Scottish adventures in 2000…

In the summer of 2000 I spent 8 weeks based in Falkirk working for an agrochemical business in Grangemouth on work experience. That 8 weeks was a blur, I was lucky to visit during the annual shutdown which meant for a budding Mechanical engineer lots of seeing how things came apart and worked, the hi-light being helping with glass lining inspections in massive vessels as tall as a house...

158715 in the short-lived Scotrail livery of the late 1990s (yuck!) in the mid summer of 2000. This Scotrail logo appeared as a small vinyl sticker on the old Regional Railways and Strathclyde units too, but the full livery on the 158, in my opinion, was dire. The station, a shadow of it's former self, lives on. James Hilton photo.

Weekends so far from home meant the chance to explore. I had my Peugeot 106 with me, and that meant I had freedom. I spent many happy hours driving across Scotland, the furthest I managed was to Kyle of Lochalsh, the gateway to Skye, and before the bridge had been built. On the long run down to Kyle I remember driving on the amber fuel light for what seemed like an age and the relief when I found a lone Esso garage! I spent just an hour or so there before the long drive back but I did manage to co-incide with a Class 158 sprinter, which had arrived from Inverness. A shame the 156s, well shame the 26s and Mk1s are long gone on this route as the small heavily tinted windows on these modern trains don't do the scenery any justice. 

Wandering along the harbour bagged this shot. These photos were taken on an Olympus L1 APS camera, which explains the landscape format of this scanned print.  photo James Hilton.

I've promised myself  a train journey to Thurso, having said I’d make the trip once mask wearing was no longer mandatory! I'd better dig out a timetable and see what might be possible. I miss the pace of travelling by train, once away from the hustle and bustle of the big stations the journey takes on a relaxed and mindful vibe, seeing the sights from the comfort of a seat with a good book and headphones in, listening and watching the world go by... reminds me of being 20 odd again, just like these photos. Until next time, more soon...

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