Trains in Scotland

A land of history, of pride and a wild sort of beauty. But Scotland is also the home of a longstanding engineering tradition. Its railways run through some interesting scenery and there's a variety of operators and rolling stock on its tracks. But I only had a brief few days in Scotland in 2005 and did not concentrate on seeing its railways. Nor do I know much about them. So pictures here just give an impression of a fleeting visit.

A GNER express departs from Edinburgh's central station - Waverley. The station is right between the new part of the central city and the historical precinct with streets such as the Royal Mile. In the background a grand-looking hotel dominates the city-scape. To the left is a park where hundreds may enjoy their lunch right next to a major shopping street.
These fast electric trains of the Great North Eastern Railway connect Scotland with London via the East Coast, passing cities such as York. They are push-pull units and were introduced by British Rail in the late 1980s. [Jun 2005].

The other operator of Inter-City trains into Scotland from England is Virgin Trains. Here one of the trains heads East out of Edinburgh, near Holyrood Castle. In the background on the hill the ruins of an old monastery can be seen. [Jun 2005].
West of Waverley Station the trains head through a tunnel under a museum before running along the foot of the rock on which Edinburgh castle is built. Here two local trains meet at the entrance of the tunnel. This picture is taken from the walls of Edinburgh Castle looking down on the city. [Jun 2005].
From Edinburgh Castle the rock drops away steeply towards the railway line running past its base. On the other side of the railway line is a nice park. Large trees and scrub separate the railway line, which seems to run in a cutting, from the park. So the only way to photograph the trains from the West is from a cemetry directly beside the railway line, quite a peaceful place in the big city. [Jun 2005].
Most of the local trains in Scotland are run by First Scotrail. Normally diesel railcars are used. Here one of those units is heading out of the city of Dundee.
The distances involved are actually fairly large and the trains usually only stop at towns and larger villages. Also, the price of train travel in Scotland is not very attractive to the casual user. [Jun 2005].
The bridges over the inner reaches of the firths in Scotland are imposing structures. But none is probably more famous than the bridge over the Firth of Tay just south of Dundee. The first bridge, a slender iron viaduct, collapsed under the North British Railway Edinburgh Mail train when strong winds buffeted the girders on the night of the 28th December 1879. The entire train plunged into the waters. All 75 passengers aboard died.
The new bridge, completed in 1887, is a lot more solid and has stood the test of time so that it still carries trains across the firth today.
A First Scotrail train consisting of a three-car and a two-car unit running in multiple crosses the bridge heading North. [Jun 2005].
Around Falkirk between Glasgow and Edinburgh the landscape is a lot more industrial with power stations and coal trains. Here a container train hauled by a class 66 loco makes its way through Camelon station. It is operated by one of the many private rail and logistics company active in the UK today. [Jun 2005].
One of the ways to get to the continent from Scotland is to catch a Eurostar train from London. It might be hundreds of kilometres away from the Scottish highlands, but for me it was still part of the experience. Here three Eurostar trainsets stand at the platforms of Waterloo International station. One of them has just arrived from the continent, while another one is just about to depart for Brussels. [Jun 2005].
Inside, nice comfortable seats await even the second class traveller and there's plenty of room for luggage. The train runs really quietly, both on the winding old tracks out of London and on the high speed lines in the South of England and on the continent. Here it has entered the tunnel and is hurtling along under the ocean floor. [Jun 2005].