Doune

Location type

Station

Name and dates

Doune (1858-1965)

Opened on the Dunblane, Doune and Callander Railway.

Description

This was the intermediate station on the line between Dunblane and Callander [1st]. The station was in the north west of the village.

The original station had two platforms with a loop. The main building was on the westbound platform. There was a goods shed at the east end, approached from the east and on the south side of the line, and a goods yard at the west end, south of the line and approached from the west.

The layout remained unaltered for some time. Two signal boxes were added, the west box north of the line and east box south of the line.

The station was completely rebuilt in 1902 and considerably enlarged. A wide and long island platform with station building with large canopies, a covered footbridge connecting to the ticket office at the entrance on the village (south) side of the station. A lattice footbridge was built to its east, crossing the line at the east end of the island platform. Styling of the platform building was similar to others of a similar era, such as Dumbarton Central. There was a goods loop on the north side, north of the eastbound platform line. The east end of the station was crossed by a footbridge. A screen wall running along the south side of the station bore, as Jack Kernahan put it, 'an engine of rather obscure origin cut in the ivy'.

The goods yard was also enlarged and a new goods shed erected at the west end.

In addition the line east to Dunblane was doubled. The signal boxes at Doune were replaced with buildings in similar positions.

The new east box closed in 1955 when the line to Dunblane was singled (the westbound line was lifted east of Doune to Dunblane). The west box remained in use. The station, box and line closed in 1965.

The site remained unused until the 1990s. The broad island platform, loading banks and goods shed remained.

The site is now housing, although the C listed station house, which was by the footbridge, still stands. A very short portion of the east end of the island platform remained until 2018, it is now the drop off area for the Doune Health Centra. A short portion of retaining wall remains at the west end, within a garden.

Coaches ran to Thornhill, to the south.

Local

Doune Castle

Tags

Station




Chronology Dates

01/07/1858Dunblane, Doune and Callander Railway
Line opened from Dunblane to Callander [1st]. Stations opened at Doune and Callander [1st].
31/08/1893Dunblane, Doune and Callander Railway
Drumvaich Crossing opened between Doune and Callander and Oban Junction.
  /  /1896Dunblane, Doune and Callander Railway
Authorisation to enlarge and rebuild Doune station.
  /  /1899Dunblane, Doune and Callander Railway
Doubling authorised. (Double track only reached Doune from Dunblane.)
  /  /1902Dunblane, Doune and Callander Railway
Further alteration to Doune station authorised.
09/06/1902Dunblane, Doune and Callander Railway
Doubled section between Dunblane and Doune opened. West and East signal boxes at Doune and Dunblane North box at Dunblane Junction replaced. Doune rebuilt as an island platform station.
30/10/1955Dunblane, Doune and Callander Railway
Doune to Dunblane singled. Between Dunblane and Springbank Mill Siding the westbound line was lifted, and the line slewed at Stockbridge to the west with the eastbound line lifted between there and Doune.
01/11/1965Dunblane, Doune and Callander Railway
Callander Dreadnought to Dunblane (Springbank Mill Siding, excluded) closed to passengers and completely. Doune station closed.

Books


Scotland’s Lost Branch Lines: Where Beeching Got It Wrong