Day return to Riccarton Junction

A cut-down and speeded up car journey from Newcastle, via Bellingham, to Whitrope siding on the former Waverley Route. Then a two mile walk along the old trackbed to Riccarton Junction, then back to Whitrope and Newcastle.

Riccarton Junction was an isolated railway village, built by the Railway Company. It featured houses, a Station Masters house, a school and teachers house, an engine shed and a branch of the Hawick Co-op on the platform. The station served as the junction between the Waverley Route (Carlisle - Hawick - Edinburgh) and the Border Counties Line (Riccarton - Bellingham - Hexham). There was no road access until the 1960s when a Forestry Commission track was built. Everything came in and out by train.

It was possible to take a direct train between Newcastle and Riccarton Junction until October 1956 when the Border Counties Line closed. The Waverley route closed on 6 January 1969.

Whitrope siding is the base of the Waverley Route Heritage Association, who are in the process of relaying track between Whitrope tunnel and Riccarton Junction, with a view to running a heritage service. More info here: http://www.wrha.org.uk

For more information about Riccarton Junction: http://riccartonjunction.org

For more information about the re-opening of the Northern section of the Waverley Route between Edinburgh and Tweedbank: http://www.waverleyrailwayproject.co.uk

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• Riccarton
• junction
• Waverley
• Route
• Border
• Counties
• Line
• Bellingham
• Kielder
• forest
• Whitrope

[4beatlefans]

Very nicely compiled video, gets the message over well. btw what tis the track? I would class it as the genre 'blue-eyed soul' (of which Boz Skaggs is my favourite exponant) Again; great vid. Well done.

[metromadme]

To be honest, not sure what the music is now, Youtube replaced the original soundtrack due to copyright issues!

[tynerider]

Enjoyed watching this. Was different and very good. 5 stars.

[metromadme]

Cheers Gazz

[A70013]

They should reopen the line from Carlisle to the junction as the trees are reaching maturity and the roads wouldn't cope with the amount of log traffic.

great vid Btw

[Aidankiwi]

Thank you so much for sharing. What a ridiculously short sighted decision it was to close the Waverley route.

[sandletters39]

While driving through nearby Steele Road, I said; "There's Arton Fell," Somebody in the car said: "Ant and Dec?"

[shetlandfarm]

My Grandma was the school teacher at Riccarton! and my Grandad worked at the station!.

[AllFailJebus]

I used to live right next to Riccarton, on the jedburgh - Carlisle road. House called Riccarton Lodge.

[cleckheatoncentral]

REinstate the entire lot. Hawick needs is now. The town is dying, it is only 50 miles away from Edinburgh, but it is still out in the sticks

[NiallMS]

Thanks for the vid. Much fine countryside now ruined by the planting of forestry.

Roll on the reinstatement of the Waverley route!

[gloriouskodachrome]

fantastic video, i saw a tv programme years ago on this railway line, probably the most haunting railway documentry i've seen....

[Linesider1]

Excellent video. Very interesting to see the extent of the work south of Whitrope - quite extensive and much of it looking ready for track. Hope they make it. Steele Road - Shankend would be a nice run to say the least :)