The LNER Encyclopedia

There was also a diversion built about 100 years ago when the line was moved a short distance inland because of coastal erosion. The course of the old line is still discernible and runs through a caravan park. There is still concern about erosion north of the border between Marshall Meadows and Burnmouth, in one place the footpath between the clifftop and the railway has been lost.
Technically the border is at Lamberton, which is about 500 yards north of Marshall Meadows, but as 52D states, the railway "border" was at the north end of the Royal Border Bridge at Berwick. Over the years this has caused a few problems. In 1897, the NBR refused to cooperate with the NER over the running of through trains to Edinburgh, and the NER retaliated by refusing to allow the NBR access to the crossover at the south end of Berwick station which was actually on the bridge, thus forcing the NBR to reverse all trains out of Berwick, causing delays and operating difficulties. This unfortunate situation had come about because the NBR had effectively lost the right to operate express trains over their own line in exchange for the dubious rights to run through Edinburgh to Newcastle trains via Hexham and the Tyne Valley line.

The railway “border” in BR days was at 69 miles 67 chains Newcastle to Edinburgh mileage, 54 miles 49 chains Edinburgh to Newcastle mileage, or Lamberton. Marshall Meadows signal box was at 68 miles 01 chain. Caravan sites did not count (until the bloody things blew onto the railway in a gale closing the railway)! It is a couple of years since I walked this stretch up to the ruined fishing shiel and the footpath was OK then.

Is Berwick still at war with Russia or not?

Urban Myth

This cropped up on TV recently, I think perhaps on a "Coast" programme. The story behind this was explained, with the matter being cleared up by a subsequent treaty.

There is a campaign to return Berwick-on-Tweed to Scotland, but that seems to have gone quiet recently.

L&Y Man

As L&Y man states this was sorted out by a treaty shortly after the end of the Crimean War. Just to make sure, (and as a bit of a publicity gimmick), in the mid 1960's the mayor of Berwick invited the Russian ambassador to a ceremony to sign a peace treaty. On signing it, the Russian said "At last the people of Russia will be able to sleep soundly in their beds."

Over my dead body, being born in a maternity hospital on the North bank of the Tweed almost under the Royal Border Bridge i am proud to be a Berwicker first and Englishman second. The only good bit of Scotland will be if Scotrail can get a franchise to run to Newcastle from Glasgow and reopen a few more stations on the way.

Glasgow to Newcastle?That'd be interesting given the half-arsed attempt to re-open the Waverley.

Rumour hath it that East Coast are going to cut the Glasgow services from next year. Hopefully they will be reinstated if the electrification of the Falkirk route ever happens.

FF its not Scotrails fault on the Waverley its the politicians. There has been rumours of Scotrail developing a Glasgow Newcastle service.

Yeah,i know we can't blame Scotrail on that!I know from other parts of this forum about the if's and maybes concerning the Waverley.Any new service is to be applauded wherever it is.

As a member of the Campaign for Borders Rail I would like to see the Waverley Route re-opened as far as Carlisle, if only to take all this timber traffic off the roads. In addition, another rail route to "Auld Reekie" would do wonders for tourism there as well as in the Borders.

L&Y Man

Well if youve been looking at my posts you know where i stand on the waverley.

I've watched this programme more than once, and feel that it was definitely biased against the train. The car was kept to A roads, yes, but they have improved almost beyond recognition from 1949 when this was supposed to be set. Even in the 1960s, if you managed to achieve an average speed of 30 mph on any journey, you were doing very well, as most towns had to be travelled through, rather than by-passed as now. In addition, trains had the ability to replenish their tenders from water troughs en route, so didn't have to stop four times as Tornado did. If the car had been made to stop whenever Tornado had, and allowed to move only when Tornado's tender was full and it set off, I think Tornado would have won.

L&Y Man

It is with a sad heart that i have to post this pic showing the Evil Empire trying to claim territory to the North of its domain.
Take a close look in the background its Lamberton with cross border signs. You can relax as we had already stolen the loco from the Evil Empire and put it in York Museum as well as giving it shelter about 10 miles from where this pic was taken during world war 2.
Nasty smelly copper capped false claiming thing.