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Description

This is a three platform station on the Helensburgh, Balloch and West Highland Railway lines. The station consists of two island platforms (the northernmost eastbound face is currently out of use with the trackbed overgrown) with a permanent way yard in the sidings at the east end of the station, south side of the line. The station is above street level, the side walls bordering Station Road (south) and Bankend Road (north) are topped with castellations, no doubt due to the nearby Dumbarton Castle. The south wall, at its west end, had the dropping ramp of a goods line to the former Leven Engine Works.

The main entrance, leading to steps, was under the Church Street over bridge. It is now via the side entrances on Station and Bankend roads which lead to a subway and entry ramp. Platform level buildings carry canopies covering the platforms. With the loss of the building at stations along the largely closed former Lanarkshire and Dumbartonshire Railway the buildings here are the best indication of their style.

This was a originally a two platform station on a small site atop an embankment between the town and an offshoot of the River Leven to the north. The small station was to be equipped with a standard North British Railway building on the eastbound platform. Astonishingly, given the level of shipbuilding industry in the town, there was almost no goods yard, just two sidings; one to a small single road goods shed and another to a small coal yard.

The station was rebuilt into a four platform station when in 1896 it became part of the Dumbarton and Balloch Joint Railway (Caledonian Railway, Lanarkshire and Dumbartonshire Railway and North British Railway Joint). The northern island was built first. It was rebuilt and enlarged and provided with Caledonian Railway style buildings.

To the south is a goods bypass line for the station. This had a connection to the nearby Leven Engine Works which dropped down at the west end of the station to road level.

The station was built on the already largely obliterated site of St Mary's Collegiate Church, the only remains parts of which are an arch in the garden of the nearby Dumbarton Municipal Buildings, a stone at the library and probably re-used stones in the Glencairn Greit Tenement. This explains why the road to the station from the town was College Street. The station site was bounded to the north by water, now reclaimed land.

To the west are the Leven Viaduct [Dumbarton] and Dalreoch station. To the east was Dumbarton East Junction.

The Armed Forces Veterans Association, Dumbarton is based in the westbound platforms' station building.

The Coffee Station was based in the eastbound platform station building.

For many years the railway displayed 'Dunbarton' on the platform, a great source of irritation as it refers to the district not the town. With the arrival of the Caledonian Railway's Lanarkshire and Dumbartonshire Railway from the east and subsequent rebuilding this was finally remedied.

The station has had five signal boxes. The first of these opened in 1882 and closed in 1898 during the reconstruction of the station. It was at the east end of the station on the north side of the line.

This box was replaced with three boxes. Dumbarton West was on the south side of the line at the west end of the station. Dumbarton Central was at the east end of the station and on the north side of the line (close to the original box). Dumbarton East was at Dumbarton East Junction, a little way to the east of the station. This was located on the north side of the line by Dumbarton Rope Works.

In 1960 a new panel box opened at the east end of the station. This still stands, looking out over the line from the north side. This box replaced Dumbarton Goods Junction and Leven Shipyard Junction in 1960 and Dalreoch Junction, Dumbarton West, Dumbarton Central and Dumbarton East boxes in 1961.

This box closed with the Yoker Resignalling Scheme. The station has been under control of Yoker Signalling Centre since 1991.

Local

The Denny Tank Museum is south of the station, at the east end of the Dumbarton town centre.

Dumbarton East is closer to Dumbarton Castle than Dumbarton Central is.

National Cycle Route 7 passes through under the station. To the east this route uses quiet roads, cycle-tracks and closed portions of the Caledonian and Dumbartonshire Junction Railway and the Lanarkshire and Dumbartonshire Railway to reach Glasgow. To the west the route crosses the old Dumbarton Bridge and follows the west bank of the River Leven to reach Balloch.

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