South entrance of Whitrope Tunnel in December 1999
Overview
Line
Waverley Route
Location
Between Shankend and Riccarton Junction
Coordinates
55°18′10″N 2°45′03″W
System
North British Railway
Operation
Opened
1862
Closed
1969
Technical
Length
1,208 yards (1,105 m)
Track gauge
4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
The Whitrope Tunnel is a disused railway tunnel in the Scottish Borders, situated 12 miles (19 km) south of Hawick on the Waverley Route, close to Whitrope. It has a length of 1,208 yards (1,105 m).
It is the fourth longest tunnel in Scotland. The tunnel is on the Hawick to Carlisle part of the former line, opened in the 1860s by the North British Railway. The Tunnel was closed in 1969 (as with the Waverley Route itself) by British Rail.
The Waverley Route Heritage Association is currently aiming to restore the tunnel to former standards and use. The tunnel is a Category B listed building[1] and forms a key part of the former route.
In March 2002 there was a partial collapse of the tunnel roof at the south portal, followed by a major collapse in March 2021. Although it is repairable, there is no source of funding and consequently the tunnel has been sealed off for public safety.
^Historic Environment Scotland. "Whitrope Tunnel, Viaduct and Culvert (Category B Listed Building) (LB49311)". Retrieved 22 March 2019.
The WhitropeTunnel is a disused railway tunnel in the Scottish Borders, situated 12 miles (19 km) south of Hawick on the Waverley Route, close to Whitrope...
Viaduct, Riccarton Junction, and WhitropeTunnel and summit. Liddesdale Waverley Line, Whitrope Siding, WhitropeTunnel List of places in the Scottish Borders...
on the line, the famous Whitrope Summit, 1006 ft above sea level. It is approximately 300 metres south from WhitropeTunnel, and 4 km north from Hermitage...
based/centred on Whitrope, south of Hawick, Scotland. Current projects include the restoration of the 1,208 yard WhitropeTunnel, formerly part of the...
70 over the massed hills to Whitrope Summit. The gradient subsequently eased to 1 in 96 through WhitropeTunnel to Whitrope Siding box and descended at...
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coordinates) This is a list of road, railway, waterway, and other tunnels in the United Kingdom. A tunnel is an underground passageway with no defined minimum length...
construction of the viaduct was awarded together with the nearby southern WhitropeTunnel on the same line. With the closure of the entire route on 6 January...
Association has since reconstructed a section of track between Whitrope Siding and Tunnel as a heritage railway; this is not connected to the site at Riccarton...
preserved a part of the former route at Whitrope and are working on reopening the section from its base at Whitrope itself down into Riccarton Junction as...
British Railway (LNER) Carlisle to Edinburgh via Scotch Dyke, Newcastleton, Whitrope, Hawick, Tweedbank, Galashiels and Eskbank 4 January 1969 (to passengers)...
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