This book illustrates Class 37 around the length and breadth of Scotland on passenger and freight workings and in maintenance depots.

A short introduction describes when Class 37 locomotives were introduced to Scotland, where they were based, and the type of services they were used for.

That is followed by a brief summary of the class describing the many modifications the class went through and a list of depots throughout the UK where they were allocated.

Although the first Class 37 appeared in 1960, this book covers the class for the 50 years from the mid-1970s.

Published in September 2024 by Amberley Publishing and written by Colin J. Howat, this soft cover book measures around 23.4 cm x 16.5 cm, has 96 pages and 180 illustrations and has a published price of £15.99, but at the time of writing, it can be purchased for £14.39 from Amberley Publishing and for £12.39 from Amazon.

With a wide range of locations, the informative captions often show relevant details about the location, the train the locomotives are working, and the date.

They also include the locomotive’s home depot, but that information seems meaningless when only three depots are responsible for maintaining all Scotland’s Class 37s.

Some codes are also given as HQ, standing for Headquarters, which adds no value to the photo.

The images below are typical of the poor composition of many images in the book.

At the top left, the image is purportedly of a Class 37 on the Forth Bridge, but only one small part of the iconic structure can be seen, and it is impossible to tell what type of locomotive is on the approach viaduct.

While most pages present the photos in landscape format, some, such as the ones below, include photos in portrait format, which detracts from the image’s value.

Where the subject locomotive is already quite indistinct, the smaller size results in the locomotive almost vanishing into the background, such as the photo at the top left, which appears to be an image of empty coal wagons, until we read the caption stating it is of two Class 37s.

The Highlands of Scotland offer many opportunities for photographing trains in magnificent, scenic settings.

Disappointingly, there are few such images in the book, the one at the bottom left being probably the best of those.

Class 37 locomotives operated over all of Britain’s railways, and this book succeeds in showing they were widely used throughout Scotland.

The Introduction is largely irrelevant to the book as it describes the history and development of the class in general, and would have benefitted from more details about their use in Scotland, more particularly if it had been accompanied by an index of locations.

The author has included photos from seemingly the whole of Scotland but has lost an opportunity by not including more from the Highlands or the stunningly beautiful West Highland line.

Unfortunately, too many photographs are generally of poor quality, both in clarity and composition, and often lack contrast or show a coloured tint.

In some cases, the Class 37 that is the subject of the image, appears as a tiny speck, lost among a collection of railway infrastructure.

In other images, different items of railway rolling stock appear to be the main subject, with the author justifying its inclusion as there is a Class 37 somewhere in the photo.

Overall, the result confirms the book’s title of Class 37s in Scotland, but there is nothing to make this book stand out from the many other books of a similar nature.

It can only be recommended for Class 37 enthusiasts with an interest in their use in Scotland and merits a rating of 3.5/5.

The book is available to purchase from Amazon and from Amberley Publishing.

We would like to thank Amberley Publishing for providing us with a copy of the book for review.