It's worth pointing out that the majority of the passenger services on all of the above routes were withdrawn fairly early on (pre-Beeching), they were never hugely viable for local transport once competition from buses emerged. I assume however that the modern habit of commuting into cities to work from the suburbs and surrounding towns might change this.
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Resources
"Great Ideas and Initiatives for the Borders Railway"
(558 posts)-
Posted 11 years ago #
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"The "low" route via Hardengreen to Penicuik." Route 21 in Derek Purdy's 25 Cycle Routes Edinburgh and Lothian has a nice photo of this route passing the old Hardengreen Farm steading with its old engine house chimney. Now demolished.
Posted 11 years ago # -
"In my opinion, the most sensible option would be to use the railway trackbed as far as Straiton, then run the tram up the main road in the bus lane and into Penicuik. The cycle path route is fairly indirect and bypasses most of the current population centres along the way."
Bus lane? Other than one or two short stretches, there isn't one.
Cheers for the summary of the three Penicuik lines. It would appear that there were actually two "high" routes, between Straiton Ponds and Auchendinny. I think you described the eastern of these. The one to the west seems to follow the main road and, south of the new ASDA, the trackbed looks reasonably intact.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Tram looks themost likely option, but that will be at least a decade away before it even gets to
LeithLittle France...Posted 11 years ago # -
It would appear that there were actually two "high" routes, between Straiton Ponds and Auchendinny
No, just one route, although there were a number of short branches into and around Straiton for the Pentland shale oil works and some other industries around Burdiehouse. There was also a line diverging beyond Loanhead into the Burghlee and later the Bilston Glen collieries.
I can put up some maps later.
Posted 11 years ago # -
There is what looks like a dismantled railway on the OS map, that goes to just south of the Gowkley Moss roundabout.
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2173094
Would be good to see the maps.
Posted 11 years ago # -
@cb, yeah, I saw that on Googol satellite view and thought that was a former rail line, but according to the 1945-48 map it is the course of a conduit used by Edinburgh Corporation Water Works.
Seems also that the line through Gilmerton that runs under the bypass currently only went as far as Glencorse barracks where there was a station, seems a freight only line/siding continued to Shottstown. The passenger services were on a spur branching off the Peebles line, and nearby on the Peebles line itself. So Penicuik had two stations within a short distance of each other at that point.
Posted 11 years ago # -
"£150m plan"
Could re/open South Sub to passengers for a lot less.
Might serve a lot more people too.
Posted 11 years ago # -
crowriver "according to the 1945-48 map it is the course of a conduit used by Edinburgh Corporation Water Works"
Aha, yes I spotted that too. Looks like the submitter of the Geograph I linked to made an assumption. I'll suggest an update.
Whatever it is, it would be a great cycle route.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Seems also that the line through Gilmerton that runs under the bypass currently only went as far as Glencorse barracks where there was a station, seems a freight only line/siding continued to Shottstown.
The Gilmerton / Loanhead / Roslin / Penicuik line was built mainly to serve the collieries along the route.
Shottstown was named after the Shotts Iron Company, who had an ironstone and coal pit at Mauricewood, just to the west of Penicuik. 63 miners well killed here in a terrible fire in 1889 see the Scottish Mining Heritage website. The pit could never be re-opened as the fire kept re-igniting and the exact cause was never established, although the working theory was that the miners may have disturbed a magma chamber.
There was a rope-worked incline from Mauricewood down to the railway. Once the pit closed, there ceased to be much economic reason for the line beyond Roslin where there was a pit and brickworks. It remained lightly used by traffic to/from the barracks at Glencorse and the Penicuik gasworks. Passenger services withdrawn in the 1930s and other services dwindled into the 1950s until closure in 1959.
The lower-level line into Penicuik was much more economically viable as it served all the papermills in this section of the Esk Valley (Bank, Valleyfield, Dalmore, Auchendinny). Passenger services on the line were something of an afterthought.
Both of these lines were engineered by one Thomas Bouch. More (in)famous for the first bridge across the Tay.
Lots of interesting reading about the histories of the various lines here at the Disused Stations website.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Map I mentioned before. You'll need to view it full size for it to be fully legible.
Penicuik in Old Railways by the Magnificent Octopus, on FlickrPosted 11 years ago # -
"Victorian viaduct will avert city road chaos"
http://www.scotsman.com/news/transport/victorian-viaduct-will-avert-city-road-chaos-1-2963362
"Network Rail said eight-wheeler lorries would be travelling across the top of the Newbattle Viaduct in Midlothian from as early as tomorrow – to avoid causing traffic congestion in the area."
Slightly strangely written article. It mentions how lorries used for the construction of the Borders Railway will use the viaduct, but (unless I missed it) nowhere mentions that the viaduct will actually form part of the rail route.
It makes it sound like it's just a happy coincidence that the viaduct happens to be there.
Posted 10 years ago # -
Oh I bet the campsite below welcomes the dust thrown down as the HGVs rumble across the viaduct above...
Posted 10 years ago # -
The HGVs should at least provide a strength test of the Victorian infrastructure...
Posted 10 years ago # -
An exciting* day for Borders Railway stories today. Two of 'em.
*not really
Posted 10 years ago # -
There's a new cyclepath being estabished alongside the "new" railway in Eskbank. This is on the Tesco side.
It's not open yet.
Posted 10 years ago # -
Oh there was evidence of preliminary works going on in Stow when I passed across the old station bridge last week. Area around the trackbed all fenced off, big red/wite stripey surveyors 'goalposts' lining the area where the track used to be either side of the bridge. Those who know me of Farcebook can check out the pics I took (sorry can't be arsed uploading them anywhere else the now).
Posted 10 years ago # -
Borders Railway sparks developer housing boom
(Or is it ease of access to the bypass?)
Posted 10 years ago # -
The 'goal posts' have been there for some time crowriver. I passed Herriot and Stow in early June and saw them.
I imagine developers have been keeping an eye on line developments for years... Freinds have recently moved out to Gorebridge in new housing on the SW side of the town.
Posted 10 years ago # -
"
Jim Orr (@CllrJimOrr)
05/08/2013 16:40
Borders Railway already making great progress (Stow "station" in foto). Line opens in 2 years.http://www.bordersrailway.co.uk/news.aspx
http://pic.twitter.com/q3RmG0dova
"
Posted 10 years ago # -
Posted 10 years ago #
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I passed by the line of the railway somewhere south of Gorebridge on Tuesday. Lots of work going on excavating and building up embankments. Couldn't stop to take a pic from the bridge as there were so many huge lorries on the minor road carrying spoil from the excavations to a nearby field to be tipped.....glad to report they were all careful drivers, though in the dry heat they raised a lot of dust!
Posted 10 years ago # -
Damage done to bridge on Borders Railway in ‘attack’
Posted 10 years ago # -
The spoil from all this work should be going by rail;-)
Posted 10 years ago # -
I rode along route 1 from Innerleithen to South Queensferry. The picture above, I assume showing the track of route 1??? is open but with a new detour taking you up the Dalhousie Road up to Eskbank roundabout and then alll the way round to the Green route again and along Abbey REoad into the centre of Dalkeith.
Posted 10 years ago # -
@PS, maybe the same guys that set fire to speed cameras? Tempestuous lot, these Borders drivers!
Posted 10 years ago # -
@crowriver I was hoping it would be some farmers taking "getoffmoilarnd" to a new height...
(although presumably all the compulsory purchases have gone through by now?)
Posted 10 years ago # -
I suspect the "gerrorfmoilarnd" mob and the "How dare you snap me speeding? Take that!" mob are somehow connected.
Posted 10 years ago #
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