Early morning at Carmuirs East Junction and 66241 takes Mainline blue 37379 DIT to Aberdeen in the consist of 6S62 2058 MX Doncaster to Aberdeen enterprise service.
On the south side of the trinagle between Carmuirs East and West Junctions, 66113 passes signal CE3 running light as 0D16 Motherwell TMD to Grangemouth to pick up its train.
The early morning sun catches the lead cab of a class 158 and 170 pairing as it takes the west side of the Carmuirs triangle with an up commuter service from Dunblane to Glasgow Queen Street, 2N38 0811 off Dunblane.
A loaded coal train squeals round the west to east chord and passes signal CE3. 66026 is in charge of 7G62 0620 MX Ayr to Longannet Power Station. The train will route via Winchburgh and the Forth Bridge.
The shadows are still long from the low early morning sun as 66105 takes the west line to Larbert Junction with cement tanks for Inverness from Mossend, 6H45 0807 MX enterprise.
A real bonus to the day appears in the shape of Freightliner Brush type 4, 47212 in their two tone grey livery. This is 4Z50 0800 MX Coatbridge to Grangemouth trip working. The exact destination is Fouldubs Junction and the container terminal built on the site of the former Grangemouth steam then diesel shed.
The Caledonian Railway built signalbox at Larbert Junction is visible in the distance as 158701 takes the east side of the triangle between Carmuirs East and Larbert Junctions. This class 2 local working is 2P55 0833 Edinburgh to Dunblane.
On the west side an unknown class 158 sprinter unit passes between a pair of signal posts with 2N45 0848 Glasgow Queen Street to Dunblane. The home and distant signals on each post are controlled from different signalboxes. The off home signal is worked by Larbert 'box as it relates to its signal protecting the junction.
66113 reappears with its payload of loaded TTA fuel tanks. The morning sun catches both rear windscreens as it heads west with 6D16 0730 WFO Grangemouth to Mossend Yard. On arrival the tanks will be remarshalled into another train.
The majority of the signals on the triangle are semaphores. 66104 passes between CW26 and LJ26 on one post, both off, and LJ20 and CW21 both on. It has 6 empty OTA timber wagons on the drawbar bound for loading at Perth. The train is 6L57 0837 WFO Mossend to Perth enterprise.
The sun glints off the side of the 21.3 metre long locomotive as 66104 passes by heading north.
The Falkirk Wheel, linking the Union and Forth and Clyde Canals, provides the backdrop to 37416 heading for Grangemouth as 6N32 0837 MX off Mossend enterprise service.
A move to Greenhill Lower Junction now and first to be seen is 66020 and a rake of loaded coal hoppers forming 7G80 0756 Hunterston to Longannet Power Station.
170470 wears the attractive Carmine and Cream livery of Strathclyde PTE. It is seen passing Greenhill Lower Junction with 2N42 1019 Stirling to Glasgow Queen Street. It will join the Edinburgh and Glasgow, the E&G, at Greenhill Upper Junction.
Despite the brochure saying the class 66 is a clean loco as far as the exhaust goes, photographic proof says otherwise. 66055 puts out the clag as it lifts its heavy loaded coal train up the curving 1 in 110 grade onto level track. The train is 7G35 0845 Hunterston to Longannet loaded HAA merry go round.
Another turbostar, 170420, drops down the chord between the upper and lower junctions here with 1A85 1140 Glasgow Queen Street to Aberdeen.
A weak late autumn sun shines down on 66104 as it takes the Cumbernauld line with its six OTAs loaded with timber. The working is 6D53 1215 WFO Perth to Mossend enterprise. At Mossend the OTAs will be marshalled with others to form a train for Chirk.
An empty MGR working takes the Cumbernaul line with 66093 at the head of 6R37 1102 Longannet to Ayr.
I had hoped to see this train at Greenhill but it was running nearly 2 hours late. 60087 passes Fouldubs Junction signalbox leading a rake of empty TEA bogie tanks, 6S36 0858 MX Dalston to Grangemouth. Behind is 47212 in the TDG sidings that was Grangemouth loco shed.
A quick turn round and 60087 is seen again this time heading away from Grangemouth Refinery. It has swapped its empty TEA tanks for a short rake of loaded TTA four wheel tanks. This is the next part of the diagram for the loco off the Dalston working, 6R451400 Grangemouth to Prestwick aviation fuel tanks.
With the loading and unloading work now complete, 47212 smokes its way slowly out of the TDG sidings passing the recently repainted former Caledonian Railway signalbox. The loco will run round its train on the other side of the road over bridge.
The run round is complete and 47212 gets the road past signal FJ28. The doll has been moved lower down the post to give a better sighting due to the road bridge in the background. The finial has been removed. The building to the left is the WH Malcolm's warehouse.
The going away shot of 47212 is secured and the elderly locomotive is putting out some serious clag as the driver makes the Sulzer 12LDA28B 2,400hp power plant talk with the train climbing hard at 1 in 77 towards Grangemouth Junction.
The other loco that spent the day at Fouldubs was 37416. Now it has finished its shunting duties at it powers away with its light train of just three containers. The working is 6D20 1615 Grangemouth to Mossend Enterprise.
