Mike Brown, operations director of LOG(S) - who own 80105 - gives his account of 80105's Caledonian holiday

80105 hauls Barclay 0-6-0T 'Harlaxton' out of the engine shed for lighting up

It was at a meeting hosted by SRPS at Bo'ness early in the year, when the possibility was first raised of 80105 visiting Brechin for a period during
the summer.

The engine is owned by a private group (Locomotive Owner's Group (Scotland) Ltd), and although it is usually located at the Bo'ness operating base of the SRPS, it is not (contrary to much that has been written) an SRPS asset and the engine was not "on loan from the SRPS". The arrangements made were entirely between the Caledonian Railway (Brechin) and the operating subsidiary of the owning company (LOGS Operations Ltd), and Ron Hill and Mike Brown made a site visit to Brechin in May to inspect facilities.

80105 left Bo'ness on Wednesday 15th August and travelled via Dunblane and Dundee with its arrival at Brechin during the evening. It was unloaded the next day, and the low-loader returned to Bo'ness carrying the LMS-designed inspection saloon purchased by the SRPS. You were not just hiring an engine, you were also getting a support crew with it, and the first member on site (Brian Thomson) travelled up with the engine and he lit it up on Thursday evening for the steam-test and gauging runs to be undertaken the next day. Mike Brown arrived early on Friday, and the engine was in steam by lunchtime.

With Simon Hickman as conductor, the engine ran light to Bridge of Dun, picked up the service train coaches and ran an ECS working back up
to Brechin where an exact stop-mark had to be set up for the (left hand drive) standard to enable the tight entry into the engine release road. The
coaches were worked back to Dun and the engine run-round and returned to Brechin light. Both Brian (driving) and Mike (on the shovel) appreciated the runs to learn the road, and the engine behaved faultlessly, although it clearly wanted to be opened up! Once you have re-laid with 113lb flat-bottomed on steel sleepers with CWR sections, you will see what the standard really can do.

Ron Hill arrived late in the afternoon, and a pleasant evening was spent in the Stables Bar with overnight accomodation in the City Royal.

Over the following four weekends (nine days including the Bank Holiday Monday) the engine worked most services, and in total ran about 368 miles on Caledonian metals. On every operating day, LOGS supplied a support crew who prepared the engine, undertook most of the driving and firing, and disposed at the end of the day. The Caledonian provided coal (lots of it!), water, a conductor and a pleasant railway through attractive countryside upon which the engine could be played with.

80105 approaches Kincraig Crossing under a threatening sky

Everybody from LOGS really appreciated the friendly welcome and the help and support from everybody at Brechin, in particular Dougal (the conductor on most days), Kenny (who despite liking traction with internal combustion engines) was very helpful and stopped the support crew from drinking alone in various licensed premises, Steve (who demonstrated how to coal an empty engine in 5 minutes flat) and Simon (for being Simon and enabling the deal in the first place). And also the squad of young members who came along to help clean the engine in the mornings.

LOGS would love to come back with 80105, but a pit outside the engine shed and some facilities for supplying water there too would be appreciated for next time.

The LOGS Support crew consisted of: Mike Brown, Rod Harrison, Ron Hill, John Leggat, Brian Thomson, Jim Verth and Tom Willison.