This day in history 17 March
Images
Thurso: Ex-CR Class 3P 4-4-0 54482, on 3.35pm to Georgemas Junction, seen at Thurso in 1961.
Thurso: Ex-CR Class 3P 4-4-0 54482 at Thurso in March 1961.
Thurso: Ex CR Class 3P 54482 at Thurso station.
Helmsdale: Ex CR Class 3P 54495 at Helmsdale in 1961. The view is to the north with the south cabin on the right.
Polmadie Shed: A (briefly) positive time for steam in 1963. 90092 and 90082 pose together at Polmadie on 17 March that year. They had just been drafted in to bridge the gap created by the disappearance of the unfortunate Clayton diesels.
Shankend: Track laying operations just south of Shankend in March 1968 see image [[27193]]
Crieff [2nd]: Looking north-west from Duchlage Road over the site of Crieff station to King Street in March 1970. The bridge indicates where the line continued west to Comrie. See image [[27574]]
Crieff [1st]: Track level view over the former Crieff goods yard on 17 March 1970 looking towards King Street. The deep glacial trench of Glen Turret is prominent beyond the roof of the old goods shed.
Crieff [1st]: A colleague tests out the Crieff loading gauge during the visit on 17 March 1970. This was sited on the west side of and immediately adjacent to Duchlage Road Bridge.
Alsdorf: Industrial scene at the coalmine/steelworks complex at Alsdorf near Aachen in March 1978.
High Street Goods: A sign near the entrance to the former High Street goods station in Glasgow, recorded during demolition in March 1985. See image [[21485]]
High Street Goods: High Street Goods station in Glasgow was demolished in March 1985 three years after its closure. This photo shows the High Street frontage on the 17th of that month when only around one half of it remained. The building was basically an extensive three level warehouse built over a fan of sidings. Rail goods were transshipped directly to or from road vehicles within the lowest level or via the middle level (which also had vehicular access) using lifts and conveyer belts.
Umberleigh: A Barnstaple - Exmouth DMU approaching Umberleigh station, North Devon, in March 1990.
Horbury Bridge: 31531 near the former Horbury & Ossett station (right foreground) on 17 March 1991 during track reduction works between Healey Mills and Horbury Junction.
Calder Grove: Weekend replacement of the narrow, low headroom, stone arch overbridge on Blacker Lane, Calder Grove, on the Wakefield - Barnsley line in 1991, with young son on standby if required.
Forth Bridge: 37188 heads south off the Forth Bridge with empty fuel tanks from Linkswood (RAF Leuchars) on 17 March 1992.
Clydebank: Clydebank station building in Strathcylde Transport colour scheme seen in March 1998. Was this ever a good look?
Wick: Scotrail Class 156 2-car DMU 156446 tucks itself away under the trainshed at Wick, as it awaits time for the late morning departure back to Thurso and then Inverness after arriving with the first working of the day from Inverness on 17 March 1999. The tall chimney for the adjacent Caithness General Hospital dominates the skyline beyond.
Thurso: Loaded timber awaiting collection at Thurso in March 1999.
Thurso: 156477 sits at Thurso on the afternoon of 17 March 1999, en route to Wick to then form the last departure of the day back to Inverness. I had travelled from Inverness to Wick on the early morning service, then, after visiting a cafe for something to eat, caught a bus to Thurso. I therefore had two and a half trips along the branch from Georgemas Junction, two on the through out and back workings between Inverness and Wick, and this one way trip back to Wick on the afternoon incoming service. 156477 is still working in Scotland but the 156s were replaced by 158s on the Far North lines a short time afterwards.
Dalmeny: A Fife Circle service calls at Dalmeny in March 1999 with what must be a peak-hour service if an aged Class 117 had to be resorted to. The station buildings at each end of the Forth Bridge shared the same colour scheme which doesn't seem to have been used anywhere else.
Plates, signs, notices etc: 1961/62 fares table covering main Anglo-Scottish destinations and services. As was fashionable in BR at the time the main unit of currency is the shilling.
Kenya Railway Museum Nairobi: That is some spotlight!
The spotlight is mounted on the front of the forward water tank of East African Railways no. 5930 'Mount Shengena'.
Carstairs: SPT liveried 318258 leaving Carstairs on 17 March 2004 with the morning train to Glasgow Central. As will be observed from the state of the grassy slope the photograph was taken from a layby!
Kenya Railway Museum Nairobi: Nameplate of 'Mount Shengena', one of the museums stars.
Carstairs: A train of 'Ferrywagon' vehicles restarts from the down loop at Carstairs after being held at signals on 17 March 2004. The locomotive is 92010 Moliere.
Carstairs: 92010 Moliere held in the down station loop at Carstairs in March 2004 with a train of 'Ferrywagon' vehicles.
Carstairs: DRS 47237 runs through Carstairs with a down freight on 17 March 2004, with little now remaining of the former PW facilities on the south side of the line.
Carstairs: DRS 47237 hurries north on the WCML with a train of flats in March 2004 having just passed through Carstairs station.
Ravenstruther: A touch of mist surrounds Ravenstruther coal loading terminal on a chilly March morning in 2004. Photograph taken looking south east across the WCML.
Carstairs: Northbound steel flats through Carstairs - March 2004.
Plates, signs, notices etc: Wartime LMS form 51748, containing information regarding sleeper accommodation on the ______ sleeper to _______ from the station master at ________ dated ________.
Hamilton Central: A Motherwell – Dalmuir train calls at Hamilton Central platform 1 on 17 March 2006. Note the building on the upper left with the covered stairway linked to the station's south wall. This is the former entrance and booking office on Kemp Street see image [[9044]].
Hamilton Central: View north across Kemp Street, Hamilton, in March 2006 showing the old booking office and south side entrance to Hamilton Central station. The building is currently in use as commercial premises, although the Caledonian Railway bas relief lettering is still present above the entrance. See image [[57460]]
Hamilton Central: Patches of rock salt decorate the platforms of Hamilton Central on a cold and frosty March morning in 2006 as SPT-liveried 318262 passes west below Quarry Street to arrive at platform 1 with a Larkhall - Dalmuir service.
Hamilton Central: Trains for Dalmuir (left) and Larkhall meet at Hamilton Central in March 2006.
Hamilton Central: Westbound arrival at Hamilton Central in March 2006.
Hamilton Central: Looking south east from the bus station towards Hamilton Central on 17 March 2006. Behind and above the station is Kemp Street, where the former Caledonian booking office and south side entrance (which accessed the platforms via a covered stairway) still survives see image [[9044]].
Hamilton Central: A Larkhall train leaves Hamilton Central in March 2006, running past the trap siding and onto the single line section. Work in progress alongside the line on the left will eventually provide a pedestrian link between the station and Duke Street multi storey car park on the left.
Edinburgh Waverley: A South West Trains liveried 158 forming an afternoon train to Newcraighall stands in Waverley platform 3 on 17 March 2007.
Edinburgh Waverley: Waverley east end on 17 March 2007, with a Voyager standing alongside First ScotRail liveried EWS Sleeper locomotive 90024 stabled in the bay between duties.
Auchtermuchty: Former station at Auchtermuchty. Incorporated into a Sterling furniture depot.
Leuchars: Northbound through Leuchars. The box was switched out.
Alloa West Junction: Cutting work looking west to Alloa West LC. A huge new footbridge has appeared at Alloa West LC. Note the track protection.
Cranmore: Ex-GWR 0-6-2T 5637 simmers gently at Cranmore on the East Somerset Railway on 17 March 2007. This was the last 56xx tank to pass through Swindon works in 1964 and spent most of its working life in the Welsh valleys.
Edinburgh Waverley: London bound service leaves the extended platform 2 and heads for the Calton tunnels on 17 March 2007.
Edinburgh Waverley: A North Berwick 322 ready to leave Waverley platform 4 on 17 March 2007, as the last passenger rushes to board.
Cranmore: USA 0-6-0 Yankee Dock Tank 30075 (former Yugoslav Railways JZ 62-669) at Cranmore on the East Somerset Railway on 17 March 2008.
Burscough Bridge: A Then and Now comparison with See image [[22975]] shows Burscough Bridge Junction signal box still in use, albeit now controlling colour light signals. 142027 is heading towards Wigan and will shortly pass under the Preston to Ormskirk line. The two chord formations are still in place and the subject of proposals for reinstatement of the track allowing through trains from Preston to Southport and the extension of the Ormskirk electric trains to Burscough Bridge Interchange.
New Lane: The original L&YR station building, now a private residence, still stands on New Lane's Up Platform. In front is a small waiting shelter and a traditional telephone kiosk. A Northern 142 Pacer, on a Southport to Wigan and Manchester service, hurries towards Burscough Bridge in this view across the level crossing from the staggered Down platform.
Freshfield: Freshfield station is close to the National Trust's Formby sand dunes area and popular with visitors, hence the party of ramblers on the Liverpool platform as 507005 pulls in on its way to Southport.
New Lane: The Wigan to Southport line runs dead straight from Parbold to near Meols Cop, albeit undulating across the fertile West Lancashire farmland. In this view towards Bescar Lane and Southport, from the staggered platform at New Lane, 142038 runs through the station without stopping.
Stewarton: 156 502 at Stewarton on 17 March with a service for Glasgow. Stewarton, like Dunlop, is back to being a two-platform station after a gap of four decades. As the exisiting platform was substantially rebuilt too the whole thing has a new station look. Kimarnock and Stewarton now enjoy a half-hour service to Glasgow, with some of them non-stop and some others calling only at Dunlop. Clattering through Barrhead at speed is a novel experience.
Coatdyke: The Clutha Works got a big entry for its order book at the time of the North Clyde Lines electrification as all footbridges were replaced to allow higher clearance. These bridges still abound; this plate was photographed at Coatdyke on 17 March 2010.
Killin [2nd]: A nice bit of light and shade on a cool spring day near Killin in March 2010. Ambient temperature was 10 degrees C, but it had recently been down to minus 17. The lochs were still frozen, but creaking ominously as they thawed!
Busby: 156 449 approaches Busby with a service for Glasgow Central on 17 March 2010. The signal in the background protects the single track to East Kilbride.
Edinburgh Gateway: A Waverley bound train heads south past Gogar on 17 March 2010, with tram works in progress off to the left. The control tower of Edinburgh Airport stands in the left background.
Turnhouse: A Waverley-bound DMU heads south from The Forth Bridge past Edinburgh Airport on 17 March 2010 near the site of the former Turnhouse station (closed September 1930). Much of the Grand Canyon - like backdop is based on leftovers from the West Lothian shale mining industry.
Pollokshaws West: The imposing approach to Pollokshaws West, a station which, at platform level, is quite unimposing.
Kilmarnock: Freightliner 66 511 rumbles through Kilmarnock on 17 March 2010
Busby Junction: Busby is one of those junctions, like Lanark and Wemyss Bay, named after the places they're the junction for rather than where they are. Busby itself is four miles away and was the original terminus of what is now the East Kilbride branch. On 17 March 156 430 from East Kilbride (and Busby) approaches the main line headed for Glasgow.
Stewarton: A 4-car 156 pulls into Stewarton on 17 March 2010. The train is heading for Kilmarnock where it will split for 2 return journeys to Glasgow.
College: College was originally a passenger terminus on the Glasgow and Coatbridge Railway. It didn't last long before being superseded by a station on the new through line via Glasgow Queen Street Low Level, leaving the station as goods only for most of its life. I'm standing with my back to the High Street looking east, with the platforms of High Street station down a level over the wall to the left. Perhaps the only clue to a former railway existence is that telegraph pole with yard lamp. Photographed on 17 March 2010.
High Street: Other cities suffered a decline in their medieval heart after the smart set started to move out west, but Glasgow fared worst than most. There's little left to interest the tourist in the gap-site High Street which seems to be busy only with traffic, though Strathclyde University students and a few commuters make their way to and from High Street station at appropriate times. The student flats behind the station seen here on 17 March occupy the site of College goods station.
Carntyne: An eastbound 6-car 320 at Carntyne on 17 March 2010 with a destination display showing three parallel lines.
Turnhouse: Train meets plane, Edinburgh Airport perimeter, 17 March 2010. The train is a First ScotRail 170 DMU on a morning service from Perth heading for Waverley. The aircraft is a Kingdom Holding Company Boeing 747-400 on a visit from Rijadh. HZ-WBT7 is the private jet of Saudi Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal... (you should see his yacht!)
Stewarton: Now that there's a need for it again the subway at Stewarton has been reinstated. The old ceramic tiling has been covered up and it's hard to believe that the subway is not entirely new. Photographed from the Up side on 17 March.
Dalmarnock: 318 260 pulls into Dalmarnock with a Dalmuir service on 17 March 2010.
Dunlop: 156 437 pulls into Dunlop with a Kilmarnock service on 17 March 2010. It is only 3 months since restoration to a double track station took place here and everything is still looking pristine.
Coatdyke: 320 309 calls at Coatdyke on 17 March 2010 with a service for Balloch.
Killin [2nd]: Heading out of Killin near the Falls of Dochart in March 2010. This part of the trackbed is cycleable, but rather uphill. There's a pile of concrete sleepers hereabouts - I'm sure they'd let you take as many as you can carry!
Hougham: GBRF 66726 hauls a rake of box wagons north along the ECML at Hougham, between Grantham and Newark, on 17 March 2011. Hougham station and yard were just beyond the bushes on the left. [Ref query 25 February 2019]
Prestonpans: 67004 leans into the curve approaching Prestonpans on 17 March with the 6B45 Powderhall - Oxwellmains Binliner refuse containers.
Drem: Freightliner 86609 runs south through the loops at Drem on 17 March 2011.
North Berwick: The terminus at North Berwick on 17 March 2011 with, unusually, DMU 158867 forming the 12.20 service to Edinburgh Waverley.
Normanton: The 185 1/4 mile post, indicating distance from St. Pancras along the former Midland mainline route via Royston, is now located a significant distance from the current operational running line on the up side, being sited by a former siding end wall at the rear of the area now comprising the west end of Normanton station car park. The station access road can be seen beyond.
Nuneaton North Chord: How long is that new embankment for the Nuneaton North Chord? Oh, about the same as a 9-coach Pendolino. Scene on 17 March 2012 with the ballast-filled soakaway on the left, and the wooden level posts on top, giving an impression of progress - just as well, as the entire project is due to be finished in July see image [[36137]]. Note the sharp ramp up to the soon-to-be-demolished bridge over the WCML adjacent to the power car on the left.
Brunstane: 70013 Oliver Cromwell brings up the rear of the empty stock of the 'Heart of Midlothian' Huddersfield - Edinburgh charter passing Brunstane on 17 March. 47760 was on the front of the train at this stage, with one D Spaven a guest on the footplate of 70013!
Mendip Vale: GWR 56xx Class 0-6-2T no 5637 running around its train at the East Somerset Railway's Mendip Vale Station on 17 March 2012.
Joppa [2nd]: 70013 Oliver Cromwell nears Joppa with the 'Heart of Midlothian' charter from Huddersfield to Edinburgh on 17 March 2012.
Troon: The extended platforms at the north end of Troon station on 17 March 2012. Essentially a replacement for what was removed at the time of electrification.
Joppa [2nd]: The remains of Joppa station in March 2012. View is east with an up Arriva CrossCountry Voyager passing.
Fairwood Junction: GWR King Class 4-6-0 no 6024 King Edward 1 seen shortly after departing from Westbury (Wilts) and approaching Fairwood Junction on 17 March 2012. The special's ultimate destination was Exeter.
Troon: The 14.43 Ayr - Glasgow Central service arrives at the platform at Troon on 17 March.
Oskova: No. 25-30 has its tanks replenished from the hydrant at Oskova sidings on Sunday 17 March 2013. The driver (the locos are normally one man operated) is having an afternoon break but soon appeared to turn the water off. The loco was built by the Czech firm of CKD in 1949 for the Banovici coal system.
Farington Curve Junction: A Northern 156+150 combination heading along the up WCML just south of Farington Curve Junction on 17 March 2013 with a Preston to Buxton service.
Oskova Washery: At Oskova washery on the morning of 17th March 2013, the coal from the first wagon of a loaded rake has just been discharged into the underground bunker and 0-6-0T No. 25-30 gets its train on the move to continue the unloading process. This was a Sunday but the demands of Tuzla power station, at least in winter, are such that operations here run seven days a week.
Plean: Freightliner 66548 with empty HTAs heading west from Longannet to Hunterston near Plean on 17 March 2013.
Kenya Railway Museum Nairobi: North British Locomotives of Glasgow built railway loco no 2921 'Masai of Kenya' in the 1950s for East African Railways. This is a 'Tribal' class of locomotive with a 2-8-2 wheel arrangement.
Kenya Railway Museum Nairobi: East Africa Railways Beyer-Garratt 5505 at Kenya Railway Museum, Nairobi, in March 2014.
Kenya Railway Museum Nairobi: East African Railways class 24 4-8-0 no 2401 at the KRM, Nairobi, in 2014. Originally built for Ugandan Railways as class GD by the Vulcan Foundry in the 1920s, a total of 62 entered service.
Kenya Railway Museum Nairobi: Tanganyika Railway locomotive no. 301 (later East African Railways no. 2302) is a 4-8-0 built by Beyer Peacock in 1923. It is now a static exhibit at the Railway Museum in Nairobi, restored to TR livery.
Coatbridge Central: GBRf 66735 nears Coatbridge Central on 17 March with the 6E45 Fort William - North Blyth empty alumina tanks.
Mount Vernon: Signs of progress on the electrification of the Whifflet line at Mount Vernon on 17 March as the 0845 service to Glasgow Central approaches the station. Electrification of the line to Whifflet is due to be completed this summer.
Abington: TransPennine 350408 about to pass through Abington loops with a Glasgow Central - Manchester Airport service on 17 March 2014.
Glasgow Queen Street High Level: A gleaming 67027, resplendent in DBS livery, stands at the buffer stops at Queen Street on 17 March 2014 with the Network Rail Measurement Train.
Haymarket: 67004 and driver await the right-away at Haymarket with the returning Fife commuter train on the evening of 17 March.
Kenya Railway Museum Nairobi: Locomotives and equipment awaiting refurbishment at the KRM in March 2014.
Kenya Railway Museum Nairobi: Former Kenya and Uganda Railway class ED1 2-6-2T no 327 under cover at the Kenya Railway Museum in March 2014. Built by the Vulcan Foundry in the late 1920s this was one of a batch of 27 class ED1s to enter service with the KUR around that time.
Crawford Viaduct: TransPennine 350402 from Manchester Airport to Glasgow Central crosses Crawford Viaduct on 17 March.
Crawford Viaduct: A Virgin Pendolino from Edinburgh to London Euston crosses Crawford Viaduct on 17 March 2014.
Kenya Railway Museum Nairobi: An example of high quality model making in the Kenya Railway Museum Nairobi. Model of an East Africa Railways locomotive. The model makers were Bassett-Lowke Ltd of Northampton, London and Manchester.
Kenya Railway Museum Nairobi: East African Railways no. 5930 'Mount Shengena' now resides at the Kenya Railway Museum, Nairobi. This 'Mountain Class' articulated locomotive was built by Beyer Peacock & Co. The wheel arrangement is the impressive 4-8-2+2-8-4. The class were named for mountains in East Africa, this one being named for Mount Shengena in Tanzania.
Kenya Railway Museum: North British Locomotives of Glasgow built railway loco no 2921 'Masai of Kenya', which now resides at the railway museum in Nairobi.
Kenya Railway Museum Nairobi: Among the exhibits at the Nairobi Railway Museum is this 1972 diesel 0-6-0 by Andrew Barclay of Kilmarnock, builder's plate no 567.
Kenya Railway Museum Nairobi: Among the exhibits at the Nairobi Railway Museum is a diesel 0-6-0 by Andrew Barclay of Kilmarnock, builder's no 567. The makers plate is still in good condition. Long way from Caledonian Works.
Kenya Railway Museum Nairobi: The plaque reads
It was from this coach that superintendent Charles Henry Ryall was dragged and killed by a man-eating lion at Kima station on 6th June 1900.
Ryall was a superintendent of the railway police. A plan to attract and shoot a man-eating lion involved dropping this coach in the loop at Kiwa station overnight and leaving the windows open to attract the lion into the coach. Unfortunately Ryall fell asleep.
Kenya Railway Museum Nairobi: Good example of poster at Kenya Railway Museum in Nairobi. The company operated in the British Colony and Protectorate of Kenya and the Protectorate of Uganda between 1929 until 1948. 'For discriminating travellers'.
Kenya Railway Museum Nairobi: 'There you go son, here's a shovel, get on that and go repair the viaduct at Lamington.'
Preserved motorised cycle used for track inspection.
Note from Bruce McCartney: That’s a Cyclemaster wheel. They came in two varieties, a 25.7cc and a 32cc version.
Kenya Railway Museum Nairobi: Locomotive 3123 'Bavuma', an East African Railways Tribal Class 31 2-8-4, was built by the Vulcan Foundry in 1955.
Kenya Railway Museum Nairobi: A seat supposedly used by our Queen during a visit.
Bishop Auckland West: Unfortunately without any passenger services at the moment, Bishop Auckland West station on the Weardale Railway looking east towards Bishop Auckland on the national rail network on 17 March 2015. See image [[30974]]
Springburn: ScotRail 156453 leaves its penultimate stop at Springburn on a service from Falkirk Grahamston to Glasgow Queen Street on 17th March 2015.
Coatbridge Central: Freightliner 86637+86605 approaching Coatbridge Central on 17 March with the 14.01 Coatbridge FLT - Crewe Basford Hall containers.
Springburn: Bay platforms 3 and 4, the station building and its slightly 'Heath Robinson' connection to the footbridge at Springburn on 17th March 2015.
Coatbridge Central: 334005 calls at Coatbridge Central on 17 March 2015 with a Cumbernauld - Dalmuir service.
York: View south from the footbridge at York station on 17 March 2015.
Turku: A pair of strange little diesel shunters at Turku, Finland, in March 2015. As far as I can discover, these are Trr Class, drive is B (0-4-0), top speed about 15 mph. All seem out of use.
Turku: A loco hauled double-deck push-pull arrival from Helsinki at Turku on 17 March 2015.
Bishop Auckland: Looking west from Newgate Street bridge, Bishop Auckland on 17 March 2015. The present day single platform station is in the foreground with the Weardale Railway Bishop Auckland West station in the background. The once extensive railway facilities here have long gone with the land reclaimed for retail, car parking and a new road.
Coatbridge Central: DBS 66221 passes Coatbridge Central on 17 March 2015 with the 6S36 Dalston - Grangemouth empty tanks.
Coatbridge Central: GBRf 66736 enters Coatbridge Central with the 6S45 North Blyth - Fort William Alcan train. 17 March 2015.
Bay Horse: Until recently, the Class 70s have not made regular appearances on the northern stretches of the WCML but Freightliner 70006 was in charge of a Coatbridge to Daventry container service on 17th March 2016, seen here approaching Bay Horse.
Bay Horse: Two of the WCML's more interesting trains pass at Bay Horse on 17th March 2016. DRS 37425 is propelling the 0515hrs from Carlisle towards Preston while DRS 66429 and 66430 are on the Daventry to Mossend Tesco Express, most of which is hidden by the southbound passenger.
Liphook: 444.027 at Liphook on the Guildford to Havant line, which was an extension of the London and South Western Railway's Godalming Branch.
Ayr: The crest on Ayr station's hotel, showing the date 1885.
Culloden Viaduct: 37607 and 37218 work the [[Georgemas Junction]] to [[Mossend Marshalling Yard]] engineering train away from Inverness. The wagons are full of old sleepers from Forsinard. In the background, a foggy Culloden.
Ayr: Main entrance side of the Hotel on 17-3-16 - name and crest. The hotel and station date from the substantial reconstruction of 1885.
Aberdour: 158735 coasts downhill into Aberdour on 17 March. In the background is evidence of vegetation clearance and stabilising work.
Forton: The Crewe-Sellafield flasks were around 50 minutes late as they passed through the cutting at Forton on 17th March 2016. The train was headed by Pullman liveried DRS 57305 Northern Princess, probably a late substitute for a failed Class 37. DRS 37602 is the second locomotive on the two wagon train.
Shettleston Junction: The trackbed at the start of the GBH&C in 2017, now part of the yard at the Network Rail Shettleston Depot. Behind the fence survives the 3 track bridge across Gartocher Road, which together with the bridges at Bothwell is one of the best preserved parts of the former railway's infrastucture. Access with permission.
Craigendoran: In truly awful weather 66737 comes south through the former Craigendoran Upper with the empties from the Lochaber Smelter. Below a local service to Helensburgh leaves Craigendoran station (just off to the right). The view is from the former pier station.
Edinburgh Princes Street: Some of the evidence that the back of the Caledonian Hotel was once more than a car park. The corbels would have supported the roof arches and other marks indicate that there were structures attached to the wall.
Bromley Cross: A 'grab shot' of Bromley Cross showing the station building and signal box.
Darwin Shopping Centre: Signal box lookalike atop the car park/bus station of the Darwin Shopping Centre in Shrewsbury. I cannot account for this structure, but it is perhaps simply meant to look mock Tudor.
Shettleston Junction: View of the trackbed on the bridge across Gartocher Road taken through the fence at the Network Rail Shettleston Depot. At this point the line had three tracks with sidings on the left after crossing the bridge. A OHLE stanchion, dating back to the days when the stub of the line formed part of the Shettleston depot, can still be seen through the trees. See image [[35603]]. Access with permission.
Shettleston Junction: Another view of the trackbed on the bridge across Gartocher Road taken through the fence at the Network Rail Shettleston Depot. At this point the line had three tracks with sidings on the left after the bridge. See image [[58545]]. Access with permission.
Clitheroe: Lovely station. The station re-opened to regular services in 1994. The former station building on the up platform seen here is now a visitor's centre and art gallery.
Carlisle: One of the Caledonian Sleeper's rather smart new interactive panels complete with video link seen at Carlisle station.
Leyland: DB 66134, still in EWS livery, rolls a Daventry to Grangemouth intermodal service along the Down Fast line at Leyland on a sunny but bitterly cold 17th March 2018.
Oxenholme: The Windermere branch shuttle waits to depart from Oxenholme on 17 March 2018.
Leyland: Refurbished EMU 319384 calls at refurbished Leyland station on a sunny but bitterly cold 17th March 2018. With the Manchester line closed at weekends for electrification these Liverpool Preston services were the only trains calling at Leyland, all others being 'bustituted'.
Buxton: The imposing fan window at Buxton station on 17th March 2018. The line of the road stands on the site of the forecourt between the LNW and Midland stations. A matching window adorned the Midland side but was unfortunately demolished upon the station’s closure. Eagle-eyed observers will have spotted Stanier Class 5 45407 (running as 45157) on the viaduct in the middle distance. Top and tail with 45690 it had just returned from a very rare foray up the Hindlow Branch with RTC’s High Peak Explorer.
Higher Buxton: Unfortunately strong biting winds and frequent snow showers deterred allotment holders from tending their plots adjacent to the Hindlow Branch in Buxton on 17th March 2018 and so they missed the spectacle of a steam hauled passenger train to distract them from their labours. With 45407 (running as 45157) leading and 45690 at the rear the train climbs the 1 in 60 gradient.
Oxenholme: Jubilee 45699 'Galatea' working hard on the Carnforth to Carlisle leg of 'The Cathedrals Express' from Euston on 17 March 2018. The special is seen here passing through Oxenholme.
Leyland: The mornings may be becoming brighter earlier but 0630 hrs on 17 March 2018 was still quite a challenge to capture Jubilee 45690 'Leander' and Black 5 45157 'Glasgow Highlander' charge through Leyland with the Carnforth to Buxton 'The High Peak Explorer'. In case there is any doubt, the Black 5 is actually 45407 but has again been turned out as 45157 for the 2018 season.
Claydon LNE Junction: Re Ken Strachan's photo of a trackless Claydon LNE Junction See image [[66823]], and in answer to his question was track here until recently? The answer is 'Yes'. A UK Railtours excursion traversed the line from Claydon towards Oxford on 17th March 2018. I think this may have been the last excursion train to use the line before the track was lifted for reconstruction as part of the East/West Rail Link. This view is looking towards Oxford from the excursion train approaching Claydon LNE Junction from the Calvert spur on the said date.
Claydon LNE Junction: UK Railtours excursion behind 66110 on the Calvert spur from the ex-Great Central Railway main line approaching Claydon LNE Junction on 17th March 2018. The line from Oxford (now lifted for reconstruction as part of East/West Rail) can be seen in the background and this was also traversed by the railtour after it reversed at Claydon with consecutively numbered 66111 then doing the honours back to London Euston. The train travelled via Oxford, Didcot Parkway, Reading and Ealing Broadway and thence via the spur from Acton Main Line to Acton Wells Junction and then the spur to the West Coast Main Line west of the site of the former Willesden Junction Main Line platforms, closed in 1962 and now demolished.
Claydon LNE Junction: UK Railtours excursion behind 66110 coming off the 1940 Calvert spur at Claydon LNE Junction on 17th March 2018. The train then reversed and with 66111 then in charge, travelled via the line to Bicester Village (now lifted for reconstruction as part of East/West Rail) and then on to Oxford as it made its roundabout way home to London Euston. The tour also visited Swanbourne, via the Bletchley Flyover from Milton Keynes Central, and the Dudding Hill Loop in north-west London before making its way via the Acton Wells spur, the Greenford branch and the Princes Risborough to Aylesbury line before a two hour stopover at the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre at Quainton Road, on what was a bitterly cold Saturday afternoon.
Gargrave: 142013 nears Gargrave with the 10.24 from Leeds to Lancaster on 17 March 2019.
Gargrave: 142013 calls at Gargrave with the 10.24 from Leeds to Lancaster on 17 March 2019. The former goods yard is in the background.
Glasgow Queen Street High Level: A late evening view of the progress of the framework for the new south extension to Queen Street in mid March 2019.
Ribbleton [1st]: A view along the trackbed cycle path, looking toward Preston, between Ribbleton and Deepdale in March 2019. The railway land is very wide at this point as there were sidings here serving the Holme Slack Brickworks. The palisade fencing marks the boundary of the Deepdale Retail Park built on the brick works site. [Ref query 17 March 2019]
Ribbleton [1st]: Looking towards Longridge on the old trackbed cycle path between Deepdale and Ribbleton in March 2019. The steel bridge carries Blackpool Road, built long after the railway opened. The line closed to passengers in 1930 but freight continued on this section until the Courtaulds complex at Red Scar closed in the late 1970s See image [[24678]]. Note the old sleeper fencing still partly in place on the left.
Ashchurch for Tewkesbury: The green tinge on this picture seems appropriate for a GWR service. 166218 forms a slightly late 20.54 from Worcester Shrub Hill to Bristol Temple Meads in March 2019.
Ribbleton [1st]: Looking towards Preston along the old Longridge Railway at Ribbleton in March 2019. The telephone exchange seen here, and an adjacent housing development, occupy the site of a rail served Government Cold Store. See image [[34401]] for the view in the opposite direction from here in 1966.
Bristol Harbour: I was lucky enough to be in Bristol on 17th March 2019 when the Harbour Railway. was in operation. Here is the train in the station at the Great Britain end of the railway.
Carberry Colliery Pits Nos 2 and 3: Standing at the entrance to the former Carberry Colliery, East Lothian, in March 2019 looking west across the A6124 towards Whitecraig, with the Pentland Hills showing signs of the previous day's snowfall. Carberry colliery closed in 1960 with the area behind the camera later used for landfill. The level crossing was to the left of centre (note the surviving gate post) with the line then continuing through the field opposite, before turning south to reach the exchange sidings at Smeaton see image [[36218]].
Bristol Harbour: Avonside 0-6-0ST 1764 of 1917 in operation on the Bristol Harbour Railway on 17th March 2019. Otherwise known as PORTBURY. I assume No 34 was it's fleet number.
Bristol Harbour: 0-6-0ST No. 1764 'PORTBURY', built by the Avonside Engine Company in1917, making its way slowly along the Bristol Harbour Railway with a passenger service on an operating day in March 2019.
Bankhead [Tram]: An Airport-bound tram captured between Bankhead and Edinburgh Park Station on 17 March 2020. The EGML is behind it. A book on Edinburgh Street names posits that the name Bankhead comes from the railway embankment here. This seems a bit unlikely, but it is true that the name is younger than the line, having been coined for streets in a post-war industrial estate (situated on a bank).
Edinburgh Park: An Airdrie line service to Edinburgh leaves Edinburgh Park on 17 March 2020. By that date the Coronavirus outbreak was having a noticeable impact on passenger numbers.
Princes Street Gardens Cutting: Units like the Azuma perhaps look at their best knifing through the countryside at speed, but sometimes they have got to make some less glamorous moves. On 17 March 2021 the Up 'Highland Chieftain' creaks across from the Haymarket South Tunnel line to the 'Z' line under The Mound to reach Waverley's Platform 19.
Auchendinny Tunnel: The east portal of Auchendinny Tunnel on the Penicuik branch, seen here on 17 March 2022, now part of a walkway. Near the far end of the tunnel are the remains of Auchendinny station. The area behind the camera was once occupied by one of several paper mills located along the North Esk - today the site is occupied by a modern housing development.
St Andrew Square [Tram]: Yes, we had no trams...but they returned in the week beginning 28th March. The construction work is certainly seems to moving at a good pace with Picardy Place and McDonald Road stops well advanced and tracks laid right down into Ocean Terminal.
Events
Events from the chronology which occured on this day. This generally lists events before 1995, the creation of the website.
| Year | Companies | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1851 | Slamannan and Borrowstounness Railway | Causewayend to 1st_>Bo^ness 1st opened. |
| 1958 | Forfar and Brechin Railway | Brechin (excluded) to Careston (excluded) closed to freight |
| 1975 | Kyle of Lochalsh Extension (Highland Railway) | Kyle of Lochalsh to Portree mailboat service ends. |
| 1979 | North British Railway | The Penmanshiel Disaster closes the East Coast Main Line. A 20 metre section of the Penmanshiel Tunnel collapses resulting in the deaths of Peter Fowler and Gordon Turnbull who were working in the tunnel to increase headroom for 8' 6'' high containers. The floor of the tunnel was being dug out and lowered. Diversion of East Coast trains via Carlisle was required. The tunnel was abandoned and sealed. A deviation was to be opened to the west. |
| 1984 | Stanhope and Tyne Railway | Last tour train visits 3rd_>Consett 3rd . |
| 1988 | Ayr to Mauchline Branch (Glasgow and South Western Railway) | Line re-opened. |
| 2003 | Callander and Oban Railway | Temporarily closed by bridge strike, no damage. |
News
These are old news items which which occured on this day. This generally lists events after 1995, the creation of the website.
| Year | Companies | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Demand for investment in Highland rail [Scotsman] | TRANSPORT experts yesterday called for increased investment in the Highland^s rural rail network after an independent report blew apart widely held perceptions that train services in the area are lightly used and dominated by tourist traffic. |
| 2004 | Seats ease strain of train travel [Scotsman] | OVERCROWDING suffered by commuters on Scotland^s busiest rail route is finally being eased after ScotRail^s new trains received their missing seats. |
| 2004 | Two fined over sectarian abuse [Scotsman] | TWO football coaches behind a successful anti-bigotry drive at a boys^ club have been convicted of hurling sectarian abuse at a train guard. |
| 2004 | Whistling staff speed up trains [BBC News] | A rail company with a poor punctuality record has bought super-loud whistles to hurry passengers along. |
| 2004 | Glasgow line trains to use Edinburgh Park station [Scotsman] | TRAINS on the main Edinburgh-Glasgow line are set to start serving the city^s newest railway station, Edinburgh Park, in a move which will benefit thousands of commuters. |
| 2004 | Extra police for railway stations [BBC News] | Hundreds more police officers will be seen at British stations to reassure passengers and improve security. |
| 2004 | Anger over plans for mine by beauty spot [Scotsman] | CONTROVERSIAL plans to develop an opencast mine near a Midlothian nature spot today sparked fury. |
| 2004 | Scotland^s first all-in-one travel card launched [Scotsman] | SCOTLAND^S first national scheme which allows travellers to buy a single ticket for use on both trains and buses was launched today by Transport Minister Nicol Stephen. |
| 2005 | More late trains under new owner [Scotsman] | THE number of Scotrail trains running late increased during the network^s first three months under new ownership, figures revealed today. |
| 2005 | Partnership pledge to boost city links [Scotsman] | ENTERPRISE minister Jim Wallace today pledged to work with mobile phone companies to plug the gaps in coverage between Edinburgh and Glasgow and improve rail services between the two cities. |
| 2006 | Second man guilty in Tebay case [BBC News] | A second man is found guilty of the deaths of four rail workers who were hit by a runaway wagon. |
| 2006 | Capital airport^s rail route Bill is unveiled [Scotsman] | THE Parliamentary Bill for Edinburgh Airport^s rail link was due to be published this morning. |
| 2006 | Depot signals green criteria [Scotsman] | A "GREEN" award has been won by a GNER rail maintenance depot in Craigentinny. |
| 2006 | Airport rail link gathers speed [Scotsman] | PLANS for a new railway linking Edinburgh Airport to the rest of Scotland moved a step closer today as the legal process to build the project got under way. |
| 2008 | Alloa rail link ^to open in May^ [BBC News Article] | Passenger rail services to Clackmannanshire are earmarked to resume on 18 May after a break of 40 years. |
| 2010 | Bid to end rail dispute deadlock [BBC News Article] | Talks are due to be held between union officials and the Scottish transport minister in an effort to end the deadlock in a rail dispute. |
| 2011 | £2.5m new steam train venture is moving [Ross-shire Journal] | AN ambitious £2.5million plan to bring the age of steam back to Strathpeffer by laying a track and buying an engine was revealed this week. [From Richard Buckby] |
| 2011 | Rail station now on track to re-open [Ross-shire Journal] | Scottish Government Transport Minister Keith Brown has confirmed £96,000 will be chipped in to the design cost of a project to re-open the Conon Bridge rail halt. |
| 2014 | Services at Porthmadog harbour station to resume after £1m makeover [Daily Post] | After three years of work the facelift of Porthmadog station is nearing completion much to the delight of those who use it. Railway services at a historic station will be resumed next weekend after a major, three-year makeover which cost more than £1m. Harbour station at Porthmadog is where the Ffestiniog Railway from Blaenau Ffestiniog meets the Welsh Highland Railway (WHR) from Caernarfon. |
| 2014 | Falahill work due to begin [Midlothian Advertiser] | Work to deliver one of the most challenging sections of the Borders Railway at Falahill will get under way next week as the project continues its focus on the development of key railway structures. The design, approved by Scottish Borders Council in November, moves the A7 slightly to the west of its current alignment, giving more room between the road and the Falahill cottages. It also sees a new bridge built to the south of the properties, carrying the road over the railway. The bridge is the third and final A7 crossing to start work and will take the Borders Railway one step closer to bringing train services back to Midlothian and the Scottish Borders for the first time in over 40 years. |
| 2015 | Railfreight ^contributes £1.6bn to British economy^ [Rail News] | A NEW report says that railfreight is now contributing some £1.6 billion to the British economy every year. The figure is an estimate of the benefits, which include reduced road congestion and favourable environmental factors. Two years ago these benefits were valued at £1.5 billion, but the sector has continued to grow since then. The report comes from the Rail Delivery Group, which says the five major railfreight operators between them move goods worth more than £30 billion each year, including groceries, luxury cars for export and half of the fuel used to generate electricity. Container traffic has risen by 30 per cent since 2006, partly because of the growing market in consumer goods. One in four of the containers entering the country are now moved from port to inland destination by train. [From Richard Buckby] |
| 2015 | Borders to Edinburgh railway promoted by artwork [BBC News] | A massive ^artwork on wheels^ has been unveiled to promote the new Borders Railway throughout the country. Infrastructure Secretary Keith Brown revealed the 70m long train wrapped in specially-designed livery. It aims to promote some of the top attractions of the areas served by the new railway, due to open in September. [From Richard Buckby] |
| 2016 | Rail in the 2016 UK budget [Railway Gazette] | UK: Funding allocations for a number of railway projects were set out in the budget presented to parliament by Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne on March 16. Following recommendations by the National Infrastructure Commission, Osborne said the government would back the High Speed 3 and Crossrail 2 schemes. It has allocated £60m for the development by 2017 of proposals for improved links between cities in northern England, including the High Speed 3 concept of improving Leeds – Manchester links to cut the journey time from 50 min to around 30 min. The government is to provide £80m to support planning for Crossrail 2, with Transport for London asked to match this. The aim is to deposit a hybrid bill for the southwest – northeast cross-London link by the end of the current parliament in 2020. The government backs the NIC’s recommendations that proposals should be developed for significantly reducing and phasing the costs, and a financing package developed whereby London would fund more than half the cost of the project. |
| 2017 | £3m free travel scheme for ScotRail passengers detailed [Herald] | The Scottish Government has released more details of a £3 million ScotRail free travel scheme thanking customers for their patience during disruptions and upgrades. Passengers with a monthly or annual season ticket valid for at least one day in May will be able to claim a week of free travel for their usual route. Monthly customers who switch to the electronic smartcard ticketing system will get a free off-peak return trip anywhere in Scotland, while yearly smartcard holders will get two. |
| 2017 | Successful test run for worlds first hydrogen-powered passenger train [RTM] | Alstom has run the first successful test of the worlds only hydrogen fuel cell passenger train Coradia iLint at its test track in Salzgitter, in preparation for an extensive test campaign in Germany and Czech Republic in the coming months. The test runs, which will continue for the next four weeks, aim to confirm the stability of the trains energy supply system based on co-ordinated interaction between the drive, the fuel cell and battery, as well as to check the braking power of the vehicle. The zero-emission silent train is powered by a single hydrogen fuel cell, producing electrical power for the traction. [From Richard Buckby] |
| 2017 | Cautious welcome for new Aberdeen to Central Belt rail team [Press and Journal] | Scotlands transport minister Humza Yousaf has unveiled a new team to look into developing rail capacity in the north-east. The group will review options for improvements between Aberdeen and Dundee, as well as for double-tracking Usan junction and the South Esk viaduct at Montrose. Members will include representatives from Transport Scotland, Nestrans, and the ScotRail Alliance among others. |
| 2018 | Scottish trains move south to the York/Harrogate line [Minster News] | Northern has taken delivery of two Class 170 trains at its Neville Hill depot near Leeds. The trains, which previously provided services north of the border for ScotRail, will undergo a full refurbishment and features available to customers will include power sockets and air-conditioning. A new type of train for Northern services, training on the Class 170s is expected to start in the next few weeks on a route between Holbeck near Leeds and Nottingham. They will provide services between York, Harrogate and Leeds from May. The delivery of these trains is another milestone in Northerns programme of train upgrades as the train operator invests millions in improving its existing fleet and phasing out its older Pacer style trains. |
| 2019 | Furious ScotRail passengers slam appalling Borders Railway cancellations [Scotsman] | Angry ScotRail passengers condemned the cancellation of ten trains on the Borders Railway today as among the worst disruption since it re-opened. The train operator blamed staff shortages after five of the last seven services of the day were halted. It comes days after trains on the Edinburgh-Tweedbank line were so crowded passengers were forced to stand crammed into toilets. |
| 2020 | Coronavirus: ScotRail services could be cut to Sunday levels [Scotsman] | ScotRail and other train operators are planning to cut services because of a ^dramatic^ drop in demand, perhaps to Sunday levels. |
