Borders Steam 2016

Apparently it is the LSL mascot, and was also present on the 95mph Bittern runs.

 

Thank you.


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I'm up in Scotland from Saturday night and I'm looking forward to seeing 46100 on the Borders trip on Sunday afternoon. I was wondering though if there were any good locations on the scenic, Southern part of the Borders line that are fairly close to a station (fairly close being anywhere within a couple of miles). I've looked at Google Maps for some time now, but the map is fairly out of date and doesn't show much of the new Borders line in situ so any help would be appreciated.

Many thanks in advance,

James

 

I would think Gorebridge would be the best station to aim for if you're after locations on the climb. If you use Bing Maps, switch to Ordnance Survey tiles and zoom right in, the re-laid line is there (it's not there on the levels above), and it shows where the line is single and double, which is quite handy. I've not been myself, but I think there may be opportunities around Catcune House, around a mile from Gorebridge Station. Be careful jumping into fields in the Borthwick area though... despite the right to roam, the Borthwick Beast will have you! Hope that helps a bit!

 

This is the shot from the bridge at Catcune, which as @iancawthorne says is about a mile from Gorebridge station.



If you wanted to go further south (accepting that it is downhill) there are decent positions either side of Stow station. The shot below is at Galabank "Junction" (i.e. where the single line becomes double) just north of Stow, and I recall seeing what looked like a decent shot from the A7 south of Stow (in the vicinity of Our Lady's Chapel), looking down on the line, though I can't find it on Streetview - maybe tree clearance has taken place since the Streetview images were taken.

 

Looked about half full on last Sunday evening's run when leaving Tweedbank. Most of the empty seats in the non-dining section/nearest the diesel


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Thanks Ian and 5098 for your help! I headed down to Stow this evening and got a similar kind of shot to the second shot posted by 5098, except I was probably stood about 300 yards up the road.

Lovely view up there, a shame it was downhill but hey ho!

Thanks again,

James

 

Another mixed day today. Plenty of sunshine, once again ill timed with the Borders Steam Special. However, a chance hold in a rather large cloud allowed one shot to come out in some sunshine up along Borthwick Bank just as the train entered the cutting for Halflawkiln Farm near Tynehead this morning.

Rebuilt Scot No. 46100 'Royal Scot' - Halflawkiln Farm by Jonathon Gourlay Photography, on Flickr

 

My shot from this evening, 46100 rolling down the hill towards Stow.



James

 

Nice shot James, looks like Galabank Junction?

I do feel the discount tickets being sold on a third party website has made some difference. Maybe a little too late to justify this year's season, at a price that should have been made available from the beginning were it to have a healthy loading. However, it was pleasing to see a reasonable number alighting at Galashiels, with numerous still on train bound for Tweedbank.

 

Well, it's taken me until the last Sunday of the 2016 program to get the Scot in the sun at Falahill, but worth it in my opinion.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/23006205@N07/29298077633/in/dateposted-public/

Steven

 

I was on the morning Borders Railway steam special on 25 September with 46100 and 67009.

32 photos can be seen here, showing as much as I could manage of the reinstated Edinburgh - Tweedbank line. I have also included three photos of the Waverley route fragment still in use near Carlisle, and one of 66528, named after a veteran Borders Railway campaigner.

https://andrewstransport.smugmug.com/MyBritishrailtours/Borders-Railway-25-September/i-638Jc35

Cheers

Andrew N