On Sunday 1st July the Border Union Railway officially opens at Whitrope. Situated between Hawick & Newcastleton the UK’s newest heritage line to open is at the highest point on the old Carlisle-Edinburgh “Waverley Route”.
The date also marks to the day 150 years since the opening of the original “Border Union Railway”, the North British Railway’s link between Carlisle & Hawick, which joined the Edinburgh & Hawick Railway, so providing a link right through which was known from the start as the Waverley Route.
Railbus RB004 is the guest traction, courtesy of Northumbria Rail, and will provide all runs up & down the line between 1000hrs & 1600hrs. Current available running line length is only around 1/4 mile, but almost 3/4 mile has been laid and will be opened in stages. With the future potential for several miles of 1 in 75 ruling gradient the line offers some of the most spectacular scenery of any heritage railway.
The official opening ceremony will take place at 1400hrs and will be carried out by stalwart Waverley Route campaigner Madge Elliot and MSP John Lamont.
Tickets are £5 Adults, £2.50 Child, which includes a return journey and admission to Whitrope Heritage Centre where a new display showing the line being built between 1859-62 and details about the navvies has just been set up. Refreshments are also available in our buffet coach.
See the Waverley Route Heritage Association website http://wrha.org.uk/news/ for further information on this special event and the Border Union Railway website http://www.borderunionrailway.co.uk/ for 2012 opening dates.
Border Union Railway, Whitrope, Hawick, Roxburghshire. TD9 9TY
Railbus RB004 sits in the platform at Whitrope for gauging trials. Photo courtesy WRHA
Preserved Diesels 