Restonhill Ballast Pit
A likely location for the source of the gravel heaps mapped beside Houndwood Siding see 75407 The location is near Restonhill Farm about 3 miles South East of Houndwood and less than a mile from Reston Station. How was the gravel loaded and unloaded? The shape of the heaps suggests it was dropped vertically rather than end- or side-tipped. There is no siding at the gravel pit and the running line is on embankment so it is unlikely to have been hand-shovelled into barrows then into ballast wagons which suggests the use of a wagon-mounted or portable crane or gin.
Both maps are from the 1st Edition Ordnance Survey 1:2500 scale surveyed in 1856 see https://maps.nls.uk/view/74943985 for this map and
https://maps.nls.uk/view/74944000 for Houndwood Siding.
Used with permission of the National Library of Scotland. https://maps.nls.uk/copyright.html
Location: Restonhill Ballast Pit
Original line: North British Railway
Photographer: Charlie Niven
Contact photographer: Charlie Niven
Date: 13/01/2021
Image number: 75552
