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Borders Railway progress


Chameleon

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Some insite into to how they the new line will be built

 

CILT website

 

The Borders Railway by Colin MacDonald, Network Rail: Meeting of 12 April 2012.

 

http://www.ciltscotland.com/mr120412.php

 

Looking at the photos in this article, I still find it frustrating how short sighted us Brits can be. You never know what the future will bring with ever increasing rail traffic, so why did the Station Brae replacement structure only allow for a single track. Maybe wishful thinking on my behalf, that in my lifetime (37 yrs old) a through route to Carlisle might rise from the ashes.

 

Just frustrating why planners only look to the near future.

 

Donny.

 

 

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  • 1 month later...

Progress has gone beyond the point of no return for Beech Bank Place.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-18158256

 

I also noted recently that the old mill buildings behind ASDA have been demolised and the site cleared.

 

The retaining wall being built next to the A7 at the ladhope tunnel (bridge) and piles of sawdust that litter the once tree line route are other visible signs of progress.

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I like how it is stated on the Network Rail report that it is a "new build" route. What about all the existing structures along the route. The usual lack of foresight as well with stating that they have no plans for freight on the route. They seem to forget how many trees have been planted in the last 50 years.

Alasdair

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I like how it is stated on the Network Rail report that it is a "new build" route. What about all the existing structures along the route. The usual lack of foresight as well with stating that they have no plans for freight on the route. They seem to forget how many trees have been planted in the last 50 years.

Alasdair

NR regards this as new build where its various stakeholders are concerned. TS should maybe encourage its contractor to adopt its 'rebuilding' moniker, but I think there's a perception that NR wouldn't want to be connected with 'the righting of a wrong' by association. Apolitical, and all that.

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Guest Max Stafford

The timber extraction is largely confined to the southern end of the route. A plan for rebuilding this section with the purposes of timber extraction has been prepared but is currently on the back of the shelf following a report published in 2003 which stated the project wasn't economically viable. That the report was allegedly paid for(£25K)by a resident whose property the trackbed passes through on the Cumbrian section and who opposed the project may or may not be of significance.

 

Dave.

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Progress has gone beyond the point of no return for Beech Bank Place.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk...otland-18158256

 

I also noted recently that the old mill buildings behind ASDA have been demolised and the site cleared.

 

The retaining wall being built next to the A7 at the ladhope tunnel (bridge) and piles of sawdust that litter the once tree line route are other visible signs of progress.

 

Also the house between the platforms at Stow was demolished at the end of last week - today they were still digging out the foundations but by tomorrow night I would think the site will have been completely cleared.

Bill

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Guest Max Stafford

I'm also advised that part of the embankment at Stobs Camp has been dug away by the land owner despite it being scheduled land under the protection of Transport Scotland. My informant tells me that he has been careful enough to leave the half viewable from the B6399 intact so he clearly knows what he's doing. I would rather like to report this act of self-interested bawbaggery to TS for their information. I wonder if they have a mechanism in place for this.

 

Dave.

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I'm also advised that part of the embankment at Stobs Camp has been dug away by the land owner despite it being scheduled land under the protection of Transport Scotland. My informant tells me that he has been careful enough to leave the half viewable from the B6399 intact so he clearly knows what he's doing. I would rather like to report this act of self-interested bawbaggery to TS for their information. I wonder if they have a mechanism in place for this.

 

Dave.

Scottish Borders Council, as the planning authority, is the body to contact.

Bill

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I looked at a couple of plots of land that backed onto the solum around Acreknowe / Stobs camp area ... think it was just last year.

 

Wonder if it's anything to do with that? ie. septic tank installation etc

 

Will try and find the link or advert.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Now then, courtesy of Railscot's avid snappers, here's Stow looking more as it should:

http://www.railbrit.co.uk/imageenlarge/imagecomplete.php?id=39295

 

Seems there's a few relics here: some blue brick, maybe a portion of up platform, and of course the down shelter made famous by that shot of possibly WR-unique BFYE Class 37 D6845 arriving on the morning Edinburgh commuter service in September '68, from the Cross album...

 

Interesting how these have not been demolished (yet at least), whereas Fountainhall station house (and Gorebridge?) are scheduled for demolition.

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Borders back in Business:

 

The heading of a six page article in Rail Issue 699 due out next week. Report is by Paul Prentice with Photography by Jonathon McGurk contains 10 Photos only one of which is an actual train, a pair of Claytons at Newcastleton.

 

The article plots the progress now being made ahead of the actual rebuild of the the line to Tweedbank, as well as recalling campaign history etc.,

 

also mentioned which should be interesting:-

Further Reading: Waverley Route: The Life ,Death and Re-Birth of the Borders Railway by David Spaven will be published By Argyll Publishing on August 31 2012 £14.99 Paperback and a hardback Collectors edition £20.00

 

David

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How much will survive? My money's on the down shelter at the very least going to make way for the PRM-compliant access ramp to the replacement down platform.

 

http://www.railbrit....te.php?id=39331

 

 

Meanwhile back up the way at Eskbank I can't help thinking of those stonecast ruins that people immerse in their fishtanks....

 

http://www.railbrit.co.uk/imageenlarge/imagecomplete.php?id=39306

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Meanwhile back up the way at Eskbank I can't help thinking of those stonecast ruins that people immerse in their fishtanks....

 

http://www.railbrit....te.php?id=39306

 

This is the station during track-lifting.

 

post-5524-0-62306300-1340690301.jpg

 

I'm sure one of the lamp-posts on the Down side had Edinburgh and Glasgow on the cross-bar. Perhaps someone can jog my memory here?

 

Only "used" this station once. Trains from Hawick terminated here one day and a bus service took me into Edinburgh.

 

Bruce

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Now then, courtesy of Railscot's avid snappers, here's Stow looking more as it should:

http://www.railbrit....te.php?id=39295

 

Seems there's a few relics here: some blue brick, maybe a portion of up platform, and of course the down shelter made famous by that shot of possibly WR-unique BFYE Class 37 D6845 arriving on the morning Edinburgh commuter service in September '68, from the Cross album...

 

Interesting how these have not been demolished (yet at least), whereas Fountainhall station house (and Gorebridge?) are scheduled for demolition.

Actually neither Stow nor Fountainhall station buildings will be demolished. The station house/ticket office at Stow was scheduled for demolition to make way for the new car park but, thanks to the efforts of various people (myself included), Transport Scotland has agreed that the required number of parking spaces can be fitted in while leaving the building intact. The buildings at both locations will be put on the market eventually, so if anyone fancies living in a historic railway building..........

The same may be true of Gorebridge but I have no specific information in that case.

Bill

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I feel slightly emba

Actually neither Stow nor Fountainhall station buildings will be demolished. The station house/ticket office at Stow was scheduled for demolition to make way for the new car park but, thanks to the efforts of various people (myself included), Transport Scotland has agreed that the required number of parking spaces can be fitted in while leaving the building intact. The buildings at both locations will be put on the market eventually, so if anyone fancies living in a historic railway building..........

The same may be true of Gorebridge but I have no specific information in that case.

Bill

I feel slightly embarassed here, because as far as I know WRHA weren't even aware of the potential for demolition of these buildings. Had we known about them then like others we would have voiced concerns, lodged complaints etc. We're well aware of a number of old sites making way for the new line, but somehow Stow & Fountainhall slipped off the radar.

 

Thank god for people like you, Bill. A great result!

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