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Waverley line Branches


mr magnolia

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  • 1 month later...

Here's a lovely new angle on Roxburgh viaduct, putting me in mind of Bruce Mac's great recent book 'Memories of Lost Border Railways' - I've cheekily included a link below for those of you who haven't purchased your essential copy yet!

 

https://www.railscot.co.uk/imageenlarge/imagecomplete.php?id=58318

 

and...

http://www.cairndhu.net/Memories/Home.html

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  • 1 month later...

Have we had this at Sprouston before?

https://www.railscot.co.uk/imageenlarge/imagecomplete.php?id=58917

 

Duncan

 

No, we haven't on here.  I was immersing myself in its atmosphere the other day and it's really an incredibly poignant scene.  That single tracked, disused branch of the Waverley, itself contemplating its last summer of operation....  

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Have we had this at Sprouston before?

https://www.railscot.co.uk/imageenlarge/imagecomplete.php?id=58917

 

Duncan

 

Hello Duncan

 

It's quite possible that some of my recent photos on Railscot have appeared there before.  I was asked if I could supply higher resolution scans, which I did as the original submissions Railscot had were from scans made last century!  

 

Away in the distance in the Sprouston b&w photo on Railscot is a tresspass sign.  

 

post-5524-0-07027200-1492637501_thumb.jpg

 

Back in 1965 when I took the colour photo above, the sign may have been the sole surviving NER sign in Scotland: the track from Kelso to Tweedmouth was in the process of being singled and out of use, and remained as such, with a buffer stop at Kelso and a length of rail laid aside just to the Sprouston side of the buffer stop.  Kelso to Kelso Junction was still in use for freight trains originating at Galashiels and hauled by the Gala pilot.

 

Lifting of the remaining single track started at Kelso Junction and was lifted towards Tweedmouth after closure of the Waverley Route.  I wonder why a single track was left in situ east of Kelso? A recent book hinted at the possibility of nuclear waste being stored in the Cheviots.  Can you imagine type 4 locomotives on the branch hauling waste trains!

 

Bruce.

 

East of Kelso, still on ex-NB metals, but only just!

 

post-5524-0-05421400-1492638099_thumb.jpg

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For its final few months of operation after 52D closed in June 1966, the thrice-weekly freight to Duns also saw Type 4 power of at least the EE and Brush varieties. Unfortunately I never took my camera to Duns station after steam finished.

 

Bill

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For its final few months of operation after 52D closed in June 1966, the thrice-weekly freight to Duns also saw Type 4 power of at least the EE and Brush varieties. Unfortunately I never took my camera to Duns station after steam finished.

 

Bill

 

That's how D181 came to be derailed at Duns on 30th August 1965. When future local rally star Louise Aitken-Walker would have been 5!

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That's how D181 came to be derailed at Duns on 30th August 1965. When future local rally star Louise Aitken-Walker would have been 5!

 

That was in special circumstances - it was the English Bank Holiday Monday and the usual Class 3 2-6-0 (77002 or 77004) wasn't steamed for the Duns freight. Whether a BR Sulzer Type 4 was ever used again following that incident, I don't know, but one would have hoped not and I can't understand why EE Type 4s were risked on the branch. Given that the freight only had another five months to go, why wasn't steam retained at 52D until November 1966? It's not as if the two 2-6-0s were life-expired as they both moved south to Stourton in June 1966, with 77002 surviving for about another year before withdrawal from York shed.

 

Bill

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Another nice shot of Kelso, especially showing more of the yards than many views

https://www.flickr.com/photos/88182025@N08/33393248653/in/dateposted/

 

You've unearthed a right winner with this one. 

 

A feast for the cattle wagon fraternity, a semi stopped-up loco shed, and a casual walking route across the pointwork*.  Fantastic food for modellers' thought.

 

 

* - make that a vehicular access

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I love that centre road - curved point and then two Y points, as if the shop was out of stock of Peco medium radius and they had to make do with what was available.  Watching an "08" waddle along that stretch would be a rare treat,

 

Have we met?  Are you actually my alter ego?  The above post is shot through with my terrifying DNA.   :angel:

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Just returned from a trip in a Motorhome around the North East and borders, we had a stay in Newcastleton on a very well maintained site which turned out to be on the trackbed of the WR. I did find it hard to follow the route as there isn't much evidence left in a lot of places.

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I love that centre road - curved point and then two Y points, as if the shop was out of stock of Peco medium radius and they had to make do with what was available.  Watching an "08" waddle along that stretch would be a rare treat,

 

....and you've got such a signature Waverley dug!!!

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Have we met?  Are you actually my alter ego?  The above post is shot through with my terrifying DNA.   :angel:

 

It's just a Waverley thing. I blame Peter Handford. I suspect that if you modelled a goods yard with a track formation like that, the rivet counters would tear you to pieces.

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It's just a Waverley thing. I blame Peter Handford. I suspect that if you modelled a goods yard with a track formation like that, the rivet counters would tear you to pieces.

 

"It's a Waverley thing, you wouldn't understand!"

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Just returned from a trip in a Motorhome around the North East and borders, we had a stay in Newcastleton on a very well maintained site which turned out to be on the trackbed of the WR. I did find it hard to follow the route as there isn't much evidence left in a lot of places.

Can I ask which campsite, thinking of going that way ourselves?

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Can I ask which campsite, thinking of going that way ourselves?

It was called 'Lidalia' and was on the trackbed in Newcastleton right in the centre of town, very friendly owners.  A couple of pubs to eat at in the evening, had a very nice meal but the name escapes me at present.

We just had a day there after spending the day in Kielder forest, (some remnants of trackbed visible in places there, but very difficult to find) we had just one night before heading home via Vindolanda & the nearby Roman Army museum  (superb!)

http://www.lidalia.co.uk/

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I did find it hard to follow the route as there isn't much evidence left in a lot of places.

 

I think that's probably true of the Border Counties line more than the Waverley, which is surprisingly intact.  There are also many smaller clues left at locations where the line's been seemingly erased - if you know where to look! 

 

This could be a topic in itself, really...  Now that's a thought - a road-tripper's guide to Waverley route remains....

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