Whitrope Siding facts for kids
Whitrope Siding was a special railway track and a signal box on the Waverley Line, also known as the Waverley Route. It was used to load and unload goods from trains. Today, this spot is home to the Whitrope Heritage Centre and is the end point of the heritage Border Union Railway.
The siding is located just south of the highest point on the line, known as Whitrope Summit. This summit is very high, reaching 1006 feet (about 307 meters) above sea level! It's also about 300 meters south of Whitrope Tunnel and 4 kilometers north of Hermitage, Scottish Borders.
Discover the Whitrope Heritage Centre
The Waverley Route Heritage Association takes care of a small museum here. It's filled with old items and photos from the Waverley Route. You can find these treasures inside a parked train carriage (a Mk2 BSO 9400) and a nearby buffet carriage (69316 from a 4BIG EMU train).
As of 2019, there's a new platform on the "down" side of the track. More than 800 meters (about 875 yards) of track have been laid from the tunnel, over the summit, and south to Bridge 200. There are plans to rebuild a copy of the old Whitrope Signal Box. They also hope to extend the railway line south to where Riccarton Junction used to be. In 2005, a study was done on Whitrope Tunnel to see if the line could be extended north through it towards Shankend.
Trains and Carriages at the Centre
Besides the two museum carriages, there are also two locomotives (train engines) at the site. One is the WRHA's own shunter, a 0-6-0 DM JF 4240015 from 1962, which arrived in December 2009. The other is a 4w DM Ruston, a 48DS, which is on loan from Rocks by Rail and arrived in June 2011.
In April 2012, another train carriage arrived: a Mk2f RFO 1215, on loan from Northumbria Rail Ltd. The plan was for this carriage to be joined by another, a Mk2f BSO 9538 (also from Northumbria Rail). These carriages were meant to form a short train for passengers later that year.
In May 2012, a BRE / Leyland railbus called RB004 arrived. It was on loan from Northumbria Rail Ltd and was moved by road from the Midland Railway in Derbyshire. In early 2020, it was announced that two more trains, British Rail Class 142 Pacer units 142019 and 142020, were expected to join the collection. These trains used to be in service with Northern.
| Preceding station |  Proposed Heritage railways |
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terminus | Border Union Railway | Riccarton Junction | ||
See also
- Whitrope Tunnel
- List of places in the Scottish Borders
- List of places in Scotland
