Popularly known by the name ‘Waverley Route, after the novels of Sir Walton Scott whose house was alongside the line, the ex-North British Railway line from Edinburgh to Carlisle via Hawick was opened between Edinburgh and Hawick in 1849 and then to Carlisle in 1862. The southern section all but bankrupted the NBR prior to the opening of the Midland Railway’s Settle-Carlisle route in the late 1870s when the two companies commenced a through service from Edinburgh to London via these two iconic lines.
In 1923 the route passed to the LNER and to BR in 1948. However, amidst much controversy, the line was closed in 1969. Since then, campaigning for the partial or complete restoration of the line has gained momentum. In 2006, the Scottish Parliament approved the reopening of the section from Newcraighall – where the suburban services had been extended in 2002 – to south of Galashiels with work scheduled to start in 2009 with reopening planned for 2011. This will include c5000 words of text allied to c 200 primarily mono illustrations, although the book will also include a brief colour section, featuring the line between the end of World War 2 and closure in 1969.
