Until its closure in 1969, the ‘Waverley Route’ provided an important and direct rail link between Carlisle and Edinburgh, serving the border towns and villages that lay between the two cities.

Scenes recorded in the industrial towns of Hawick and Galashiels contrast sharply with the countryside around Falahill, Shankend, Whitrope Summit and Riccarton Junction; names that evoke memories of hard-working steam locomotives heading the many passenger and freight services that used the route. A wide variety of steam locomotive classes are shown; from 4-4-0 ‘Shires’ to ‘Pacifics’, with early diesel classes making an appearance as steam traction was displaced, and eventually eliminated, from the route.

Leisurely trips on the branch lines to Kelso, Langholm and Selkirk, together with scenes at Galashiels, Hawick, St. Boswells, Stow, Shankend and Riccarton Junction complement a fascinating rail travelogue that brings the programme to a close. Filmed in November 1968, just weeks before closure of the Waverley Route, this unique film features almost every station on the line between Carlisle and Edinburgh.