Reston railway station

Reston railway station served the village of Reston in Scotland between 1846 and 1964. It was on the main line of the North British Railway and for most of its life was the junction for the branch to Duns.

Reston
Station site, 1997
Location
Place	Reston
Area	Scottish Borders
Coordinates	55.8506°N 2.1972°W / 55.8506; -2.1972
Grid reference	NT877619
Operations
Original company	North British Railway
Pre-grouping	North British Railway
Post-grouping	London and North Eastern Railway
Platforms	3
History
22 June 1846 (1846-06-22)	Station opened
13 August 1849	Duns branch opened
10 September 1951	Duns branch closed
4 May 1964 (1964-05-04)	Station closed
Disused railway stations in the United Kingdom
Closed railway stations in Britain A B C D–F G H–J K–L M–O P–R S T–V W–Z

History

The main line of the North British Railway, between Edinburgh (North Bridge) and Berwick-upon-Tweed, was authorised either on 4 July 1844[1] or on 19 July 1844,[2] and opened to the public on 22 June 1846.[3][1][4] One of the original stations was Reston, which was flanked by Grantshouse towards Edinburgh and Ayton towards Berwick.[5] The initial service was of five trains each way on weekdays, and two on Sundays.[3]

The station became a junction with the opening of the branch to Duns on 13 August 1849;[6][7] this line was later extended by the Berwickshire Railway, reaching Earlston on 16 November 1863 and St. Boswells on 2 October 1865.[8][9] The main line ran roughly east–west through Reston, but turned to the south-east in the eastbound direction. The line to Duns and St. Boswells began at a junction facing Berwick-upon-Tweed and ran southwards towards the first station at Chirnside.[10]

Facilities

In 1904 the station (then listed as Reston for Coldingham and St. Abbs) was able to handle all classes of traffic (goods, passengers, parcels, wheeled vehicles, livestock, etc.) and there was a goods crane capable of lifting 1.5 long tons (1,524 kg).[11] Between Reston and Chirnside (on the Duns line) there were sidings known as Auchencrow Siding (just south of the road overbridge at grid reference NT860599) and Billiemains Sidings (just north of the road underbridge at NT858593), each on the western side of the line and able to handle goods only.[12][13]

Maps of the period show that Reston station had platforms on both sides of the double-track main line which were linked by a footbridge; the station building was on the northern (eastbound) platform; the platform for the single-track Duns line was on the north side of that line; the goods yard with its crane was on the north side of the main line on the western side of the station; and that the junction was to the east of the station. The maps also show sidings close to the junction, a weighing machine in the goods yard, a turntable in the angle between the two routes, a signal box near the junction and several signals.[13]

Decline and closure

The St. Boswells line was cut back to Duns following flood damage on 12 August 1948.[9] The Duns branch closed to passengers on 10 September 1951,[7][14] and to freight on 16 July 1965.[15] Reston and Grantshouse stations were listed for closure in the first Beeching report,[16] and duly closed on 4 May 1964;[17] Ayton had closed on 5 February 1962.[18]

The remaining infrastructure at Reston consists of two engineer's sidings, one on each side, and two crossovers 47 miles 14 chains (75.9 km) from Edinburgh Waverley.[19]

The future

Proposals to reopen the station have received the backing of John Lamont MSP, who has taken the case to the Scottish Parliament.[20] A study published in 2013 proposed that East Linton and Reston stations be reopened.[21]

Since Abellio ScotRail took over the franchise in April 2015, they have now committed to reopening East Linton and Reston Stations as part of the local Berwick service by December 2016 but owing to the shortage of rolling stock services to Reston will now commence by 2021. East Linton, however, will commence in late 2018.[22]

In 2019, Transport Scotland confirmed that the station would be operational by 2024.[23] The outline plans for the new station include 260-metre platforms either side of the Berwick-to-Edinburgh line as well as a footbridge, shelters and a 70-space car park.[24]

Notes

1. Awdry 1990, p. 152.
2. Ellis 1959, p. 5.
3. Ellis 1959, p. 11.
4. Butt 1995, p. 196.
5. Ellis 1959, p. 8.
6. Ellis 1959, p. 13.
7. Butt 1995, p. 86.
8. Butt 1995, p. 87.
9. Awdry 1990, p. 117.
10. Conolly 1976, p. 31, section C3.
11. RCH 1970, p. 457.
12. RCH 1970, pp. 120, 457.
13. OS 1908.
14. Railscot.
15. Dunse History Society.
16. Beeching 1963, pp. 124, 125.
17. Butt 1995, pp. 108, 196.
18. Butt 1995, p. 22.
19. Yonge 2007, map 11C.
20. BBC News 2012.
21. BBC News 2013.
22. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-38833773
23. "Reston station re-opening by 2024". Berwick Advertiser. 31 January 2019. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
24. Knox, David (25 February 2020). "Reston Station plans submitted". Border Telegraph.

References

• Awdry, Christopher (1990). Encyclopaedia of British Railway Companies. London: Guild Publishing. CN 8983.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Beeching, Richard (27 March 1963). The Reshaping of British Railways, part 1: Report (Report). London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office. Retrieved 22 March 2012.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Butt, R. V. J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199.
• Conolly, W. Philip (January 1976). British Railways Pre-Grouping Atlas and Gazetteer (5th ed.). Shepperton: Ian Allan. ISBN 0-7110-0320-3. EX/0176.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• "East coast rail study submitted to transport minister". BBC News. BBC. 11 December 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
• Ellis, Cuthbert Hamilton (September 1959) [1955]. The North British Railway (2nd ed.). Shepperton: Ian Allan. 813/284/15 959.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Yonge, John (December 2007) [1987]. Jacobs, Gerald (ed.). Railway Track Diagrams 1: Scotland & Isle of Man (5th ed.). Bradford on Avon: Trackmaps. ISBN 978-0-9549866-3-6.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• "Reston station case taken to Scottish Parliament". BBC News South Scotland. 21 March 2012. Retrieved 22 March 2012.
• "The Berwickshire Railway". Dunse History Society.
• Berwickshire (Map). 1:2500. Ordnance Survey. 1908.
• "Chronology for Berwickshire Railway". Railscot.
• The Railway Clearing House Handbook of Railway Stations 1904. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. 1970 [1904]. ISBN 0-7153-5120-6.
• "Eastern fury at Abellio's delay for rail timetable". Southern Reporter. Selkirk: Johnston Publishing Ltd. 23 April 2015. Retrieved 19 January 2016.

External links

• Reston Station on navigable 1947 O.S. map
• Photographs of Reston at Railscot

Preceding station	Historical railways			Following station
Ayton Line open, station closed		North British Railway NBR Main Line		Grantshouse Line open, station closed
	Disused railways
Terminus		North British Railway Berwickshire Railway		Chirnside Line and station closed