28th May 2009

Laurencekirk is a must-see location should anyone find the time to check it out. The station, which reopened on the 18th May 2009, just 10 days before my visit, has been beautifully restored, from a derelict wreck it has to be said. Quite remarkable when it seems all to easy too just demolish a building and replace it with something less characterful.

The location is also appealing for the fact that it lies in lovely surroundings, has a freight loop, and a signal box complete with semaphore signals. You can't go wrong here really!

At 13.35 EWS Class 66 no. 66126 has arrived in the goods loop with the 6A67 ThO 11.57 Aberdeen Waterloo to Laurencekirk. OK, a strange destination I know, and not what I was expecting, and I was a little confused until I realised that 66126 would be uncoupled and sent back to Aberdeen light engine, and later 66201 would pick up the train and take it south to Mossend. I never found out why. I shot that train at Montrose Viaduct...see later on in this section.

I love this shot, with the bright spring sunshine lighting up the countryside, the spruce tree in the foreground and the signal box just glimpsed behind the tree.