I remember a long while back, there was a big Steam locomotive (looked like the Mallard) with a train *inside* the base at leuchars on airshow day..
At the time of course, my attentions were more focussed on getting a spot to watch the main action, but, after mooching around UkMil's Leuchars in a dune buggy of all things (just to look around you understand) - it got me wondering where the railway (which must have) entered the base? Anyone have any idea?
Presumably it must have been for ammo and stuff - I think 1989/90 would be the year the train was in?
Certainly no sign of anything these days - it would be interesting to get a train direct to the base on airshow day mind you
The loco would have been another A4 Pacific "Union of South Africa". It used to live in a small loco shed somewhere not too far from Leuchars and was a regular visitor at air displays. I seem to remember there was a small diesel shunter at Leuchars to deal with rail traffic.
"Union" and "Bittern" spent some time recently on my railway with resident "Sir Nigel Gresley". A4s are popular with enthusiasts but have cramped, noisy and uncomfortable footplates, I'd sooner drive "Blue Peter" anyday.
Deltics sound mean! I think the Deltic was the locomotive that started getting me more into British rail. I never got into it because everything seemed to look the same, but that was mostly ignorance on my part (and the fact that all modern European equipment really has no personality or uniqueness, much like modern American equipment).
Someday I'm going to have a cracking model railway, and it's going to very definitely have a subdivided section dedicated to 1960s-era British rail. Of course, finding affordable equipment in N-scale may be a problem!
I suppose it's like everything else these days. Whenever I am near a railway I seem to see the same train, most class of cars look similar these days, you would be hard pressed to differentiate between any airliners at a glance, the list goes on.
From what I can remember of the remnants of tracks on Leuchars, from a camp that I went on in 2000 were that they ended in some kind of fuel depot on base, it was where our camp drill competition was being held.
No doubt it has changed even since I was there, but I do remember the old track bed having become a assult course/running area.
Not 100 percent sure where it entered, but again I remember it did cross the main road which seperates the accomodation side and the airside, and as Tonks said the main line isn't that far away, so I dont suppose that there was much need for it to be kept.
When I was there nothing was connected beyond the base, and what was left was very few and far between, such as odd random bits of track here and the end of a platform/loading ramp there. I dont remember it going too far towards airside though.
Been doing some Goggling and I see that Leuchars still gets fuel by rail - but it goes to somewhere near Dundee (and presumably gets piped back to the storage tanks). Makes you wonder what the reason for that is - if they had a line in for fuel, would it not have been cheaper to keep it that build a pipeline?
Does seem a bit Irish (no offence to anyone from Ireland, god knows I can't risk offending them) unless Leuchars now don't take enough fuel to justify a separate stop and just syphon off a portion of what's going to the airport. I know St Mawgan has a pipeline from Falmouth, whereas Culdrose (which is closer, at least in a straight line) doesn't on the grounds they don't use enough fuel to justify it (and that was in the '80s when the aircraft based there would actually go flying).
I'm pretty sure the reason for moving the storage off base was you didn't want all those gallons of fuel being stored on base, as if it ever went bang, it would take most of the base out. Much more sensible to have limited quatities "onsite" :think:
- it got me wondering where the railway (which must have) entered the base? Anyone have any idea?
