Forfar North Junction
Location type
JunctionNames and dates
Forfar Junction (1848-1870)Forfar Junction (1870-1895)
Forfar North Junction (1895-1967)
Forfar North Junction (1967-1982)
Opened on the Arbroath and Forfar Railway.
Opened on the Dundee and Forfar Direct Railway.
Opened on the Scottish Midland Junction Railway.
Description
At Forfar North Junction the routes west to Forfar [1st] (Playfield) and Perth diverged and the routes east to Aberdeen and Broughty Ferry diverged. The Arbroath and Forfar Railway (arriving here in 1839), Scottish Midland Junction Railway (1848) and Dundee and Forfar Direct Railway (1870) met here.
Junction formed
On the opening of the Scottish Midland Junction Railway through Forfar [2nd] station, Forfar Playfield was left on a short branch as a goods depot. A signal box opened with the junction. This was located on the north side of the junction.Direct line
The direct line to Broughty Ferry changed the location into a four way junction.Renamed
The junction was renamed on creation of Forfar South Junction, west of Forfar [2nd], when the Forfar and Brechin Railway opened in 1895.Closure
After closure of the Broughty Ferry line (south to Kingsmuir closed in 1958) and the later closure of the main line north east to Bridge of Dun (in 1967) the junction gave access to the extensive goods yard and, until its closure, Forfar (Playfield). The signal box closed in 1967 with the line to Bridge of Dun and the line from Stanley Junction was worked 'one engine in steam'. The line remained open here as a headshunt for the goods yards. The Playfield branch closed in 1979 and the line closed in 1982.Today
The cutting the junction was formed in has been infilled for housing, road overbridge removed and the goods yard and main line to the west are redeveloped as an industrial estate and housing. Little remains to trace the route to either station. Both lines to the east can be found.Tags
Junction
| Nearby stations Forfar [2nd] Forfar (Playfield) Clocksbriggs Kingsmuir Kirriemuir Junction Justinhaugh Tannadice Auldbar Road Kirriemuir Kirkbuddo Glammis [1st] Glamis Guthrie Careston Carmyllie | Forfar Shed [2nd] Forfar Shed [1st] Forfar Gasworks Station Linen Works Canmore Jute Works Forfar South Junction Turfbeg Road Bridge Clocksbriggs Oil Depot Clocksbriggs Oil Sidings Tourist/other Whitehills Level Crossing Restenneth Priory Bowman^s Level Crossing Loch of Forfar Clocksbriggs House Reswallie House |
| Location names in dark blue are on the same original line. | |
Chronology Dates
| 10/01/1955 | Dundee and Forfar Direct Railway (Caledonian Railway) Forfar [2nd] (Forfar North Junction) to Dundee East (Broughty Junction) closed to passengers. |
| 08/12/1958 | Dundee and Forfar Direct Railway (Caledonian Railway) Forfar North Junction (excluded) to Kingsmuir (excluded) closed to goods. The line becomes a long goods branch from Broughty Junction to Kingsmuir. |
| 04/09/1967 | Aberdeen RailwayArbroath and Forfar Railway Forfar North Junction (excluded) to Bridge of Dun (excluded) closed to all traffic. |
| 31/10/1979 | Arbroath and Forfar Railway Forfar North Junction to Forfar [1st] (Playfield) closed to goods and competely. |
| 05/06/1982 | Scottish Midland Junction Railway Line closed between Stanley Junction (excluded) and the former Forfar North Junction. On the last day two passenger trains "Forfar Farewell" are run. Some days later a freight may have run to recover wagons still on the line. |
