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The Friends of the Far North Line
Cairdean Na Loine Tuath
the campaign group for rail north of Inverness - lobbying for improved services for the local user, tourist and freight operator

Newsletter of The Friends of The Far North Line



Issue 54

September 2011


Although this photograph is not of an everyday happening on the Far North Line, it does show some of the committee discussing the benefits of loco-hauled services on the FNL at Georgemas prior to the AGM on Saturday 18 June this year. Furthermore, it is the train that, leaving Dalgety Bay station in Fife late on the preceding Friday evening, eventually delivered your new Editor to Wick nearly 12 hours later, though it didn't take him away again. The locomotive is D9000 or 55022 Royal Scots Grey.

Sandy Colley

STOP PRESS. Alness triumph! Following representations by FoFNL, from 12 December the semi-fast train from Wick and Thurso, due at Inverness at 12:13, will, call at Alness at 11:31, breaking up the near-six-hour gap in southbound services at that station.

Class 55 "Deltic" locomotive D9000, alias 55 002, under Bridge 11, the most northerly bridge on the British National Network, 18 June 2011.

For those who haven't seen one, a refurbished Class 158 unit:

Purple rows.

Why has that lamp got a hat on? Is it going out?

Tony racked his brains on this but couldn't think of a suitable caption.

VSOE On Far North Line, 9 September 2011:

37069 and 37409 head the Northern Belle Dundee - Perth - Dunrobin Castle (and return) into the last-named station. 37423 was on the tail of the rake of 11 chocolate and cream coaches.

Sandy Colley

Your Editor has put this one in (a) to fill up space that might otherwise have had words across it, and (b) as a start towards "learning the road" alphabetically from A to W via I and T. This is Alness station on 15 June 2001, a week or two after it was improved.

One for the Engine Spotters

What number would you underline in your spotting book for this Class 43 power car seen during August?

Sandy Colley
Sandy's comment on the picture was: "On one of the other topics discussed recently - East Coast - is a glossy exterior more important than the service inside? Please note that they seem to have run out of numbers! Takes me back to when I worked in Glasgow and a certain type of person was described as mink coat and nae drawers."