British Rail: Scotrail 1988 Part 1 - Glasgow, Edinburgh, Fort William

[@thomasshepard6030]

This was my daily job when I was a 19 year old fireman working out of eastfield traction depot springburn Glasgow a few years before this was filmed 1974 class 37 was my favourite engine to drive also liked the 27s on the push &pulls queen street to Waverley

[@imcadam121]

I enjoyed this film immensely.This was the year before I left school & joined the railway at the age of 16.I've been a Driver now for over 27 years.Time flies!

[@theroybowdencollection9807]

Nice to hear from a professional! Glad you enjoyed it :)

[@martinwells0525]

Brings joy and happiness to me and great memories of old bashing and trainspotting days to see those beauties coming and going from Queen street. Love your uploads thanks for the memories.

[@johnwyldbore73]

Absolutely brilliant, ScotRail at its best, push pull 47’s, 37/4’s and a kettle at the end, oh and a few HST’s chucked in for good measure! Awesome!!

[@theroybowdencollection9807]

Glad you enjoyed it!!

[@craigandshellysbigfancychi9494]

What a great video. As unbelievable as it sounds, the man and wee boy at 36:32 is actually my Dad and me. I was seven at time. We have no idea why we were at Queen Street at that time of night as we lived in Falkirk (maybe we were on the tour to Fort William?) Anyway, thanks for sharing!

[@theroybowdencollection9807]

I am so delighted to have rekindled a few memories for you, I really did hope this would happen and some people would see themselves.

[@craigandshellysbigfancychi9494]

@@theroybowdencollection9807 Thank you again, it's lovely to see. I look forward to seeing more footage - especially if you have more in Scotland.

[@myblues528]

Strewth has mad a tale that is, superb stuff.

[@hellooldchap]

Even just the first few seconds of the 86/4 arriving- fantastic!

[@theroybowdencollection9807]

Thank you!

[@GDGRailway47712]

Great video. As a Falkirk boy, this was what I travelled on growing up.

[@theroybowdencollection9807]

Happy memories!

[@k333vrr4]

The heart of Scotland tickets were awesome! 👍 excellent value for a whole week 👌

[@craigymac5386]

Excellent video, I was on that rail tour hauled by 37423 and the Mk3s with my mate Mark. That's me in the car park taking photos at 29.27. Thanks for uploading.

[@theroybowdencollection9807]

To think we were in the same place all those years ago! Thanks :)

[@craigymac5386]

@@theroybowdencollection9807 Hi Roy, couldn't believe it when I saw myself. I remember my mates mum getting us the tickets. 37423 was just freshly painted there. I was 14 at the time, I'm 47 now. I'll keep an eye out for more of your footage. 👍

[@skodatrainz]

Superb video , many thanks for sharing .

[@gordonkennaway3847]

What a fantastic video, brings back memories of a fantastic era of the railway in Scotland. Real quality!

[@medwaymodelrailway7129]

Nice video .Enjoy it thanks.

[@dukeofaaghisle7324]

Great video! I really enjoyed hearing those Class 45s and Valenta-engined HSTs pulling away - brings back wonderful memories.

[@theroybowdencollection9807]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@joelang6126]

Wonderful! My favourite time period. I used to stand on the grassy hill beside Eastfield Depot for hours just watching the goings on.

[@theroybowdencollection9807]

Yes I first visited Eastfield in steam days, always loads of variety!

[@JLPCORR]

Excellent video. Better quality than some modern digital videos

[@theroybowdencollection9807]

Many thanks, I always tried to make them as good as I could :)

[@davidrose745]

Wonderful memories thanks for sharing all those celebrity locos superb stuff👍

[@theroybowdencollection9807]

My pleasure :)

[@JBFlytography]

19:21 oh dear! Genuinely thought that was steam heating in the clip of it rolling into Haymarket. Wouldn’t get that nowadays. Full station evacuations, exclusions zones and firefighters wouldn’t be able to go near the bridge 😂 Cracking video mate. Bring back some early childhood memories!

[@theroybowdencollection9807]

Thank you!

[@stuartwright7829]

Great film takes me back to all the freedom of Scotland I did when I left school in 85 brush bashing.

[@martinbitter4162]

Amazing you could film so close to the fire services. Thank you for sharing.

[@theroybowdencollection9807]

Yes things were much more relaxed those days!

[@andrewoverton5170]

Great quality and brought back many memories. I especially enjoyed that you also featured the wider railway scene, staff and passengers, not just full frame locos. Proper social history stuff. Now subscribed.

[@theroybowdencollection9807]

I always try to create the context :)

[@Georgeasaurus2001]

This is superb stuff, thankyou

[@theroybowdencollection9807]

Many thanks! :)

[@ClydebridgeStation]

Brilliant video, especially seeing my favourites, the push pulls. Have also got the one off 47461 on my layout. Also like the shunting at Queen Street, one loco taking the stock out, releasing the other loco at the buffers!

[@theroybowdencollection9807]

Yes it certainly brings back some memories :)

[@genesis070365]

Pure magic!! We were still blessed 👊 subscribed

[@theroybowdencollection9807]

Thank you!

[@EErail26]

That’s brilliant quality and happy memories of Scotrail in the late 80s. Please keep posting these videos and looking forward to checking out the next two which were shot on my backyard (the West Midlands). I imagine the ladies were none to pleased though when their original request to name a Class 37/4 were turned down by by the high hiedyins and they ended up with a Duff!!

[@theroybowdencollection9807]

Yes I came upon the naming ceremony by chance :)

[@111672balernabz2010]

Halfway through watching addicted already, superb video, remember the 47461,carried both scotrail intercity (Highland stag), scotrail livery seen twice at Leicester..

[@theroybowdencollection9807]

Strangely I saw it again in Birmingham soon after, and I think it appears again in a future video...

[@BibtheBoulder]

Oh the sounds of the A/C class 86 and the 47 & 37.....happy days, brilliant memories...

[@theroybowdencollection9807]

Glad you enjoyed it!!

[@cedarcam]

I really enjoyed this Brought back happy memories of my travels to Scotland. Glad you chose to buy good quality equipment and tapes the quality is excellent. I remember a 47 smoking bad like that at Queen Street and took some photos, that day the driver dealt with it by doing something in the engine room.

[@theroybowdencollection9807]

This was a more dramatic response at Haymarket!

[@Shelfandtabletoplayouts00gauge]

Is there a better diesel video out there? I doubt it, thanks very much for the upload. Really enjoyed the lot! I remember all of these and Queen St very well👍👍👍

[@theroybowdencollection9807]

Happy days! Many thanks :)

[@370DatsunZed]

Happy Happy viewing!!! Thank you

[@gridler]

Superb stuff Roy I hope you have more to come.

[@theroybowdencollection9807]

Many thanks and indeed there is! :)

[@gridler]

@@theroybowdencollection9807 Excellent

[@PerthMRC]

Can't wait for part 2. Great video and interesting to see the sections from Edinburgh Waverley, especially nice to something different to the more usual end of platform vantage point. Good to see a few portion trains or cross country trains if you prefer, Waverley to and from Carstairs although HST manages to hide one arriving from the Craigentiny end. I once bought a VHS, Yesterdays ScotRail, over an hour, mostly at Waverley in 1985 (the best year in my humble opinion) lots of 477 on push pull, 27s on Dundee but no portion trains at Waverley in the whole video Spent many happy days sitting in the BRUTE on the end of Plt 14 in 1985, 86 87 and possibly 88. Loved ScotRail push pulls, didn't like sub sector so the 37 hauling the push pull stock was a bit odd. I assume the sub sector push pull was a special. Videos from this time tend to include a number of non std push pull workings ( not on specials) as in a 47 coupled to the DBSO or a non 477 hauling them. I'm never quite sure how common this was or if they are just disproportionately features in videos because they were unusual. The destination sticker on the window at Fort Wiiliam which began and ended I London made me smile, reminded me of a the Fife Circle Edinburgh to Edinburgh but on a grander scale. Londo, Oban Fort William Edinburgh London. A little more scenic than, Edinburgh, Inverkiething, Dunfermline, Cowdenbeath, Cardenden, Lochgelly, Kirkcaldy Inverkiething, Edinburgh. I take it the Intercity liveried Mk1 stock at Fort William were another railtoir that day? Possibly the London to London. I'd imagine today if a loco arrived smoking away the whole of Haymarket would have been evacuated. Great video, thanks for uploading. And the bonus shot a Sea King, nice

[@theroybowdencollection9807]

37423 with the push pull stock was indeed a special. On this occasion it ran from Glasgow Queen Street to Fort William, the empty stock being brought in from Perth as I recall. On other weekends the special ran from Queen Street to Oban. The London to London special at Fort William connected directly with the steam special to Mallaig. Thank you for sharing your memories!

[@laurenceegan6136]

Waverley47708 The sight of a 47/4 on a push-pull rake (even attached to a DBSO) wasn't unknown on Glasgow to Aberdeen services. If a 47/4 arrived in Queen Street on an Aberdeen service, this would result in another 47 being called down from Eastfield to haul the return train (as there was no way for the 47/4 to run around at Queen Street.) I don't quite recall if a loop at Aberdeen was used to retrieve the loco up there in the reverse situation, but I distinctly remember heading back out to see that train return to Glasgow much later in the day on a number of occasions (knowing that a 47/4 would again be pinned between the DBSO and buffers at Queen Street, resulting in ANOTHER class 47 being called down from Eastfield to haul the train back up north again - presuming there was another train at this point in the day.) I never witnessed this happen on a Glasgow to Edinburgh train, all the same. Edit: I'm not sure that there was a passing loop in Aberdeen Station. I had always presumed that there was one on the platform used for the Aberdeen - Inverness through line (which I know is a single track.)

[@theroybowdencollection9807]

@@laurenceegan6136 Many thanks for sharing your memories and filling in the detail. :)

[@laurenceegan6136]

@@theroybowdencollection9807 No problem! Maybe someone out there can fill in the gaps in my recollection of things.

[@train4905]

Brilliant,enjoyed this,thankyou

[@theroybowdencollection9807]

Many thanks!

[@DavidKing-fx3fz]

Another great video

[@theroybowdencollection9807]

Thank you!

[@edwardbarnes2702]

Brilliant filming! I have stacks of this stuff mainly south east, just don’t know how to transfer it from Hi8 to another medium as have no computer and costly to get done commercial, look forward to more! Eddie

[@theroybowdencollection9807]

I'm glad you enjoyed! I sent Hi8 tapes off to be converted to DVD and USB commercially, if there's a lot of footage it's easier this way although it does cost, but then again so does a computer to do the conversion. There's more UK stuff to come from 1999 and 2001, and a bit from 2004 :) I'm trying to upload them in something close to chronological order.

[@edwardbarnes2702]

@@theroybowdencollection9807 thank you for your kind response and input, will try & investigate further if can, shame to end up in a skip.

[@yesterdaystracks]

Thoroughly enjoyed this video. The quality of film is amazing. Was it filmed on a Hi8 pro camera? I love how you captured the atmosphere of life to the railway with passengers waiting to board or alighting after a long journey , seeing the trains slip through the architecture of Waverley was incredible. Brought back some really good memories.

[@theroybowdencollection9807]

Thank you so much! It was actually filmed on a standard Video8 camera, but it did win a Camcorder of the Year award, a year prior!

[@fatwalletboy2]

Appreciate this upload taking me back to a time before jobs wages bills cars women mortgages etc. Just me my pad and pen and some cash for a Casey Jones burger.

[@theroybowdencollection9807]

Those were the days!!

[@andrewmcilwraith1997]

What was the other tunnel portal at Queen Street for? There's no other portal at Cowlairs. A headshunt? Great vid. Brill.

[@CT-pv9gu]

I love how filthy these engines were

[@09weenic]

Loved the inter city swallow livery at that time

[@arthurmatthews9321]

Roy do you secretly own a time machine? This footage looks as if it was recorded yesterday. I am currently building a model railway based around this time , and your videos have become vital research. Thank you for uploading these amazing blasts from the past , I would be lost without them.

[@davidporter7102]

Is that thunder I can hear at about 4 minutes in, just as a 47/7 is leaving platform 6? The rain looked torrential and it sure looked dark enough for thunder.

[@steveluckhurst2350]

Ah, the 1980s. The decade that fashion forgot ! Anyway, would it be rude of me to ask how you managed to do all this travelling? And with an obviously expensive camera as well !

[@theroybowdencollection9807]

It wouldn't be rude at all! It's partly because I was a Scot living in Birmingham at the time :) Regarding the camera, I always thought it was worth spending the money to get the best possible results with a view to the future.

[@christopherruff2464]

Me and my mum used to travel most summers in the august 6 week school holidays from sheffield to edinburgh. My grandparents lived in scotland at that time. Always excited by the long journey as was a spotter then too. Had a ride in the cab of an HST going into Newcastle over King Edward Bridge once. Magic. Not the same anymore. Very bland traction these days.

[@theroybowdencollection9807]

So nice to hear this story... I can relate, I'm a Scot who was living in Birmingham at the time, hence the focus of these videos

[@christopherruff2464]

@@theroybowdencollection9807 thanks for the nice reply Roy.. Your videos are all wonderful. Never got to B'ham New Street as a youngster.. Didnt see many class 50s in their heyday sadly. Got to Tamworth in the 90s though. Great variety of traction above and below. Im hoping when lockdown lifts the preserved lines will have their diesel galas going ahead!

[@AndreiTupolev]

Interesting to see 37411, as by the following year it was banking at Buxton, then it moved to Cardiff

[@theroybowdencollection9807]

Indeed it did :)

[@paulcresswell1843]

Remember it up at Buxton on the ICI hoppers

[@AndreiTupolev]

Variety of DMUs there was then wasn't it. 18:05 "Now, I don't think it should be doing that ..." 🤔 That must have ******ed up things good and proper, considering how busy it is there

[@theroybowdencollection9807]

Haha! Indeed it did cause a lot of disruption!

[@steveluckhurst2350]

26:50 why we no longer have slam door trains.

[@theroybowdencollection9807]

Indeed!!

[@wire9486]

MK3 push pull in Fort William?

[@CraigNicol-rm5jf]

@The Roy Bowden Collection would you mind if I used some of your push-pull shots for a video I'm making about the Scottish push-pull tour last February? It's for a section detailing their history. Full credit would be given on screen. Thanks.

[@theroybowdencollection9807]

Hi Craig, this is Anthony, Roy's son. I'm sorry for the delay replying, he is quite ill in hospital but he says he's happy for you to use any footage you need with credit :)

[@CraigNicol-rm5jf]

@@theroybowdencollection9807 Hi Anthony, many thanks, really appreciated. I hope Roy is able to get better soon :)

[@ianhay2724]

Roy are you any relation to Harold that worked at Waverly Station same time as this film ?

[@theroybowdencollection9807]

Not unless my mother has kept something from me 😉

[@bhamboy05]

Is that your son in the clips? He must be of similar age to me, I was 12 in 1988.

[@theroybowdencollection9807]

He was with me when this was filmed!

[@AndreiTupolev]

Also interesting that push-pull 47711 was on a non push-pull train, while a push-pull train had non push-pull 47642 🤔

[@theroybowdencollection9807]

47642 was actually bringing the empty stock for 37423's tour

[@andrewganley9016]

Loco hauled heaven back in the day when we had a 'proper' railway not rhe plastic imitation of today!

[@AndreiTupolev]

Sea King picking up a diver who'd been a bit too ambitious?

[@theroybowdencollection9807]

Never found out...

[@richardharvey7208]

@@theroybowdencollection9807 That looks like RAF Kinross Rescue service, the diver is a Rescue expert he is the brave sole who will come to your aid whilst your lost at sea ,saved many sailors in their time of need.

[@theroybowdencollection9807]

@@richardharvey7208 Many thanks for the additional information!

[@nickrockall2845]

47539 was inabit of bother

[@theroybowdencollection9807]

Indeed it was ;)

[@chriso8485]

Ahh the United Kingdom before Blair and the SNP.

[@theroybowdencollection9807]

We'll cover that period later 😉

[@joelang6126]

How I wish we could erase those two!

[@wire9486]

Agreed!