Riccarton Junction - Then and Now

Riccarton Junction, in the county of Roxburghshire in the Scottish Borders, was a railway village and station. In its heyday it had 118 residents and its own school, post office and grocery store. The station was an interchange betwee
n the Border Counties Railway branch to Hexham and the North British Railway's (NBR's) Border Union Railway (also known as the Waverley Route).
The settlement of Riccarton, which adjoins the station, consisted, in 1959, of around thirty houses, with at least one member of each household working for British Railways, which had a civil engineer's depot near the station. Remarkably there was no road access until a forest track was built in 1963, all access until then being by rail. The isolated position of Riccarton and the need to provide for the villagers may have been one reason why the station remained open until the late 1960s, as by this time ordinary public traffic was virtually non-existent. The branch line from Riccarton Junction to Kielder and Hexham in England was closed on 15 October 1956. The Waverley Route was closed on 6 January 1969. Part of it was re-opened in 2015 as the Borders Railway, but not as far south as Riccarton Junction.
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[@bruceball6312]

A poignant reminder of what’s been lost, not just the railway but a thriving community

[@Xpl0r]

Absolutely , gone in an instant

[@09weenic]

Absolute criminal what happened to that line and many others 😢

[@Xpl0r]

Yes such a waste of a more direct route

[@mikecawood]

A very nice but sad video.

[@Xpl0r]

Yes, seeing it in all its splendour, then being closed , vandalised then nature reclaims it. atb Dave

[@hockeyfanice7371]

Went to Riccarton Junction a week or so ago, sadly its a lot more overgrown these days, the station name board is still there, although becoming invisible on the east side because of the vegetation. The information board is still there too.
Hopefully the railway will once again run from Tweedbank to Carlisle and therefore reconnect such as Newtown St Boswells, Hawick, Newcastleton and Longtown to the national network.

[@Xpl0r]

I would like to think the whole route will be fully connected one day, but I have my doubts especially with this uk government the way it is at the moment !

[@jonletswalk7479]

👍brill! What a change, Love walking that area atb jon

[@Xpl0r]

It really is, nature and man soon reclaim the land back .

[@BegudMaximan-zp2tc]

Enroute, in the middle of nowhere in particular, yet a halfway house, stopping off place to water up, take a rest, change of Locomotive as may be required.
Still an idilic rural setting whatever your point of view.
Certainly worthy of restoration and some working preservation.

[@davidowen6977]

2:08 👌

[@Xpl0r]

Thanks 👍

[@alexmcdonald4483]

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