of the many photographers and public spectators. Here we feature two great shots by Allan Trotter of 60009 in August 1971. Two years later the lifting of BR's steam ban led to 60009 moving back to BR metals at the end of January 1973. Two routes were allocated in Scotland for the running of steam special trains and it was most fitting that 60009 hauled the first stream trip after the ban was lifted. The A4 proved she was more than capable of handling nine coaches at speeds of up to sixty miles per hour over the difficult Edinburgh-Dundee main line. Alas, the Lochty Private Railway closed in 1992...





(Above) Another product of Doncaster Plant, Peppercorn's Class A2 Pacific No 60528 Tudor Minstrel was introduced to traffic in February 1948 just two years after nationalisation. The Class A2 was a redevelopment of Thompson's six Class A2/2s (rebuilt P2s) with shorter wheelbase; the A2s initially hauled expresses along the length of the ECML, but the swansong of the class came in eastern Scotland with some quite memorable performances over the Aberdeen road during the early 1960s. Withdrawal of the class began in 1962, the last three being No 60528 Tudor Minstrel, No 60530 Sayajirao and the now-preserved No 60532 Blue Peter from 62B Dundee Tay shed in June 1966. Despite a wet miserable day, a sodden Allan Trotter was rewarded with this shot 60528 adjacent to Dundee Esplanade Station in May 1965. For the record 60528 was named after the racehorse Tudor Minstrel which won the 1 mile long 2,000 Guineas by 8 lengths in 1947.



(Above-Below) The BR Standard Class 5MT 4-6-0 was built by British Railways during the 1950s. In all 172 locos were constructed, with a few variations; the class essentially being a development of the Stanier Black Five. New to traffic on 31st October 1955 No 73100 became a Cockerhill Glasgow (67A) loco all its life. This fine shot shows No 73100, sporting stencilled Cockerhill lettering on the bufferbeam, awaiting departure from Glasgow St Enoch in May 1966. Within twelve months 73100 was scrapped by Motherwell Machinery & Scrap at Winslow on 31st January 1967. (Below) BR Standard 5MT No 73064 heads a westbound train through Arkleston Cutting, near Paisley in June 1966.





(Above-Below) Stanier Black 5s, one in each direction, pass through Arklestone cutting in May 1966. Originally the Glasgow Paisley Joint Line (CR and G&SWR) was comprised of four lines in its entirety. During the early 1960's the two fast lines were removed and overhead electrification masts installed in the centre. In some cases, however, the poles were erected before the track was removed. The cutting is situated just east of Arkleston Junction where the four tracks remained towards Paisley Gilmour Street Station, but even this section was reduced to two running lines, retaining just two loops. With the recent upsurge in rail traffic, it has now been found that the removal of the centre lines and subsequent reduction in capacity was an error and reinstatement has become necessary. But it was stated that it would be impossible to reinstate the four lines as there was insufficient space...no doubt due to some Health and Safety zealot's decree! Therefore only one new line has been installed.





(Above-Below) A Class 105 DMU approaches Paisley Gilmour Street on a service to Gourock or Weymss Bay in July 1967. The electrification has now been completed, the diesels will soon be redeployed and services to the Clyde Coast will be handled by the ubiquitous Class 303 Blue Trains. (Below) New to traffic at the beginning of March 1960, EE Type 4 D264 was among the first of two batches of Class 40s allocated new to Haymarket shed (64B). Here D264 (later Class 40 40064) is seen passing Newton Station on a mineral train in January 1968. At the time electrification was in place awaiting the full Electric Scots service which would commence in 1974. The only electric trains passing here were the Class 303 on the service between Glasgow Central to Motherwell via Kirkhill. D264 was transferred from Haymarket to Longsight in September 1981 and scrapped in April the following year.

 

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

TRANSITION FROM STEAM

(Below-left and right) A fine study of Brush Type 4 No D1577 at Berwick-on-Tweed in June 1964. In the background is the graceful 28-arch Royal Border Bridge which carriesthe ECML across the Tweed estuary. The viaduct was designed by Robert Stephenson and opened by Queen Victoria in 1850. Berwick station was built on the site of the former Royal Castle and part of the outer walls can still be seen adjacent to the sidings. Berwick is the most northerly town in England, though the actual Anglo-Scots border is situated at Marshall Meadows, some three miles north of the town. (Above right) EE Co Type 4 No D362 passes the British Railways Anglo-Scottish border sign with a northbound express.

(Below) On the modernisation front, the introduction of the new AM3 3-car 'Blue Trains' (Class 303) in 1960 on the 25kV electrified Glasgow Suburban services was most welcome, which is more than can be said for the ScR's troublesome NBL Type 2 and Clayton Type 1s, a s both types became early candidates for withdrawal. But then, there was a huge swing towards road haulage in the Sixties and the nature of work for which the early diesels had been designed (hauling light medium freight) was in rapid decline and the demise of both classes was inevitable.

(Below) In an attempt to rationalise the use of different diesels in different areas, the ten North British Loco Co's pilot-scheme Type 2 Nos D6100-9 (allocated initially to Hornsey for working Kings Cross suburban services) were transferred to the ScR in April 1960. They were accompanied by the BRCW's ten pilot-scheme Type 2s D5300-D5309, joining the first production models which had arrived on the ScR during May the previous year for working Edinburgh-Aberdeen services. During manufacture of the NBL Co Type 2, the makers utilised some original tools and aluminium castings devised for the company's earlier pilot-scheme 'Warship' class A1A-A1A's Nos D600-D604, which led to the rather odd front-end shape of the D6100s - odd, because the driver's visibility was impaired by the accentuated curve of the cab windows. These were designed to accommodate the central gangway door in the nose end as stipulated by the BTC to allow crew movement between locos when working in multiple. Eventually all the NBL Type 2s were transferred to Scotland. Here D6149 was photographed at Kittybrewster shed. In order to maximise web space the ScR diesel photographs have been moved to here.

MYSTERY PHOTOS - SOLVED! I recently came across three old railway photos of stations that have been gathering dust at the bottom of a drawer for more than twenty years. The first photo (above) was easily identified as Troon station in Ayrshire; the stove enamelled 'running in' board (ScR's light blue background with white Gill Sans letters) indicates British Railways days. However the station (below) remained a mystery, so I posted an appeal for help and was contacted by Allan Trotter...see caption below. Thanks Allan.

(Above) This photo shows a railway station somewhere on the ScR; the design of the footbridge, numbered '19', is the same as the one at Troon. Just visible in the shadows of the station building is a BR totem (the station name is made up of two words, but it is impossible to read…at a guess the first word could be 'West'?). Also the home signal at the end of the platform is mounted on a typical lattice post. Result! Allan Trotter, who maintains the excellent Eastbank Model Railway Club's website (link at bottom of the page) contacted me - Hi David, I have just been looking at your web site, fascinating! I think I can help in identifying one of your pictures. I have attached it along with one of my own taken in June 1977 with an unusual visitor (Class 40) on the Largs line. Location is West Kilbride. Hope this is of interest. With best wishes, Allan Trotter.

(Above) A lattice signal appears in the third photo This view shows a footbridge in the middle distance spanning the main line plus an expanse of abandoned track either side of it, but the biggest clue is the domed roof of the building on the right. Result! Chris Dobson has identified the 3rd photo as the original Troon station (Troon Old) on the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway. It closed to passengers in 1892 on the opening of the new loop line to the west and the new Troon station nearer the town centre. The building in the right background is Marr College, a well known local landmark. Best wishes, Chris. 

(Left) Meanwhile I've received a letter from Frank McKee, who writes - 'Many thanks for allowing Aiden Keane to publish your photo Troon station on 'Jeanie's Jotter' this week. I lived in the station house for around 12 years until 1962, and the platform and scrap yard on the left were my playgrounds. I mentioned in an issue of the 'Jotter' that I used to watch the Clan Pacifics flying by, to and from Stranraer, but it must have been about thirty years later when I saw a photo in a magazine that I realised they were painted green. I never ever saw a clean engine, and just presumed that they were black! Some crews used to chuck off huge chunks of coal on to the platform for our fireplaces...' Photo of present-day station site at Troon attached (above left).

LINKS BELOW TO RAILWAY SITES WITH A SCOTTISH CONNECTION

The Scottish Railway Preservation Society (SRPS)  was founded in 1961 to preserve and display Scotland's Railway heritage. The Society's Core Collection - recognised by the Scottish Executive as one of national significance - can be found on the Bo'ness and Kinneil Railway, just west of Edinburgh, on the southern shore of the Firth of Forth.  

The Eastbank Model Railway Club's Website includes an interesting page on the North British Type 2 Class 21 and 29 diesel electrics; another page about the overnight Fort William-London Euston 'Caledonian Sleeper' service, and a page on the Clydeside Class 303 and 311 'Blue Trains'. The site is maintained by Allan Trotter

The Waverley Route Heritage Association (WRHA) is intending to reopen part of the Waverley route, built by the North British Railway Company from Edinburgh to Carlisle through Midlothian and the Scottish borders. The first section from Edinburgh to Hawick was opened in 1849 and the Carlisle to Hawick section opened in 1862. The entire line fell victim to the Beeching axe in 1969.

It should be pointed out that some of the photos on this page are reproduced courtesy of Jim Payne's excellent CD from  www.throughtheireyes2.co.uk I am not affiliated with the sale of CDs in any way, merely reproducing what I think are interesting images of Scottish Region steam. 

Polite notice: All text and photographs are protected by copyright and reproduction is prohibited without the prior consent of the © owners. If you wish to discuss the contents of this page the email address is below. Please note - this is not a 'clickable mail-to link via Outlook Express: dheycollection@ntlworld.com