Perth, to the rail enthusiast was a fascinating centre in the days of steam, where ex-LNER and LMS ‘Pacifics’ could be found side by side in the locomotive depot. Scenes of the shed yard and adjacent main line in the 1960’s show a wide variety of locomotive types and a superb colour sequence filmed in 1937 features a streamlined LMS ‘Duchess’. In addition to steam locomotives, archive footage depicts NB Type 2s, Class 26 and Class 40s plus rare film of a Class 50 ‘fly-shunting’!

To the traveller, Perth was the ‘gateway’ north to Inverness and the Highlands while to the east lay Dundee and the East Coast route to Aberdeen. However, in this programme the main line to Aberdeen was still via Forfar and this route is featured at a variety of locations. The signalbox at Kinnaber Junction, made famous during the ‘Race to the North’ in the 1890’s, was the meeting place for the routes to Aberdeen from Forfar and Dundee and several scenes are shown here.

To the south of Perth at Hilton Junction, the Glasgow and Edinburgh routes diverged and film taken in 1965 shows the Edinburgh route via Glenfarg and Kinross before closure and its obliteration by the M90 Motorway.

Montrose, south of Kinnaber Jct, had branch lines to Brechin and Inverbervie . A freight train to Brechin, plus the ‘Special’ last passenger train to Inverbervie are captured on film in 1966, both powered by steam in the form of ex-North British Class J37’s.