RailScot News

News - Motorail

Themes ScotRail RMT Network Rail Caledonian MacBrayne Cancellations Weather TransPennine Express Avanti West Coast Landslip Strikes Strike Inverness Carlisle Flooding Arran Aberdeen Oban Gourock Northern Ardrossan West Highland Line Falls of Cruachan Haymarket HS2 Birmingham New Street Level Crossing Perth Carstairs

01/01/2023 The defunct Edinburgh train that let holidaymakers travel with their car [edinburghlive] In terms of convenience, Edinburgh Waverley, with its famous in and out ramps, was pretty much the perfect station for motorists in the post-war era. Connecting the English capital and Perth via Edinburgh Waverley, the first car-sleeper rail services debuted in 1955 and allowed Scots motorists the freedom of taking their car on their holidays while avoiding the gruelling 450-mile drive south. (Permalink) Birmingham Brockenhurst Carlisle Carmarthen Dover Edinburgh Waverley Fishguard Harbour Fort William Glasgow Inverness Kensington Olympia London Euston Motorail Penzance Perth Plymouth Stirling Stranraer Perth Carriage Sidings: Loaded wagons of the Perth-London Car Ferry Service at Perth Caledonian Road Depot in the early 1970s. Aitken Scott // Edinburgh Waverley: May 1995 saw the withdrawal of the Sleeper/Motorail service from Edinburgh to Plymouth. Car carrying vans, ready for business in the bay platforms at Waverley east end. Bill Roberton /05/1995 Kensington Olympia: Motorail departure board, Kensington Olympia, 1969. John Furnevel 05/06/1969 edinburghlive
24/02/2022 Long lost memories of the Perth sleeper train that took Dundee drivers and their cars to London [Daily Record] Back in the day, Tayside motorists could drive to Perth and then be shuttled to London without adding a single mile to their trip. (Permalink) Motorail Perth Sleeper Edinburgh Waverley: May 1995 saw the withdrawal of the Sleeper/Motorail service from Edinburgh to Plymouth. Car carrying vans, ready for business in the bay platforms at Waverley east end. Bill Roberton /05/1995 Carstairs: The 09.40 Perth - Kensington Olympia Motorail train approaches Carstairs behind Brush Type 4 No. 1743 on Saturday 23 May 1970. As far as can be seen it is only conveying two cars, so the occupants wil ... Bill Jamieson 23/05/1970 Dumfries Shed: The Kensington Olympia - Perth Motorail service heads north past the remaining shell of Dumfries shed in June 1971 behind a Brush Type 4. John Furnevel 02/06/1971 Daily Record
20/12/2021 Memories of a gruelling, snowy 10-hour drive from Tain to London reignite calls for Motorail reinstatement [Ross-shire Journal] These new rail franchises with different companies running different bits of what once was British Rail, meant that Motorail was no longer do-able. (Permalink) Motorail Inverness: Car-carrier vans, with a Sulzer Type 2, at the loading bay (at the end of platform 1&2) in Inverness in September 1962. Brian Haslehust 02/09/1962 Bridge of Orchy: In 1994 the future of the West Highland Sleeper was very much in doubt. I made a number of late night forays into dark moorland to record what could have its demise. Fortunately it still runs today, n ... Ewan Crawford //1994 Dumfries Shed: The Kensington Olympia - Perth Motorail service heads north past the remaining shell of Dumfries shed in June 1971 behind a Brush Type 4. John Furnevel 02/06/1971 Ross-shire Journal