Perth Station

[CallySleeper]

Fuelling, tanking and washing requirements at Perth are arranged by the Station Co-ordinator in conjunction with Scotrail Control. Every set which stables should be processed - unless prevented by possessions or faults - but the order in which this is done varies night by night. There are three nightshift shunt driver turns (albeit all three are not always covered) and shunting goes on until the early hours. Fuel is available from 19:00 when the fueller books on. Sets are cleaned internally in the platforms; sets can be stabled in platforms 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 as required by the 'Start of Work' in the morning, or in the Carriage Sidings. Perth is far busier between 21:00 and 09:00 than it is during the remainder of the day.

Thanks so much for this. Just to clarify, re: 'the order in which this is done varies', is that the order in which trains go through the process i.e. not necessarily the order in which they arrive, or the process is not always feul -> tank -> wash for example?

If the former, is there a specific order that trains get processed. I know where the washer is and fuel is (I think) on the north side of the station, where do trains get tanked?

I would guess that trains 'leave' whenever they are cleaned and whenever there is a shunter available, so not always at a specific time after they have arrived.

 

[SignalSighting]

Thanks so much for this. Just to clarify, re: 'the order in which this is done varies', is that the order in which trains go through the process i.e. not necessarily the order in which they arrive, or the process is not always fuel -> tank -> wash for example?

Both. The CET (tanking) facilities are in the fuel road.

 

[Mark62]

I remember Perth station vividly in the late 80s and 90s when proper trains stopped there. The 12 coach Euston to Inverness daytime used to pull in behind a 47. And loco hauled trains ran through there frequently. It was a magnificent station that had seen better times. Even with decent length trains running through it was still a sad empty place. Nowadays all you see are short length DMU's (plus the one HST) and it is an even sadder emptier place that is well past it's heyday. Not much can be done. At least in a few years some proper trains will return when the short length HST's are cascaded. But for the time being silly little trains will continue to dominate the scene. I'll bet most would welcome the return of 5/6 coach loco,hauled formations with plenty of leg room and the ability to actually see the beautiful scenery and without being deafened by the vibrating under floor engines of nasty DMU's that are wholly unfit for the job they do.
I know we can't turn the clock back but that does not prevent people of a certain age longing for a return to a better era and comfier trains when passengers did not have to travel like cattle.

 

[deltic08]

I remember Perth station vividly in the late 80s and 90s when proper trains stopped there. The 12 coach Euston to Inverness daytime used to pull in behind a 47. And loco hauled trains ran through there frequently. It was a magnificent station that had seen better times. Even with decent length trains running through it was still a sad empty place. Nowadays all you see are short length DMU's (plus the one HST) and it is an even sadder emptier place that is well past it's heyday. Not much can be done. At least in a few years some proper trains will return when the short length HST's are cascaded. But for the time being silly little trains will continue to dominate the scene. I'll bet most would welcome the return of 5/6 coach loco,hauled formations with plenty of leg room and the ability to actually see the beautiful scenery and without being deafened by the vibrating under floor engines of nasty DMU's that are wholly unfit for the job they do.
I know we can't turn the clock back but that does not prevent people of a certain age longing for a return to a better era and comfier trains when passengers did not have to travel like cattle.

I remember Perth with A2s and A4s on the Forfar route, Stanier Pacifics on the Perth-Crewe/London day and night trains and Aberdeen fish trains and triple headed Type 2s on the 16, 17, 18 coach Royal Highlander sleeper train. The overnight Inverness-Glasgow/Edinburgh train included well used sleeping cars splitting at Perth and latterly Stirling after the Glenfarg route closed.

I feel sad that this generation has not been able to experience this.

With so much spare hydro-electric generating capacity in Scotland, all these lines north of Perth should have been electrified decades ago.

 

[theageofthetra]

Visited Perth today and found the station a really run down mess. Very poor step free access & no where warm to wait for the Pitlochry train. Surely some sort of rationlisation or refurb will shortly be essential? Was surprised how busy the 14:51 Inverness train was considering it was a Monday in Feb.

 

[SignalSighting]

Step free access is pretty good in my opinion; the two main original Victorian footbridges both have ramped access at either side and a few million was recently spent on a bridge with lifts linking all the platforms. There is a large heated waiting room between platforms 4 and 5. One thing about Perth is that wayfinding signage is a bit lacking - if you don't know the station layout it can be hard to find your way around. The station buildings are heated by steam from an enormous boiler and the one thing you can't complain about is how warm it is inside! Inverness services are always busy these days.

 

[Cambus731]

At Perth station there is a display of paintings of various eras of rolling stock and what bugs me a little is the fact that it jumps straight from the Kettles to Sprinters completely missing out the decades of diesel loco haulage.

 

[SkinnyDave]

Fuelling, tanking and washing requirements at Perth are arranged by the Station Co-ordinator in conjunction with Scotrail Control. Every set which stables should be processed - unless prevented by possessions or faults - but the order in which this is done varies night by night. There are three nightshift shunt driver turns (albeit all three are not always covered) and shunting goes on until the early hours. Fuel is available from 19:00 when the fueller books on. Sets are cleaned internally in the platforms; sets can be stabled in platforms 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 as required by the 'Start of Work' in the morning, or in the Carriage Sidings. Perth is far busier between 21:00 and 09:00 than it is during the remainder of the day.

3 Shed turns!
That's a suprise
How many sets are stabled there? I would have thought one of those turns ferried units between Dundee and Perth?
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I'm sure I saw somewhere in Abellio guff that Perth along with Stirling will get better retail facilities than currently exist