Travelling by train and undertaking what to most people would be a near unfathomable route around Scotland and northern England, Trevor Lambert continues his 19-day spotting extravaganza of August/September 1963 and returns home via the North Eastern Region.
Details of the first five days of my marathon trainspotting tour of summer 1963 were set out in the January 2024 issue of Steam Days, in the article ‘From Dorset to Scotland … and briefly back out again!’ But there is still much to tell. With two weeks of near 24-hour activities to go, and armed with a ‘Freedom of Scotland’ ticket through to 4 September and then reversion to my circular tour ticket (with Carlisle-Middlesbrough, Middlesbrough-Hull, and Hull-Bournemouth legs), and a few additional short-distance journeys beyond the ‘circular’ itinerary too, the adventure continues … but first I find myself attempting to grab some sleep at Carlisle Citadel station’s buffet in the small hours of Sunday, 25 August.
Having arrived from Dumfries at 1.19am, I would only be at this station until 4.56am, when the 12.45am ex-Liverpool (Lime Street) arrived and I joined – it had sleeping cars and through coaches for Glasgow from Liverpool and Manchester (Exchange), and also through coaches from Manchester to Edinburgh. The latter portion enabled my second entry into Scotland of the week and I witnessed Carstairs shed (66E) during the reversal there (6.41-55am) while I headed for the Scottish capital, with Waverley rather than the traditional (for ‘West Coast’ trains) Princes Street station served, arriving at 7.47am.
Between Monday and Saturday night this week I had managed to reach 31 engine sheds, from Watford Junction in the south to Wick in the north, but Sunday was always favourite for seeing depots closest to their capacity, and I was not disappointed with my day that took in all the major Edinburgh and many of the Glasgow depots. Unintentionally, it seems that I had so
