Fierce snow blizzards coupled with a 26 hour long power cut brought chaos and misery to the Largs area in January 1978.
The town was blacked out at 6.30pm on the Friday evening, and electricity supplies were not resumed until 8pm on the Saturday.
A total of 33 cars and two double decker buses were trapped and had to be abandoned in the whiteout at the top of the Haylie Brae, and miles beyond.
The 'News' reported: "As the blizzard grew fiercer, all the vehicles were abandoned and the passengers started their long struggle down the Haylie Brae to a blacked-out town, skirting ever-deepening drifts as they went, arriving home at last, two and three hours later, frozen and exhausted."
On Saturday, nearly all the shops were open for business lighting the way for customers with candles and hurricane lamps. The 'News' reported: "The town was surprisingly busy - it was probably less cold outside than it was in many of the houses! Having not the faintest idea how long the power cut was going to go on for, people tried to make the best of things by buying what they could and soon the shops were sold out of candles, paraffin and hot water bottles."
Largs and Fairlie were the places worst affected, with 27,000 people affected in total in the district, and the Haylie Brae remained closed from Friday evening until Sunday morning. Hazardous conditions were also reported on at West Kilbride, see picture of tow-truck trying to lift a lorry out of a ditch. Engineers were flown into the area by helicopter, and their work was, naturally, seriously hampered by the weather, with electricity conductors and poles lying everywhere, the 'News' reported.