1381

021; the loco and coach are certainly very inviting and the gate is open…

Our Laxey based reporters went to Ramsey on 20 Jul and spoke to the Qu
He very kindly allowed them onto the pier for photos of the train,

ueen's Pier Restoration Trust Project Manager, Captain Stuart McKenzie.
and also posed on the coach with our Chairman, John Williamson.

BELOW: The Thur 22 Jul 2021 reopening ceremony for Phase 1 (150yds, a
In the foreground is the wagon that will be in regular use transporting old

FOLLOWING: To be continued… The next section to be refurb

about a third of the pier); it has been refurbished to a very high standard.
d and new planks and other essential items to and from the next section.
bished extends to the first projecting supporting legs ahead.





BELOW: Detail from the Planet loco. (All IOM photos are by Jenny Williamson unless specified.)

1985] Steam Railway: Due to unprecedented demand, the Saturday timetable has been enhanced
from 17 Jul until 11 Sep inclusive; the 'R' timetable (four trains each way) became 'S' (six each way).
On Sat 10 Jul several trains were so full that people were physically unable to board. Ian Longworth,
Director of Transport Services said: We have been overwhelmed by the amount of people who have
been enjoying our Heritage Railways and want to thank you all for the ongoing support. This service
requires all three serviceable locos to run but only involves trains crossing at Castletown. It is possible
for keen members with a 'Go Card' to do three all line round trips in one day, one behind each loco.

1986] Ronaldsway halted: The new timetable from Mon 28 Jun 2021 included the comment:

Please note that Ronaldsway Halt will not be in operation for the duration of this timetable. The
reason is that, outside the Ronaldsway Airport border control, there is a concern to keep passengers
required to immediately quarantine off public transport. Trains and buses will not be calling at the
airport during the current border control. With the news breaking on Fri 25 Jun, details of the rationale
for closure clarified on Sat 26th, and the last day of (current) service on Sun 27 Jun, three quarters of
our intrepid IOM members made the pilgrimage to/from Ronaldsway Halt on the last day of service.

With No4 'Loch' on the front, the 09.50 to Port Erin was on time from Douglas and after a spirited
climb our first two members found themselves waiting time at Port Soderick. Issuing tickets to
passengers joining at Santon and Ballasalla cost some time, and finally on arrival at Ronaldsway they
were the only passengers to alight at 10.30, with the guard encouraging them to give a clear hand
signal to the return northbound train. As the two trains were booked to cross at Castletown our
members had a few minutes to take in their surroundings, with agricultural fields to the west and the
industrial estate and airport to the east. They spotted the 'Do Not Tamp' notice on the track where
fibre optic cables pass underneath and the '16 Chains' sign on a sleeper at the midpoint of the
platform (Ronaldsway Halt is 9m 16ch from Douglas and first opened on 2 Jun 1967). For the 1971
season only it was renamed Great Meadow Halt (after the adjacent large field, a former racecourse).

No13 'Kissack' was at the head of the 10.00 from Port Erin. A clear hand signal resulted in a comforting
pop on the engine's whistle, followed by cheerful waves from the loco crew as the train drew to a halt.

Later in the day another local member and his wife became the last people to leave and join a train at
Ronaldsway Halt for the foreseeable future. Of note tickets were not issued to or from the Halt, from
or to Douglas you pay the Castletown fare (and receive a Castletown ticket); from or to Port Erin
direction, a Ballasalla ticket is required. There are eight Fare Stages on the Steam Railway. The only
(traditional) Halt which is a Fare Stage in its own right is No3 Santon. No6 is Colby/Ballabeg (so travel
south from Ballabeg for a discount but pay a surcharge to travel north). Ronaldsway is ignored betwixt
No4 Ballasalla and No5 Castletown, so Ballasalla fares apply travelling south and Castletown fares
apply when travelling north. Thus there is no record of actual usage of the Halt. As well as the 'odd'
airport passenger, it is used by walkers for the nearby Millennium Way footpath established in 1979.

1381 SCOTLAND (Mike McCabe) [email protected]
1987] Sunday non-service: ScotRail has indicated that the RMT strike action now continues until at
least Sun 5 Sep. Limited Sunday ScotRail services (with some 2-hour gaps and some finishing early) run
Glasgow to Ayr, Largs & Gourock; Edinburgh - Bathgate - Queen Street - Helensburgh and Balloch -
Queen Street - Airdrie. TPE, CrossCountry, LNER and Caledonian Sleeper services are running normally.

1988] 'Sterling' work: On 30 Jun NR, Story Contracting and Transport Scotland were presented with a
National Railway Heritage Award plaque for their restoration of the original 28 tonne historic lattice
footbridge between P6 & 9 at Stirling. It was removed in Aug 2018 and reinstalled in May 2019.

1989] Tweedbank: £2.4m of repairs to the Category 'B' listed 5-arch sandstone Redbridge Viaduct over
the River Tweed, half a mile north of the end of line, began in late Apr for completion by Oct. The River
is fast flowing and Phase 1 (of three) - scour protection - is complete. This required a portable dam
(and rescue of trapped fish) to remove the riverbed around both river piers. A 600m2 protective scour
'mattress' with 150m2 of concrete was installed around each and 400 tonnes of rock shield added.

X.155] BELOW: North of Laxey at Pole 474 on the way to Ramsey, ta
A few goats needed to be persuaded to leave the tracks, as is

aken from Manx Electric Railway No16 (performing goatherd duties).
s often the case with the first tram of the day. (Fri 9 Jul 2021.)





X.159] PREVIOUS: Is John Williamson our most photographed member in e

e-BLN? BELOW: Ballajora stop (Pole 762), a tram approaches for Douglas.

BELOW: (Item 1982) Laxey, 9 Jul 2021; MER 16 & Trailer 48 full of tourists from

m Douglas for Snaefell Tram 5 (recently entered service and looking very smart.)

BELOW: (Item 1982) Tram 19 + Trailer 47 (left), 7 + 48 (centre behind), an

nd 22 + 43 (right) at Laxey on 17 Jul when the line to Ramsey was closed.

BELOW: 'Ailsa' (the Steam Railway's only working diesel at present!) shunting a

at Douglas - the platform is flatter than it looks. (Jenny Williamson, 2 Jul 2021.)

X.158] BELOW: No4 'Loch' at Port Erin on a TEN coach charter dining train

n - note how far it extends from the end of line. (17.00, Sat 26 Jun 2021.)

X.160] BELOW: (BLN 1379.1756) (MR p12) Crogga Valley Railway charity ope

en day (26 Jun 2021) our Port Erin member, Graeme Easton, is (out)standing.





PREVIOUS: Token exchange on the Crogga Valley. BELOW: The swamp

p boat gave rides, driven by its owner Chris Beauman; a train is passing.

BELOW: (Item 1986) A Port Erin train pulls away from a requested stop (g

guess who…?) at Ronaldsway Halt. (Sun 27 Jun, the final day before TCP.)





BELOW: Guess who? A posterior view (for a change) of our chairman who i

is giving a suitable (!) hand signal to stop the approaching train to Douglas.





BELOW: A selfie by the last two passengers before the closure taken by our

r Port Erin member with his 'better half'. (Graeme Easton, Sun 27 Jun 2021.)

1990] Troon: On Sat 17 Jul there was a serious fire, deemed accidental and not arson, which started in
the ticket office and spread to the main building on the Up P1 side. It, and the canopy in particular,
were seriously damaged and left in a dangerous state requiring remedial action before trains could
run. This happened at the worst possible moment, early in the afternoon on a hot sunny Saturday.

Many people had travelled to Ayr and Troon during the morning but trains could not run between Ayr
and Kilwinning or Ayr and Kilmarnock. The OHLE had to be isolated for the fire brigade to work safely;
the line closed in both directions at 13.04 until Fri 23 Jul (then not stopping). The weekly strikes would
have resulted in few trains running Sun 18th. Assembling enough buses to take everyone home would
have been quite a job, especially with social distancing. ScotRail issued a 'DO NOT TRAVEL' notice for
Mon 19 Jul and did not arrange alternative road transport which caused great public anger. On 20th
Kilwinning to Ayr buses were provided (with 2-hourly trains to Girvan and buses on to Stranraer).
However, passengers between Kilmarnock and Ayr were advised (by National Rail) to go via Glasgow!

The station building, designed by James Miller, OP 2 May 1892, when the loop through Troon off the
old main line (it became the Troon 'avoiding line' CA 15 Nov 1982) opened. It is a Category 'B' listed
building. Hopefully the building can be fully restored; the Railway Heritage Trust has already pledged
its support. Train-less Ballater was rebuilt after a fire (BLN 1314.2166) so that should apply at Troon.

1991] Glasgow Cumberland Street: At long last, there are proposals to renovate this former station
building in Glasgow. It is on the City Union Line between High Street Jn and Shields Jn; the station OP
as Eglinton Street on 20 Aug 1900, replacing Main Street station to the east. This was in connection
with the railway being quadrupled. The station was renamed on 2 Jun 1924, as it duplicated the name
of the ex-Caledonian station. It was in a heavily populated area and developed significant traffic to the
coast. Cumberland Street CP 14 Feb 1966, four months before closure of St Enoch terminus itself.

The platforms have gone and the railway has reverted to two tracks, but the street level building
survives and is Category 'B' Listed. Many Studios https://www.manystudios.co.uk/ (a community
interest company providing spaces for the arts) is exploring the possibility of taking on the building,
with support from Glasgow City Heritage Trust, The Architectural Heritage Fund and Railway Heritage
Trust. Much work will be necessary to renovate and adapt the building. See: https://bit.ly/3erNRkj

1992] We were not amused: (BLN 1379.1758) A railway was proposed from Aboyne (then terminus of
a branch from Aberdeen) to Braemar in 1864, but Queen Victoria did not want the masses brought to
the gates of Balmoral. The promoters rapidly changed their plans and the line, OP 17 Oct 1866, ran
only to Ballater. A light railway extension to Braemar was considered by the Rural Transport (Scotland)
Committee in 1918, but did not proceed. On 2 May 1904 the Great North of Scotland Railway (GNoSR)
introduced a motor bus service between Ballater and Braemar, initially using a fleet of five buses. Four
were built complete by Milnes-Daimler, who supplied the chassis and mechanics for the fifth, which
had its bodywork built at Inverurie Works. Buses connected with trains at Ballater and took about 1½
hours for the 19 miles to Braemar, but could take longer in the winter when the roads were muddy.

The service was a success, leading the GNoSR to expand its fleet and run buses on other routes. Buses
carried mail and from 1910 some were fitted with letter boxes, like a travelling post office. Following
the Grouping, the big four railway companies agreed that railway bus services would be provided by
bus companies in which they had a shareholding, with Scottish Motor Traction being the partner of the
LM&SR and L&NER in Scotland. The bus service between Ballater and Braemar is now provided by
Stagecoach route '201' from Aberdeen. A reminder of the GNoSR bus service remains in Braemar; the
railway built a bus station there and the building survives, but a rear extension has long gone. The part
remaining was used as a waiting room and offices. Quite possibly there was a booking office. An early
photo shows domestic curtains at the upper windows, suggesting accommodation for a member of
staff. The buses were garaged and maintained to the rear. The building was renovated in 2006 and
divided into two residential flats, with a replica of the original GNoSR sign board added to the front.

[Thanks to 'The Great North of Scotland Railway' by David Ross for much of the historical detail.]

ABOVE: (Item 1990) Troon after the fire, the canopy was in a very dangerous condition. (NR 18 Jul 2021.)
THIS PAGE, BELOW: (Item 1992) Braemar bus station in GNoSR days. (Press & Journal. 26 Jan 2015.)
TO FOLLOW: Braemar bus station on 29 Jun 2021. (Greg Beecroft.)





BELOW & NEXT: Troon, Up P1 station buildings in happier days - the beam

ms over the tracks support the canopies. (Both Greg Beecroft, 10 Feb 2019.)





BELOW & NEXT: Troon on Wed 2 Jul - the station was being made safe; tra

ains were allowed to run through again (not stopping) from Fri 23 Jul. (NR.)