Border Union Railway

For the preserved railway, see Waverley Route Heritage Association.

The Border Union Railway was a railway line which connected places in the south of Scotland and Cumberland in England. It was authorised on 21 July 1859 by the Border Union (North British) Railways Act 1859 (22 & 23 Vict. c. xxiv) and advertised as the Waverley Route by the promoters - the North British Railway. It connected the Edinburgh and Hawick Railway at Hawick with Carlisle.

Border Union Railway
Overview
Locale	Dumfriesshire & Roxburghshire, Scotland; Cumberland, England
History
Opened	21 July 1859
Successor line	London and North Eastern Railway
Closed	31 December 1922
Technical
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Route map Edinburgh and Hawick Railway Hawick Stobs Shankend Whitrope Tunnel Whitrope Summit Riccarton Junction Border Counties Railway Steele Road Newcastleton Langholm Gilnockie Canonbie Scotland England Kershope Foot Nook Pasture Penton Riddings Junction Scotch Dyke Caledonian main line Longtown Gretna (CR)│Gretna Longtown Depot Lyneside Floriston (CR) Harker Rockcliffe (CR) Parkhouse Halt Port Carlisle Junction Port Carlisle Jn│Port Carlisle Branch Jn Caldew Junctions Rome Street Junction Carlisle Citadel Forks Junction│Citadel South Junctions Bog Junction (under bridge) Currock Jn│Upperby Jn│London Rd Jn Maryport and Carlisle Railway Lancaster and Carlisle Railway Petteril Bridge Junction Settle–Carlisle line Newcastle & Carlisle Railway

Border Union (North British) Railways Act 1859
Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act to authorize the North British Railway Company to make a Railway from their Hawick Line to the Port Carlisle Railway near Carlisle, with divers Branches therefrom, and for other Purposes.
Citation	22 & 23 Vict. c. xxiv

History

The first section of the route was opened between Carlisle and Scotch Dyke on 12 October 1861, to Newcastleton on 1 March 1862, Riccarton Junction on 2 June 1862 and throughout on 24 June 1862. The railway was built as a double-track main line throughout.

Connections to other lines

• Edinburgh and Hawick Railway at Hawick
• Border Counties Railway at Riccarton Junction
• Caledonian Railway Main Line at Gretna
• Maryport and Carlisle Railway, Newcastle and Carlisle Railway, Midland Railway Settle and Carlisle Line and Lancaster and Carlisle Railway at Carlisle Citadel

Current operations

The line was closed to all traffic by British Railways on 5 January 1969. The line was dismantled in 1971.

The Waverley Route Heritage Association have preserved a part of the former route at Whitrope and are working on reopening the section from its base at Whitrope itself down into Riccarton Junction as a heritage railway.

References

Sources

• Awdry, Christopher (1990). Encyclopaedia of British Railway Companies. Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-8526-0049-7. OCLC 19514063. CN 8983.
• Butt, R. V. J. (October 1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199. OL 11956311M.
• Jowett, Alan (March 1989). Jowett's Railway Atlas of Great Britain and Ireland: From Pre-Grouping to the Present Day (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-086-0. OCLC 22311137.