Several events have been planned for the 12th and 13th of May.

Honouring the Churchill Barriers

The National Transport Trust Red Wheels plaque scheme was created to highlight important transport sites throughout the UK. 

A plaque was awarded to the Churchill Barriers for their 75th anniversary in 2020, only the fourth in Scotland, but unfortunately due to the Covid lockdown it was impossible to hold a ceremony at that time. 

Now thanks to Celina Rupp the plaque will be put up at her business premises, the site of Balfour Beatty’s headquarters, Rockworks. The National Transport Trust plaque awarded to the Barriers will take place at 11am on 12th May at Celina Rupp’s

There are now 160 plaques throughout the UK and this will be the most northerly.

It will be unveiled on Friday 12th May (78th anniversary of the opening of the barriers)  by two Vice -Presidents of the National Transport Trust, John Cameron and John Yellowlees. 

Farmer and railway enthusiast, John Cameron is president of both the Scottish region of the National Beef Association and the National Sheep Association, and chairs the quality standards committee of Quality Meat Scotland.

 A former President of the National Farmers Union of Scotland, he is a Fellow of the Royal Agricultural Society, and was appointed a CBE for his work in Scottish farming. He was the Chairman of the BR Scottish Board and a member of the British Railways Board from 1990 to 1996, then a non-executive director of Stagecoach Group, and formerly a director of both South West Trains and the Island Line; as well as a Member of the Safety Review Group. His two steam locomotives 60009 Union of South Africa and 61994 The Great Marquess are being retired to display on his farm at Balbuthie near Kilconquhar.

After working as a civil servant in the Department of Environment and Transport followed by 26 years in Scotland’s railways, John Yellowlees retired from his job as external relations manager at Scotrail in 2017 and became the company’s first honorary railway ambassador. 

He was instrumental in the creation of the Jellicoe Express heritage trail, helping AOP(Another Orkney Production) to arrange for Jellicoe Express plaques -designed by Peter Needham from Westray- to be put up at 19 stations from Euston to Thurso where the Royal Naval train stopped on its journey north during both World Wars.