Scotrail in January
Southbound from Kyle
13 January 2024
Saturday 13 January - I’m travelling from Skye to Dunbar, by
public transport. The first train from Kyle is at 0611 - no
thanks! It would be dark for much the way to Inverness. A
train around 9am - 10am would be great, but the next one
isn’t until 1208. Not to worry - that should enable me to get
me to Dunbar at about 7.20pm - but there are a couple of
tight connections - 8 minutes at Inverness and 9 minutes at
Waverley. I’ll have just over half an hour to wait for an
Edinburgh train at Stirling - that shouldn’t be a problem, but
my fingers will be crossed for the other two.
In the event there was an extra connection - my train from
Inverness to Stirling (on its way to Queen Street, Glasgow)
should have been one of Scotrail’s ‘Inter7City’
HSTs. It wasn’t. Like my train from Kyle, it
was a two-car class 158. I didn’t hang around
for photos there, I wanted a seat - preferably
at a window, facing forwards...
As we made our way down the Highland main
line, it became clear that we would in fact
Geoff’s Rail Diaries
change trains at Perth, to an HST - “a big train” according to
the conductor. That 34 minute journey passed quickly and in
great comfort - shame about the 158. We were due to stop
for 13 minutes at Perth anyway - the HST left on time.
So, at Stirling, with 30-odd minutes to kill, out came the
camera. There would have been no chance in film days, but
modern digital cameras are wonderful for this kind of thing.
I left Stirling on time, on the 1803 to Waverley. After several
hours of diesel-powered trains, we’re now zipping along in a
class 385 EMU. It keeps to time all the way - no need to rush
now, but the Azuma is ready in the adjacent bay platform at
Waverley. I may as well take my seat for the
22 minute run to Dunbar - some 30 miles away.
Once again, I was glad I wasn’t travelling
further. Unlike my Azuma ride in August (see
‘Boat Trains’), this carriage didn’t scream at
me - but why do they stuff the seat cushions
with King Edwards? Do the people who design
the trains ever travel on them?
