European Railroad Discussion > Scotland Visit

My wife and I are visiting Scotland for the next 2 weeks. While this is not a "train trip" we do have tickets to ride the Jacobite train and the wife is very accommodating when it comes to train related activities and photography.

My main interest is freight trains, but I am up for any good photo opportunities. The Forth bridge in Queensferry is intriguing. I'm currently in Edinburgh but will be traveling to Sterling, Inverness and Wick later in the week. Our tickets for the Jacobite train are next weekend so around that time I will definitely be looking to photograph some trains on the Glenfinnan viaduct. Any tips or advice would be fantastic. Thanks.

Posted from Android

I hung around the platforms at Waverley In Edinburgh and picked out a local train headed over the Firth Bridge. I approached the driver an boldly asked for a cab ride over the bridge- he laughed and said “Sure, why not?!”.
VERY cool experience! I exited at the stop (hault?) just beyond the bridge, walked around, took a few photos, and returned on the next local an hour or so later.
Worth a try?
SR

I can dig up photos if you’d like…

Freight trains are hard to come by in Scotland based on my experience. Probably the most go into Glasgow from the south. I saw exactly one train on the freight bypass in Edinburgh and instead of the container train I was expecting (per the schedule) I got this non-revenue move of what looked like torn up asphalt or scrap dirt.

A ride across the Firth of Forth bridge is definitely worth it. Be prepared for how enormous it is. It absolutely dwarfs the trains. There is a train (5-car DMUs) in the attached shot and this is only two-thirds of the bridge. Can you find it? It is hard to see at full resolution (in the cantilever section).

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As mentioned, freights are not very numerous now in Scotland. Most terminate in Mossend Yard from the south. There are some intermodals and cement working to Inverness and Aberdeen, ansome freights to Fort William. Apart from The Jacobite, there are only Scotrail units working to Mallaig. Maybe worth checking the Royals Scotsman web site in case that is about. (Operated by Belmond). Your best bet is to check out the Realtime Trains web site for freights.     https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/search/detailed/                  In the location box I would suggest locations such as Perth, Dalmeny Jn and Crianlarich which would identify any freights. In the dropdown box labelled TOC (train operating company) select ZZ for freights.  Enjoy Scotland,, chris uk. 

Thank you all for the responses. I was able to catch a freight at the Stirling Station thanks to the real time trains web site. It's very helpful. The freight had one diesel locomotive and a bunch of blue containers with Scotrail markings.

I've done some searches online but couldn't find any reference to what kind of locomotives Scotrail uses on freight trains. It sure sounded different than anything I've heard in the states. I did notice some of the diesels on passenger trains sounded like EMD's.

Posted from Android



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/24/23 14:34 by FECgp40.

Yes, the 67000 (Cyclops) are EMD exports.
SR

I envy you- I really enjoyed ‘spotting in Scotland!

FECgp40 Wrote:
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> Thank you all for the responses. I was able to
> catch a freight at the Stirling Station thanks to
> the real time trains web site. It's very helpful.
> The freight had one diesel locomotive a bunch of
> blue containers with Scotrail markings.
>
> I've done some searches online but couldn't find
> any reference to what kind of locomotives Scotrail
> uses on freight trains. It sure sounded different
> than anything I've heard in the states. I did
> notice some of the diesels on passenger trains
> sounded like EMD's.
>

The blue containers would be hauled by a Direct Rail Services loco. The loco was most likely a class 66 (EMD with 2 front windows, C-C trucks) or a class 68 (Stadler with Caterpillar engine, B-B trucks, one front window). Class 66s sound like SD70s but the 68 sounds very bass-y as it's Cat engine is a 4-stroke V16, so i guess you saw a 68.

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exhaustED Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> FECgp40 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Thank you all for the responses. I was able to
> > catch a freight at the Stirling Station thanks
> to
> > the real time trains web site. It's very
> helpful.
> > The freight had one diesel locomotive a bunch
> of
> > blue containers with Scotrail markings.
> >
> > I've done some searches online but couldn't
> find
> > any reference to what kind of locomotives
> Scotrail
> > uses on freight trains. It sure sounded
> different
> > than anything I've heard in the states. I did
> > notice some of the diesels on passenger trains
> > sounded like EMD's.
> >
>
> The blue containers would be hauled by a Direct
> Rail Services loco. The loco was most likely a
> class 66 (EMD with 2 front windows, C-C trucks) or
> a class 68 (Stadler with Caterpillar engine, B-B
> trucks, one front window). Class 66s sound like
> SD70s but the 68 sounds very bass-y as it's Cat
> engine is a 4-stroke V16, so i guess you saw a 68.

This makes perfect sense. Yes it was definitely a class 68. What kind of engine is in the class 66? Is it a 710 like the SD70?

Posted from Android

BoilingMan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I hung around the platforms at Waverley In
> Edinburgh and picked out a local train headed over
> the Firth Bridge. I approached the driver an
> boldly asked for a cab ride over the bridge- he
> laughed and said “Sure, why not?!”.
> VERY cool experience! I exited at the stop
> (hault?) just beyond the bridge, walked around,
> took a few photos, and returned on the next local
> an hour or so later.
> Worth a try?
> SR
>
> I can dig up photos if you’d like…

If you have the photos handy, sure would be neat to see. Some research indicated that freight movements across the bridge are very infrequent but do occur. Is this still accurate?

Posted from Android

FECgp40 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> This makes perfect sense. Yes it was definitely a
> class 68. What kind of engine is in the class 66?
> Is it a 710 like the SD70?
>

The class 66 has a scaled down version of the SD70 engine, a 12 cylinder 710 rather than a 16 cylinder unit. So it's a 3250hp engine whereas the 68 has 3750hp.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/24/23 14:47 by exhaustED.

FECgp40 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> BoilingMan Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I hung around the platforms at Waverley In
> > Edinburgh and picked out a local train headed
> over
> > the Firth Bridge. I approached the driver an
> > boldly asked for a cab ride over the bridge- he
> > laughed and said “Sure, why not?!”.
> > VERY cool experience! I exited at the stop
> > (hault?) just beyond the bridge, walked around,
> > took a few photos, and returned on the next
> local
> > an hour or so later.
> > Worth a try?
> > SR
> >
> > I can dig up photos if you’d like…
>
> If you have the photos handy, sure would be neat
> to see. Some research indicated that freight
> movements across the bridge are very infrequent
> but do occur. Is this still accurate?
>

Some cement trains traverse the bridge as I understand it - using GE class 70s operated by Colas rail. Example of a 70 below,,,

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FECgp40 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Some research indicated that freight
> movements across the bridge are very infrequent
> but do occur. Is this still accurate?
>
> Posted from Android

The only revenue freight train over the Forth is the tri weekly Q (as required) empty Aberdeen to Oxwellmains cement train, which last ran on Friday 18th August. Runs under the cover of darkness most of the year.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/24/23 14:58 by 86235.

FECgp40 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The freight had one diesel locomotive and a bunch
> of blue containers with Scotrail markings.
>
> I've done some searches online but couldn't find
> any reference to what kind of locomotives Scotrail
> uses on freight trains.

Scotrail doesn't run any freight trains, they are the government owned operator for internal Scottish passenger services. Neither do they have any containers, what you saw were either Stobartrail or Tesco Less CO2 containers or curtainsided swapbodies. The haulage for these trains is contracted to an organisation called DRS (Direct Rail Services) which is, bizarrely, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, for whom they provide rail services.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/24/23 15:38 by 86235.

86235 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> FECgp40 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > The freight had one diesel locomotive and a
> bunch
> > of blue containers with Scotrail markings.
> >
> > I've done some searches online but couldn't
> find
> > any reference to what kind of locomotives
> Scotrail
> > uses on freight trains.
>
> Scotrail doesn't run any freight trains, they are
> the government owned operator for internal
> Scottish passenger services. Neither do they have
> any containers, what you saw were either
> Stobartrail or Tesco Less CO2 containers or
> curtainsided swapbodies. The haulage for these
> trains is contracted to an organisation called DRS
> (Direct Rail Services) which is, bizarrely, a
> wholly owned subsidiary of the Nuclear
> Decommissioning Authority, for whom they provide
> rail services.

Thank you for the clarification. Looking back at my photos it seems the train had both types of the containers you mentioned.

Posted from Android

Here are the photos of my quick cab ride across the Firth Bridge.  This was in 2003 or 04.

Photo 1.  My driver- I don't remember his name.  I approached him on the platform at Waverly and he agreed to a cab ride across the bridge.  I probably played the "I work for Amtrak in The States" card, but I don't think it mattered.  He was pretty accommodating.
Photo 2.  Out on The Bridge.
Photo 3.  Stepping off at Queensferry.  The 150 Class DMU is in the ScotRail colours of the time- before the Barbie scheme.

Photo 4.  The Firth Bridge from the Queensferry side.
Photo 5.  Not really a freight, I suppose.  This was a primarily a Postal train, taken at the Culloden Viaduct up near Inverness

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Very cool photos. Thanks for posting. The wife and I rode the Strathspey Railway today. What a fantastic operation. You can tell the folks there take a lot of pride in what they do. We rode the lunchtime train and had their light lunch offering. Then we made a brief chase of the late afternoon run shooting it in a couple of spots. There's not a lot of access to the line.

Posted from Android

Yes, I visited the Strathspey at Aviemore, but they were running a diesel that day and I was keen to see a Black Five. So I walked down to the shops hoping I wouldn’t get run off. I needn’t have worried- they couldn’t have been nicer.
One of the fellows put down what he was doing to give me a full tour. He took me up in the cab of the 5, pointed out a lever, and asked me if I knew what it was for. I said I was pretty sure it was to shake the grates under the firebox. He said, “Correct! You Yanks invented that- we Scots invented all the rest… “
SR

BoilingMan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Yes, I visited the Strathspey at Aviemore, but
> they were running a diesel that day and I was keen
> to see a Black Five. So I walked down to the
> shops hoping I wouldn’t get run off. I
> needn’t have worried- they couldn’t have been
> nicer.
> One of the fellows put down what he was doing to
> give me a full tour. He took me up in the cab of
> the 5, pointed out a lever, and asked me if I knew
> what it was for. I said I was pretty sure it was
> to shake the grates under the firebox. He said,
> “Correct! You Yanks invented that- we Scots
> invented all the rest… “
> SR

Very cool that you got up in the cab. That's the locomotive which pulled our train today. Very nice smooth ride.

Posted from Android

I liked the Black Fives. I have a few OO scale models, including a 5 I bought home from Scotland. I can’t remember if I bought it in Thurso or Inverness.
SR