Aberdeen Railway

Aberdeen Railway

Legend - - Denburn Valley Line Aberdeen (Denburn Valley Line) Aberdeen Guild Street Clayhills Yard Ferryhill Junction - - Deeside Railway Cove Bay Portlethen Newtonhill Muchalls Stonehaven Drumlithie Fordoun Laurencekirk Marykirk Craigo Kinnaber Junction - - North British, Arbroath and Montrose Railway Montrose Broomfield Junction - - Montrose and Bervie Railway Broomfield Junction Halt Dubton Bridge of Dun Farnell Road Glasterlaw - - Arbroath and Forfar Railway Glasterlaw & Friockheim Junctions Friockheim (Arbroath and Forfar Railway) Guthrie Junction Guthrie (Arbroath and Forfar Railway) - - Arbroath and Forfar Railway Brechin - - Forfar and Brechin Railway and Brechin and Edzell District Railway

The Aberdeen Railway was a railway that ran mainly along the North East coast of Scotland south from Aberdeen to Guthrie on the Arbroath and Forfar Railway. There were branches to Montrose and Brechin. It received royal assent in 1845.

History

Openings

• 1 February 1848 - Guthrie (Arbroath and Forfar Railway) to Montrose
• 1 November 1849 - Dubton to Portlethen
• 1 April 1850 - Portlethen to Aberdeen Ferryhill
• 2 August 1853 - Aberdeen Ferryhill to Aberdeen Guild Street

Early operations and amalgamations

The line was operated by the Scottish Central Railway between 12 May 1851 and 31 July 1854.

On 29 July 1856, a merger took place with the Scottish Midland Junction Railway to form the Scottish North Eastern Railway connecting Perth to Aberdeen. This latter company was absorbed by the Caledonian Railway on 10 August 1866, which in turn became part of the LMS on 1 July 1923.

Closures and re-openings

• 4 November 1867 - Aberdeen Guild Street
• 1 February 1908 - Glasterlaw Junction to Friockheim Junction closed to passengers
• 30 April 1943 - Broomfield Junction to Montrose
• 4 August 1952 - Broomfield Junction to Dubton and Bridge of Dun to Brechin closed to passengers
• 2 August 1954 - Aberdeen Guild Street reopened to freight
• 20 June 1963 - Broomfield Junction to Dubton closed to freight
• 4 September 1967 - Forfar North Junction (Arbroath and Forfar Railway) to Bridge of Dun closed to all traffic.
• May 1981 - Brechin to Kinnaber Junction closed to all traffic
• 1993 - Brechin to Bridge of Dun reopened by Caledonian Railway (Brechin)

Connections to other lines

From Aberdeen Guild Street southward, 1913

From Guthrie northward, 1912 (right)

Railway Clearing House Junction Diagrams showing portions of the Aberdeen Railway (following absorption into the Caledonian Railway) and connecting lines

• Denburn Valley Line south of Aberdeen Guild Street
• Deeside Railway at Ferryhill Junction
• North British, Arbroath and Montrose Railway at Kinnaber Junction
• Montrose and Bervie Railway at Broomfield Junction
• Brechin and Edzell District Railway at Brechin
• Forfar and Brechin Railway at Brechin
• Arbroath and Forfar Railway at the triangular junctions of Glasterlaw Junction, Friockheim Junction and Guthrie Junction

Current operations

The line between Aberdeen and Kinnaber Junction is still open as part of the Aberdeen to Edinburgh/Glasgow service operated by First ScotRail. The section between Brechin and Bridge of Dun is operated as a heritage railway by the Caledonian Railway (Brechin).

References

• Awdry, Christopher (1990). Encyclopaedia of British Railway Companies. Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-8526-0049-7. OCLC 19514063. 
• Butt, R. V. J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-8526-0508-1. OCLC 60251199. 
• Jowett, Alan (March 1989). Jowett's Railway Atlas of Great Britain and Ireland: From Pre-Grouping to the Present Day (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-8526-0086-1. OCLC 22311137. 
• RAILSCOT on the Aberdeen Railway