Comments on: The Queen Opens The Borders Railway

By: Michael

Michael — Thu, 10 Sep 2015 23:39:34 +0000

I understand that Union of South Africa was stabled at Edinburgh Haymarket for much of her working life and that therefore she was a good choice for this particular train.

Nothing should be read into the name at all.

By: Tim Hall

Tim Hall — Thu, 10 Sep 2015 12:32:18 +0000

The Borders Railway is part of the national rail network, operated by Scotrail.

I can’t imagine any operator using steam engines for regular passenger services, but steam excursions on the main line are relatively common, and there are plenty of steam locomotives fitted with the latest safety devices compatible with modern signalling. There are even one or two places where they’ve kept old turntables in working order, such as the one at St. Blazey in Cornwall.

By: David Meadows

David Meadows — Thu, 10 Sep 2015 08:25:57 +0000

When I first saw this story I thought it was a steam railway. But I guess it can’t be, and only the Queen’s train was steam?

Would steam be completely out of the question these days for a regular passenger route? (I mean, it couldn’t be any worse than a Pacer, could it?)