'CHARD Posted September 4, 2015 Share Posted September 4, 2015 Tomorrow sees the pomp and fanfare of the Borders Railway opening - ahead of the royal shindig next Wednesday. I've opened this thread to concentrate people's experiences, share news over the next few days - even as a social focus for anyone lucky enough to be a Golden Ticket winner wishing to meet same! This piece from the Guardian goes to town on the leisure, culture and tourism connectivity the line will unlock: http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2015/sep/04/scotland-new-borders-railway-edinburgh-waverley Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
62440 Posted September 5, 2015 Share Posted September 5, 2015 Perhaps the weekend started with a Civic Reception in Dalkeith for the old "Petition Party" protesters and the newer Campaign for Borders Rail members held on Thursday night.As one of the "old" brigade, I must thank the CBR for picking up the baton and reaching the finishing line. Or have they? Is the reopening to Tweedbank just the bell for the final lap before the Borders Railway metamorphs into a reopened Waverley Route?Why not lend CBR your support for pushing the line further?After watching the tail light of the last train disappear towards Longtown at Kershopefoot on 6th January 1969, in my wildest dreams Id never have imagined the scale of any reopening.I wish every ticket holder, Golden or 'normal', a journey to remember, not just during this special week, but on every occasion they use the line. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
'CHARD Posted September 5, 2015 Author Share Posted September 5, 2015 Guardian commentary again, with lovely header photo above Borthwick bank: http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/sep/04/borders-railway-opens-scotland Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawick_1987 Posted September 5, 2015 Share Posted September 5, 2015 For anyone that's interested, we'll be doing a series of live broadcasts via Periscope - @projecthawick - and a couple of interviews with the rail community tomorrow (Sunday). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fegguk Posted September 5, 2015 Share Posted September 5, 2015 Here is a flavour of the Golden ticket trip from Tweedbank today. I hope it captures a bit of the atmosphere. I wont appear until later as its just started to upload. http://youtu.be/Gcs7toIxfuA Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
'CHARD Posted September 6, 2015 Author Share Posted September 6, 2015 https://www.railscot.co.uk/imageenlarge/imagecomplete.php?id=52483 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
'CHARD Posted September 6, 2015 Author Share Posted September 6, 2015 Here is a flavour of the Golden ticket trip from Tweedbank today. I hope it captures a bit of the atmosphere. I wont appear until later as its just started to upload. http://youtu.be/Gcs7toIxfuA Fantastic! Thanks - and what a fine achievement to cap all your hard work chronicling the building of the line. Good to see David Spaven in attendance at Waverley, and the brass band playing us out with The Proclaimers is just pure class! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Scottish Modeller Posted September 6, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 6, 2015 Hi all, Well - that's it - it's open again! I went out and about with the intention of taking photos - but there were too many people lineside - not that that is really a bad thing! I did encounter some official obstacles to taking photos though. At Newtongrange I was advised that if I was only there to take photos then I should be outside of the station area. Now to see what the daily timetable works like.... I'll be out and about for the next few days at various points along the line and I've already decided where I will be for the train with the Queen on it. Not saying a thing about where - don't want too many people to get the same idea. Thanks Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad McCann Posted September 6, 2015 Share Posted September 6, 2015 An interesting piece in Yesterday's National too. Had no idea whatsoever about the Branson connection! http://www.thenational.scot/comment/dorothy-grace-elder-the-tragedy-and-triumph-of-the-borders-railway.7213 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad McCann Posted September 6, 2015 Share Posted September 6, 2015 And now, forward to Teri! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fegguk Posted September 6, 2015 Share Posted September 6, 2015 Sadly the great weekend is over. You might just get a chance to re-live this morning events at Tweedbank here before bedtime and setting your alarms to catch the 05.20 to Waverley from Tweedbank Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bon Accord Posted September 6, 2015 Share Posted September 6, 2015 I've my tickets booked for a steam hauled jolly down the line on 4th October and it's certainly one of my most eagerly awaited trips for some time! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bomag Posted September 6, 2015 Share Posted September 6, 2015 Having had the delight of 3 fairly tired (and full) 158s on the 1145 from Tweedbank and being banished to the far end of P7 at Waverley (i.e. narrow) the only real downside is the tightness of the timings for the double line sections - in both directions the trains were delayed waiting to get onto the singe line sections. Finaly, as an ex bridge and p/w engineer it look great but what where the geotechnic lot on? Perhaps they over ordered the number of gabion cages and decide to use them all up! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad McCann Posted September 6, 2015 Share Posted September 6, 2015 Aye, next Sunday on that gig for this man! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
'CHARD Posted September 7, 2015 Author Share Posted September 7, 2015 Positive reflections of yesterday! http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-34108746 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
'CHARD Posted September 7, 2015 Author Share Posted September 7, 2015 At the time of writing this, 2T90 the 1424 Edinburgh - Tweedbank is approaching Eskbank some 8 minutes late, assuming Real Time Trains' data is accurate. This will be interesting to watch, what the implications are for traffic it crosses en route. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
'CHARD Posted September 7, 2015 Author Share Posted September 7, 2015 2T90 cleared Galabank dynamic loop 9 minutes late. 2T89, the 1459 Tweedbank - Edinburgh was right time at Bowland, but 4 down entering the loop. Such is the nature of knock-on late running on this type of network. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium phil-b259 Posted September 7, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted September 7, 2015 Finaly, as an ex bridge and p/w engineer it look great but what where the geotechnic lot on? Perhaps they over ordered the number of gabion cages and decide to use them all up! Its called modern design standards. Traditional railway embankments and cuttings have shown themselves to be susceptible to collapse in bad weather and research shows that a big contributory factor is the steepness of the slope. ALL NEW BUILD RAILWAYS - of which the Borders Railway is one (something most enthusiasts overlook), employ minimum slope angles the as are used on new road construction to guard against bank failure. In the case of the borders railway because a previous railway formation was to be reused (unlike HS1), rather than purchasing extra land (which would be very expensive) to bring the slopes into line with modern standards, this alteration in slope was achieved by placing gibbon baskets at the base of embankments / cuttings and backfilling with a special aggregate / soil mix designed to facilitate drainage (none of that dumping any old soil behind them these days). In single track sections this has resulted in the trackbed being narrower than before so as to minimise the amount of excavation required before placing the baskets while those sections accommodating the passing loops have required more baskets and more excavation to keep the trackbed wide enough. This in turn increases the cost per mile for those sections - and given the whole scheme was on the borderline when it comes to the BCR analysis saving money where possible (Note:- skimping on modern construction practices is not permissible) it was very much a case of keeping the amount of double track to a minimum. People complaining about the lack of double track need to keep all the above in mind and realise that the days of simply making the trackbed a little bit wider with no repercussions earthwork costs are well and truly over - and while yes it would have been nice to have more double track, instituting on such a provision would, in all likelihood have made the BCR so bad the whole project would have never got passed the legislative stage. In any case late running over last weekend (and presumably the next few weeks) is likely to be down to the "Novelty factor" with exceptional numbers of passengers causing issues with dwell times and alike (a factor not exclusive to this project - just ask Heritage Railways that have opened long awaited extensions for example). Once the initial rush has subsided I expect that dwell times will settle down, which combined with increasing familiarity of the route by drivers, and indeed users, will improve overall timekeeping and make hitting the single line 'slots' much easier. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
'CHARD Posted September 7, 2015 Author Share Posted September 7, 2015 ... alteration in slope was achieved by placing gibbon baskets at the base of embankments.... Well they do say, if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys. Anyway, given long enough they'll type the works of Shakespeare. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bomag Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 Its called modern design standards. Traditional railway embankments and cuttings have shown themselves to be susceptible to collapse in bad weather and research shows that a big contributory factor is the steepness of the slope. ALL NEW BUILD RAILWAYS - of which the Borders Railway is one (something most enthusiasts overlook), employ minimum slope angles the as are used on new road construction to guard against bank failure. In the case of the borders railway because a previous railway formation was to be reused (unlike HS1), rather than purchasing extra land (which would be very expensive) to bring the slopes into line with modern standards, this alteration in slope was achieved by placing gibbon baskets at the base of embankments / cuttings and backfilling with a special aggregate / soil mix designed to facilitate drainage (none of that dumping any old soil behind them these days). In single track sections this has resulted in the trackbed being narrower than before so as to minimise the amount of excavation required before placing the baskets while those sections accommodating the passing loops have required more baskets and more excavation to keep the trackbed wide enough. This in turn increases the cost per mile for those sections - and given the whole scheme was on the borderline when it comes to the BCR analysis saving money where possible (Note:- skimping on modern construction practices is not permissible) it was very much a case of keeping the amount of double track to a minimum. People complaining about the lack of double track need to keep all the above in mind and realise that the days of simply making the trackbed a little bit wider with no repercussions earthwork costs are well and truly over - and while yes it would have been nice to have more double track, instituting on such a provision would, in all likelihood have made the BCR so bad the whole project would have never got passed the legislative stage. In any case late running over last weekend (and presumably the next few weeks) is likely to be down to the "Novelty factor" with exceptional numbers of passengers causing issues with dwell times and alike (a factor not exclusive to this project - just ask Heritage Railways that have opened long awaited extensions for example). Once the initial rush has subsided I expect that dwell times will settle down, which combined with increasing familiarity of the route by drivers, and indeed users, will improve overall timekeeping and make hitting the single line 'slots' much easier. Thanks for the reply but I am aware of the reasons but seeing the more humorous side of it. As the 'owner' of the highway cross section standard (TD27) I have similar discussions with highway geotechnical engineers. Just concentrating on cuttings - if a cutting is stable and is not showing any signs of distress then as long as you are not going to change any loading conditions and moisture content then surcharging the bottom of the cutting with a nice amount of ballast is not likely to stuff up the stability of the slope. If it is showing signs of distress or the loads are changing then yes, do something. Going back to the 90's with mathematically sub-standard bridges - if you know that it is working fine and looks fine then if it is going to take the same (evidenced) loads that it has done over the last 20 years+ e.g HA +45HB then don't touch it unless you have evidence to the contrary (but keep an eye on it) - see BD79, which still has some of my bits in it. In terms of railways the biggest example was the Forth Bridge; in the structural assessment in the mid 1990's it was impossibles to mathematical match the wind loadings in the sections at the the ends of the cantilever to the measured deflection - we did at least get the loads in the right direction, the Victorian's calculated tension loads on members in compression - compared to the dead and train loads the level of uncertainty and lack of correlation was not worth expending greater effort on. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
28XX Posted September 8, 2015 Share Posted September 8, 2015 New Borders rail route in 60 seconds http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-34173995 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
'CHARD Posted September 8, 2015 Author Share Posted September 8, 2015 BBC crew at Stow this morning, I'm advised.... Didn't catch it, as I was out of my nest sharpish after Carol K had finished. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold JohnR Posted September 8, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 8, 2015 An interesting piece in Yesterday's National too. Had no idea whatsoever about the Branson connection! http://www.thenational.scot/comment/dorothy-grace-elder-the-tragedy-and-triumph-of-the-borders-railway.7213 I'd question the accuracy of the account regarding Branson. For starters, it would be difficult for Branson to call in Network Rail several years before it was created. And, whatever Branson may have promised, he didnt fund any of the initial feasibility study. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted September 8, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 8, 2015 I'd question the accuracy of the account regarding Branson. For starters, it would be difficult for Branson to call in Network Rail several years before it was created. And, whatever Branson may have promised, he didnt fund any of the initial feasibility study. I'd question the entire piece - clearly some sort of semi-lunatic ravings from someone who has never heard of the Barnett formula. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bon Accord Posted September 8, 2015 Share Posted September 8, 2015 I'd question the entire piece - clearly some sort of semi-lunatic ravings from someone who has never heard of the Barnett formula. Not really, bear in mind that the annual figures used in the oft quoted Scottish "deficit" include a proportional Scottish contribution to UK wide projects such as HS2, defence, development funds, foreign aid etc. The Barnett formula itself is designed to compensate the UK regions for (over)spend in England, which of course unlike the other home nations has no overall budget of it's own. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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