This week's Sepia Saturday prompt photograph features two workman standing besides a massive steam engine. I find railway history fascinating and I think we tend to forget
what an outstanding development railways were. You have only to read
old newspaper accounts on the coming of a railway to a community to
realise the impact it had and what a difference it could make to the
lives of ordinary people now able to trav, other than on foot or by
horse and cart.
Cue for me to look at the lost line of the Berwickshire Railway that for 102 years (1863-1965) went through my home village of Earlston in the Scottish Borders; plus more recently family memories of trains.
The Lost Line of the Berwickshire Railway through Earlston (1863-1965)
Workmen and visitors at Earlston Station c.1920s
Waiting On the platform of Earlston Sation
Another view of Earlston Station
The
Berwickshire Railway through Earlston in the Scottish Borders linked
two major lines - on the
east coast the North British Railway between Edinburgh and London and
in the central Borders the historic Waverley Route between Edinburgh and
Carlisle. The cross country line was built in three stages - to Duns
in 1849, westwards to Earlston in 1863 and the final stage two years
later in 1865 with the completion of the Leaderfoot Viaduct across the
River Twee.
The opening fhe line to Earlstonin November 1863 was a rather low key event in contrast to that earlier in the nearby town of Dunse which welcomed the railway with much celebration. On the opening day the public were carried free of charge, the first train at 2.00 p.m. having no fewer than twenty carriages and it was reported "floral and evergreen arches bestrode the long serpentine row of carriage, a flag waving over the top of the little wooden hut which at present does the duty of a Station House and the Dunse Brass band played". [The Berwickshire Railway - Dunse History Society].
On December 4th 1863, "The Kelso Chronicle" noted: "The
new railway [at Earlston] is in regular working order and appears to be
giving great satisfaction. The trains run smoothly and keep tolerably
good time. We are already feeling the benefit of railway
communication".
The major engineering feat on the line was the crossing of the River Tweed and the building of the Leaderfoot Viaduct, which involved a nineteen arch structure 907 feet long and 126 feet above the level of the river bed.
A charming picture of Leaderfoot, c.1900
O of the last trains across the bridge in 1965
Copyright © Bruce McCartney at http://www.geoffspages.co.uk/monorail/bmcc01.htm
All Rights Reserved,
Leaderfoot 2018 - now a favourite spot for photographers
The Berwickshire Railway line was never a busy one, with roughly equal traffic of goods and passengers. In
Earlston, coal was brought in and stone from the local quarry taken
out, with agricultural produce and livestock the mainstay of business.
Devastating floods across the county
in August 1948 meant that passenger services were suspended, due to
parts of the trackbed begin washed away. Repairs were never fully
carried out and only freight services continued on part of the line,
which was eventually closed without ceremony on 16th July 1965 - an action of the Beeching Cuts and a
major blow to the Earlston economy.
The last train through Earlston Station - July 1965.
On the left is the train driver, with the couple who worked the level crossing and
the station master with his young son.
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Copyright © Bruce McCartney at http://www.geoffspages.co.uk/monorail/bmcc01.html
All Rights Reserved,
Postscript: In
1969 amidst the notorious Beeching Cuts, the Scottish Borders lost all
its rail services, making it the only region in mainland Scotland
without a train station. But this all changed in September 2015.
when 35 miles of the old Waverly Line was opened, linking Edinburgh with the central Borders at Tweedback, though not Earlston.
A special excursion steam train, arriving at Tweedbank, Autumn 2015
***********
Holiday Memories of Trains
In 1977 wse holidays in the North Yorkshire Moors National Park, where
the heritage railway between Gromont and Pickering was a key
attraction. The railway was planned in 1831 by George Stephenson as a
means of opening up trade routes inland from the then important seaport
of Whitby, It was first conceived as a horse drawn passenger railway.
The line opened in 1836 and closed in 1965, reopening in 1973 by the
North York
Moors Historical Railway Trust Ltd.
A
visit to the National Railway Museum at York was also on the itinerary
where our daughter enjoyed playing gymnastics on the giant wheels.
And finally to the Austrian Lakes
and to the ""Road Trains" which a number of the towns have to
transport visitors around. Fun for children and adults alike.
At
Mondsee the train took visitors from the main car park into the town
centre. Mondsee is probably most famous now as the location of the
church used in "the Sound of Music" film for the wedding of Maria and
Captain von Trapp.
This
"train" in the spa town of Bad Ischl takes visitors round the town's
attractions that include Kaiser Franz Joseph's summer retreat - the
Kaiservilla. - where in 1914 he signed the order that plunged Austria
into the conflict that became the First World War. Franz Lehar,
composer of operetta's such as "The Merry Widow" also had a summer residence here.
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Sepia Saturday gives bloggers an opportunity to share
their family history and memories through photographs
their family history and memories through photographs
Click HERE to see other bloggers on track with this week's prompt
Wonderful history of the trains in your area of the world. I am so glad you do research and can share photos as well.
ReplyDeleteYou're so lucky to have access to all those old photos of Earlston. You've done a very neat job linking them all together for a good match to the prompt. I love the pictures of the viaduct. So graceful.
ReplyDeleteThe picture of Leaderfoot c. 1900 is lovely. And I loved the little gymnast in your family.
ReplyDeleteWonderful old photos.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the explanation of trains in Scotland years ago. I nice visual and prose mini-history.
ReplyDeleteIn America the golden age of trains closed down long ago. But for a few years in the 80s when I lived in London I did many journeys on BritRail and fell in love with rail travel. I only wish I could have experienced the age of steam, just to hear the sounds of the engines.
ReplyDelete