Highlands welcomes brief return of classic Class 37 diesel trains, once commonplace on local routes, after Scottish Railway Preservation Society Railtours brings two to Inverness via Forth Bridge
Fans of classic trains turned out to welcome ‘old friends’ when a type of locomotive once commonplace on Highland lines returned to the region on a special rail tour decades after it last plied its regular trade in the area.
Two Class 37 diesel engines pulled a classic rail-tour into Inverness station on Saturday and there were plenty of people on hand to welcome this “blast from the past”.
The loco type, which dates back 65 years, used to run on the likes of the Far North Line and West Highland Line until being phased out in the 1990s for more modern rolling stock.
But they rolled back the years on Saturday, with two engines that were no stranger to Highland routes - the 37403 'Isle of Mull' and 37409 'Loch Awe' - pulling a train packed full of enthusiasts all the way from Carlisle.
The train had been expected to travel up via Stirling but a broken down freight train meant those aboard - although late arriving in Inverness - were treated to an unexpected detour and crossing over the Forth Bridge en route to the Highland capital.
After a couple of hours in Inverness, the train then headed back down the Highland Mainline and on to Carlisle.
And those who missed these classic locos in action on Saturday will get a chance to enjoy the “historic” sight of some more classic locos this summer - when the same rail tour group runs two Class 20s up to Inverness and on to Kyle of Lochalsh.
This later tour, dubbed The Lochalsh Chopper, will run across three days from June 21 and 23, starting at Crewe and stopping at Inverness before heading out to Kyle on day two, and then on to Aberdeen on day three.
These engines, which might be familiar to West Highland Line passengers where they sometimes ran in tandem with Class 27s, were not used on many passenger routes - and Scottish Railway Preservation Society (SRPS) Railtours describes this pair of Class 20 locos as making history on “their inaugural run to Kyle”.
For more information about SRPS Railtours and its various tours, visit https://www.srpsrailtours.co.uk/.
