Notes from Fife: 'Royal Scotsman', Test Trains and another 'Flake', September - October 2026

43146 (+ set HA02 + 43176) passing the site of Donibristle Halt with 1B80 12:07 Aberdeen - Edinburgh, 21st September.

Looking in the other direction, 66746 Pipe Major Iain Grant leading the 'Royal Scotsman' 1H79 13:45 Edinburgh - Keith, 21st September. 66746 since moved onto freight duties in England and Wales, noted on Avonmouth - Penyffordd cement workings on 2nd October.

With loco changed to 66743, the 'Royal Scotsman' 1H89 13:45 Edinburgh - Boat Of Garten, passes at Dalgety, 30th September. 

43135 (+ set HA13 + 43124) at the west side of the bridge at the former Donibristle Halt, 1A81 11:30 Edinburgh - Aberdeen, 1st October.

153383 is now VIU-4, seen working 2Q54 11:10 Slateford Depot - Inverness Millburn C.Rail, 1st October.

43168 (+ set HA05 + 43144) passing Aberdour with 1A75 07:31 Edinburgh - Aberdeen, 3rd October.

99002 was brought from Leicester to Dundee on 5th October, to take the place of 99009, which has wheel flats, on the Inverness based RHTT working, which it coupled up to at Dundee in the early hours. Seen passing Aberdour as 0Z99 18:56 Millerhill - Dundee.

43026 (+ set HA21 + 43148) 1B80 12:07 Aberdeen - Edinburgh, passing the site of Donibristle Halt, 6th October.

Working in the other direction was the 4-weekly 1B80 12:07 Aberdeen - Edinburgh, formed of PLPR1 rather than the NMT.

This was led by former Cross Country 43301, with 43303 on the rear.

43301 + 6262 + 72631 (PLPR1) + 6117 + 72612 + 43303. 'Support coach' 6117 was previously in passenger service on this Fife Circle route.

21 Mendip HOA wagons sent for storage, 8th October 2026

21 HOA wagons, 81.70.6957.095-7 to 81.70.6957.115-3 built by Astra Rail, Romania, in 2015-2016, and leased from VTG, have been moved to the East Lancashire Railway for storage.

7th October: 6M01 13:49 Whatley - Arpley one two
8th October: 6J03 14:04 Arpley - Bury

81.70.6957.097-3 at Eastleigh, 22nd September 2023.

81.70.6957.104-7 at Westbury 19th September 2024.

81.70.6957.111-2 at Romsey, 20th November 2025 

Late Afternoon at Perth, 3rd October 2026

 

43026 and set HA21 1T50 15:35 Aberdeen - Glasgow Queen Street. This power car was new from BREL Crewe in October 1976, so is now 50 years old.

43148 was on the rear of the set.


43149 with set HA06 1A51 16:38 Glasgow Queen Street - Aberdeen, a further working of a train set seen earlier in the day.

A closer view of 43149.

800112 approaching with 1S12 10:30 Kings Cross - Inverness.

The same set under the overall roof. A large part of this was removed in the 1960s, in particular on the west side - I did see that scene before the roof was removed. Now it seems that Network Rail would like to remove it, to expose the 1848 building by Sir William Tite, which lies behind the train, which stands where the horse drawn carriages would then approach the station, until extension was made in 1885.

66428 Carlisle Eden Mind arrives with 4D47 13:37 Inverness - Coatbridge.

66428 coasts to a timetabled stop of about 30 minutes in platform 4.

Watercress Line Autumn Steam Gala, 2nd October 2026

A set of images from Ian Knight.

GWR 4247 (Swindon, 1916) at Ropley. Normally resident at the Dartmouth Steam Railway.

Also at Ropley, KILMERSDON (Peckett 1788 / 1929) owned by the Somerset & Dorset Railway Trust.

S15 30506 (LSWR Eastleigh, 1920) arrives with a freight train.

GWR 6959 Modified Hall Class 6989 Wightwick Hall (BR Swindon, 1948), nomuinally based at Quainton Road, now running in a Harry Potter red scheme.

LMS Ivatt 2MT tank 41313 (BR Crewe, 1952) was visiting from the Isle of Wight. As shown on the headboard, its boiler ticket runs out next year.

LMS Ivatt 2MT 46447 (BR Crewe, 1950), seen at Alton, is also owned by the Ivatt Locomotive Trust, and normally kept at the East Somerset Railway.

Resident Ivatt 2MT tank 41312 (BR Crewe,1952) also runs out of boiler ticket in January 2027. The consecutively numbered locomotives are seen at Ropley. 

Mid-Hants Railway / Watercress Line

A morning hour at Perth, 3rd October 2026

An opportunity to catch-up on ScotRail Inter7City HST services, before attendingt the 5th Scottish Railway History Conference at a nearby venue.

43134 Gordon Aikman arrives with 1T18 07:24 Aberdeen - Glasgow Queen Street.

Moments later, 43134 is further rounding the curve of the platform 1 line from Dundee.

The carriage set was HA06, the set numbers being keyed by the TGFB coach, in this case 40606. This was formerly TF 41104, built at BREL Derby in 1977-78 to Lot 30896, which in the 1980s ran in East Coast Set 24.

43149 on the rear of this train.

43176 with set HA24 1A35 08:41 Glasgow Queen Street - Aberdeen, running into platform 2.

43126 on the rear, as the train heads towards the site of Princes St station, and then the bridge over the Tay.

800103, which was repaired at Eastleigh in May 2026, arrives with 1E16 07:55 Inverness - Kings Cross.

43150 and set HA25, which was reformed in April 2026, with 1H09 08:37 Edinburgh - Inverness, seen approaching the St Leonard's Bridge.

43132 on the rear of this train.

Eastleigh and Southampton, 28th & 29th September 2026

Images from Roger Homan.

Eastleigh 28th September

92020 BILLY STIRLING was returned following wheelset attention, hauled by 66725 SUNDERLAND 0Z13 15:43 Eastleigh Works Gbrf - Wembley Inter City.


A closer view of the Class 92, which was a first time visitor to Eastleigh.


800102 arriving as 5X81 16:21 Reading - Eastleigh Works Gbrf.


800102 will likely be inside the Works for a couple of months to receive the full repair.

Southampton, 29th September

On it's return jouney, 69007 Richard Tevithick is passing in Southampton with 0Z60 07:05 Eastleigh East Yard -Weymouth - Castle Cary - Weymouth - Eastleigh East Yard.


This appears to have been a driver trainer run.

GP30C excusion, Soo Line, Winona, 6th October 1990

An excursion from Winona, Minnesota southwards to the wye at La Crescent, along the western bank of the Mississippi. Originally intended to be hauled by Frisco 1522, but this had a hot box on the ferry move coming up from St. Louis, so Soo Line supported with their latest rebuild. Historically this was a Milwaukee Road line.

Soo 4301 is a GP30C, originally UP 828 (EMD serial 27537) delivered in August 1962. "Acquired by Generation II Locomotives and rebuilt with a 2,000 Hp. Caterpillar 3516 engine (9/1990). Sold to SOO Line (1991) and renumbered to SOO #4301. Sold to Generation II Locomotives (4/1999)."

It would appear not as successful, as perhaps anticipated, for Soo. However it has worked for Twin Cities & Western since 2000, seen operating earlier in 2026.

This appears to be a different location, but I think both images are in Winona. The supporting power was SD40-2 6617, one of the last SD40-2 built, EMD 827034-1, delivered in April 1983. Now through several changes of ownership, and noted being repainted in 2026.

A Milwaukee Road Super Dome, possibly 53, one of 10 built by Pullman Standard in 1952, with 'Hiawatha' logo over the first truck. I was lucky enough to ride in it.

Sister Generation II GP30C 4300 was on display. This started as GP30 832, EMD serial 27541, of August 1962. It also operated for TC&W, but is now reported scrapped in October 2025.

Budd Vista-Dome Silver Solarium built 1948 for the CB&Q (Burlington Route) 'California Zephyr'. Now in Ohio.

Inside the Super Dome.

Fall colours seen from the dome car, with the Mississippi on the left.

More pictures from other photographers.