Rail Rover: Scotland in the 1970s and 1980s

The rover ticket for Scotland in the 1970s and 1980s had the grand title ‘Freedom of Scotland’ – for the ever growing group of diesel enthusiasts in the 1970s, it was a gift from the gods. Possibly less successful in its original purpose, to lure tourists north of the border, it allowed for endless magnificent scenery from a window seat. To some, it was more than a train ticket. Armed with a week’s worth of clothes, toiletries, camera, film, tripod and the blue Scottish timetable, this ticket was also the accommodation, ideally in corridor coaching stock between Inverness and Glasgow or Edinburgh, or occasionally the risky option to Carlisle that could and end up in oversleeping to Preston or Crewe. An army of young rail enthusiasts set out in pursuit of the exotic machines that were never seen south of the border, unless you lived in Carlisle, and found a realm of unexpected consequences. They learned about the region, it’s people and it’s ways and enjoyed the journey. Here, Arnie Furniss utilises his wonderful array of rare and unpublished images to take the reader on a nostalgic journey around the Scottish region during the heyday of British diesel locomotives.