In March 1897 more than half of the railway had been built, from Broughton to the Tweed Bridge near Tweedsmuir, and the Caledonian Railway ran an inspection train from Edinburgh to the site. The line had a ruling gradient of 1 in 50. The contract for the construction of the reservoir was let in April, and the substantial wrought iron truss bridge over the Tweed was completed on 20 August 1897. A ceremony for the official opening of the line and stone-laying for the reservoir took place on 29 September 1897, when a special train again ran from Edinburgh, this time to Victoria Lodge, a management building constructed by the Water Trust at the north end of the planned reservoir. The train was named "The Tweedsmuir Express" and consisted of six six-wheel coaches, modern bogie stock being unable to negotiate the line because of curvature and clearance issues.