North British, Arbroath and Montrose Railway

Introduction

Also known as the Arbroath and Montrose Railway.

This line is open. The line is part of the East Coast Main Line and is double track except for a bridge to the south of Montrose station. The line was owned by the North British Railway and was in effect a continuation of that companys Tay Bridge and Associated Lines (North British Railway) line northwards towards Aberdeen.






Dates

  /  /1871North British, Arbroath and Montrose Railway
Act for the Arbroath and Montrose Railway receives Royal assent. The Caledonian Railway is granted running powers over the route.
  /  /1872North British, Arbroath and Montrose Railway
Link from Montrose to Broomfield Junction (on the Montrose and Bervie Railway) authorised.
  /  /1877North British, Arbroath and Montrose Railway
As the railway not yet complete and the Act about to expire an extension of time is granted.
  /  /1880North British, Arbroath and Montrose RailwayNorth British Railway
Arbroath and Montrose Railway absorption by North British Railway authorised.
01/02/1880Dundee and Arbroath Joint Railway Caledonian Railway North British Railway
Dundee and Arbroath Joint Railway authorised (Caledonian Railway and North British Railway). This involved the bulk of the former Dundee and Arbroath Railway between Camperdown Junction and near Arbroath station and a short portion of the Arbroath and Forfar Railway as far as St Vigeans Junction. This followed the opening of the Tay Bridge [1st] in 1878 and the impending opening of the North British, Arbroath and Montrose Railway of 1880.
  /  /1881North British, Arbroath and Montrose Railway
Montrose (NB) to Broomfield Junction link opened.
  /  /1884North British, Arbroath and Montrose Railway
Montrose Harbour branch from Montrose authorised, Caledonian Railway granted running powers.
  /  /1885North British, Arbroath and Montrose Railway Aberdeen Railway
The North British Railway and Caledonian Railway are granted running powers over the independent Montrose Harbour lines.
  /  /1886North British, Arbroath and Montrose Railway Aberdeen Railway
Formal agreement between the North British Railway and Caledonian Railway about use of the Montrose Harbour sidings.
  /  /1891North British, Arbroath and Montrose Railway
Act grants permission to double line. (Caledonian Railway included in Act, allowed to use the second line.)
30/06/1899North British, Arbroath and Montrose Railway
Caledonian Railway ceases to use Inverkeilor station.
19/06/1967North British, Arbroath and Montrose Railway
Montrose to Broomfield Junction closed to freight.
  /  /2016North British, Arbroath and Montrose Railway
Doubling of the single track section of the East Coast Main Line from Usan Signal Box to Montrose (over the Rossie Viaduct and South Esk Viaduct) planned at a cost of £200M. Doubling of this section was previously announced in 2008.

Portions of line and locations

This line is divided into a number of portions.


Arbroath to Montrose

This was the main line of the route running from St Vigeans Junction, just north of Arbroath, to Kinnaber Junction, north of Montrose.

DRS 66 428 heads a Grangemouth-Aberdeen container train past St Vigeans, a mile north of Arbroath in May 2009. ...
Sandy Steele /05/2009
1 of 1 images.


An HST coasts into Arbroath from the north in 1996. The Baltic Works are on the right. ...
Ewan Crawford //1996
An Aberdeen-bound service passes the Dens Iron Works siding, at the north end of Arbroath, in 1987.
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Bill Roberton //1987
EWS 67 004 with the daily railhead treatment train (RHTT) nearing Arbroath station on 7 October 2009. ...
Sandy Steele 07/10/2009
DRS 68003 'Astute' heads north through Arbroath on Sunday 19th January 2015 with the Grangemouth - Aberdeen Intermodal container train. ...
Sandy Steele 19/01/2015
4 of 6 images. more


This two platform station was located east of Letham Grange for which it is named, there being very little else in the immediate area.
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This was a two platform station. The goods yard was on the east side, approached from the north. The signal box was at the north end of the northbound platform. The box opened with line doubling in 1897.
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This was a two platform station. A signal box (1881) remains open here, on the west side of the line.
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I noticed this bridge to Bryanton Farm (just south of Inverkeilor) being replaced just recently and I was curious to know if clearance for OLE had ...
Duncan Ross 26/07/2023
Reconstruction and expansion of Inverkeilor signalbox in 2000. ...
Ewan Crawford //2000
Looking north at Inverkeilor. ...
Ewan Crawford //2005
Placing a trolley on the track at Inverkeilor. ...
Duncan Ross 02/03/2007
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This is a double track three span girder viaduct just north of Inverkeilor which crosses the Lunan Water. ...

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LNER HST crossing the River Lunan viaduct on 25th August 2018. ...
Duncan Ross 25/08/2018
DRS Class 66, in charge of 4A13 Intermodal service, crossing the River Lunan viaduct on 25th August 2018. ...
Duncan Ross 25/08/2018
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This was a two platform station on a double track line. When opened it was a station with a loop on a single track line. The station house was on the northbound platform and there were waiting rooms on each platform.
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Rebuilt Scot 46115 Scots Guardsman hauls the northern part of the 'Great Britain V' over the viaduct at Lunan Bay three miles south of ...
John Gray 22/04/2012
The approach road to Lunan Bay station in January 2013. Only the house remains. The white concrete gateposts look to be LNER standard. ...
Brian Taylor 30/01/2013
Looking north from the overbridge near Lunan Bay. Station House is in the trees to the left. ...
Brian Forbes 02/03/2008
A Down ScotRail service passes the spectacularly sited but long gone station at Lunan Bay in January 2013. The Station House remains, but is hidden by ...
Brian Taylor 30/01/2013
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This signal box controlled the point where the double track line became single track on the approach to Montrose from the south. This is needed as the Rossie Viaduct and South Esk Viaduct are both single track. Once north of these the line reverts to double track.
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800101, with the 14:52 Aberdeen to Newcastle, a few miles south of Montrose on 17th May 2021. ...
Duncan Ross 17/05/2021
A 1998 view of the signal box at Usan (pronounced as in ‘Susan’) at the south end of the single track section to Montrose. It was to ...
David Panton 05/08/1998
A lucky shot, as I headed away from Dunninald cemetery amid imminent rain showers, Caledonian Sleeper 73969 running LE to Aberdeen on 17th May 2021.
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Duncan Ross 17/05/2021
66425 passing the site of Usan signal box (closed in 2010) with 4A13, Grangemouth to Craiginches, on 9th July 2020.
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Duncan Ross 09/07/2020
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This is a 17 arch single track red brick viaduct. It connects Ferryden to Rossie Island crossing the southern of two outlets from Montrose Basin. Also known as Inchbraoch Viaduct. Designed by Thomas Bouch. The viaduct is 903 ft long overall and 58 ft high.
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68017 'Hornet' approaches Rossie Viaduct from the south on the 4A13 working for Craiginches yard.
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Duncan Ross 23/04/2021
Scotrail HST headed by 43031 crosses Rossie Viaduct as it nears Montrose with an Edinburgh to Aberdeen service on 24th September 2021. When ...
Malcolm Chattwood 24/09/2021
1T14. The 09:44 Aberdeen to Glasgow Queen Street crossing the Rossie viaduct as it leaves Montrose on 15th May 2021. ...
Duncan Ross 15/05/2021
Colas 70816 on 6B38 crossing Rossie Viaduct heading to Caledonia Papermill on 23rd April 2021.
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Duncan Ross 23/04/2021
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This is a single track 16 span girder viaduct crossing the northern of two channels from Montrose Basin, the southern of which has been infilled. The viaduct links Montrose, to the north, to Rossie Island.
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Class A4 60027 Merlin at Montrose on 1010 train from Edinburgh to Aberdeen, 03/04/1961. ...
David Murray-Smith 03/04/1961
An Edinburgh Waverley to Aberdeen train crosses the South Esk Viaduct. A stiff breeze was blowing and those dark clouds led to hail. ...
Ewan Crawford 24/04/2023
A portion of the South Esk Viaduct at high tide. ...
Ewan Crawford 24/04/2023
New plaques on the South Esk Viaduct. ...
John Yellowlees 29/06/2021
4 of 14 images. more


This is a two platform station. There is a modern station building on the southbound platform. There is a car park. The station is on the western edge of the town and has a view overlooking the Montrose Basin. A modern footbridge with lifts stands at the south end of the station. To provide land for the station construction a large amount of land reclamation was carried out.
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A Glasgow-bound service calls at Montrose in June 1999. The ScotRail 'branding' seems to be restricted to a single small flash under the offside ...
David Panton 25/06/1999
A GNER service for London King's Cross pulls into Montrose in October 1998. ...
David Panton 02/10/1998
66429 enters Montrose with the 1223 Grangemouth to Aberdeen service in 2015. ...
Roger Geach 18/06/2015
A grey October day at Montrose. 158703, newly arrived from Inverurie, is drawing forward and the shunting signal is clear for it to go into the ...
Mark Bartlett 25/10/2023
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This shed was on the east side of the northern end of Montrose station and approached from Montrose North Junction, north of the station, junction for Broomfield Junction and the Inverbervie branch. It was a two road shed with a water tank to its north east and turntable to the south by the buffers. The coaling shed was on its west side.
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This junction was to the north of Montrose station. This allowed trains access to Broomfield Junction and the Montrose and Bervie Railway which the North British Railway was to operate and take over.
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60163 'Tornado' speeds away from Montrose North with 'The Aberdonian' on 22 July 2021.
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Bill Roberton 22/07/2021
Montrose North box on 2 October 2019. Somewhere between a few years ago and some years ago this box subsumed Usan and Montrose South boxes yet ...
David Panton 02/10/2019
2 of 2 images.


This was a two platform station. When the line north from Arbroath to Montrose and Kinnaber Junction was opened this was the location where the line doubled, south of the station, on the approach to Kinnaber Junction. The line was later doubled.
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A Montrose to Inverurie service passes the out of use silo at Hillside. The sidings which served it are disconnected from the line. ...
Ewan Crawford 24/04/2023
This line was originally single track. This is obvious underneath bridges, the western side of this bridge is the original with an extension added to ...
Ewan Crawford 24/04/2023
A Montrose to Inverurie service approaches the site of Hillside station in a view looking east. From bottom centre to top left was the course of the ...
Ewan Crawford 24/04/2023
LNER's Aberdeen to King's Cross service approaches the site of Hillside station, north of Montrose. The disused silo is in the former goods yard of ...
Ewan Crawford 24/04/2023
4 of 4 images.


This is the famous location where the East Coast Main Line and West Coast Main Line routes met until the late 1960s.
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See also
Aberdeen Railway
Kinnaber Junction looking north. The Caledonian route is now just a line of trees and the kinks have been taken out of the remaining railway. The ...
Ewan Crawford 24/04/2023
A2 Pacific no 60507 'Highland Chieftain' brings an Edinburgh - Aberdeen train north through Kinnaber Junction on 19 July 1953. ...
G H Robin collection by courtesy of the Mitchell Library, Glasgow 19/07/1953
Kinnaber Junction signal box, as seen from the Buchan Belle railtour on 1st June 1974.
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Bill Roberton 01/06/1974
The 'Last Train to Brechin' railtour held at the outer home signal for Kinnaber Junction. It had to reverse and cross over to the Up Main to continue ...
Charlie Niven 02/05/1981
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Dens Sidings

An HST coasts into Arbroath from the north in 1996. The Baltic Works are on the right. ...
Ewan Crawford //1996
An Aberdeen-bound service passes the Dens Iron Works siding, at the north end of Arbroath, in 1987.
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Bill Roberton //1987
EWS 67 004 with the daily railhead treatment train (RHTT) nearing Arbroath station on 7 October 2009. ...
Sandy Steele 07/10/2009
DRS 68003 'Astute' heads north through Arbroath on Sunday 19th January 2015 with the Grangemouth - Aberdeen Intermodal container train. ...
Sandy Steele 19/01/2015
4 of 6 images. more







Montrose to Broomfield

This short branch connected the North British Railway owned lines to the Montrose and Bervie Railway, albeit via a very short section of Caledonian Railway owned line.

This junction was to the north of Montrose station. This allowed trains access to Broomfield Junction and the Montrose and Bervie Railway which the North British Railway was to operate and take over.
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60163 'Tornado' speeds away from Montrose North with 'The Aberdonian' on 22 July 2021.
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Bill Roberton 22/07/2021
Montrose North box on 2 October 2019. Somewhere between a few years ago and some years ago this box subsumed Usan and Montrose South boxes yet ...
David Panton 02/10/2019
2 of 2 images.


This was the junction between the branch from Dubton to Montrose [CR] of the Aberdeen Railway and the later Montrose and Bervie Railway.
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See also
Aberdeen Railway
Montrose and Bervie Railway
View south over Broomfield Junction. The first line, the Montrose branch (1848) of the Aberdeen Railway, ran from bottom right and over a level ...
Ewan Crawford 24/04/2023
Looking North at the former site of Broomfield Junction. ...
Ewan Crawford //
64615 at Broomfield Junction with the 1960 RCTS/SLS Joint Scottish Tour. To the left is the line to Dubton, the train is coming off the Bervie line ...
WA Camwell (Copyright Stephenson Locomotive Society) 16/06/1960
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