Local Railway

[Nelly Terraces]

Had to fill the Nellmobile up at the Shell garage on Dalry Rd this am, so decided to have a gander at the old patform of Dalry Rd station, I think you can actually make out some of it at the back of the Lidl's, looks like it woulda been the old platform anyway.

 

Driving through Gorgie and Dalry today, seeing all the different sorta folk, black, white, chinese, asian and all that, made me think how much Edinburghs changed in my lifetime (I'm 42), in terms of demographics and architecture/infrastructure, some for the good, some for the bad imho. Wonder what the old folk would've made of all these changes? Probably not too happy I'd guess.

[Nelly Terraces]

I was brought up in the Moat House flats that directly overlooked Gorgie Station. By the mid-late 1960's the station was entirely disused but the platform, buildings (including the station masters house) and goods yard was still there for years. Eventually it was cleared and it became the parking area (1970s) for buses bringing the great unwashed through to Tynie.

 

There was a spur from the Gorgie line, that ran between Moat/Hutchie flats and Coxes glueworks (now the BT building), past the Bainfield, and past Manclarks (burnt down in the late 70s) that was there purely to take cattle/sheep to the abbatoir (Corn Exchange area now...). At that time to get from Hutcheson to Bainfield/Balgreen you had to cross over that track at a footbridge next to Manclarks. Manys the time as a wee kid I was greetin' to see the poor animals being transported Belsen-style to their fate !

 

Quality story mate - good memory! I mind the sheep being held in the pens outside whats now the Corn X, remember as a wee nipper asking my Dad what they were there and him telling me they were on holiday in the town!! Only later did I realise the full, numbing truth....

[Drew Busby !]

Quality story mate - good memory! I mind the sheep being held in the pens outside whats now the Corn X, remember as a wee nipper asking my Dad what they were there and him telling me they were on holiday in the town!! Only later did I realise the full, numbing truth....

 

Think I've got a few years on you NT (I'm 49)... I'm obviously getting to that age though of remembering how things used to be in Embra "in the old days". My grannie lived at the top of Longstone Road. Two of my earliest 1960's childhood memories from then were:

- the sound of the air-raid siren, must have been one in the area from WW2 (...it was only 20 years before after all) .. and I have no idea why they cranked it up again (cold war exercise ? or maybe it was just Saughton prison ? who knows...)

- the sight of a farmer and his sheepdog herding his sheep up Longstone Road ,and down Calder Road (the carraiageway now) towards the abbatoir at Chesser. God only knows where they came from !

[Scooby Doog]

These old tunnels rule. I know I shouldn't be interested, but I am. Got a mate in London whose a bit of an old train bufty, I always thought it a bit sad, but he gave me this book about all these disused underground lines and actual stations in London, it was really interesting.

 

Creepy old tunnels. Who doesn't want some of that action!?

 

Here you go Nelly, just found this one whilst doing a quick search:

 

http://canmore.rcahms.gov.uk/en/site/259410/details/edinburgh+the+crawley+tunnel/

 

Fancy a wee swatch at that one!?

[Nelly Terraces]

Here you go Nelly, just found this one whilst doing a quick search:

 

http://canmore.rcahms.gov.uk/en/site/259410/details/edinburgh+the+crawley+tunnel/

 

Fancy a wee swatch at that one!?

 

Err, um, aye, OK - you go 1st though eh:2thumbsup:. The Crawley looks well creepy.

 

Top work though. Makes you wonder how many of these tunnels are there? Seems like Edinburgh's riddled wi them. One tunnel I'll never get to run in or, more sadly, out of, the tunnel at Tynie!

[Scooby Doog]

No danger mate, you wouldn't get me down there. Like you say, it looks well creepy and I'll bet that it's half full of rats too.

 

I remember from working in the Caley hotel many moons ago that there's a tunnel with a stream running through it right under the hotel. No idea where is starts or ends but it was a fairly big thing. Apparently there's umpteen underground streams running under Edinburgh.

 

Fascinating stuff.

[Tokyo Drifter]

Fantastic. A post about railway lines and there's 40+ on it. All I know is that's the line that leads to Carlisle and Brunton Park, home of the only United in the north-west worth bothering a damn about.

[Nelly Terraces]

No danger mate, you wouldn't get me down there. Like you say, it looks well creepy and I'll bet that it's half full of rats too.

I remember from working in the Caley hotel many moons ago that there's a tunnel with a stream running through it right under the hotel. No idea where is starts or ends but it was a fairly big thing. Apparently there's umpteen underground streams running under Edinburgh.

 

Fascinating stuff.

 

Ya big puff!

 

Somewhere in the mists of time I think I was told about that stream as well. The only one I really know much about is the 'Jordan Burn' that flows underground follwing a line down Comiston Rd in Morningside, and if you look at houses/flates on either side, they've suffered from subsidence over the years because of it.

 

By the way, back to rats, if you don't like them, then avoid the canal around dusk, there's stacks of them around, I run along there a lot, and you see plenty of the furry critters, but at dusk, thats when they seem to come out to play. Puts the wind up ye when I'm gnashing along and one runs out in front. Seen a few swimming there as well, bloody good at it as well, fast as.

[Scooby Doog]

I do a bit of running myself Nelly but haven't been along the canal for a while, thankfully I've never seen any rats as it's usually mid-morning that I go.

 

The thing that put me off the canal wasn't the rats but the folk with dogs (mainly of the 'devil' variety) who let them off the lead to run wild. Had a few nervy moments with staffies sniffing at my heels as I'm trying to appear calm (they can smell fear so I'm told!). That's for another thread though.

 

I'll have to check out the Jordan burn that you mention, hadn't heard of that one.

[Nelly Terraces]

I do a bit of running myself Nelly but haven't been along the canal for a while, thankfully I've never seen any rats as it's usually mid-morning that I go.

 

The thing that put me off the canal wasn't the rats but the folk with dogs (mainly of the 'devil' variety) who let them off the lead to run wild. Had a few nervy moments with staffies sniffing at my heels as I'm trying to appear calm (they can smell fear so I'm told!). That's for another thread though.

 

I'll have to check out the Jordan burn that you mention, hadn't heard of that one.

 

Mate, don't talk to me about f'ing dogs along there, you've just hit the nail squarley on the head. It's always some Ned halfwit with 'Tyson' the staffie off the leash that's the main problem. No word of a lie, I used to like dogs, now though, I fecking hate them and am pretty wary of most of them now. Had this bloody great Rottweiler go radge at me about 3weeks when running past someones garden, the thing was only on the other side of a 3ft wall, I bloody **** it. The owners didn't even seem that bothered and took ages to take the growling mutt away without even sayin sorry. I gave them some verbals then legged it. Later on, went past the same gaff, there's the devil hound in the garden - with a child who was probably about 3 years old. Incredible.

 

Right, enough of that p*sh, back tae tunnels:stuart:. Wee mention of the JB on here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morningside,_Edinburgh

[Scooby Doog]

Cheers Nelly, very interesting. I could sit for hours reading all that history stuff.

 

 

PS - I do most of my running along the Water of Leith these days (Lanark Road - Balerno section). Still a few mad dugs running around but usually accompanied by a better class of punter if you get my drift. Never had any bother.

[larbertjambo]

Yes, walk through the Telfer tunnel from Dundee St through to Dalry. When just under the approach road turn left and walk in a bit. You can see the platform remains up to the left all overgrown. The path from the bus stop runs alongside down to the playpark.

 

if you walk through the subway you can see where the wall is patched over where the door up to the platform used to be ( its on the left hand side as your walking down to dalry), my dad used to take me up onto the platform when i was very young. early 60s.

[Nelly Terraces]

Cheers Nelly, very interesting. I could sit for hours reading all that history stuff.

 

 

PS - I do most of my running along the Water of Leith these days (Lanark Road - Balerno section). Still a few mad dugs running around but usually accompanied by a better class of punter if you get my drift. Never had any bother.

 

Yeah, can imagine the dogs probably attached to a better class of owner! Gets on ma breests when you see folk on the canal path with the mutt off the leash and they dont give a flying duck where it is, or whose road it gets into/trying to have a bite of. I've started running on the Edinburgh cycle path, that's a bit of an interesting one, follows yet another old railway line (no idea which). http://www.cycling-edinburgh.org.uk/escape.htm great for running, flat as a pancake, bit of a subterranean feeling about it, as it goes under a few major roads. Less dugs as well.

[scots civil war]

i think waverley could def handle the traffic from a suburban circle service,i would love to travel on that line and check it out

 

platforms 20,21 (the far away parallel ones) could be utilised no ****ing problem.my bro speaks highly of the brunstane station services from just off milton road and is on the portobello junction-millerhill line.this is also part of the suburban line also....why dont they get this ****ing sorted out?

its bound to pull more punters than say,the north berwick service surely

 

what about the edinburgh-carlisle line,what was the route of that ****er then????? i have clocked a piece of track on the cardrona golf course at peebles...........

 

 

erm

[davemclaren]

if you walk through the subway you can see where the wall is patched over where the door up to the platform used to be ( its on the left hand side as your walking down to dalry), my dad used to take me up onto the platform when i was very young. early 60s.

 

Cheers, I had wondered how you got on to the island platform.

[Angry Haggis]

I was brought up in the Moat House flats that directly overlooked Gorgie Station. By the mid-late 1960's the station was entirely disused but the platform, buildings (including the station masters house) and goods yard was still there for years. Eventually it was cleared and it became the parking area (1970s) for buses bringing the great unwashed through to Tynie.

 

There was a spur from the Gorgie line, that ran between Moat/Hutchie flats and Coxes glueworks (now the BT building), past the Bainfield, and past Manclarks (burnt down in the late 70s) that was there purely to take cattle/sheep to the abbatoir (Corn Exchange area now...). At that time to get from Hutcheson to Bainfield/Balgreen you had to cross over that track at a footbridge next to Manclarks. Manys the time as a wee kid I was greetin' to see the poor animals being transported Belsen-style to their fate !

 

Top stuff there...just old enough myself to remember the cattle outside the abbatoir but strangely enough from early memories always grasped that they were destined for the butchers.

 

Live at Slateford myself..know exactly the line at Bainfield your on about recently been tarmac'd over into a walk/cycle way. Part of me would kill to have the chance to ride those lines if still in existance - Edinburgh trams eh, jeez...

[dougiea]

i think waverley could def handle the traffic from a suburban circle service,i would love to travel on that line and check it out

 

platforms 20,21 (the far away parallel ones) could be utilised no ****ing problem.my bro speaks highly of the brunstane station services from just off milton road and is on the portobello junction-millerhill line.this is also part of the suburban line also....why dont they get this ****ing sorted out?

its bound to pull more punters than say,the north berwick service surely

 

what about the edinburgh-carlisle line,what was the route of that ****er then????? i have clocked a piece of track on the cardrona golf course at peebles...........

 

 

erm

 

They could, because that's what they were built for. They're the old 'Suburban' platforms next to Market Street. Nowadays used for long distance trains

[blairdin]

i think waverley could def handle the traffic from a suburban circle service,i would love to travel on that line and check it out

 

platforms 20,21 (the far away parallel ones) could be utilised no ****ing problem.my bro speaks highly of the brunstane station services from just off milton road and is on the portobello junction-millerhill line.this is also part of the suburban line also....why dont they get this ****ing sorted out?

its bound to pull more punters than say,the north berwick service surely

 

 

erm

 

I did this in higher Geography in the mid 1990s. If a 5th year pupil can figure it out, why can't tram loving politicians and councillors see it?

 

I'd do it, but wouldn't run it as a proper circle service. When a circular service that's supposed to run to a timetable goes breasts skywards cause of a breakdown or something, chaos reigns for hours. I learned that myself on the Circle line in London 8 years later.

 

I'd run the North Berwick train through Waverley and round the circle past Gorgie, Morningside etc and have it terminate at Newcraighall. Then goes back to North Berwick the opposite way

 

I'd also run one of the trains coming into Edinburgh from the other direction (Fife or Dunblane) straight through to Edinburgh and have it run as far as Newcraighall the other way before turning and going back.

 

That way, the whole south sub route is covered. Anyone on it can get a direct train to city centre. The only people that might have to change train are the ones travelling from the west of Edinburgh to Portobello, but prob wouldn't be as many.

[pablo]

I did this in higher Geography in the mid 1990s. If a 5th year pupil can figure it out, why can't tram loving politicians and councillors see it?

 

I'd do it, but wouldn't run it as a proper circle service. When a circular service that's supposed to run to a timetable goes breasts skywards cause of a breakdown or something, chaos reigns for hours. I learned that myself on the Circle line in London 8 years later.

 

I'd run the North Berwick train through Waverley and round the circle past Gorgie, Morningside etc and have it terminate at Newcraighall. Then goes back to North Berwick the opposite way

 

I'd also run one of the trains coming into Edinburgh from the other direction (Fife or Dunblane) straight through to Edinburgh and have it run as far as Newcraighall the other way before turning and going back.

 

That way, the whole south sub route is covered. Anyone on it can get a direct train to city centre. The only people that might have to change train are the ones travelling from the west of Edinburgh to Portobello, but prob wouldn't be as many.

 

I agree ( and a decent bit of scheduling there ). But how would you increase the frequency of the South Sub to better than the routes you're using to service it? I think it's viable but it would have to be No26 bus standard frequency to give it a chance and to put that much rolling stock on the two outer lines servicing it might not be cost effective or even possible if it would slow up too many express trains.

 

You'd have to know the distance/time between each proposed station too.

 

Why not just run the trams round the South Sub line and miss out the railway? Tunnels at Abbeyhill and Haymarket extra tram line up from Abbeyhill and the trams could run along Princes Street before rejoining the Suburban line.

[Ben Dover]

Fill yer boots boys

 

 

Just a wee snippet from a Video I have .............showing a couple of trains passing the Diggers heading via Dalry into 'Princes St' Stn

You can see Angle Park Terr on the left and the bridge taking you over to Dundee Terr, with a couple of Corpy buses on the hill just down from where the slip road now takes you onto the Western approach rd

 

Old railway trackways are so sad

[Drew Busby !]

Fill yer boots boys

 

 

Just a wee snippet from a Video I have .............showing a couple of trains passing the Diggers heading via Dalry into 'Princes St' Stn

You can see Angle Park Terr on the left and the bridge taking you over to Dundee Terr, with a couple of Corpy buses on the hill just down from where the slip road now takes you onto the Western approach rd

 

Old railway trackways are so sad

 

Thats excellent footage BD. When was it taken ? Early 1960's ???

[Ben Dover]

Thats excellent footage BD. When was it taken ? Early 1960's ???

 

I imagine so Buzzbomb

It's off an official video ( schhhh ) that I got off a mate but yes I guess it's 60-65

I've also got the Waverley line video too.

[davemclaren]

Fill yer boots boys

 

 

Just a wee snippet from a Video I have .............showing a couple of trains passing the Diggers heading via Dalry into 'Princes St' Stn

You can see Angle Park Terr on the left and the bridge taking you over to Dundee Terr, with a couple of Corpy buses on the hill just down from where the slip road now takes you onto the Western approach rd

 

Old railway trackways are so sad

 

Must have been noisy in the Diggers in the early 60s.

[jamboinglasgow]

looking at the website of old edinburgh photos, I was interested to see photos of Davidsons Mains station and Barnton station. I often cycle along the old Northern Edinburgh railway line that goes from Roseburn to Leith. But at Blackhall it branches off towards Davidsons mains, I thought there must of been a railway that way but never realised it went as far as Barnton (next to the hotel.) Looking on google maps you can notice where the line went.

 

Found two maps in the house which were reproductions of maps of parts of edinburgh from the 1890s. Had a map of murrayfield & Blackhall and a map of Inverleith & Cannongate. In each map there are railways all over the place. It must of been a real shock at the ripping up of so many railway lines across the city.

[Ben Dover]

Must have been noisy in the Diggers in the early 60s.

 

Aye, singing was allowed back then

[Ben Dover]

looking at the website of old edinburgh photos, I was interested to see photos of Davidsons Mains station and Barnton station. I often cycle along the old Northern Edinburgh railway line that goes from Roseburn to Leith. But at Blackhall it branches off towards Davidsons mains, I thought there must of been a railway that way but never realised it went as far as Barnton (next to the hotel.) Looking on google maps you can notice where the line went.

 

Found two maps in the house which were reproductions of maps of parts of edinburgh from the 1890s. Had a map of murrayfield & Blackhall and a map of Inverleith & Cannongate. In each map there are railways all over the place. It must of been a real shock at the ripping up of so many railway lines across the city.

 

The whole place was riddled with them at one time

I find old railway track beds fascinating and was out for a walk up Pencaitland way just this week. Trekking through the woods I just came across a near perfect 2 meter wide corridor of emptiness disappearing into the distance ! ........wacky man

[Guest casper]

Fill yer boots boys

 

 

Just a wee snippet from a Video I have .............showing a couple of trains passing the Diggers heading via Dalry into 'Princes St' Stn

You can see Angle Park Terr on the left and the bridge taking you over to Dundee Terr, with a couple of Corpy buses on the hill just down from where the slip road now takes you onto the Western approach rd

 

Old railway trackways are so sad

 

I had an old auntie who had a flat in Grove Street overlooking these lines. I can just remember seeing steam trains going past.

 

I you want a ride on a steam train then Bo'ness must be the closest. Great smell of steam and coal.

[John Findlay]

Am I right in saying that there's a disused rail tunnel that runs from under the Caledonian Hotel out to Harrison Park area?

 

Seem to remember hearing something about that when I was a nipper.

 

Aye. It was a toss up between Waverley and Caldedonian station to become the mains station in Edinburgh. Waverley won.

 

The Balmoral Hotel(always known to me as the North British Hotel) and the Caledonian hotel are both hotels made by the railway companies.

 

 

 

John

[Angry Haggis]

Fill yer boots boys

 

 

Just a wee snippet from a Video I have .............showing a couple of trains passing the Diggers heading via Dalry into 'Princes St' Stn

You can see Angle Park Terr on the left and the bridge taking you over to Dundee Terr, with a couple of Corpy buses on the hill just down from where the slip road now takes you onto the Western approach rd

 

Old railway trackways are so sad

 

That is by far the best bit of footage I have seen in donkeys. Top work Ben Dover.

[Gavsy Van Gaverson]

Although I've only previously posted on this thread to mock Adi Dassler's new interest, this thread has actually been really interesting.

 

Fascinating to see just how much Edinburgh has changed over the years.

[Ben Dover]

That is by far the best bit of footage I have seen in donkeys. Top work Ben Dover.

 

Cheers mate, what a feckin job just to see my name up in lights though

 

Had to copy the Video to DVD, which I've been meaning to do anyway for yonks, then get it onto the PC to convert it to WMV and then chopped it down to a 40 second clip before uploading it to Youtube zzzzzzzzz

[jambos are go!]

I agree that the Beeching cuts were short sighted my recollection is that the Suburban Rail lines were not heavily used. Buses were much more flexible and there was hardly any traffic congestion because hardly anyone had cars. Stations were fine if you were near one and there was one near your destination but very few walked past a Bus Stop to catch a train.

[Nelly Terraces]

Cheers mate, what a feckin job just to see my name up in lights though

 

Had to copy the Video to DVD, which I've been meaning to do anyway for yonks, then get it onto the PC to convert it to WMV and then chopped it down to a 40 second clip before uploading it to Youtube zzzzzzzzz

 

It was worth it though mate. Absolute Top work:2thumbsup:. MY gran died earlier this year, aged 93, (massive Hearst fan, used to go way back, in the 30's:smiley2:), she'd have loved to've seen that footage.

 

This thread has got a certain sense of melancholy about it.

[John Findlay]

As one who will be 47 next April. I can still remember freight trains(Petroleum carriers) going along the railway line that used to run past Granton harbour and up into what used to be two oil(petrol tanks) at where Saltire street and that are now. Then up into the old gasworks. I dont remember any passenger trains but I can still remember a fishing fleet out of Granton Harbour.

 

 

 

 

John

[Ben Dover]

I agree that the Beeching cuts were short sighted my recollection is that the Suburban Rail lines were not heavily used. Buses were much more flexible and there was hardly any traffic congestion because hardly anyone had cars. Stations were fine if you were near one and there was one near your destination but very few walked past a Bus Stop to catch a train.

 

Aye I suppose it's easy, with hindsight of course, to call Beeching a tosspot but probably outwith the home counties the trains just didn't do enough trade to keep them going.

I suspect the Waverley line, if it ever gets reinstated, will be a cut price 'one lane' effort instead of something that could be incorporated into a joined up mass transit travel policy fit for the new age when the oil finally runs out ?

[Ben Dover]

As one who will be 47 next April. I can still remember freight trains(Petroleum carriers) going along the railway line that used to run past Granton harbour and up into what used to be two oil(petrol tanks) at where Saltire street and that are now. Then up into the old gasworks. I dont remember any passenger trains but I can still remember a fishing fleet out of Granton Harbour.

 

 

 

 

John

 

You're in that biz aren't you John ?

What happens to the last train to North Berwick at night ...........does it just stay there overnight ?

[Nelly Terraces]

Aye I suppose it's easy, with hindsight of course, to call Beeching a tosspot but probably outwith the home counties the trains just didn't do enough trade to keep them going.

I suspect the Waverley line, if it ever gets reinstated, will be a cut price 'one lane' effort instead of something that could be incorporated into a joined up mass transit travel policy fit for the new age when the oil finally runs out ?

 

Really interesting to note that platforms 20/21 at Waverley were the old Sub line ones.

 

Guess you're right BD, the Sub wasn't being widely used when it fell to Beachings Axe, but they could've reinstated it along with some newer lines to give the city a decent infrastructure. What do you think? Better than 1 poxy 700million quid tram line for deffo!

[John Findlay]

You're in that biz aren't you John ?

What happens to the last train to North Berwick at night ...........does it just stay there overnight ?

 

No it comes back upto Edinburgh. North Berwick station is suseptibile to flooding I believe. Mind you so is Prices street gardens too.

 

Personally speaking re-opening a form of the south-sub would have been better than a tram systems that is only covering a line through the city centre. I also do not believe that the EARL and GARL links should have been cancelled too. Short sightedness on the Scottish government there in my humble opinion.

 

Haymarket station should be closed. demolished and re-built. For the 21st century the facilities it offers are a disgrace for a station that deals with six million(and rising) passengers a year.

 

 

John

[Deek]

Mr Beeching axed lines all over the country.

 

One good thing is that they are now mostly good cycle paths. I use this one a lot to cycle from Penicuik to Dalkeith, passing the old Rosslyn Castle station.

 

 

Times are changing slowly with the proposed Waverley line being re-opened and the re opening of the Bathgate to Airdrie line, for which they have closed the cycle path and are building a new one along the railway costing ?7.3 million. The rail line will cost ?300 million for about 25 miles of track.

 

Was Beeching right?

[Nelly Terraces]

No it comes back upto Edinburgh. North Berwick station is suseptibile to flooding I believe. Mind you so is Prices street gardens too.

 

Personally speaking re-opening a form of the south-sub would have been better than a tram systems that is only covering a line through the city centre. I also do not believe that the EARL and GARL links should have been cancelled too. Short sightedness on the Scottish government there in my humble opinion.

 

Haymarket station should be closed. demolished and re-built. For the 21st century the facilities it offers are a disgrace for a station that deals with six million(and rising) passengers a year.

 

 

John

 

Jeezuz, 6mil. Didn't think it'd be anywhere near that. Agree, totally inadequate these days, needs a major revamp.

[JamboJay]

As one who will be 47 next April. I can still remember freight trains(Petroleum carriers) going along the railway line that used to run past Granton harbour and up into what used to be two oil(petrol tanks) at where Saltire street and that are now. Then up into the old gasworks. I dont remember any passenger trains but I can still remember a fishing fleet out of Granton Harbour.

 

 

 

 

John

 

I'm not sure when the last passenger train went through those stations, but the railway c1860-90's were built to service the passenger boats arriving at Granton, Newhaven & Leith. Before the Forth Bridge was opened most people travelling to Edinburgh from the North would have got to Aberdour/Kinghorn then transferred to a ferry across the water. Even travelling from Stirling, Alloa and the like it much quicker by boat than land. Eventually as more railways were built and the Bridge opened (and the Tay bridge rebuilt) the demand for ferry varnished leaving the railway to Granton/Newhaven & Leith of use only to Goods and even that dried up with more extenstive use of motor transport.

 

I'ts not just in today's world we can construct monstrous white elephants, The London Dome for example, one of the biggest at the the turn of the last century was Leith Central, a huge railway station, massive glass roof for what was effectively the end of a branch line. The reason for its construction was the passenger traffic out of Leith docks, from which boats would arrive and depart mostly to Scandinavia but to all parts of the world, a bit like a nineteenth century Heathrow. However the station was 10 - 20 years late to make the most of this traffic.

[Bomber Harris' Best Mate]

 

Haymarket station should be closed. demolished and re-built. For the 21st century the facilities it offers are a disgrace for a station that deals with six million(and rising) passengers a year.

 

 

John

 

I'm not sure or 100% but isn't the station building listed ? never the less the area surrounding the building should have/could have been used to accomodate the rise in passenger use.

[Bomber Harris' Best Mate]

Once used the Edinburgh South Suburban railway a couple of years ago, that is against my will.

 

Having grew up with relatives that stayed on Station Rd/Mitchell Street/Peffer Street & Bank i was always keen to listen to the old stories that went with the Duddingston & Craigmillar Station one of my all time wishes was to travel on that line but never thought i would see the day that is until Hearts played a game in Glasgow some time in April 2006, Haymarket Station was not available and neither was through traffic aloud so instead of getting off at Edinburgh Park (where we should have been told) we done the South Sub eventually coming in from the East into the Waverley... anyone elso on that train that day ? It took longer to get from Edinburgh Park to the Waverley than it did from Glasgow to Edinburgh.

 

Oh the occasion was Hibs 0 v 4 Heart Of Midlothian

[blairdin]

I agree ( and a decent bit of scheduling there ). But how would you increase the frequency of the South Sub to better than the routes you're using to service it? I think it's viable but it would have to be No26 bus standard frequency to give it a chance and to put that much rolling stock on the two outer lines servicing it might not be cost effective or even possible if it would slow up too many express trains.

 

You'd have to know the distance/time between each proposed station too.

 

Why not just run the trams round the South Sub line and miss out the railway? Tunnels at Abbeyhill and Haymarket extra tram line up from Abbeyhill and the trams could run along Princes Street before rejoining the Suburban line.

 

I wish I still had all the stuff I gathered, this is from memory.

 

A 20 minute frequency was possible based on 4 other services an hour running east from Waverley and 6 others running west from Waverley.

 

One of my conclusions was that the balance of power had shifted. In 1960s, buses were quickest way of getting through the city as they pretty much had the roads to themselves. Even back in 1996 that wasn't the case anymore. Only the journey from Cameron Toll to Waverley was quicker by bus than a train would have been. A journey from every other station on the south sub line would've been quicker by train.

 

Personally speaking re-opening a form of the south-sub would have been better than a tram systems that is only covering a line through the city centre. I also do not believe that the EARL and GARL links should have been cancelled too. Short sightedness on the Scottish government there in my humble opinion.

 

Haymarket station should be closed. demolished and re-built. For the 21st century the facilities it offers are a disgrace for a station that deals with six million(and rising) passengers a year.

 

 

John

 

Agree with all this. I guess with ?550m going to Edinburgh trams the cash isn't there. We know who's to blame for that.

 

Just back from Berlin and like most european cities, you get around almost entirely by train or S-Bahn (suburban train network). I think most people now would opt to walk 10-15 minutes to a station for a train knowing they could predict exactly when they would arrive somewhere, walking past bus stops to get to the stations. Maybe not the case in 1960s when buses were reliable and traffic light. If you had integrated ticketing, the buses still have a role. We didn't bother when we were there, but I guess if I lived in Berlin and used it daily then I might change from bus to train to bus.

 

We're unbelievably short sighted in the country.

Edited October 16, 2009 by blairdin

[Nelly Terraces]

Once used the Edinburgh South Suburban railway a couple of years ago, that is against my will.

 

Having grew up with relatives that stayed on Station Rd/Mitchell Street/Peffer Street & Bank i was always keen to listen to the old stories that went with the Duddingston & Craigmillar Station one of my all time wishes was to travel on that line but never thought i would see the day that is until Hearts played a game in Glasgow some time in April 2006, Haymarket Station was not available and neither was through traffic aloud so instead of getting off at Edinburgh Park (where we should have been told) we done the South Sub eventually coming in from the East into the Waverley... anyone elso on that train that day ? It took longer to get from Edinburgh Park to the Waverley than it did from Glasgow to Edinburgh.

 

Oh the occasion was Hibs 0 v 4 Heart Of Midlothian

 

Would've been a bit upset at being kept from my celebratory beer suppage/party.

[Ben Dover]

I wish I still had all the stuff I gathered, this is from memory.

 

A 20 minute frequency was possible based on 4 other services an hour running east from Waverley and 6 others running west from Waverley.

 

One of my conclusions was that the balance of power had shifted. In 1960s, buses were quickest way of getting through the city as they pretty much had the roads to themselves. Even back in 1996 that wasn't the case anymore. Only the journey from Cameron Toll to Waverley was quicker by bus than a train would have been. A journey from every other station on the south sub line would've been quicker by train.

 

 

 

Agree with all this. I guess with ?550m going to Edinburgh trams the cash isn't there. We know who's to blame for that.

 

Just back from Berlin and like most european cities, you get around almost entirely by train or S-Bahn (suburban train network). I think most people now would opt to walk 10-15 minutes to a station for a train knowing they could predict exactly when they would arrive somewhere, walking past bus stops to get to the stations. Maybe not the case in 1960s when buses were reliable and traffic light. If you had integrated ticketing, the buses still have a role. We didn't bother when we were there, but I guess if I lived in Berlin and used it daily then I might change from bus to train to bus.

 

We're unbelievably short sighted in the country.

 

I think it was on the BBC's 'Coast' where I saw the remains of the UK's rocket development and testing site. It's down in the scily isles I think but anyway it was closed down by the government, back in the early 60s I think, .......because at the time they saw no viable use for the launching of SATELLITES

[Homme]

I've seen designs for Haymarket upgrade at work. Not sure if it ever got off the ground though or it ever will.

[Ben Dover]

For anyone interested in getting a wee Xmas pressy for yersel

You can get the full range of 'Scotland's Railways' videos here

http://www.cinerail.com/railways-of-scotland.html

 

Intended for the Anoraks in the main but to see many of the Edinburgh locations as they were in the 50s is quite nostalgic

[Nelly Terraces]

For anyone interested in getting a wee Xmas pressy for yersel

You can get the full range of 'Scotland's Railways' videos here

http://www.cinerail.com/railways-of-scotland.html

 

Intended for the Anoraks in the main but to see many of the Edinburgh locations as they were in the 50s is quite nostalgic

 

This thread has turned me into one.

[Ben Dover]

This thread has turned me into one.

 

Look on the bright side Nelly. If the rats on the Canal see you coming now they will probably do their best to turn away and avoid you