Edinburgh and Glasgow. Saturday Sunday 11th 12th December 2021.
I just couldn't resist the last weekend of the Transpenning Club 55 tickets, so I decided to head back north of the border again and revisit a few more lines around suburban Glasgow. I was on the first bus from my nearest village Middleton, and had a mile to walk for the 04.45 bus into Manchester and then a walk across Manchester to Piccadilly station for the 06.27 to Edinburgh.
Déjà vu was playing up again as we arrived into Carlisle and the train was cancelled, but this week it was apparently a signalling problem and we were told we could board the next Avanti service to Edinburgh, so again we were stuck at Carlisle, but this week only for around an hour and the signals appeared to work fine for the Avanti Pendolino.
On arrival into Edinburgh, the Class 385`s now rule the roost on many of the services, especially on the direct Edinburgh to Glasgow`s, which have really quick turnarounds, although I do miss the top and tail class 27`s.
I caught a Glasgow bound service and I alighted at Coatbridge Sunnyside. I hadn’t visited the museum for a few years and wanted to see what progress they had made on the class 311, I was a fan of the old Glasgow Blue Trains, the classes 303`s and 311`s.
The rain was heavy as I walked around to the Summerlee Museum, Coatbridge, Sunnyside is actually the nearest station to the museum, but you have to walk past Coatbridge Central to get to the entrance. The Christmas season was well in hand at the museum with a road train taking children around the museum grounds and I also saw Santa, (or one of them at least).
My first stop was the Garratt locomotive which looked in a far worst condition than when I last visited it, indeed parts of the body are distinctly being eaten away with rust, I do wish some group would take care of this locomotive and at lease get it under cover somewhere.
I walked around to the old mining section and the three industrial locomotives were pretty much in the same state, and yes you`ve guessed it, the last surviving Class 311 was also in a very sorry state, outside to the elements and in scrap yard condition. I do hope these fine machines are renovated and taken care of before they get to a point of no return, it’s such a shame to see them like this.
After a coffee in the museum café and to get dried off a little, I returned to Coatbridge Central station, the old station building is still in situ and in use as a shop of types, it’s been renovated and is in excellent condition. I made my way up the steps to Central station, but a number of trains had been cancelled in both directions, due to a staff member becoming sick apparently, in fact this seemed to be a message I got all weekend with cancellations, the staff must have been going down like flies.
I walked back up the hill to Coatbridge Sunnyside and caught the next train towards Glasgow, although alighting at Bellgrove, as I still wanted to photograph a few of Glasgow’s inner suburban stations and services. From Bellgrove I travelled to Glasgow Queen Street Low Level and went up to the main station to see if any HST`s were around, but there wasn’t any, returning to the Low-Level platforms I next took a class 318 out to Springburn and returned on it on its full route to Milngavie, and then back as far as Partick, for a change to a class 320 down to Larkhall. Returning on that service up to Dalmuir via the Yoker line. Plenty of units on the depot at Yoker as we passed.
I returned from Dalmuir with a Class 320 to Charing Cross, Glasgow and my bed for the night. I was staying at the Staysafe hostel again, £30 for a 4-bed dorm, but I had it to myself. I was showered and out for a meal in a local restaurant and then returned for an earlyish night and slept right through until 07.00 Sunday morning.
Sunday morning was damp, but no rain, so I walked to Glasgow Central station and took breakfast in Tim Horton`s. I made my way to the underground platforms and caught a class 320 up to Westerton with a change of trains, for the Singer line to Dalmuir and from Dalmuir, a train back under the city to High Street, before returning to Queen Street main station and catching a class 185 across to Edinburgh.
Eastfield depot appears to be shedding the class 185`s now, with a few more lines in place for storage, as the train moved beyond Eastfield, I noticed some new sidings being built with a number of HST`s parked on them, apparently this is Cadder Depot, so it looks like the HST`s in Scotland will be staying for a while.
Arriving into Edinburgh Waverley and after buying a few supplies for the trip home, I caught the 14.15 Nova 2 direct to Manchester Piccadilly and I was lucky to get a seat, as apparently two previous trains had been cancelled, so many passengers had to stand in the aisles as far as Carlisle and beyond.
I was lucky with my bus home, only a few minutes wait from Piccadilly Gardens, another great weekend away, thank you Transpennine.
Summerlee Museum of Scottish Industrial Life is open 7 days with free admission. Visit Summerlee Museum for a great family day out.
culturenl.co.uk
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