Whilst in Northumberland I decided to cross the border into Scotland and visit Whitrope Heritage Centre however this is an example of a heritage railway where declining volunteer numbers have led to the sad eventuality which all heritage railways risk and that is being unable to operate. The centre was closed when I visited but the platform gates are freely accessible and unlocked so anyone can go and have a look while it is not in operation. The centre is based in two railway carriages at what is known is Whitrope Siding, which was a small siding on the now defunct Waverley Route, which went from Edinburgh to Carlisle. The line was closed in 1969 as a result of the infamous Beeching report. The Waverley Route Heritage Association was formed in 2001 with their headquarters based at Whitrope Siding. The group is dedicated to the whole of the Waverley Route (Carlisle to Edinburgh) with the ultimate aim being to preserve and where possible, restore parts of that route.
The centre holds many railway artifacts related to the Waverley route in its two Mk2 carriages on the platform. Unfortunately, due to the centre being closed, it is not possible to get into the carriages to see this, but what we can see clear as day is the lovely Pacer 142020 which is sat at the platform in a Mersey Rail livery. This came to the centre in 2020 after being withdrawn from mainline service however it is still in operational condition today.
There are a number of other railway vehicles in the sidings, one of which is the 4w DM Ruston pictured below with the grey 5 plank wagon. The Ruston is on loan from Rocks by Rail and arrived at the centre in 2011. It is currently in need of restoration judging by its current condition. There is also a collection of milepost markers on display however everything looks like it has almost been left to nature at this point.
Donning my hi-vis jacket which I always keep in the car, I took a short walk from the platform up the line as I could see in the distance what looks like an old Caledonian sleeper coach. This is a Mk3a numbered 10544 and is another item which is awaiting restoration. If we were to continue to walk in this direction past the carraige, we would hit the southern portal of Whitrope Tunnel. The tunnel suffered a major collapse in 2021 and has since been sealed off to protect the public.
On the side of the carriages at the platform is this very sad looking note, informing that due to lack of available volunteers, the centre has had to close its doors and open on a very ad-hoc basis currently. I do hope that the centre is able to survive but this is not an uncommon story across the heritage rail sector at the moment. Those which are running steam services are having to be incredibly selective on their running days due to the rocking price of coal now.
Looking southbound, rail tracks are laid which head in the direction of Riccarton Junction. As far as I know the railway does not yet currently extend there but it certainly looks like this was the initial ambition for the railway. You can see a few of the old railway bridges below which would support the line above it and they look in serviceable condition, however I am not a structural engineer. It’s times like this I would love to have a drone to see exactly what awaits down the line to see just how far it goes.
