Created 2-Sep-19
Modified 18-Dec-22
This day out was one of a series of tours run by the A1 Trust from Edinburgh to Aberdeen and return, using West Coast Railways as their TOC and the well-kept SRPS rake of coaches.
It was a grey, damp and windy day as we left Edinburgh, though we reached 68 by South Gyle and 70 passing the airport, before bumbling over the first of the three Forth Bridges at around 25. We pulled back our 2 minute deficit with a burst at 70 along the coast before Burntisland then, after our pathing stop at Thornton Junction, we dropped to 39 at Lochmuir summit before turning left at Ladybank as we were barred from the Tay Bridge.
We moseyed westward along the south bank of the Tay at around 50 to Perth, but back along the north bank we reached 70 before Errol and a maximum of 73 before a slow passage through the Dundee area and along the coast to Arbroath, reached 22 minutes late.
The ride through the coastal hills and cliffs to Aberdeen is spectacular, with some challenging climbs (down to 39 at Dunninald and 55 at Denlethen) followed by downhill dashes (68 through Laurencekirk and on in the mid-70s to Fordoun). Drumlithie summit at 47 was followed by 67 through Stonehaven, then we made steady but unspectacular progress until our arrival in Aberdeen, 15 minutes late.
In brighter weather with some hints of sunshine, we slogged up past Cove Bay in the 40s but after Porthlethen whisked up to 68 through Newtonhill. Down to 45 at Limpet Mill summit, on through Stonehaven in the 60s, slowed by the climb to Carmont then up to 72 by Cocketty – the switchback continued but our powerful loco made light of the climbs. We were consistently in the 50s and 60s to the outskirts of Montrose but then we must have hit adverse signals and it was only past Lunan Bay that we were up into the 60s again. More signals made us 7 late through Arbroath and sadly we ambled eastward along the flat racing stretch towards Dundee, with 68 at Monifieth the only highlight.
Leaving the water stop at Dundee 4 minutes late, we were up to 66 by Invergowrie and 70 through Errol, then we flew towards Perth in the mid 70s before being slowed for the single line into Perth station. On through Ladybank and Kirkcaldy, I took some repose from my notes, but I was back on duty as we stormed through Inverkeithing at 40 as we went straight into the 1 in 70 climb up to North Queensferry and the Forth Bridge. The noise in the third coach was deafening as our speed fell only to 34 through the station and 33 onto the bridge. Then, remarkably, the power was kept on as we clattered across the bridge in the darkness, with the new bridge spectacularly lit on the right. We hit 44 and halved the booked time between North Queensferry and Dalmeny stations. We had a lively finale into Edinburgh, arriving 5 early at Haymarket at the end of my best steam run of the year.
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© Peter Hewitt's Transport Pictures