In Days of Yore

Browsing in the Library of the National Railway Museum recently, I came across two collections of stunning black and white photographs relating to the Far North lines.

Just published in Railway Archive no 30 (March 2011) is an illustrated article showing the Inverness goods yards in 1927 with a complementary photograph from 1937. The article "Ownership and distribution of railway wagons during the Grouping Period" by Peter Tatlow will, I believe, be a bonanza for railway modellers. Wagons galore from many of the pre-grouping companies appear together with a few period carriages. I was surprised how many Great Western wagons had found their way to Inverness and intrigued by the horse grazing on the open fields of what is now the Longman industrial estate. All but one of the photographs was taken by H C Casserley.

Also new off the press is LMS Journal no 32 (2011) with a photographic feature "D J Norton's Scottish trip August 1951." This comprises 19 photographs taken from Kyle to Inverness. What interested me most was two shots of the Lovat private siding near Beauly because I am hoping to find some photographs of Beauly showing the traffic for the post war hydro electric dam construction. Dingwall is featured with plenty of cattle wagons evident. An LMS 4F is shown inside and a Jinty outside Lochgorm works. The Jinty and a vintage Cale saddle tank are shown shunting at Inverness and a row of snow ploughs on the ground even have 60A shedplates attached! The feature concludes with a Cale 4-4-0 approaching and a Highland Railway Clan Goods outside the bar at Clachnaharry. Slainte!

Railway Archive. £8.25 plus p&p. Lightmoor Press, Witney, Oxon. 01993 773927. www.lightmoor.co.uk

LMS Journal £9.95 plus p&p. Wild Swan Publications, Didcot, Oxon. 01235 816478.