Royal Saloon at Rathen Station

This photograph was taken at Rathen station on 14th July 1955 and shows the former GNSR Royal Saloon which, having come down in the world, is doing duty as an inspection carriage. It is being hauled by 'Bantam Cock' one of the few steam engines on the Line to have been given a name.(David Toulmin writes of engines 'Lord Saltoun' and 'Earl Marishal' but there is no documentary evidence of their having actually existed.)

Can any one explain?

The Royal Saloon was built at Inverurie in 1898 and was known as First Class Saloon Number 1. It was initially destined to be used for private hire by well heeled travellers. Between  1902 and 1910 the carriage was used by Edward V11, Queen Alexandra and the Prince of Wales, making  its longest journey in September 1903 when it carried the King from Ballater to London. The carriage was saved from scrapyard in 1964 and has been  restored by the Scottish Railway Preservation Society

Rathen Station as it is now, there are the slowly disintegrating remains of a station barrow and weighing machine on the platform 
 

Station lamp bracket

Shiny crane's-bill (Geranium lucidium) on the platform at Rathen

The patch of cowslips on the embankment near the Invernorth Road crossing is an annual delight. These are later to flower than those growing near Deer Abbey where it is more sheltered.

So many violets along the way at present, this seems to be a particularly good year for them.

As we walked the Line between Philorth Halt and Rathen Station we were accompanied by busy, low flying swallows making great arcs over the Line and damp fields, hunting insects and collecting mud for their nests. The sunshine had brought out many small tortoiseshell butterflies which basked on the dandelions.