Waverley Route Heritage Association

[cessna152towser]

Over the past ten years some of the guys from the air museum came together with some of the guys from our local railway society and started rebuilding a short section of the Waverley Route railway from Edinburgh to Carlisle through the Scottish Borders which closed in 1969. The Waverley Route was named after Sir Walter Scott's Waverley novels as it runs through Scott country and passes through many of the places which inspired his stories. You would think this was the quickest and most direct route between the two cities but the hilly terrain necessitated steep gradients, sharp curves and expensive to maintain viaducts and tunnels, so the longer route via Carstairs was preferred for modernisation and electrification. I'd promised that once they had something open to the public I'd help out on the meeting and greeting side to free their time to continue with construction work. Note the chairman of the group working on the carriage roof.
The railway opened to the public last weekend and is open Saturdays and Sundays till October.

In charge of the exhibition and shop carriage.

The other carriage is a buffet car. There is a supply of bottled gas and I am able to make tea and coffee. The heritage centre is eleven miles out of town, at a summit in the line surrounded by forest, so hikers who have no other interest in trains have been glad to call in for refreshments in our railborne cafe.

Period scene on the new station platform

Old weighing machine, period enamel advertising signs and a barrowload of marigolds.

The big Fowler shunting engine (switcher) belongs to the association and is being restored to working order. In the meantime the smaller one built by Ruston & Hornsby, which previously worked at an army munitions depot, has been borrowed from another preservation group to provide cab rides.

The little Ruston & Hornsby sets off. At present, our only driver gives up his spare time from driving main line freight deisels but he plans to train some of us to drive the loco. It looks a lot simpler to drive than the steamer in which I have a share at Swanage.

Meantime, cab rides are on offer for a short distance down the line, but the plan is to acquire another passenger car and extend the running line.