PRACTICE&PERFORMANCE
The only scenic part of the Airdrie to Bathgate
line is the stretch between Caldercruix and
Blackridge, where the lines follows the southern
shore of Hillend Loch. On September 28, 2017, set
Nos. 334013 and 334026 are working the 08.
Milngavie-Edinburgh Waverley service.334 sets. The 16.23 departure has to make
the converse crossing manoeuvre from the
Fife lines to reach Newbridge Jct but minor
late southbound running caused 3min to be
lost. Most station stops were allowed only
½min which was religiously managed with a
maximum of 35sec at Uphall and a minimum
of 23sec at Coatdyke. Arrival at Queen Street
Low Level was 1½min late.
The following morning gave an
opportunity to complete the fifth electric
route, once again in the genial and informative
company of David Simpson, with No. 380115
on the 09.33 from Central to Edinburgh via
Carstairs, which is a through working of the
08.29 from Ayr. There is a 3½min allowance
to permit the 09.15 Motherwell-Dalmuir via
Central Low Level to cross our path before
we veer off via Bellshill, giving a view of the
Mossend freight installations and calling at
Wishaw before resuming the main line at
Law Jct.Twitter messages
David takes the opportunity to review
the PPM figure – 95% in this morning’s peak
with 86% absolutely right time. He also has
access to twitter messages from his passengers- not hand-selected user group representatives
but anyone who chooses to communicate.
Someone from Falkirk High says his train has
arrived there 2min late on two consecutive days
of the new timetable and another says there is a
bad rattle on a gangway door of his Class 156.
This is a great source of material if the volume
can be handled.
Once clear of the 15mph curve to Carstairs
East Jct the unit can show its true paces up the
1-in-97 gradient to Cobbinshaw. Approaching
Haymarket East Jct there was a perfect example
of the difficulties encountered in planning the
modern railway. Having carved a path through
the Glasgow suburbs there is now no suitable
schedule opening available so we stand 8min
outside Haymarket and ½min outside Waverley.
The timetable provides no less than 12min
pathing for this, so our arrival is 1½min early.
The 88min schedule for 57miles could be cut
to 70min with appropriate, but exorbitantly
expensive, extra infrastructure.
Next came the mouth-watering prospect
of a cab ride in a 2+4 HST from Edinburgh
to Aberdeen over the Forth and Tay bridges,
involving stunning coastal scenery on sixbrake test before reaching 95mph on the level
through South Gyle. The HST is too fast for
the local pigeons which clearly have not been
issued with the 2+4 HST diagrams as one is
flattened to the windscreen leaving its outline
in memoriam. “It’s as if it has left its soul
there,” philosophises Jim McKeown in a brief
poignant moment, immediately erased with
suds and windscreen wiper. Graham Johnston
uses the 1-in-140 knuckle before the airport
to keep speed down by coasting and then
the 1-in-100 up to Dalmeny Jct to prevent
excessive braking.
There is an aircraft carrier and a cruise ship
in the Forth to entertain the passengers as we
cross the giant bridge and edge gently down to
Inverkeithing, having dropped a minute on the
timing from Haymarket. We bear right towards
Aberdour at 40mph and employ notch 5 to
permit some exhilarating acceleration, thereby
banishing the twin urban myths that the notch
is, on the one hand, ‘strapped out’ or, on the
other, prohibited from use. The train threads
the sinuous route that hugs the coast past the
overgrown ruins of former collieries and then
Raith Rovers’ football ground before passing
non-stop through Kirkcaldy.
This train is first stop Leuchars Jct from
Haymarket, 49.64 difficult miles for which
only 45min is now allowed, the schedule
proving too tight for us as we pulled into
the station under the protection of the box’s
semaphore sentinels 4min late. A minute’s
station overtime did not help but at least we
could enjoy a fine view of the approaching 2+
HST working the 11.02 from Aberdeen.
ScotRail will ultimately operate no
fewer than 26 of these sets, refurbishment
proceeding at about one a month,
transforming the comfort and speed of internal
Scottish journeys, not entirely different from
the use of Gresley ‘A4s’ on the Aberdeen toseparate stretches. Experienced driver Graham
Johnston was in charge, accompanied by driver
team manager Jim McKeown. The power cars
were Great Western refugees Nos. 43169 and
43146, which I had last sampled as a pair from
Swindon to Bristol in 1988.
We start 44sec late and find the 09.
Aberdeen-Edinburgh 2+4 HST impatiently
waiting for us to clear its path. Leaving
Haymarket, driver Johnston conducts a runningScotRail will ultimately
operatenofewer
than26ofthese
sets, refurbishment
proceeding at about one
a month, transforming
thecomfortandspeed
of internal Scottish
journeys