Arbroath

Location type

Station

Names and dates

Arbroath Junction (1848-1855)
Arbroath (1855-)

Station code: ARB National Rail ScotRail
Where: Angus, Scotland
Opened on the Junction Line (Dundee and Arbroath Railway).
Open on the Dundee to Aberdeen.

Description

This is a three platform station, with two active platforms on either side of the double track in use. The station buildings remain on the platforms, with canopies, and the booking office is on the Keptie Street overbridge. The station was rebuilt and enlarged in 1911 when it was jointly Caledonian Railway and North British Railway.

The third platform face was used for local services, such as to Forfar [2nd].

This station was opened immediately to the west of Arbroath (Catherine Street) station, the original terminus of the Arbroath and Forfar Railway, and the harbour branch. It was built on a line from the west of Arbroath by the Dundee and Arbroath Railway. The goods yard on the west side of the station was built by the Dundee and Arbroath Railway. It replaced Arbroath (Lady Loan) which was to the west of the harbour (that original terminus and approach line were abandoned). The Aberdeen Railway, who came to operate the Arbroath and Forfar Railway, used the station on opening and Arbroath (Catherine Street) closed to passengers. A good sheds were on the east side of the new station - one alongside the new station being new and to the east was former Catherine Street station - forming the Arbroath and Forfar Railway company's goods station.

The Dundee and Arbroath Railway had a small single road locomotive shed immediately west of the station and on the north side of the line. It was approached by reversal from the goods yard over the turntable into the shed.

A temporary station opened with the line in 1848, known as Arbroath Joint or Arbroath Junction. The permanent station opened in 1858.

The station was rebuilt in 1911 by the North British Railway and Caledonian Railway, the station and line being jointly owned by that time. The new station was on broadly the same plan but with longer platforms and larger buildings. Platforms are canopied and the main station building is on Keptie Street.

'Arbroath South' box was on the south western approach to the station. It was on the south east side of the line.

The south box closed in 1971, leading to Arbroath North Signal Box being renamed simply 'Arbroath'. The connection of the south end of the Forfar platform line / goods line to the main line was taken out, being retained as a headshunt accessed from the north for the goods yard.

Until 2008 the Arbroath Goods shed survived, a very good example of an old goods shed. It is speculated this may have been the locomotive shed, however this was in the cutting south of the station on the west side.

Arbroath Signal Box, to the north of the station at the Wellgate, is 'B' listed. It is a cantilevered box overhanging the railway.

A lattice footbridge remains here on the south side of the level crossing.

Local

Arbroath Abbey

Kerr's Miniature Railway

Tags

Station

Aliases

Arbroath Joint

External links

Canmore site record
NLS Collection OS map of 1892-1914
NLS Collection OS map of 1944-67
NLS Map
NLS Map
12/08/2021

Facilities

Gaelic name: Obar Bhrothaig




Chronology Dates

  /  /1846Dundee and Arbroath Railway
Arbroath and Forfar Railway
Junction Line (Dundee and Arbroath Railway)
Authorisation of a new D&A owned curve to link the Arbroath and Forfar Railway (at Almeriecloss) and Dundee and Arbroath Railway (at Geordie's Burn) with a new Arbroath Junction station. Also allows for abandonment of the Dundee and Arbroath Railway's terminus Arbroath (Lady Loan).
01/02/1848Arbroath and Forfar Railway
Arbroath (Catherine Street) closed to passengers, replaced by the nearby Arbroath Junction station on the new link line. The station remains in use as a goods yard.
01/02/1848Dundee and Arbroath Railway Arbroath and Forfar Railway Junction Line (Dundee and Arbroath Railway)
New D&A owned curve to linking the Arbroath and Forfar Railway (at Almeriecloss) and Dundee and Arbroath Railway (at Geordie's Burn) opened. The curve includes the new Arbroath Junction station.
14/12/1858Junction Line (Dundee and Arbroath Railway)
Permanent Arbroath Junction station opened.
  /  /1860Dundee and Arbroath Railway
Broughty Ferry Shed and works closed and transferred to Arbroath.
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.
28/12/1906Dundee and Arbroath Railway
A North British Railway express which had been travelling from Edinburgh Waverley to Aberdeen Joint is blocked by snow at Arbroath and returns south. It strikes a local Caledonian Railway Arbroath to Dundee East train at Elliot Junction in a blizzard killing 22 passengers.
  /  /1911Dundee and Arbroath Railway
Rebuilding of Arbroath station complete. (Caledonian Railway authorised to buy land in 1900 and North British Railway in 1907.)
23/06/1935Kerr's Miniature Railway
Line established at the West Links, Arbroath, by Matthew Kerr (Senior).
05/12/1955Arbroath and Forfar Railway
Arbroath to Forfar [2nd] local passenger trains withdrawn. Colliston, Leysmill, Friockheim, Guthrie, Clocksbriggs stations closed. St Vigeans Junction to Guthrie Junction closed to passengers.

News items

19/09/2023Old Arbroath road train makes tracks for new home at Caley Railway in Brechin [The Courier]
23/06/2023Aberdeen to Dundee trains disrupted by signalling fault in Arbroath [Press and Journal]
13/06/2023Kerr's Miniature Railway: Ride the rails and remember Arbroath attraction [The Courier]
05/06/2023New Dundee and Arbroath Railway book carries with it stunning pictures from rails glorious past [The Courier]
10/03/2023Trains disrupted between Dundee and Arbroath due to broken track [The Courier]
12/12/2022Trains cancelled or delayed due to signalling fault at Arbroath [The Courier]
18/11/2022Heavy rain and flooding brings travel disruption [BBC News]
18/11/202212 pictures as amber weather warning extended as flooding causes chaos across Scotland [Scotsman]
02/09/2022Network Rail steps up works across the North East [Network Rail]
25/03/2022Network Rail east coast main line works leave trail of destruction at former Arbroath miniature railway [The Courier]