Loose_Grip/Pete's photos with the keyword: Scotland

Early morning mist hangs in the glens while the rising sun turns the mountain tops red. Seen from the window of the Euston to Fort William sleeper train pulled by EWS Class 67 diesel 67007 which I had taken from Crewe the night before. One of the delights of taking the Scottish sleeper trains, whether to Aberdeen, Inverness or Fort William (I have slept on all three), is waking up at about 07.00 and opening the window blind to stunning scenery like this. A great way to start any day!

On the northern coast of the island of Skye. HFF to everyone. Have a great weekend.

Only 53 years ago, driving back from Skye on the A82 we visited Urquhart castle by Loch Ness en route to Inverness. The present ruins date from the 13th to the 16th centuries, though built on the site of an early medieval fortification. HBM to everyone. Have a great week.

I hitch-hiked north on the A1 from Doncaster to Scotland ending up in Edinburgh and then walked up to the castle. This is the view looking west from Edinburgh Castle. The prominent spires of St Mary's Episcopal Cathedral stand out in the mist. Just to not disappoint any railway enthusiasts in my audience I should also point out that the multi-storied building between castle and cathedral is the Lothian Road side of the Caledonian Hotel opened in 1903 by the the Caledonian Railway whose Princes Street station was entered via the hotel's grand arches until its closure in 1965.

Early morning mist hangs in the glens while the rising sun turns the mountaintops red. Seen from the open window of the Euston to Fort William sleeper train just south of Bridge of Orchy station on the West Highland Line. I had caught the sleeper from Crewe the night before and we were pulled by EWS Class 67 diesel 67007.

The grey clouds are down on the mountains but there is a colourful bridge over the West Highland railway Line behind the fence on the right & the A82 road behind the other fence on the left. Taken near County Marsh Summit to the north of Tyndrum in the Scottish Highlands. Seen en route from Fort William to Glasgow. HFF to everyone. Have a great weekend.

With the mountains of Skye across the water in the background Scotrail Class 158 diesel multiple unit 158721 prepares to depart Kyle of Lochalsh station with the 12.08 service to Inverness. HFF (there is one!) to everyone & have a great weekend.

We have put K1 62005 to bed - cleaned the fire, banked it up under the door and filled the boiler. All ready for the next morning's Jacobite steam run to Mallaig.

It's midnight on shed at Fort William and under starry skies Thompson K1 2-6-0 62005 is gently smoking away in preparation for working the Jacobite to Mallaig the following day.

The West Highland line in Scotland has some very gutsy, long gradients. The climb to County Marsh summit from Crianlarich is 7 miles of mainly 1 in 60 & here on the footplate of K1 62005 Neal is working hard on the climb.

It is about 9 miles from my position on the sea front east of Burntisland in Fife to the various Forth Bridges. The closest & most famous of the three is the railway cantilever bridge opened in 1890 by a consortium made up of the North British, the North Eastern, the Great Northern & the Midland Railways. Beyond that is the 1964 suspension Forth Road Bridge - now used by buses, taxis, cyclists and pedestrians only. Dominating both of these is the new M90 cable-stayed road bridge known as the Queensferry Crossing opened in August 2017.

The views from the road over the mountains to Applecross are tremendous. This scene is looking over Loch Kishorn to Plockton with the mountains of southern Skye on the skyline. I believe the peak in the centre is Skurr Na Coinnish.

On the West Highland line & the 10.15 Jacobite crosses the River Lochy as it departs Fort William for Mallaig, headed by LNER/NELPG locomotive K1 2-6-0 62005, the foothills of Ben Nevis in the background. I arrived early at the location in full sunlight but of course that didn't last long and I stood for 20 minutes in the driving rain. Fortunately it relented shortly before the train turned up, result happiness.

With just a light grey exhaust Ian Riley's Stanier Black 5 4-6-0 44871 cruises southwards through the complex ironwork of the Forth Railway Bridge on the The Forth Circle railtour. The train set off 22 minutes late from Linlithgow on the south bank west of Edinburgh and crossed the bridge northwards (before we arrived) to do a circuit around Fife. After calling at Edinburgh Waverley station it's final destination was Tweedbank on the reopened Waverley Route.

Stanier Black 5 4-6-0 45407 heads out of Fort William with the 10.15 Jacobite service to Mallaig.

We have put K1 62005 to bed - cleaned the fire, banked it up under the door and filled the boiler . Just the stars and one lamp to light up the scene.

Cleaning the fire of K1 2-6-0 62005 on Fort William depot in the evening after it had pulled the Jacobite to Mallaig and back.

Black 5 4-6-0 45407 is pulled by K1 2-6-0 62005 in the depot yard at Fort William.