4M30 crunching the rust at Falkland Yard.
With the West Coast mainline blocked in Scotland by engineering works over the Easter holiday weekend a couple of priority freights were re routed over the G&SW to avoid the blockage. One such train is seen here in Falkland Yard on Easter Monday stood on No.1 up goods. 4M30 was retimed to leave Grangemouth at 14.33 instead of 19.27 to pick up its booked slot south on the mainline from Carlisle. It was routed south from Glasgow on the Ayrshire coast line via Troon to Falkland Yard to run round thence run via Kilmarnock and Dumfries to Carlisle. It seems a circuitous route involving a reversal but this is down to two factors; the line between Barrhead and Kilmarnock is at capacity with passenger traffic nowadays and secondly the Annbank freight only line is badly overgrown in places with a risk of damage to curtain sided swap bodies. Also the fact several container trains formed with curtain sided units have been robbed in the past while stood at Blackhouse token exchange all had a baring. The line backs onto the Lochside estate in the rougher end of Ayr.
4M30 crunching the rust at Falkland Yard.
With the West Coast mainline blocked in Scotland by engineering works over the Easter holiday weekend a couple of priority freights were re routed over the G&SW to avoid the blockage. One such train is seen here in Falkland Yard on Easter Monday stood on No.1 up goods. 4M30 was retimed to leave Grangemouth at 14.33 instead of 19.27 to pick up its booked slot south on the mainline from Carlisle. It was routed south from Glasgow on the Ayrshire coast line via Troon to Falkland Yard to run round thence run via Kilmarnock and Dumfries to Carlisle. It seems a circuitous route involving a reversal but this is down to two factors; the line between Barrhead and Kilmarnock is at capacity with passenger traffic nowadays and secondly the Annbank freight only line is badly overgrown in places with a risk of damage to curtain sided swap bodies. Also the fact several container trains formed with curtain sided units have been robbed in the past while stood at Blackhouse token exchange all had a baring. The line backs onto the Lochside estate in the rougher end of Ayr.