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Unofficial
Worker
"I
loosely fall into the category of having worked on the Waverley Line,
although in an unofficial capacity."
Heriot Station
"Postwar
and up to the early-1950s,
my uncle Daniel Coutts was Stationmaster at Heriot and as a
youngster I spent many enjoyable holidays staying with him and my
aunt in The Station House.
As an unofficial employee
he used to give me a pay packet each week. There
may be some people who can remember an 8 or 9 year old running up
and down the platform shouting 'Heriot'. whenever a train stopped."
The Signal Box
"I
spent many happy hours clambering over the wagons in the Goods Yard
and keeping the Signalman company in the Signal Box. He used to let
me turn the large wheel which opened and closed the
Level Crossing.
One of the highlights of
the day was the passing of the Up 'St. Pancras'. This was either the
10.05 or 10.10 from Waverley ( I think 10.05.
(One of these was 'The St.
Pancras'. The other
was 'The Relief Scotsman').
The signalman would get, as
I recall, 4 bells from the Falahill Box and then the plume of steam
would appear, folllowed by the train
rounding the bend north of the station behind an A3.
It appeared and thundered down past the station and on to
Fountainhall.
Another
daily highlight was the arrival of The Gala Goods which dropped off
and picked up vans and wagons."
The Station
House
"Life
was no picnic for my aunt, living in The
Station House.
Although only 14 miles from Edinburgh,
there was no electricity and naturally no gas. All lighting was by
Tilly Lamps and my aunt only had Primus Stoves for cooking.
Although I was never there
in the winter, I remember my uncle telling
me how in the harsh the 1948 winter
was. There were snowdrifts
were up to the top of the telegraph poles!
The station is at about the same altitude as the summit of
Arthur's Seat."
Accident
"I
remember being told about the time when
A3 loco, 60099,
'Call Boy', ran
into a herd of cattle between Heriot and Fountainhall.
Sawmill
"There
was a large sawmill adjoining the station on the north side.
There were temporary wooden houses for the workers and their
families on the opposite side of the A7 form the station.
Gus Coutts, Duddingston, Edinburgh: June 6,
2014 |