Bo'ness Diesel Gala

My last photo outing of 2014 took me back to Bo'ness, a place I have visited several times throughout the past year.

While I have a preference for steam, I thoroughly enjoyed my day out even though the temperature struggled to raise itself much above freezing point all day.

There were several classes of engines going back and forwards from Bo'ness station to Manuel, near Linlithgow.

Manuel halt on the Bo'ness & Kinneil railway

47643 at the Bo'ness Diesel Gala

Class 37 diesel loco passes Kinneil Halt on a frosty afternoon

GB Railfreight diesel loco 66721 at the Bo'ness Diesel Gala

47643 at the Bo'ness Diesel Gala

66721 at the Bo'ness Diesel Gala

Deltic loco 55022 and her admirers at the Bo'ness Diesel Gala

66721 at the Bo'ness Diesel Gala

Deltic loco 55022 Royal Scots Grey at the Bo'ness Diesel Gala

Close-up of Deltic loco 55022 Royal Scots Grey at the Bo'ness Diesel Gala

Festive lights on Bo'ness station patform

Bo'ness station platform

Bo'ness Diesel Gala drawing to a close

Coca Cola truck

Coca-Cola's famous red truck has been seen on television since 1996.

It is currently on a 45 stop tour of Britain, for people around the country to queue up to have their photograph taken beside it.

A visit to Glasgow let me get up close to the truck when it stopped at St Enoch's Square.

Isle of Arran

The Isle of Arran is sometimes referred to as "Scotland in miniature".

A lot is crammed into this island from rugged mountains in the north to more gentle rolling hills in the south.

With Calmac reducing the ferry cost recently, a trip to the island was a temptation which I could not resist. The weather felt more like early autumn than the middle of November.

A return visit has already been decided on before the ferry prices go up for next year's summer season.

Calmac ferry Caledonian Isles entering Ardrossan Harbour

On our way to the beautiful Island of Arran

Bridge over Black Water

Warm autumn colours

View of Kilbrannan Sound and Kintyre peninsula

One of six stone circles on Machrie Moor

Only 3 stones remain standing in this circle

Cloud decending on the jagged mountains on the north of the island

Dumbarton Fireworks Display 2014

Unlike Inverclyde Council who held their fireworks display on a wet Saturday evening, Dumbarton chose to have theirs on Guy Fawkes Night and also had a beautiful calm evening for their display.

I chose to stay on my own side of the river, having a wonderful view of the fireworks as they were launched from near the castle and rock.

Grangemouth and Bo'ness

A collection of photographs taken in and around Grangemouth and Bo'ness.

Grangemouth refinery

Mud flats at Bo'ness Nature Reserve

Longannet power station

Wagon used to remove clay fron the abandoned Birkhill Clay Mine

Woodland walk at Birkhill

Grangemouth refinery at night

Grangemouth refinery at night

Bo'ness & Kinneil Railway Steam Gala Day

With a name like Bo'ness & Kinneil railway steam gala day, this was an event that I had to see.

Locos 62712 Morayshire and 75242 ran up and down the line with a variety of carriages and wagons from the preservations society's stock.

75254 with two 1921 Calledonian railways carriages at Kinneil halt

1921 Caledonian Railway carriages

62712 Morayshire approaching Birkhill station

62712 Morayshire sits beside the engine shed at Bo'ness station

62712 Morayshire prepares for a trip at Bo'ness railway station

The train departing from platform 1 at Bo'ness.....has just departed!

Flyboarding

Flyboarding was a word and a sport that I had not heard of until this afternoon.

It's a bit like a skateboard without wheels. A strong jet of water is fed from a boat or jet-ski through an umbilical and comes out of two nozzles on the bottom of the board.

It looks to be immense fun and experienced flyboarders can perform dives and somersaults in mid air.

Perhaps the best way to describe it is to look at the pictures of the two boys demonstrating their manoeuvres below.