The 07:35 northbound express service from Edinburgh to Aberdeen was driven by Driver Gourlay, who was highly experienced. He was an hour late reaching Arbroath, but that was as far as he was able to go as the lines further north were blocked by snow. The train waited for four hours, in the hope of things improving, but it was eventually decided that it would have to return to Edinburgh.

Reference:
Historical Triumphs and Disasters website. The Elliot Junction rail crash, 1906
http://historicaltriumphsanddisasters.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-elliot-junction-rail-crash-1906.html (accessed 14Nov20)