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This junction had a very chequered history - opening and re-closing several times. This junction was between the 1848 Aberdeen Railway and the Forfar to Arbroath line (the 1839 Arbroath and Forfar Railway). The junction allowed trains to run from Dundee East and Arbroath to Aberdeen. Both lines meeting at the junction were double track. Catchpoints on the Forfar route protected the junction and line to Arbroath from runaways.

The route through Dundee was not continuous, there was no passenger connection between Dundee West and Dundee East meaning that the main route to the north was via Forfar [2nd] (initially it was very poor through Arbroath too). As a result fewer trains used this junction to go north and the majority of trains from Arbroath travelled to Forfar [2nd].

With the the opening of the Tay Bridge [1st] (1878-1879) the curve re-opened again to carry traffic to the north. It remained open after the bridge fell. A signal box opened on the west side of the junction in 1878.

The route north from Arbroath was effectively replaced on the opening of the North British, Arbroath and Montrose Railway between 1881 and 1883 which was built in connection with the opening of the Tay Bridge (and its replacement of 1887). This took away what little local traffic there was between Arbroath and Montrose. The opening of that line was also the death knell for the main line Forfar [2nd] route many years later as the gap in Dundee was finally closed with the opening of the Dundee's Tay Bridge [Station].

The junction and curve lasted until 1908. The box lasted until 1917.

Twenty years after closure of the junction the remaining line was singled (southbound line lifted in 1936) and then closed completely in 1965.

Friockheim station was on the route west to Forfar [2nd], the Friockheim Viaduct was on the line north to Glasterlaw Junction and to the south was Legaston Quarry, Border Quarry and Leysmill station.

The formation of the junction and the location of the box can still be discerned in the undergrowth. Infilling of the cutting in recent years has raised the ground level considerably but the site can still be found.

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