This vital link between Inverness and the 231 miles of railway north thereof was severed when on the morning of Wednesday 8th Feb floodwaters destroyed the Ness Viaduct. Originally built in December 1861, Miss Mitchell the daughter of the engineer Joseph Mitchell of Inverness and the Ross-shire Railway Co. laid the keystone of the viaduct, [ Read More ]
Archive for the ‘Railway Stories’ Category
PDF Photographs by Eric Dale unless otherwise stated Highland Railway Brake Vans HR goods brake vans rarely – if ever – left their ‘home’ system. They often had their own distinctive ‘architecture’, including the raised ‘birdcage’ lookout in many cases. The open verandas found elsewhere in the country were not as popular as elsewhere in Britain, [ Read More ]
Over a period of thirty years, Inverness craftsman the late James Kennedy of Midmills Road created a unique collection of exact scale models of Highland Railway rolling stock. These working models, build to a scale of 10mm/ft (gauge 1) were displayed in an extensive garden layout at the James Kennedy’s home. The layout has been [ Read More ]
In Scottish folklore it is believed that no matter where you are in the world, at the moment of your death your spirit immediately returns to the place of your birth. Consequently, because in 1876 Sir Nigel Gresley was born in Scotland , his spirit – naturally – would have returned to Scotland’s capital city. [ Read More ]
Belgium is perhaps one of the least likely countries to visit for fans of the steam locomotive. In a way, this is rather surprising, as two of its engineers gave their names to inventions used around the World. Firstly, Alfred Belpaire designed the square-topped firebox that bears his name, whilst Egide Walschaerts produced the valve [ Read More ]
Like many railway systems around the World, British Railways and its masters were seduced by the claims of diesel loco manufacturers. Suddenly steam was old hat, and was disposed of in great haste. Many of the British Standard locomotives went to the scrapyard (or into preservation) with less than 10 years service on the clock. [ Read More ]
Hornby ‘Eurostar’ train (R2379) It is said that when the French heard that the first trains to travel under the Channel were to arrive at a station called Water-loo, many assumed they were victims of the English sense of humour. Alas for them, it really was true that they would alight at a station named [ Read More ]
6.30am Wednesday 26/4/2006 Pendolino Set 390 029 “City of Stoke on Trent” in Euston Station, London prior to heading the 0646 train to Glasgow Central. Pendolino 390 029 was formally named at Stoke on Trent station on 29 September 2003 to mark completion of major engineering work to upgrade the West Coast Main Line for [ Read More ]
That Trainspotter Otherwise known as “The Boy on the Footbridge” It has been said that train spotting is rather like bird watching or fishing. We think nothing of travelling miles for a rare catch or waiting patiently for long periods when nothing seems to be happening. Even today groups of enthusiasts – still mainly youngsters [ Read More ]
Fitting a tender fall-plate and crew can be easily done to an ‘out-of-the-box ‘ model without resorting to complete repainting. However, if you do want to personalise your prized possession it may be necessary to do a repaint, depending on the condition in which you want the locomotive to appear. Perth (63A) MR ‘4F’ No. [ Read More ]
