Six Lochs Land Cruise
1963 Season
Scan courtesy of John Paton
Scan courtesy of John Paton
The table shows only the known tours:
| No. | Date | From | Direction | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mon 8 April | Gourock | Unknown | |
| 2 | Mon 15 April | Westerton | Clockwise | |
| 3 | " | Glasgow Buchanan Street | Anti-clockwise | 403: 100/107 hybrid, 101... |
| 4 | Mon 6 May | Grangemouth | Anti-clockwise | |
| 5 | " | Falkirk (Grahamston) | Anti-clockwise | |
| 6 | Wed 15 May | Coatbridge (Central) | Unknown | |
| 7 | Mon 20 May | Gourock | Unknown | |
| 8 | Sun 26 May | Glasgow Buchanan Street | Anti-clockwise | |
| 9 | " | Rutherglen | Unknown | |
| 10 | Mon 27 May | Glasgow Buchanan Street | Anti-clockwise | |
| 11 | " | Barrhead | Unknown | |
| 12 | Sun 2 June | Glasgow Buchanan Street | Anti-clockwise | |
| 13 | Sun 9 June | Glasgow Buchanan Street | Anti-clockwise | |
| Sun 16 June | Glasgow Buchanan Street | Anti-clockwise | ||
| 14 | " | Wishaw (Central) | Unknown | |
| 15 | Sun 23 June | Glasgow Buchanan Street | Anti-clockwise | |
| 16 | Sun 30 June | Glasgow Buchanan Street | Anti-clockwise | |
| 17 | Sun 7 July | Glasgow Buchanan Street | Anti-clockwise | |
| 18 | " | Grangemouth | Anti-clockwise | Swindon 79xxx (6-car) |
 An image at Callander can be found on the RCTS website and on flickr. The four images here, by GM Staddon, show the train about to cross Glen Ogle Viaduct, in Crainlarich Upper, and two at Garelochhead.
|
||||
| 19 | Sun 14 July | Glasgow Buchanan Street | Anti-clockwise | |
| 20 | Anti-Clockwise | Rutherglen | Unknown | |
| 21 | Mon 15 July | Springburn | Clockwise | |
| 22 | " | Coalburn | Anti-clockwise | |
| 23 | " | Glasgow Buchanan Street | Anti-clockwise | |
| 24 | Wed 17 July | Fauldhouse | Anti-clockwise | |
| 25 | Sun 21 July | Glasgow Buchanan Street | Anti-clockwise | |
| 26 | Sun 28 July | Glasgow Buchanan Street | Anti-clockwise | |
| 27 | Sun 4 August | Glasgow Buchanan Street | Anti-clockwise | |
| 28 | " | Gourock | Unknown | |
| 29 | Sun 11 August | Glasgow Buchanan Street | Anti-clockwise | |
| 30 | " | Rutherglen | Unknown | |
| 31 | Sun 18 August | Glasgow Buchanan Street | Anti-clockwise | |
| 32 | Sun 25 August | Glasgow Buchanan Street | Anti-clockwise | |
| 33 | Sun 1 September | Glasgow Buchanan Street | Anti-clockwise | |
| 34 | Sun 8 September | Glasgow Buchanan Street | Anti-clockwise | |
| 35 | Mon 16 September | Johnstone (High) | Unknown | |
| 36 | Mon 30 September | Glasgow Buchanan Street | Anti-clockwise | |
| 37 | " | Blantyre | Unknown | |
The image was taken by John Paton at Coatbridge station in July 1963. The blackboards are low-tech advertisements for upcoming Land Cruises during the Lanarkshire holidays. The left board is for the Oban Land Cruise on Wednesday 24th July (see page 5 of the advance information brochure) that originated from Fauldhouse. There was a two hour stop at Helensburgh Central on the outward journey.
The second board covers the Six Lochs tours on Sunday 14th (originating at Rutherglen) and Wednesday 17th July (starting at Fauldhouse), both listed on page 2 of the advance information brochure. The listed stops seem to indicate both did the loop in the anti-clockwise direction, the first having a layover at Helensburgh rather than Crainlarich.
Photographs
On Saturday 1 June 1963 a two-car Class 105 and three-car Class 107 enters Crainlarich Lower station from the Callander direction with an unknown excursion, possibly another Six Lochs Land Cruise? Hamish Stevenson.
15th April
On this date there were two trains planned, one from Westerton and one from Buchanan Street, and the Advance Information booklet noted that an "Additional train will run if required" from Buchanan Street. Photographs show three different formations working that day, so the relief seems to have run. The reporting numbers were:
- 402A, anti-clockwise - a Cravens twin (56470/51481), another Cravens twin, 105 DMBS/101 DTC hybrid, 101 twin.
- 403, anti-clockwise - a 100 DTC/107 DMBS hybrid, 101 DMBS/105 DTC hybrid, another 101 DMBS/105 DTC hybrid and a 101 DTC / 105 DMBS hybrid.
- unknown, clockwise - seems to be a three-car Met-Camm and a three-car 107.
403 ran from Buchanan Street, it is unknown whether that was the main tour or the relief, and of the other two formations which originated at Westerton and which was the other Buchanan Street departure.
An image by Alastair Stirling appeared on page 2 of the January 1970 "The Railway Magazine". It shows the Met-Camm end of 402A in Callander station.
Sid Rickard took a series of images on this day. His images are now with Cresselley Photos, where a pdf listing all of his photos can be downloaded. Previews can be found on page six of the Diesels and Misc 1 section. The negative numbers are AD158-154.
- AD138 A Land Cruise in Buchanan Street, a Class 100 DTC/Class 107 DMBS hybrid at the front carrying reporting number 403.
- AD139 Passengers detraining from the 100 (403) after arrival at Callander.
- AD140 Looking west from the footbridge at Callander with two Land Cruises side by side, the 100/107 hybrid (403) on the left and Cravens DTC Sc56470 (402A) on its right.
- AD141 Looking east from the footbridge in Callander station with two Land Cruise trains. The 100/107 (403) seems to be reversing out, 402A is in the other platform including Sc51481.
- AD142 The empty eight-car formation of 402A pulls out of Callander heading west, the 101 twin closest.
- AD143 The above formation (402A) reversing into the opposite platform.
- ? The Bradford Barton book "Diesels on the Scottish Region" contains a Sid Rickard image on page 58 of the above train (402A) now sitting in the Westbound platform. This is also when the Alastair Stirling image noted above was taken.
- AD144 The above formation (402A) near Callander (presumably en-route to Killin), lochside view.
- AD145 A view of Callander station with the 403 formation, the 100/107 at the front in the westbound platform.
- AD146 Another view from Callander footbridge looking past the 100 (403) as the regular Oban-Glasgow service arrives behind a Class 27.
- AD 147 Taken from Sid's train (403) sitting in the down main platform at Killin Junction station as another DMU formation departs towards Glenoglehead and Callander, a three-car 107 and three-car 101 formation, presumably the third Land Cruise train that day working the clockwise circuit.
- AD148 Another view from Sid's train (403) at Killin Junction, looking at the 402A formation. It has come off the branch after depositing its passengers to allow Sid's train to head down there. It seems that it is sitting in the branch loop, and Sid's train is pulling out the station (towards Luib/Crainlarich) ready to reverse through the Branch Platform and down the branch.
- AD149 Sid's train (403) is now heading down the Killin branch past the signalbox at Killin Junction. It is another view taken on board, and since it has reversed a Cravens vehicle is now leading.
- AD150 Sid's train (403) is parked further down the Loch Tay branch, viewed with the 100 closest, the crew walking to the train. This move allow the earlier tour (402A) to follow it down the branch as it had an earlier departure time.
- AD151 Another view of the above (403).
- AD152 The Cravens / Met-Camm formation (402A) in Killin station, Met-Camms closest.
- AD153 Sid's train (403) pulls into Killin station. This image also appeared on page 75 of the Bradford Barton "DMUs Countrywide" book.
- ? A Sid Rickard image showing the front side of an empty GRC&W DTCL in Crainlarich Lower station appears on page 60 of the Bradford Barton "Diesels on the Scottish Region" book. Although undated it is thought to be the same train (403), the driver is looking back waiting for the signal to depart to take the empty train to the Upper station.
- AD154 Sid's train (403) departs empty from Crainlarich Lower.