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The Oban trip in June 1963 was the day the school chartered a train! We were told it would be a trip on the "Television Train" which at that time was a train with one carriage having a studio which could be viewed through closed circuit TV on the rest of the train. They would show educational programmes for part of the day and pupils could get their opportunity to go on TV the rest of the time. However on the day we were assembled at Paisley Gilmour Street and only got a modern deisel multiple unit train which was then quite new and has only within the past five years or so been replaced by new sprinter type trains. The train was composed of 2 three car units and if I remember correctly primaries 5, 6, & 7 all took part; as did secondaries 1 & 2. The train went "down the hole" at Shields Road through to Rutherglen and via Glasgow Central Low Level and the riverside line. We were delayed at Bowling for half an hour by a points failure. Then we went via the West Highland Line to Crianlarich and thence to Oban. Many pupils visited McCaig's Folly but some of us lads being trainspotters found the local engine shed and "bunked" round noting all the engine numbers. On the way home we went straight on at Crianlarich via Luib and Glenoglehead and Callender on a line which later closed in 1965. At Dunblane we had a long wait to get out onto the main line, awaiting the passage of a maroon "Duchess" Pacific steam engine on a long parcels train. From there we went via Stirling, Cumbernauld, Coatbridge and Rutherglen back to Paisley. At Cumbernauld a boy dropped a stone from a bridge which fell down between the two three car units of the train breaking the driver's windscreen of the second unit. We primary seven boys were in the fourth coach which was the leading carriage of the second unit, and were all called up next day by Mr. MacDonald, primary headmaster and Mrs. Paterson our class teacher and asked to explain the broken window. Eventually it was accepted that none of us had had access to the empty drive r's cab of the second unit and that the window had been broken from the outside so we escaped a belting this time and didn't get a bill from British Railways for their broken window.

Contributor : Alex Cunningham
[You'll find a couple of pictures from the Oban trip in the web site photo gallery. Ed]

Regards,

Alan