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Direct Rail Services class 68 number 68005 named "Defiant" leads Retro Railtorus Ltd's 1Z68 from Leeds to Canterbury West on 9 July 2016. 68 number 018 named "Vigilant" was on the back.
According to William Snook numbers of the coaches from front to back were 6042, 5998, 5985, 1200, 3345, 3325, 3397, 3390, 80042, 3364, 3356 and M35469.
According to Realtime Trains and those who saw it the route and timings were;
Leeds [LDS] 11........................0553..............0553.............................RT
Whitehall Junction................0555..............0555.............................RT
Morley [MLY] 2.......................0601...............0600 1/2......................RT
Dewsbury [DEW]...................0605 1/2.......0606.............................RT
Thornhill L.N.W. Junction....0607..............0607.............................RT
Mirfield East Junction..........0608..............0608.............................RT
Mirfield [MIR] 2.......................0609..............0608 3/4......................RT
Heaton Lodge Junction......0610...............0609 3/4......................RT
Bradley Junction...................0611 1/2..........0611 1/4.........................RT
Huddersfield [HUD] 1...........0616/0620...0616 3/4/0620 3/4....RT
Marsden [MSN] 2..................0630..............0633..............................3L
Diggle Junction.....................0635..............0637...............................2L
Greenfield [GNF] 1.................0637..............0639 1/4........................2L
Mossley (Manchester) 1........0639 1/2.......0641 1/4..........................1L
Stalybridge [SYB] 1................0643/0646..0645/0647 1/2..............1L
Guide Bridge [GUI] 1.............0651...............0653..............................2L
Denton Junction...................0653..............0655 3/4.......................2L
Ash Bridge Junction.............0707..............0705 3/4.......................1E
Heaton Norris Junction.......0709..............0707 3/4.......................1E
Stockport [SPT] 1...................0711/0713......0709 1/2/0713 1/2......RT
Edgeley JunctionNo1...........0714...............0715 1/4..........................1L
Adswood Road Junction....0715 1/2.........0717.................................1L
Cheadle Hulme [CHU] 2.....0716 1/2.........0718................................1L
Handforth [HTH]....................0718 1/2.........0720 1/4.........................1L
Wilmslow [WML] 4.................0720..............0723...............................3L
Alderley Edge [ALD] 1..........0721 1/2.........0726..............................4L
Chelford [CEL]........................0724..............0729 1/2........................5L
Goostrey [GTR]......................0726 1/2........0732 3/4.......................6L
Holmes Chapel [HCH].........0728..............0734 1/4........................6L
Sandbach [SDB] 1..................0731...............0739...............................8L
Crewe Sydney Bridge..........0736..............0743 1/4........................7L
Crewe [CRE] 5........................0739/0743...0747 1/4/0750 1/2.......7L
Crewe Basford Hall Jn.........0747..............0754..............................7L
Madeley (Staffs)......................0752..............0759..............................7L
Norton Bridge [NTB].............0801...............0808..............................7L
Little Bridgeford Junction...0802..............0808..............................6L
Stafford [STA] 4.....................0806/0808..0813/0816.....................8L
Stafford Trent Valley Jn.......0809 1/2.......0818...............................8L
Whitehouse Junction...........0814...............0824............................10L
Colwich [XCO].......................0817...............0827 1/2......................10L
Rugeley North Junction......0819 1/2........0829 1/4........................9L
Curborough Junction..........0824 1/2.......0833 3/4.......................9L
Lichfield North Junction......0825..............0834 1/2........................9L
Amington Junction ..............0830 1/2.......0840 1/4........................9L
Atherstone [ATH]..................0836..............0847.............................10L
Ashby Junction......................0840..............0851..............................11L
Nuneaton [NUN] 5................0840 1/2.......0852 3/4.....................12L
Attleborough North Jn.........0841 1/2.........0854 3/4.....................13L
Brinklow..................................0846 1/2.......0901 1/4.......................14L
High Oaks Junction..............0848 1/2........0903 1/4......................15L
Newbold Junction................0849..............0904............................15L
Rugby Trent Valley Jn.........0850..............0907 1/2......................17L
Rugby [RUG] 4.......................0851...............0911 3/4......................20L
Hillmorton Junction..............0853..............0916 1/4......................23L
Barnes......................................1052
Cambria Junction...................1115
Bromley South........................1132
Bickley......................................1138
Knockholt.................................1142
Tonbridge................................1158
Paddock Wood.......................1204
You don't have to feel like a waste of space
You're original, cannot be replaced
If you only knew what the future holds
After a hurricane comes a rainbow
Maybe your reason why all the doors are closed
So you could open one that leads you to the perfect road
Like a lightning bolt, your heart will glow
And when it's time, you'll know
You just gotta ignite, the light, and let it shine
- Katy Perry, Firework
Had one of my prints on the front page of etsy today and in the etsy newsletter too. :) Joel says I'm "etsy famous." Hopefully that will lead to more sales so I can cover the cost of the prints I'm making for the Ann Arbor Art Fair. :)
Shannon asked me the other day whether I thought it was possible that my choice to set an alarm every day and start working on my book like it was my job during the time when my "real job" was at a standstill and producing no work or income for me might be what led to the successes that seem to be starting to trickle my way now. I think the answer is yes. I could very easily have let myself slip into another bout of depression, not left the house, and felt like a failure. Instead, I focused on what I could control. I started aggressively chasing dreams that I've been sitting on for a while. As a result, I'm pulling in some real income from my photography now and I have 228 pages of my book written and ideas for at least two more. I'm going on a road trip out to Maine to spend almost a week in the town that is the setting for my book so that I can hopefully finish the story and add some vital details that really make the town come to life for my readers. My "real job" is starting to fire back up, so when I get home I'll have actual work to do. I'm also going to be showing my photography during the Ann Arbor Art Fair and for who knows how many more weekend/week events after that. I never thought that half of that was possible.
Maybe I didn't go about it the traditional way. Maybe there were some that scoffed at my choice to write when I did. But from where I'm standing now, I can only see the benefits of following my heart. I may not be in a 100% financially stable situation yet...but I know I'm on my way. And I'll get there eventually. And I don't think I would have been able to say that with such confidence if I hadn't started working on my book when I did. And I certainly wouldn't feel as sure of myself as I do now.
Musically Challenged: Katy Perry - Firework
R707 leads R761 as 8595 departing Newport bound for South Dynon Locomotive depot. This move was with Steamrail Victoria nd 707 Operations due to an occupation at Newport Junction that night. Steamrail ran their annual Snow Train to Traralgon the next day with R761 while R707 ran a charter to Bacchus Marsh.
This consist was R707 - R761 - 17 Cars - T413 - T356.
The headboard on the front of R707 was to recognise the 60th anniversary of the R Class locomotive.
43301 leads over Oakley viaduct on the Down Slow with 91117 midtrain & 43303 on rear working OHL test train, 1Q91 05.18 Leicester LIP Leicester LIP.
This was trip 6 of 8 on this Monday morning. This working from Bedford Midland to Wigston North Jn.
12/08/24
37038 leads 20312 & 20309 past Melton on the way to Sizewell, 5/7/2012
Look & listen to the thrash here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=cc9_xBijk04&feature=youtu.be
leads an empty coal train past 'The Hill' in Akron, OH while utilizing their trackage rights on CSX's New Castle Sub. It was one of two repainted in 1993 into 'Kodachrome' colors.
Built in 1965 as SOU 2679 to NS 2679 to WE 2679.
It was rebuilt in 2010 by WE-Brewster with a low short hood, remote control & painted into the current scheme as WE GP35-3 112.
CSXT AC44CW 201 leads CSX Train Q272-11 (Louisville, Ky.–Detroit, Mich.) through Osgood, Ind., on CSX's Indiana Subdivision. Currently, the Indiana Subdivision handles just this one regular train a day, which operates via shortline Louisville & Indiana (LIRC) out of Louisville and enters the Indiana Subdivision at the LIRC connection at Seymour, Ind., about 35 miles west.
Train counts on the Indiana Subdivision have ebbed and flowed over the years, as have stories as to whether CSX Transportation would mothball it, rip it up, or begin routing oodles and oodles of trains looking to escape the railroad's Louisville–Cincinnati, Ohio, LCL Subdivision, which constantly pushes capacity. In any case, the Indiana Subdivision remains a fine safety valve for CSX, as well as a haven for photogenic color position lights going back to Baltimore & Ohio days.
NS 6092 Leads A87 back East to Sheffield Yard after working Cherokee Nitrogen. A little background on this unit Built for the Norfolk and Western back in March of 1975 this unit has kept the same number from the N&W all the way to NS for a impressive 47 Years of service on top of that the unit has not been rebuilt and still retains its original Leslie RS5T Horn it was equipped with when built. Overall this is one of the most Original SD40-2s I've seen!
James leads his famous 'Spider Dance'. Some day, in the near future, this will be in high definition crystal clear film stock, and will be quoted as evidence that this actually happened.
Elizabeth Taylor was Cleopatra.
Peachy!
I like its current crudity, in the same way that I love some early silent films.
Regarding the 'moves' Dolly needs to up her ante, so does Ruin, come to think of it.
James and Marcel have worked it out, but poor Jarry has two left feet, apparently. Who would have guessed?
I am inordinately fond of Nora's minimalism, and Rack's Gudrun Brangwen impression.
Blitzkrieg leads me through a door and down several flights of stairs, like a lot of stairs. I count at least thirty flights before I get bored. He finally opens a door at the bottom of one flight and bids me to enter after him.
He walks over to his desk and stands, his hands resting on the desktop, pistol back in its holster.
"So, Zulu, I see you figured out my little erm... game? Tell me, how did you break that code? Are you at all familiar with Enigma Codes? Hmm? Silence? Very brooding, I can--"
"Blitzkrieg, shut the fuck up. I don't give a shit how impressed you are or how amazing this borderline Moonbase is, I just want to fight you, kill you and find my friends again, through any means. So stand the fuck up like a 'true Aryan man' and face me! Come on!"
*Sigh* "I'm afraid I can't *really* have a fair fight with the likes of you. I mean, look at me, I'm nearly a century and I've finally harnessed my full strength as an Aryan. You see, you'd be steamrolled, and--"
"And you'd be surprised how tough the League of Assassins trains their--"
"And could you please cease to interrupt me? This if for you, that I say this; leave. Leave now. Take your friends, and go. I'll give you two hours to leave New Berlin with your lives, as unscathed as you are right now. Deal?" I ponder the deal for about thirty seconds. Take it? I live, Jerrick and his... girlfriend live. Leave it? I die, Jerrick and Linda as well, but I can take Blitzkrieg with me.
"I reject your offer. Let's fight."
"To the death, mien leibling?"
"Of course!" I say, snarling and sneering. Adrenaline already pumps through my blood.
"Then give it your all!" He says, slumping back into his chair, pistol drawn and aimed.
Courage leads to success only with calculated risk. There is a lot of difference between flying close to the sun and flying "too" close to the sun.
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The first of two test trains passes through Treeton on a Saturday morning , pictured is the 0851 1Q17 Derby RTC - Carlisle High Wapping Sidings , right up its exhaust pipe will be the Network Rail HST set working the 0832 Derby RTC - Heaton TMD.
24 1 15
BN8101 West leads the 2nd G05HA with 103 BN hoppers west past Summit, Montana on 9/28/1995. Copyright William Miotek
Riddler leads the Dynamic Duo into Harley Quinn's dynamite trap! Will Harley detonate the massive pile of explosives and finish the Batman and boy wonder once and for all? Will Batman see through Riddler's ruse? Will Robin cut the detonator wire in time? Will the goons get out of there? Will Riddler cruise off on his cool trike?
Who knows, but it's going to be fun finding out!
A moc based on table scraps: sewage pipe and Riddler trike. All comments appreciated.
Burlington Northern Santa Fe 3992(ET44C4), 9277(SD70ACe), 3905(ET44C4) and 9646(SD70MAC) Leads a Empty Coal Drag Northbound on the BNSF Fort Scott Sub at the Pflumm Road Crossing south of Santa Fe Trail Drive in Lenexa, Kansas.
Photo Taken: 7-23-16 about 9:00 am
Picture ID# 7305
slowly leads CSX Q319 down the main in Louisville, KY on a pretty winter evening.
Built in 1966 as SP SD40 8436, rebuilt as SP SD40R 7336, to GECX 7336 to HLCX 7336, rebuilt as HLCX SD40-2 6341.
As of mid-2018, the unit remains in SP paint, but the speed lettering on the hood has been painted out. It is currently on lease to WATCO and used on their SKOL and SLWC lines in Kansas and Oklahoma.
Norfolk Southern 7325(SD9043MAC) and Burlington Northern Santa Fe 3847(ET44C4) Leads a Eastbound Autorack on the Olathe Connector from the Fort Scott Sub to the Emporia Sub.
Photo Taken: 11-15-15 about 10:35 am
Picture ID# 8002
158716 leads a classmate through Dalwhinnie working an Inverness-Edinburgh service on 23 May, 2012. Note the base of the old water tower on the left. For some reason I never got to try a Dalwhinnie single malt on that trip. I can, though, heartily recommend the Edradour, from nearby Pitlochry: cheers!
S317 leads a colourful consist through Golden Square on 9086 on the 28/1/25 with P15, H3 and P18 in the shafts.
Video available at: youtu.be/pnRLpQ3XWiM
It is said that the BBMF never flies alongside civilians..........
RS712 (G-ASKB), de Havilland DH98 Mosquito TT.35
PS853 Supermarine Type390 Spitfire PR.19 c/n 6S.594677
LF363 Hawker Hurricane Mk.II msn 469290
G-AWLW Canadian Car & Foundry Hurricane XII msn 42012 as P3308 UP-A
43094 leads 43465 on 1Z43 at Conington North Level Crossing, on May 18th 2026.
They were both built at Crewe.
43094
EC Craigentinny 07/1978
HT Heaton 08/1978
EC Craigentinny 10/1978
HT Heaton 05/1981
EC Craigentinny 06/1988
LA Laira 05/1998
NL Neville Hill 06/2004
HQ Headquarters Pool 14/09/2004
Stored at Neville Hill, then moved to MoD Bicester on 22/9/04 for secure storage.
Sold by Porterbrook Leasing to First Group in 11/04.
Moved to St. Philip's Marsh on 18/1/05 for storage, then to the West Somerset Railway on 1/3/05. Taken by rail to Reading DMU depot on 10/10/05 for further storage then to
Landore depot on 23/1/06.
Move to Brush, Loughborough on 24/2/06 for refurbishing including replacing its Paxman Valenta engine with an MTU engine. Released to First Great Western 2/9/06 and
travelled as far as Gloucester, where it stayed until 4/9/06 when it made the journey onward to Landore.
LE Landore 02/08/2006
Returned to Service 05/10/2006
OO Old Oak Common HST Depot 09/12/2007
LE Landore 29/03/2018
LA Laira 18/02/2019
Named St Mawes Castle with an image of that castle, then Class 255 Castle over the image of a GWR HST, all above the name at Laira depot in 3/20.
Stored at the West Somerset Railway (warm storage) 12/9/23, back to Laira 17/10/23 and returned to service 20/10/23
Nameplates removed by 30/9/24
Moved to the Severn Valley Railway 30/9/24, then to Nemesis Rail, Burton-upon-Trent 2/5/25
LA Laira 06/10/2025
Returned to Service 06/10/2025
43465 (43065)
HT Heaton 10/1977
EC Craigentinny 11/1977
NL Neville Hill 01/03/1978
HT Heaton 04/1978
NL Neville Hill 08/1979
Store 01/03/1987
NL Neville Hill 05/04/1988
Returned to Service 05/04/1988
BN Bounds Green 11/1988
Converted to DVT in 1989 but returned to use as an HST power car, probably by 7/91
EC Craigentinny 07/1991
Named City of Edinburgh, with the city's coat of arms on a plate above the nameplate, at Edinburgh Waverley Station on 25/2/96.
LA Laira 05/1998
Nameplates removed 11/98
Renumbered 43465 13/12/2010
NL Neville Hill 10/01/2018
DY Derby Etches Park 18/02/2019
Moved by rail from Laira Depot to MoD Bicester on 3/6/04 for secure storage and HQ off lease 29/10/04. Hauled from MoD Bicester to Gloucester on 13/12/05 and into Long
Marston on 14/12/05.
HQ Headquarters Pool 29/10/2004
Sold by Porterbrook to Grand Central Trains in 12/06. Taken by road from Long Marston to DML, Devonport on 14/12/06 for work to be undertaken and, whilst there, it was
reallocated HQ-HT (stored) 19/1/07, then restored HT 29/3/07.
HT Heaton 19/01/2007
Moved by road from Devomport to Heaton arriving 11/11/07, for acceptance testing, entered service with Grand Central 6/12/07
Returned to Service 06/12/2007
Moved to Brush, Loughborough on 15/9/10 for replacing Paxman Valenta engine with MTU engine. It was rumoured that the Grand Central power cars were going to be renumbered into a 439xx series and this vehicle would become 43901, but this number series was not taken up and, instead, was renumbered 43465 when released to Grand
Central on 13/12/10.
Ran to Neville Hill 1/1/18 to be prepared for service with East Midlands Trains.
Stored at Barrow Hill 12/20, then moved to Ely 21/12/20, then to Eastleigh Works 3/3/21.
HQ Headquarters Pool 19/02/2021
Bought by RailAdventure, at the time a subsidiary of Hanson and Hall 4/21.
Moved to Kings Norton 9/9/22 and is based there. The RailAdventure power cars operate in directly-coupled pairs.
I hope you enjoy looking through my Flickr images. Please consider helping me pay for my Flickr subscription, and to help me buy-back some of the 4000 of my slides from the past that I'd like to get back.
I'll rescan all of my older uploads in the fullness of time.
Any help will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
5003 leads a loaded Aurizon coal train up Whittingham bank bound for port. This train was directly in front of the 43 and Pullman cars so seeing this was useful to know where the train was
43183 leads an UP HST through Nibley, having left the South Wales Main Line at Westerleigh Junction/ I took the photograph from the end of the severed embankment that used to carry the section of line on which the train is travelling. This used to run as a single track spur, dead-straight across the small-holding in front of me to cross over the former LMS Bristol - Gloucester main line. The down line from the LMS to the GWR was again single tracked, but using the now double-tracked trackbed on which the HST is travelling.
Rio 2016 Olympics Tom Daley Leads Great Britain Diving Squad | Rio 2016 Game | Rio Olympics Schedule
Eleven divers chose by Team GB with the team in a stable placement.
Confirmation that I’m visiting my third Olympic Games is interesting.
Rio 2016 Olympics Tom Daley Leads Great...
www.olympicsnewsalerts.com/athletes/rio-2016-olympics-tom...
CSXT AC4400CW leads southbound manifest train M583 over the Running Water Creek trestle near Whiteside, TN. This is a shot i have been wanting for a while and I am glad that i finally had the chance to get it.
I revisited Dunnottar Castle today Wednesday 24th April 2019, unfortunately a sea harr cloacked Stonehaven, blurring the view of the castle from the cliff top that leads down to the stairs accessing the castle, undeterred I decided enter the castle grounds, it was a good decision, posting a few of my shots from todays visit to this fine castle ruin.
Dunnottar Castle.
The rock the Castle sits upon was forced to the surface 440 million years ago during the Silurian period. A red rock conglomerate with boulders up to 1m across known as Pudding Stone is incredibly durable.
The ancient Highland rock pebbles and cementing matter is so tough that faults or cracks pass through the pebbles themselves.
I first visited Dunnottar Castle summer 2017, this magnificent castle sits high on a hill, last time I visited I captured my shots from the cliffs overlooking the site, though today I made the journey up the hill and entered the castle walls , wow what a magnificent experience, just perfect with loads of great photo opportunities to capture real Scottish history,after two hours wandering around and capturing as many shots that caught my eye , I made my way home, a magnificent experience indeed.
Dunnottar Castle (Scottish Gaelic: DĂąn Fhoithear, "fort on the shelving slope" is a ruined medieval fortress located upon a rocky headland on the north-east coast of Scotland, about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) south of Stonehaven.
The surviving buildings are largely of the 15th and 16th centuries, but the site is believed to have been fortified in the Early Middle Ages. Dunnottar has played a prominent role in the history of Scotland through to the 18th-century Jacobite risings because of its strategic location and defensive strength. Dunnottar is best known as the place where the Honours of Scotland, the Scottish crown jewels, were hidden from Oliver Cromwell's invading army in the 17th century. The property of the Keiths from the 14th century, and the seat of the Earl Marischal, Dunnottar declined after the last Earl forfeited his titles by taking part in the Jacobite rebellion of 1715.
The castle was restored in the 20th century and is now open to the public.
The ruins of the castle are spread over 1.4 hectares (3.5 acres), surrounded by steep cliffs that drop to the North Sea, 50 metres (160 ft) below. A narrow strip of land joins the headland to the mainland, along which a steep path leads up to the gatehouse.
The various buildings within the castle include the 14th-century tower house as well as the 16th-century palace. Dunnottar Castle is a scheduled monument, and twelve structures on the site are listed buildings.
History
Early Middle Ages
A chapel at Dunnottar is said to have been founded by St Ninian in the 5th century, although it is not clear when the site was first fortified, but in any case the legend is late and highly implausible. Possibly the earliest written reference to the site is found in the Annals of Ulster which record two sieges of "DĂşn Foither" in 681 and 694.
The earlier event has been interpreted as an attack by Brude, the Pictish king of Fortriu, to extend his power over the north-east coast of Scotland. The Scottish Chronicle records that King Domnall II, the first ruler to be called rĂ Alban (King of Alba), was killed at Dunnottar during an attack by Vikings in 900. King Aethelstan of Wessex led a force into Scotland in 934, and raided as far north as Dunnottar according to the account of Symeon of Durham. W. D. Simpson speculated that a motte might lie under the present caste, but excavations in the 1980s failed to uncover substantive evidence of early medieval fortification.
The discovery of a group of Pictish stones at Dunnicaer, a nearby sea stack, has prompted speculation that "DĂşn Foither" was actually located on the adjacent headland of Bowduns, 0.5 kilometres (0.31 mi) to the north.
Later Middle Ages
During the reign of King William the Lion (ruled 1165–1214) Dunnottar was a center of local administration for The Mearns. The castle is named in the Roman de Fergus, an early 13th-century Arthurian romance, in which the hero Fergus must travel to Dunnottar to retrieve a magic shield.
In May 1276 a church on the site was consecrated by William Wishart, Bishop of St Andrews. The poet Blind Harry relates that William Wallace captured Dunnottar from the English in 1297, during the Wars of Scottish Independence. He is said to have imprisoned 4,000 defeated English soldiers in the church and burned them alive.
In 1336 Edward III of England ordered William Sinclair, 8th Baron of Roslin, to sail eight ships to the partially ruined Dunnottar for the purpose of rebuilding and fortifying the site as a forward resupply base for his northern campaign. Sinclair took with him 160 soldiers, horses, and a corps of masons and carpenters.
Edward himself visited in July, but the English efforts were undone before the end of the year when the Scottish Regent Sir Andrew Murray led a force that captured and again destroyed the defences of Dunnottar.
In the 14th century Dunnottar was granted to William de Moravia, 5th Earl of Sutherland (d.1370), and in 1346 a licence to crenellate was issued by David II. Around 1359 William Keith, Marischal of Scotland, married Margaret Fraser, niece of Robert the Bruce, and was granted the barony of Dunnottar at this time. Keith then gave the lands of Dunnottar to his daughter Christian and son-in-law William Lindsay of Byres, but in 1392 an excambion (exchange) was agreed whereby Keith regained Dunnottar and Lindsay took lands in Fife.
William Keith completed construction of the tower house at Dunnottar, but was excommunicated for building on the consecrated ground associated with the parish church. Keith had provided a new parish church closer to Stonehaven, but was forced to write to the Pope, Benedict XIII, who issued a bull in 1395 lifting the excommunication.William Keith's descendents were created Earls Marischal in the mid 15th century, and they held Dunottar until the 18th century.
16th century rebuilding
Through the 16th century the Keiths improved and expanded their principal seats: at Dunnottar and also at Keith Marischal in East Lothian. James IV visited Dunnottar in 1504, and in 1531 James V exempted the Earl's men from military service on the grounds that Dunnottar was one of the "principall strenthis of our realme".
Mary, Queen of Scots, visited in 1562 after the Battle of Corrichie, and returned in 1564.
James VI stayed for 10 days in 1580, as part of a progress through Fife and Angus, during which a meeting of the Privy Council was convened at Dunnottar.
During a rebellion of Catholic nobles in 1592, Dunnottar was captured by a Captain Carr on behalf of the Earl of Huntly, but was restored to Lord Marischal just a few weeks later.
In 1581 George Keith succeeded as 5th Earl Marischal, and began a large scale reconstruction that saw the medieval fortress converted into a more comfortable home. The founder of Marischal College in Aberdeen, the 5th Earl valued Dunnottar as much for its dramatic situation as for its security.
A "palace" comprising a series of ranges around a quadrangle was built on the north-eastern cliffs, creating luxurious living quarters with sea views. The 13th-century chapel was restored and incorporated into the quadrangle.
An impressive stone gatehouse was constructed, now known as Benholm's Lodging, featuring numerous gun ports facing the approach. Although impressive, these are likely to have been fashionable embellishments rather than genuine defensive features.
Civil wars
Further information: Scotland in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms
In 1639 William Keith, 7th Earl Marischal, came out in support of the Covenanters, a Presbyterian movement who opposed the established Episcopal Church and the changes which Charles I was attempting to impose. With James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose, he marched against the Catholic James Gordon, 2nd Viscount Aboyne, Earl of Huntly, and defeated an attempt by the Royalists to seize Stonehaven. However, when Montrose changed sides to the Royalists and marched north, Marischal remained in Dunnottar, even when given command of the area by Parliament, and even when Montrose burned Stonehaven.
Marischal then joined with the Engager faction, who had made a deal with the king, and led a troop of horse to the Battle of Preston (1648) in support of the royalists.
Following the execution of Charles I in 1649, the Engagers gave their allegiance to his son and heir: Charles II was proclaimed king, arriving in Scotland in June 1650. He visited Dunnottar in July 1650, but his presence in Scotland prompted Oliver Cromwell to lead a force into Scotland, defeating the Scots at Dunbar in September 1650.
The Honours of Scotland
Charles II was crowned at Scone Palace on 1 January 1651, at which the Honours of Scotland (the regalia of crown, sword and sceptre) were used. However, with Cromwell's troops in Lothian, the honours could not be returned to Edinburgh. The Earl Marischal, as Marischal of Scotland, had formal responsibility for the honours, and in June the Privy Council duly decided to place them at Dunnottar.
They were brought to the castle by Katherine Drummond, hidden in sacks of wool. Sir George Ogilvie (or Ogilvy) of Barras was appointed lieutenant-governor of the castle, and given responsibility for its defence.
In November 1651 Cromwell's troops called on Ogilvie to surrender, but he refused. During the subsequent blockade of the castle, the removal of the Honours of Scotland was planned by Elizabeth Douglas, wife of Sir George Ogilvie, and Christian Fletcher, wife of James Granger, minister of Kinneff Parish Church. The king's papers were first removed from the castle by Anne Lindsay, a kinswoman of Elizabeth Douglas, who walked through the besieging force with the papers sewn into her clothes.
Two stories exist regarding the removal of the honours themselves. Fletcher stated in 1664 that over the course of three visits to the castle in February and March 1652, she carried away the crown, sceptre, sword and sword-case hidden amongst sacks of goods. Another account, given in the 18th century by a tutor to the Earl Marischal, records that the honours were lowered from the castle onto the beach, where they were collected by Fletcher's servant and carried off in a creel (basket) of seaweed. Having smuggled the honours from the castle, Fletcher and her husband buried them under the floor of the Old Kirk at Kinneff.
Meanwhile, by May 1652 the commander of the blockade, Colonel Thomas Morgan, had taken delivery of the artillery necessary for the reduction of Dunnottar. Ogilvie surrendered on 24 May, on condition that the garrison could go free. Finding the honours gone, the Cromwellians imprisoned Ogilvie and his wife in the castle until the following year, when a false story was put about suggesting that the honours had been taken overseas.
Much of the castle property was removed, including twenty-one brass cannons,[28] and Marischal was required to sell further lands and possessions to pay fines imposed by Cromwell's government.
At the Restoration of Charles II in 1660, the honours were removed from Kinneff Church and returned to the king. Ogilvie quarrelled with Marischal's mother over who would take credit for saving the honours, though he was eventually rewarded with a baronetcy. Fletcher was awarded 2,000 merks by Parliament but the sum was never paid.
Whigs and Jacobites
Religious and political conflicts continued to be played out at Dunnottar through the 17th and early 18th centuries. In 1685, during the rebellion of the Earl of Argyll against the new king James VII, 167 Covenanters were seized and held in a cellar at Dunnottar. The prisoners included 122 men and 45 women associated with the Whigs, an anti-Royalist group within the Covenanter movement, and had refused to take an oath of allegiance to the new king.
The Whigs were imprisoned from 24 May until late July. A group of 25 escaped, although two of these were killed in a fall from the cliffs, and another 15 were recaptured. Five prisoners died in the vault, and 37 of the Whigs were released after taking the oath of allegiance.
The remaining prisoners were transported to Perth Amboy, New Jersey, as part of a colonisation scheme devised by George Scot of Pitlochie. Many, like Scot himself, died on the voyage.
The cellar, located beneath the "King's Bedroom" in the 16th-century castle buildings, has since become known as the "Whigs' Vault".
Both the Jacobites (supporters of the exiled Stuarts) and the Hanoverians (supporters of George I and his descendents) used Dunnottar Castle. In 1689 during Viscount Dundee's campaign in support of the deposed James VII, the castle was garrisoned for William and Mary with Lord Marischal appointed captain.
Seventeen suspected Jacobites from Aberdeen were seized and held in the fortress for around three weeks, including George Liddell, professor of mathematics at Marischal College.
In the Jacobite Rising of 1715 George Keith, 10th Earl Marischal, took an active role with the rebels, leading cavalry at the Battle of Sheriffmuir. After the subsequent abandonment of the rising Lord Marischal fled to the Continent, eventually becoming French ambassador for Frederick the Great of Prussia. Meanwhile, in 1716, his titles and estates including Dunnottar were declared forfeit to the crown.
Later history
The seized estates of the Earl Marischal were purchased in 1720 for ÂŁ41,172, by the York Buildings Company who dismantled much of the castle.
In 1761 the Earl briefly returned to Scotland and bought back Dunnottar only to sell it five years later to Alexander Keith, an Edinburgh lawyer who served as Knight Marischal of Scotland.
Dunnottar was inherited in 1852 by Sir Patrick Keith-Murray of Ochtertyre, who in turn sold it in July 1873 to Major Alexander Innes of Cowie and Raemoir for about ÂŁ80,000.
It was purchased by Weetman Pearson, 1st Viscount Cowdray, in 1925 after which his wife embarked on a programme of repairs.
Since that time the castle has remained in the family, and has been open to the public, attracting 52,500 visitors in 2009.
Dunnottar Castle, and the headland on which is stands, was designated as a scheduled monument in 1970.In 1972 twelve of the structures at Dunnottar were listed.
Three buildings are listed at category A as being of "national importance": the keep; the entrance gateway; and Benholm's Lodging.
The remaining listings are at category B as being of "regional importance".[39] The Hon. Charles Anthony Pearson, the younger son of the 3rd Viscount Cowdray, currently owns and runs Dunnottar Castle which is part of the 210-square-kilometre (52,000-acre) Dunecht Estates.
Portions of the 1990 film Hamlet, starring Mel Gibson and Glenn Close, were shot there.
Description
Dunnottar's strategic location allowed its owners to control the coastal terrace between the North Sea cliffs and the hills of the Mounth, 3.5 kilometres (2.2 mi) inland, which enabled access to and from the north-east of Scotland.
The site is accessed via a steep, 800-metre (2,600 ft) footpath (with modern staircases) from a car park on the coastal road, or via a 3-kilometre (1.9 mi) cliff-top path from Stonehaven. Dunnottar's several buildings, put up between the 13th and 17th centuries, are arranged across a headland covering around 1.4 hectares (3.5 acres).
The dominant building, viewed from the land approach, is the 14th-century keep or tower house. The other principal buildings are the gatehouse; the chapel; and the 16th-century "palace" which incorporates the "Whigs' Vault".
Defences
The approach to the castle is overlooked by outworks on the "Fiddle Head", a promontory on the western side of the headland. The entrance is through the well-defended main gate, set in a curtain wall which entirely blocks a cleft in the rocky cliffs.
The gate has a portcullis and has been partly blocked up. Alongside the main gate is the 16th-century Benholm's Lodging, a five-storey building cut into the rock, which incorporated a prison with apartments above.
Three tiers of gun ports face outwards from the lower floors of Benholm's Lodging, while inside the main gate, a group of four gun ports face the entrance. The entrance passage then turns sharply to the left, running underground through two tunnels to emerge near the tower house.
Simpson contends that these defences are "without exception the strongest in Scotland", although later writers have doubted the effectiveness of the gun ports. Cruden notes that the alignment of the gun ports in Benholm's Lodging, facing across the approach rather than along, means that they are of limited efficiency.
The practicality of the gun ports facing the entrance has also been questioned, though an inventory of 1612 records that four brass cannons were placed here.
A second access to the castle leads up from a rocky cove, the aperture to a marine cave on the northern side of the Dunnottar cliffs into which a small boat could be brought. From here a steep path leads to the well-fortified postern gate on the cliff top, which in turn offers access to the castle via the Water Gate in the palace.
Artillery defences, taking the form of earthworks, surround the north-west corner of the castle, facing inland, and the south-east, facing seaward. A small sentry box or guard house stands by the eastern battery, overlooking the coast.
Tower house and surrounding buildings
The tower house of Dunnottar, viewed from the west
The late 14th-century tower house has a stone-vaulted basement, and originally had three further storeys and a garret above.
Measuring 12 by 11 metres (39 by 36 ft), the tower house stood 15 metres (49 ft) high to its gable. The principal rooms included a great hall and a private chamber for the lord, with bedrooms upstairs.
Beside the tower house is a storehouse, and a blacksmith's forge with a large chimney. A stable block is ranged along the southern edge of the headland. Nearby is Waterton's Lodging, also known as the Priest's House, built around 1574, possibly for the use of William Keith (died 1580), son of the 4th Earl Marischal.
This small self-contained house includes a hall and kitchen at ground level, with private chambers above, and has a projecting spiral stair on the north side. It is named for Thomas Forbes of Waterton, an attendant of the 7th Earl.
The palace
The palace, to the north-east of the headland, was built in the late 16th century and early to mid-17th century. It comprises three main wings set out around a quadrangle, and for the most part is probably the work of the 5th Earl Marischal who succeeded in 1581.
It provided extensive and comfortable accommodation to replace the rooms in the tower house. In its long, low design it has been compared to contemporary English buildings, in contrast to the Scottish tradition of taller towers still prevalent in the 16th century.
Seven identical lodgings are arranged along the west range, each opening onto the quadrangle and including windows and fireplace. Above the lodgings the west range comprised a 35-metre (115 ft) gallery. Now roofless, the gallery originally had an elaborate oak ceiling, and on display was a Roman tablet taken from the Antonine Wall.
At the north end of the gallery was a drawing room linked to the north range. The gallery could also be accessed from the Silver House to the south, which incorporated a broad stairway with a treasury above.
The basement of the north range incorporates kitchens and stores, with a dining room and great chamber above. At ground floor level is the Water Gate, between the north and west ranges, which gives access to the postern on the northern cliffs.
The east and north ranges are linked via a rectangular stair. The east range has a larder, brewhouse and bakery at ground level, with a suite of apartments for the Countess above. A north-east wing contains the Earl's apartments, and includes the "King's Bedroom" in which Charles II stayed. In this room is a carved stone inscribed with the arms of the 7th Earl and his wife, and the date 1654. Below these rooms is the Whigs' Vault, a cellar measuring 16 by 4.5 metres (52 by 15 ft). This cellar, in which the Covenanters were held in 1685, has a large eastern window, as well as a lower vault accessed via a trap-door in the floor.
Of the chambers in the palace, only the dining room and the Silver House remain roofed, having been restored in the 1920s. The central area contains a circular cistern or fish pond, 16 metres (52 ft) across and 7.6 metres (25 ft) deep, and a bowling green is located to the west.
At the south-east corner of the quadrangle is the chapel, consecrated in 1276 and largely rebuilt in the 16th century. Medieval walling and two 13th-century windows remain, and there is a graveyard to the south.
370 leads EDPO at Baldwinville. They are about to pass the location of the old diamond with the B&A.
EDPO
Templeton, Massachusetts.
January 6, 2016.
CN 2192 leads a CN "U700" loaded crude oil train, about 5 miles outside of it's final destination of Saint John, New Brunswick. My apologies for the branch overhanging in the shot. I just didn't bother to photoshop it out in the editor. This unit train doesn't run very often, but it was nice to see them leave the foreign BNSF power in the consist the entire length of the trip.
The IC 1030 was added to the consist at Joffre (Charny, QC). I'm surprised they didn't face the unit the other way while adding it on. There's no turning facilities here in Saint John, so the power ran lite back to Moncton, running long hood forward.
Mile 78.46 of the CN Sussex Subdivision.
leads NS 65D down track 1 in Danville, KY as it is about to pass under Rt. 2168.
It was one of four built new for BCOL in 1995 and obviously transitioned to CN with no changes.
For our day out in Venice, Mike and I made our way from the bus stop at Piazzale Roma to Piazza San Marco. After taking in the views from the piazza, we visited the Doge's Palace (Palazzo Ducale).
Our self-guided tour of the palace began with the Institutional Chambers. After exploring the chambers on the second and first floors, we headed to the New Prisons across the famous Ponte dei Sospiri, better known in English as the Bridge of Sighs.
Here, you can see an interior view of the enclosed bridge, which connects the Doge's Palace to the New Prisons over the Rio della Canonica (also known as the Rio di Palazzo) canal. The bridge has two separate corridors; heading into the prisons, visitors pass a window that faces north along the canal. Mike paused for a quick photo after taking in the view through the carved marble window screen...
An informational placard provided more details on the bridge; I've transcribed the description below:
Ponte dei Sospiri (The Bridge of Sighs)
This corridor leads over the Bridge of Sighs, which was built in 1614 to link the Doge’s Palace to the structure intended to house the New Prisons. Enclosed and covered on all sides, the bridge contains two separate corridors that run next to each other. That which modern-day visitors use linked the Prisons to the chambers of the Magistrato alle Leggi and the Quarantia Criminal [Criminal Appeal Court] on the piano nobile of the palace; the other linked the prisons with the State Advocacy rooms. Both corridors are linked to the service staircase that leads from the ground floor cells of the Pozzi to the roof cells of the Piombi.
The famous name of the bridge dates from the Romantic period and was supposed to refer to the sighs of prisoners who, passing from the courtroom to the cell in which they would serve their sentence, took a last look at freedom as they glimpsed the lagoon and San Giorgio through the small windows.
20305 leads 20304 with 3S21, the 14:53 York Works to Gilberdyke and West Yorkshire RHTT, between Church Fenton and Sherburn in Elmet. 14th November 2013.
Hampshire Hunt Point-to-Point Races, Hackwood Park, nr Basingstoke, Hants. 13 March 2016. Open Maiden Race. Eagle Harbor (J Jenkinson) leads from King's Walden (Jack Andrews) in pink & green & Regular Guy (D Andrews) in purple & lilac colours
leads an empty coal train under the East Conway signals in Baden, PA.
Built in 1996 as NS D9-40CW 8987, uprated to 4400-hp by NS-Juniata in 2013-14 and re-designated as D9-44CW. Retired in 2017, it was rebuilt in early-2018 by GE-Ft. Worth.
CN 3800 leads M341 northbound on the main at Neenah as 588 prepares to work the yard from the siding. While on the way, conditions rapidly deteriorated, and this, compounded with the quickly failing light, made for less than ideal lighting. Nonetheless, I walked away with a few workable photos and was rewarded for my efforts by a wave from the friendly crew on board.
M341 encountered some trouble attempting to leave Neenah, however. Some recent heavy rain was suspected to have caused a short somewhere, and occupancy kept flashing in and out of the block just north of Neenah. Consequently, the signal kept flipping back and forth between red and green. After a few unsuccessful attempts to gain control, RTC issued authority to CN 3800 to stop at the signal and then proceed with caution past it.
The worst part is, I didn't even get the chance to see L588, which was half the reason I went to Neenah in the first place. The leader today was an SD 75i followed by a Gevo, a CN wide cab GP, and a GTW GP. However, M341 blocked my view when it stopped on the main, and by the time it cleared the L588 power had already shoved back into the yard and I had run out of light.