Memory Lane

Over the Firth of Forth by ferry; back to the days before the road bridges.

Back in 1960, the quickest way across the Firth of Forth was by train via the magnificent 1890 Forth Rail Bridge. Cars had to float over by boat. But the ferry’s days were numbered; work was already underway on the nearby Forth Road Bridge. Its 1964 opening would kill off the 800-year-old boat service.

The combination of light and faded film means that early Ford Anglia 105E Deluxe could be in Morocco Beige or Cirrus White; either way, it would be practically brand new here, the 105E only having been launched in

September 1959. Slightly older is the Series 1 or 2 Hillman Minx in Seacrest Green and Pearl Grey, with a Morris Minor Traveller beyond that. The blue Austin is an A35, and then we’re back into Ford territory again with a Ford Consul MKII; its small bodycoloured rear lamp clusters denoting a base model.

Fine spaniel transport

The next vehicle looks like an Austin A50 or A55 MKI Cambridge, based on the swoopy swage line. We can’t make what’s immediately in front of it, but the towering rear lights of the vehicle beyond suggest a Simca Aronde – fine transport for the small spaniel waiting patiently by its open passenger door. Of the remaining cars, the ones we can definitely identify are the grey bulk of an Vauxhall EIX Wyvern with a white Austin Cambridge A55 ahead of it.

By 1964, the Forth’s four ferries were making 40,000 trips a year, carrying 900,000 vehicles. When the replacement road bridge opened, it was crossed four million times in just 12 months.

It was definitely needed.