Kilts and railway preservation - a whimsy.

[cessna152towser]

Milton of Crathes is also home to the former Aberdeen Gas Works steam locomotive: 0-4-0 "Bon Accord", which is stopped for repair." ( as of Wikipedia 2014 and March 2015 updates.)
Was/is it petrol/diesel fired? I don't see any coal tender...

Coal fired.
As little engines like this only worked locally, shunting (switching) wagons between the gas works sidings (spurs), a supply of coal would be kept at a fixed point in the railway (railroad) yard which would be visited to re-stoke the fire when needed. Occasionally a small pile of coal might be carried on the driver's (engineer's) footplate.
I loved watching the video again.
Shiftin' Bobbins is a popular dance here in the Scottish Borders which is a neighbouring county of Northumberland, England.
Brought back nostalgic memories. I used to do this sort of dancing once or twice a week with my late wife Ann.
Since she died and I married again my new wife isn't into country dancing. Instead she shares another of my interests - firing and driving steam locomotives.

[The Q]

You are a lucky man having wives that have shared some of your interests.
My partner tolerates my sailing and likes the social events as long as we don't talk to much about sailing.
She tolerates my interests in railways, but is most supportive if it has some advantage for her interests, so to get "planning permission" for the railway shed, she will have one end of the shed that the railway goes round as an art studio, art books and materials above and below.
Having taken part in the highland country dancing, she's offering to teach me some steps, as Before I met her she did do some ballroom with other types of dancing added in, I think I might have to look at beginners classes at the RSCDS in Norwich, which would mean more kilt wearing!!.
Unfortunately she also like disco I have never been TO a disco and when they have them at Social events, I have to leave as the loudness hurts my ears!!

[Gryphon noir]

I would suppose the operating rules must be different in Scotland: one of the few places I can't wear a kilt is when volunteering on the railway. Canadian Railway Operating Rules require that the legs be entirely covered.

The photo was actually taken on the Downtown Historic Railway in Vancouver, circa 2011. I now volunteer as a motorman and conductor on the Fraser Valley Heritage Railway.

[OC Richard]

So cool to see so many people interested in steam trains, and putting in the time.

At the place I'm from (central West Virginia) it's impossible to get more than a couple hundred yards from train tracks: everyone lives in narrow river valleys, with a road and train tracks wedged between the riverbank and the mountains, and if there's room a row of houses too.

Here is most of the State looks like. People don't live on the hills, but down on the banks. Here you can see there's only room for train-tracks. There will also be a road, sometimes on the same bank, often on the opposite. If the bank gets wide enough, there will be a row of houses. Wider yet, two rows of houses. In any case you live right by tracks!



So trains are an ever-present thing in our lives. Ironic that here in California I've worked for the last 26 years only a few feet from train tracks and steam trains pass by me every ten minutes.

Anyhow we have in the West Virginia hills a beautiful steam railway you may have visited, Cass:



A nice documentary about it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dl0SpDovsok

Here's a nice video showing the cool Shays and our gorgeous fall colors!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUlJzfQ-Blc

Those are the Shays, here is the Heisler

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLVhmwg9BbA

[neloon]

Very nice, Richard.
Just to keep Scotland's end up, here is the "Jacobite" which runs daily throughout the summer months from Fort William to Mallaig and back crossing the Caledonian Canal and passing Glenfinnan on the way.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqDQAsXS1iU
Alan

[The Q]

To which I must add
The Scottish Railway preservation site,
http://www.srps.org.uk/
Who also run steam (some diesel) rail tours mostly around Scotland but some to England

And on that same site their Bo'ness and Kinneil Railway of over 5 miles in length from the Sea shore in Bo'ness up some steep inclines over a viaduct to join the Edinburgh-Glasgow line at Manuel Junction.
Sadly I don't think you can get a connection between the two (yet).

[OC Richard]

Very nice, Richard.
Just to keep Scotland's end up, here is the "Jacobite" which runs daily throughout the summer months from Fort William to Mallaig and back crossing the Caledonian Canal and passing Glenfinnan on the way.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqDQAsXS1iU
Alan

Thanks! Your Highlands look much like ours, with the tracks and some houses on the narrow bit of land between river and mountain. Well, ours are just hills, really. Beautiful stuff there!

I was going to go back to WV and visit the relatives (and scenery) in the Fall anyhow, this thread is inspiring me to perhaps visit Cass again. Perhaps I could ride Cass in kilts...