The Borders area in southeast Scotland used to have a network which was destroyed in the Beeching area (only yhe east Coast Line remains) but the Edinburgh parliament passed a bill a few years ago to re-instate part of the old Waverly Route that crossed the Borders to Carlisle. This would be to just beyond Galashiels. The present Scots government says it is to still go ahead as it was passed by the Parliament but it wil be helpful to know when the first shovel is used? The other re-opened Scottish lines have been completed and run successfully.
Galashiels railway in Scotland- when?
- Thread starter rjhowie
- Start date
I would like to know this too, Bobby. I have some old Modern Railways magazines I picked up during a trip to the UK back in the mid-1980s that talked about this route while it was in action.
I always thought that it was a foolish idea to close this route. Like in Scotland and other areas in the UK, we have a lot of foolishly ripped up routes here as well.
Among the routes is the old Eastern Railroad, the old Portland to St. Johnsbury Vermont "Mountain Division", and the Northern Railroad. The Eastern ran from Boston all the way to Portland Maine directly along the coast. Today the middle of the Eastern RR is cut-off by a closed swing bridge, and the tracks are either rusted away or ripped up all the way to Portsmouth. North of that, the interstate ruined some of the ROW and the rest of the line into Portland, Maine has been obliterated by construction.
The old Northern Line in New Hampshire, which was once the Boston Concord and Montreal, is dead above Concord. Most of the track is in place, but inactive. The state doesn't want to spend money and a private company isn't interested in doing anything either even though this would restore direct service between Canada and Boston instead of having to go to Springfield, which is nearly 2 hours away.
Then there's the old Mountain Division. Lovely Guilford Transportation (PanAm Railways) closed this in the late 1980s. Part of the line is the Conway Scenic through the Crawford Notch, but the rest of the line is pretty idle. It's sad because this is also an excellent passenger route and has been used occasionally for freight use. Sadly part of the track here too has been pulled up in Maine. There are talks of bringing this one back to life, but I won't hold my breath on this.
John
I think you'll have to wait until they get over the farce that is Edinburgh's tram system.
Over running, needs repairs before a trams run, way over estimated price and nowhere near as long as originally thought.
I've read that they are trying to lease some trams to other systems until they are needed.
Over running, needs repairs before a trams run, way over estimated price and nowhere near as long as originally thought.
I've read that they are trying to lease some trams to other systems until they are needed.
LOL. This sounds like the MBTA in Boston! They purchased these "new" LRVs (trams in your country) to replace older ones and enhance the service. For some reason the manufacturer didn't follow specs, or these weren't enforced, so the lead cars would derail in the tunnels particularly as the trains entered Park Street station!
Park Street and Boylston Streets have some of the tightest curves on the system, and when the LRVs round the bends, they would skip off the rail just like a model trains does when the wheels were out of gauge.
John
They could charge extra for the "thrill factor"
Hi John,
There was a whole neworkof passenger lines in the Borders region. As Captain, I took my Boys' Brigade Company to summer camp twice years ago to Melrose another pleasant Borders town a few miles past galashiels on the way cross country to Carlisle. The station at Melrose is stil there and I recall that on walking along the old track bed the gravel was stil there and Galashiels station looked great. All the signs were still up - stationmaster, waiting room and so on. We also walked (unoffically!) over the impressive viaduct at Melrose too. When the old state system British Rail closed the Waverly Route there was an attempt to get it for a rail preservation thing but for whatever reason back in the 60's it didn't come off.
anyway the thing has been passed in parliament and the present lot in power has said it will go ahead as far as Galashiels and if we even get that well that would be something. Pinning them down is the important thing. As for the Edinburgh tramway bit that is a fiasco and makes Edinburgh a laughing stock. All the other British cities that have trams back did so wiithout this mess-up. Being a Glaswegian and there is much inter-city rivalry I smile (!). The late Jack House a famous Glasgow journalist once said the greatest road in Edinburgh was the one that led to Glasgow!
There was a whole neworkof passenger lines in the Borders region. As Captain, I took my Boys' Brigade Company to summer camp twice years ago to Melrose another pleasant Borders town a few miles past galashiels on the way cross country to Carlisle. The station at Melrose is stil there and I recall that on walking along the old track bed the gravel was stil there and Galashiels station looked great. All the signs were still up - stationmaster, waiting room and so on. We also walked (unoffically!) over the impressive viaduct at Melrose too. When the old state system British Rail closed the Waverly Route there was an attempt to get it for a rail preservation thing but for whatever reason back in the 60's it didn't come off.
anyway the thing has been passed in parliament and the present lot in power has said it will go ahead as far as Galashiels and if we even get that well that would be something. Pinning them down is the important thing. As for the Edinburgh tramway bit that is a fiasco and makes Edinburgh a laughing stock. All the other British cities that have trams back did so wiithout this mess-up. Being a Glaswegian and there is much inter-city rivalry I smile (!). The late Jack House a famous Glasgow journalist once said the greatest road in Edinburgh was the one that led to Glasgow!
Hi John, Rjhowie And Everybody.
As I was stating in another thread approximately 2 weeks ago I believe that rail freight movements may well determine future track development in the United Kingdom.
Two of the largest companies in road haulage in Britain are already experimenting with bulk rail freight transport into the large retail distribution centers run by companies such as Tesco, Morrison's and Sainsbury's. If successful this would remove from the British motorway and a trunk road system a large number of heavy goods vehicles dedicated to bulk freight work.
One large retail distribution Centre here in Bristol I visited recently received up to fifteen trunk vehicles each night just from one of the central warehousing units that service it. Put them all together and what have you got “a train”.
The new Tesco distribution center north of Bristol has just made a planning application to have a short branch line from the nearby South Wales mainline laid directly in to the Centre. If the trials being carried out by DHL and Eddie Stobart transport are successful (and it looks very much as if they are on present data) then the push will be on to have many more large distribution centres linked up directly or indirectly to the rail network.
Obviously then the pressure will be on the UK government to extend the rail network especially in areas which are poorly served at present (one example being Scotland). With the large retail organizations and the huge transport companies pushing for this and perhaps providing money the dream of a pre-beaching rail system coming about again could just happen.
Of course with regard to Scotland much could change if they decide to leave the United Kingdom which undoubtedly would mean that Scotland would have to provide its own plans and financing.
However, it may happen and much quicker than many expect, you just have to be an optimist
Bill
As I was stating in another thread approximately 2 weeks ago I believe that rail freight movements may well determine future track development in the United Kingdom.
Two of the largest companies in road haulage in Britain are already experimenting with bulk rail freight transport into the large retail distribution centers run by companies such as Tesco, Morrison's and Sainsbury's. If successful this would remove from the British motorway and a trunk road system a large number of heavy goods vehicles dedicated to bulk freight work.
One large retail distribution Centre here in Bristol I visited recently received up to fifteen trunk vehicles each night just from one of the central warehousing units that service it. Put them all together and what have you got “a train”.
The new Tesco distribution center north of Bristol has just made a planning application to have a short branch line from the nearby South Wales mainline laid directly in to the Centre. If the trials being carried out by DHL and Eddie Stobart transport are successful (and it looks very much as if they are on present data) then the push will be on to have many more large distribution centres linked up directly or indirectly to the rail network.
Obviously then the pressure will be on the UK government to extend the rail network especially in areas which are poorly served at present (one example being Scotland). With the large retail organizations and the huge transport companies pushing for this and perhaps providing money the dream of a pre-beaching rail system coming about again could just happen.
Of course with regard to Scotland much could change if they decide to leave the United Kingdom which undoubtedly would mean that Scotland would have to provide its own plans and financing.
However, it may happen and much quicker than many expect, you just have to be an optimist
Bill
This is awesome news, Bill regarding the rail service - not Scotland leaving the UK.
The US is sort of going full tilt as well with rail making a come back here, although where I live we have a local (regional) company that would rather get free track service then discourage freight service. That's another story...
Anyway with all this happening, I wonder if the old Tinsley yard will be rebuilt? Wishful thinking I suppose. That video posted in another thread was interesting, and typical of the shortsightedness individuals in high places have a lot of times.
John
Hi John,Rob And Everybody.
You are right in your posting John that the future for the British rail industry is far more exciting and optimistic than it has been for a great number of years. Nothing is certain yet but as I stated in my posting I believe the key may well lay in the need for widespread freight movement by rail. in consequence with the large retail Consortium's and transport companies becoming involved and perhaps providing some measure of finance for the extension of the rail network everything is very possible.
With regard to the number of large retail distribution centers mentioned in Rob's posting, well they are only there due to the demand of the British public for products as cheap as they can be possibly provided and that means no retail outlet hold any stock, hence retail distribution centers.
However, they do provide an enormous amount of employment in a tight job market and now possibly a future for the rail industry that was undreamed of only a few years ago. With regard to many of the workers in the centers being of European origin, well (and without wishing to get off-topic) I think we in Britain have to accept it too many people (especially young people) do not wish to get their hands dirty in their employment and therefore prefer to be unemployed. That being the case, employers in the transport industry often have nowhere else to look other than European union countries for workers to fill those jobs British workers do not want.
However, whoever fills the jobs in the existing and future planned distribution centers, as supporters of rail transport we should all be rejoicing the fact that they may well hold the key to the development of the British rail industry both passenger and freight.
Bill
You are right in your posting John that the future for the British rail industry is far more exciting and optimistic than it has been for a great number of years. Nothing is certain yet but as I stated in my posting I believe the key may well lay in the need for widespread freight movement by rail. in consequence with the large retail Consortium's and transport companies becoming involved and perhaps providing some measure of finance for the extension of the rail network everything is very possible.
With regard to the number of large retail distribution centers mentioned in Rob's posting, well they are only there due to the demand of the British public for products as cheap as they can be possibly provided and that means no retail outlet hold any stock, hence retail distribution centers.
However, they do provide an enormous amount of employment in a tight job market and now possibly a future for the rail industry that was undreamed of only a few years ago. With regard to many of the workers in the centers being of European origin, well (and without wishing to get off-topic) I think we in Britain have to accept it too many people (especially young people) do not wish to get their hands dirty in their employment and therefore prefer to be unemployed. That being the case, employers in the transport industry often have nowhere else to look other than European union countries for workers to fill those jobs British workers do not want.
However, whoever fills the jobs in the existing and future planned distribution centers, as supporters of rail transport we should all be rejoicing the fact that they may well hold the key to the development of the British rail industry both passenger and freight.
Bill
I'm Scots but like the majority happy to be in the UK but I digress (!). Well there was a time eons ago when goods trains were a big thing here in Britain and wheras in the US freight is the main thing it is passenger here and will I think always be that. Even on Trainz the same patterns appear. Anyway I always live in hope regarding rail progress. We have had a small handful of reopened lines in Scotland but the same doesn't seem to have happened in England/Wales/Ulster?
In general the re-opened lines - all passenger were closed by Dr Beeching decades ago have exceeded targets and I do look forward to the day I can take a train to Galashiels again. As much as it pains to say it there were lines all those years ago that had to go as they weren't being used but in other places a bit short-sighted. Beeching even when cutting some Glasgow suburbans took out the one running beolow Glasgow Central station then years later it was laid back (Argyle Line) and is exceptionally used as part of the suburban electric network. We are stukl fortunate in Glasgow to have a reasonable rail network and Glasgow-Edinburgh (as I said ages ago and repeat again!) are the only 2 cities in the world that have 4 quite seperate train services between them - all on different tracks going different ways so one up for us! And just to again prove it.....
Glasgow Queen Street - Edinburgh fast shuttle (50 miles).
Glasgow Central - Edinburgh via Shotts. Lengthy stopping.
Glasgow Queen Street (Low Level) - Edinburgh via Airdrie (recently re-opend after decades of closure)
Glasgow Central - Edinburgh via Carstairs ( part of long distance east Coast).
In general the re-opened lines - all passenger were closed by Dr Beeching decades ago have exceeded targets and I do look forward to the day I can take a train to Galashiels again. As much as it pains to say it there were lines all those years ago that had to go as they weren't being used but in other places a bit short-sighted. Beeching even when cutting some Glasgow suburbans took out the one running beolow Glasgow Central station then years later it was laid back (Argyle Line) and is exceptionally used as part of the suburban electric network. We are stukl fortunate in Glasgow to have a reasonable rail network and Glasgow-Edinburgh (as I said ages ago and repeat again!) are the only 2 cities in the world that have 4 quite seperate train services between them - all on different tracks going different ways so one up for us! And just to again prove it.....
Glasgow Queen Street - Edinburgh fast shuttle (50 miles).
Glasgow Central - Edinburgh via Shotts. Lengthy stopping.
Glasgow Queen Street (Low Level) - Edinburgh via Airdrie (recently re-opend after decades of closure)
Glasgow Central - Edinburgh via Carstairs ( part of long distance east Coast).