As a boy living in Dumbarton I often went by train to Glasgow using the NBR route from Dumbarton Central to Queen Street low level. Only once did we use the old Caley route from Dumbarton East. The train was full of workmen who were all smoking,and we were already choking when we got to the underground section leading to Glasgow Central low level. This station was absolutely filthy, much worse than Queen Street.
Thanks for the memories Douglas .Was involved in a derailment at the points in the film at 0.33 . 1984 or 85 around Easter . Chivas Regal was shut for the holiday's and we took a wagon of scrap into Young and Cunningham (i think ) . Was a secondman at the time . Class 37 doing no more than 10mph at the time .(no i wasn't driving ) knees up against the handbrake . next thing we're rocking along on the sleepers and stopped just before the bridge strutts that you can see . Some nice people had shoved some ballast between the blades of the points . Certainly woke me up that day .
Brilliant to see this again, used to play along all that section right when you were taking the photies. The road rebuild at Dunglass is still fresh, you must have just missed the old bridge. I remember when it collapsed, if was the most exciting thing to ever happen in the village.
Fantastic. Took me back to my youth in the seventies and eighties living in Clydebank. Wandered many times on foot and bike between Dumbarton and Partick, especially between Dalmuir Riverside and Bowling / Dunglass. Thank you so much for sharing.
That last section from Dunglass junction to Dumbarton is actually the NB route from Queen St low level, The section of the old Caley route (L&D) between Dunglass Junction and Dumbarton via Dumbarton East Station was retained and used instaed of the NB section
Excellent. Thank you, Douglas. As AF Meikle points out, it would be worth highlighting the changes made at Dunglass, and between Dunglass and Dumbarton.
Quite fascinating. Love to follow old lines but as time moves on there's new build on the track. I know when I tried to follow the old East Kilbride line to Blantyre. Some of it is stil there but much of it has been built on.
Proper Dumbarton wifies! Great trip along this line; presumably much more has since disappeared. What was the cipher on the castellated wee tunnel entrance?
Slight inaccuracy - the "fifth crossing" was Dunglass Junction, at this point the NB line and the Caledonian Line were side by side, they didn't cross as per the comment below
From Fraser, husband of Leslie Why on earth would you have two railways virtually alongside each other on the north side of the Clyde !! Answer - lunatic competition between the Caledonian and North British railway companies. These two must have fought each other to near bankruptcy. I see that the line was used for freight up to the Erskine Bridge, as I noted at least two private sidings.
