Cheshire Scot
Established Member
Yes, @D6130 I can indeed spread light on workings in the early seventies, but before that will reflect on school days (with some further digression from the core subject) having observed the same West Highland trains through the same school windows as yourself.
I was not offered any opportunities for trips away in my Primary School days other than in primary 7 (which was also known as the Qualifying Class even though there was no longer any qualifying as the eleven plus had by then been abolished in Scotland and secondary school groupings were decided by performance in a series of IQ tests the results of which were secret), we got a day trip which in my year ws on the Loch Lomond paddle steamer Maid of the Loch although I was already no stranger to that vessel. We set off by train changing at Dalreoch for Balloch Pier and sailed up the Loch to Tarbet where we probably passed the time playing games in a nearby field whilst 'The Maid' sailed on to Inversnaid and 'cruise to the head of the loch' (Ardlui Pier had closed by then) and back. We must have gone on a Tuesday or a Thursday as on those days the return sailing was one leg of the 'Three Lochs Tour' which set off from Craigendoran on 'PS Waverley or other vessel' (in my experience always Waverley), calling at Gourock and Dunoon to pick up passengers (including at the latter those who had connected from Rothesay) before heading up Loch Long, then Loch Goil then further up Loch Long to terminate at Arrochar. Passengers made their own way to Tarbet to pick up the southbound Maid of the Loch sailing. Arrivng back at Balloch Pier there were two waiting trains, one the regular half hourly Balloch Central to Bridgeton Central (starting back from the pier) which those passengers who had travelled in the morning to Craigendoran from Glasgow and north Clydeside stations took, whilst in the other platform was the 16.05 TThO to Craigendoran calling only at Dumbarton Central to reverse and conveying passengers who had joined the Three Lochs at Craigendoran, Gourock or Dunoon with a direct sailing back to Rothesay. This was one of several trains which used platform 1 at Craigendoran, the pier platform, in that era. Our teacher ignored my plea that this train was going to Craigendoran and we boarded the Bridgeton train and changed again at Dalreoch (which did actually get us home quicker). By then the Craigendoran train was an AM3 (303), but when I travelled on it a few years earlier it was a rake of non corridor coaches with an NBL type 2 on the front (run round at Dumbarton). I suspect this was because there were not enough 303s to cover this twice weekly summer only train, and I suspect it may have been the cessation of the workers trains to the 6 platform Singer Works station which closed in the early sixties having latterly been served by EMUs that provided increased availability of EMUs to work this train.
I did however get one overnight away with Cubs when members of several packs descended on the Cardross Scout hut for what was probably a district overnight stop. Rhu Cubs may well have been included but I do not recall the detail.
Back to the Oban line. In the early 70s, when the same timetable structure as in 1968 was in place, the workings were as follows:
The loco off the evening (18.35) from Queen St worked the 01.05 Oban to Cadder. This met the 01.00 at Crianlarich and provided the traincrew balance.
The loco off the 01.00 worked back on the 07.55 from Oban, the traincrew balance being the 03.50 goods from Cadder which it crossed at Dalmally.
The loco off the 03.50 did all the freight shunting - freight in that era being oil to Connell (Shell), to Oban Goods (ESSO) and to the pier sidings (BP which included fuel for the fishing and ferry fleet). Also coal for the goods yard (accessed from Oban Goods Junction) and any van traffic mainly NCL sundries for the sidings adjacent to the station. The 03.50 from Cadder also services Crianlarich (Upper Yard) with two or three wagons of coal per week and on Wednesdays the weekly NCL sundries van from Sighthill.
Having dealt with the freight the 03.50 loco (and crew) were on hand to shunt when the 08.35 from Queen St arrived and either this loco or that off the 08.35 worked the 12.25 back. The 08.35 and 12.25 were an out and back for an Eastfield footplate crew and Queen St Guard. Like almost all West Highland workings this had to be double manned as there was no PNB opportunity although having the Oban crew and loco on hand at least gave them a break from the footplate, and they were booked relief at Cowlairs Box to keep the turn within the then maximum of 8hrs plus up to one hour rostered overtime (likewise the crew on the 0600 Queen St Fort William who worked to Tulloch or Spean Bridge and back depending on the timetable year).
Anyway, back to Oban, whichever loco had not worked the 12.25 then worked the 17.40.
When the midday train (12.55) from Glasgow was introduced the service became unbalanced as the 01.00 continued to run with news, mails and parcels conveying one BG and was latterly re-instated as a passenger train with a CK added to the BG. This imbalance meant the 17.40 was then double headed although on 24th May 1979 it must have been single headed as a shortage of locos in Fort William meant the crew for the Crianlarich timber train were sent passenger to Crianlarich and an Oban crew delivered 27009 to Crianlarich Lower Yard to work the timber to Corpach- did they retain that knowledge for occasional ballast workings or just say 'we haven't been there since the mid 1960's, we'll just go for old times sake'! Unlike today it would require some seriously late running or special workings for Fort William and Oban crews to encounter each other.
Both the 01.05 and 03.50 ran as light engines on Saturdays to maintain the crew and loco balances.
In later years I did 'camp' many times at Crianlarich when relieving there, with my air bed and sleeping bag on the floor of the Booking Office or Supervisors Office (depending on which job I was covering) whilst claiming the pitiful 'lodging allowance' of the day which fell well short of the cost of 'proper' overnight accommodation (I would guess one full weeks lodging allowance would just about have covered one night in B&B accommodation).
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): I don't know of any boys who did textiles, and my resistant materials class (woodwork/metalwork etc) was entirely boys (though to be fair, there were a handful of girls in another RM class). I certainly don't think any more than 10% of pupils doing RM were girls.
