Shunting the Caledonian Sleeper at Inverness

The Caledonian Sleeper stock does quite a journey around Inverness station, depot and yards each morning. This video attempts to record what happens.
Good viewpoints are challenging to find, and the ones that exist are all quite far from each other. Therefore, it's impossible for one person to record the entire process all on one day. For this reason, this film is a composite of clips filmed on several days during May, June and July 2023, and you'll notice a few breaks in continuity, because there were slight differences each time including a change in the locos used.
For a while up until June 2023 the normal arrangement was to have the Inverness portion hauled by a class 66 plus a class 73. As of July 2023, the new normal seems to be a pair of 73s. So during the video sometimes you'll see a 66+73 and sometimes 2x 73s.
The shunt is more complicated when there's a 66+73, because the locos need to be swapped around so that the 66 is leading and the 73 is next to the coaches, once the train is heading south. The 66 is not able to connect directly to the coaches, which use a Dellner type coupling. In addition the 73 needs to provide the electric supply to the carriages.
I have probably got a few small details wrong in my description, and if so they will no doubt be corrected in the comments below.

[@doubledaclutchmcphee]

Thanks doing this trip soon very interesting. Great video

[@JJthrashing]

Great footage 👍 Why was the 73 chosen for the Caledonian express there was no third rail to use on its route ? And was underpowered running its diesel engines always had double header formation to cope on steep inclines, surely single 67 would have done the job better…

[@moshihus]

Really interesting stuff so a big thank you for this. Just amazed you got all this footage in dry weather!!

[@CambriaJunction]

There was a period of unusually good weather back then in spring!

[@exworthy]

Most informative - thanks for all your efforts!

[@ThermoMan]

Thanks for taking the time and trouble to put this together

[@davidmortier637]

Hello, and thanks for this amazing video showing the whole process (sorry for my English as I'm French). I know the 66 doesn't have a Dellner coupler. Is it the only reason why they move the 73/9 at the other end ? Maybe it also needs to be refuelled ? Is it simply a kind of ETHEL, or does it work with the 66 thru the AAR connection ? Was it also the case when Mk2 and Mk3 carriages where still in use ? @+

[@CambriaJunction]

The 73 provides the ETH yes, so I think (but am not 100% sure) that this is another reason it can't be at the front. I believe that the 66 & 73 work in multiple and therefore it does contribute to actually pulling the train although again I'm not 100% sure. I *think* the 73&66 combination has only been in use since the mk5s came in. In the final years of the mk2/3s they were either pulled by 73s or a 67. A 67 can provide ETH so could work the Inverness portion of the mk2/3s alone. For a short while I think they tried using a 67&73 combination on the mk5s. In that case, the 67 would always have to be on the front, because of the couplers. Some of the above might not be quite right, in which case I am willing to be corrected!

[@davidmortier637]

@@CambriaJunction Hello pal, thanks for answering. Concerning the 73/9 also providing traction, it would be surprising, as it's really not powerful, the 66 alone could easily be sufficient. But the AAR may permit this... As I'm interested in compositions with Class 66 hauling passenger trains, I found some videos showing this arrangement (66+73/9) even before the introduction of the Mk5s. In this case however, the 73/9 was fitted with a bar intended to prevent the overlap of the buffers in tight curves (due to the retractable buffers of the Mk3 carriages). Interesting about the 67+73 combination, probably because of the Dellner. I've heard of a 66+47 one time, again due to the unreliability of the only 6 73/9 available. In fact, my concern about the 73/9 not staying at the back of the train has to do with the limitations of Train Simulator : I can't move both engines, for example at Fort William, when you have to run round the leading 66... By the way, I'll soon publish on Alan Thomson Simulation the files for the 73/9 trailing version - no driver, if someone is interested ;-) @+ les amis 😉