Edinburgh's South Suburban railway

The very last train to leave Duddingston station - the 2 pm train to Waverley - on September 8, 1962. Photo: John S Wilson.

Martin Scott

Much of it is still in place. Just needs a council with the slightest bit of vision to make use of it.

John Hewit

I think the comment “if we get rid of the trains, more people will use the buses” is very typical of the pro road politicians of the day. Edinburgh used to have an extensive rail network covering nearly the whole city. Pretty much all of it was wiped out by the pro road and bus council. We could have been like Glasgow, which recognised and valued their suburban railways and still have an extensive network to this day.

Louise E Strutt

This should’ve been the option before the tram extension.

Steven Walker

I wish I could have seen them running. It would be good to see the trams use them.

Margaret Crawford

My late husband and I bought a flat in Morningside in March 1962 because he worked in Gorgie and could get there by train!

Colin White

Has no one blamed the SNP yet?

Alastair Moir

It was a great way of going to work. It took five minutes from Portobello to Waverley, 7min via Abbeyhill. With a 10min walk, I went home for lunch and finishing at 5.30 was home before 6pm. A dozen staff in my office came in by train on the Sub line, Newington, Blackford, Morningside, Craiglockhart. But it ran virtually empty other than at work times.

William Kay

I have no knowledge of the timetable that these trains ran to, although it's easy enough to find out where they went. The thing with any transport is that it has got to get you where you are going as fast as a car or better, it has to be frequent enough (every half hour won't cut it) and most of all it has to provide routes that people actually want to go. Are there oodles of people wanting to go from Haymarket to Blackford? Unlikely. The story goes it would be next to impossible to path these trains between all the others that now run. Again who knows for sure? And last of all it shouldn't be a competition between trams, buses and trains. They all have a part to play in public transport as anyone visiting European cities can see. People there must laugh at us as we treat the different modes as the sworn enemies of each other. In Europe and worldwide they work hand in hand.

Peter Keenan

Would’ve been so much cheaper to reopen these lines rather than waste billions on tram lines and other nonsense!

Stewart Cuthbertson

Been saying that same thing for years!

Raymond Milne

Time to bring it back

Gordon James Reid

Reinstate the south suburban line!

Michael Sitch

I was a signalman at the Niddrie box and to Morningside. I left the box July 1976 to work with the other railway work at Waverley Station.

Ronald Dingwall

I was on that last train from Duddingston. The sub needs to be reopened but the tram idiots are against it because ion their grand plan is to extend out to the RIE. The track is in mainline condition and would only need platform/stations rebuilt. Waverley could cope with extra traffic by having a continuous circular service with brief stops there and Haymarket. However, the tram Idiots have sway at the moment but this will soon decline when the vast rise in costs are known for the present extension.

Midlothian crime

Ornamental sheep stolen from outside Aldi store in Dalkeith

Mark Cairney

Sounds like the work of ram raiders.

Mary Smith

Loved seeing this. What a shame, taking this pleasure away from everyone .

Louise Melrose

Should have been ewe ‘herd’ it here first.

Callum An Derson

Will the thieves be charged with theft or rustling?

Roddy Black

This would come as no surprise in Aberdeen, but perhaps there are Don supporters who live in Edinburgh.

Heatheř Andersoň

Someone definitely pulled the wool over Aldi’s eyes.

Findo Gask

Last seen in the beach end, Pittodrie Stadium, Aberdeen.

Barrie Kesson

Someone has been baaaad

Brian Macaulay

Sure it will be baahack soon.

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