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This line runs from Greenhill to Stirling (an area which had mining and farming) and on to Perth (through an area of mostly farming).

Chronology 

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Description of route

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From Greenhill to Perth. The line joined the Caledonian Railway and the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway at Greenhill, the Scotland Midland Junction Railway, Dundee and Perth Railway at Perth. 

Here the line joins the former Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway (see page for photographs) at a west facing junction.

The line is joined by the Castlecary Branch of the Caledonian Railway here.

This was a large station, located at Greenhill Lower Junction, with a number of platforms. It was located under a girder road bridge and had a platform for the Bonnybridge Branch. There were also Brickworks and Creosote works here which were rail served.

This is a west facing junction. Here a spur of the Stirlingshire Midland Junction Railway meets the line, this is a 'newer' spur; the one facing north at Larbert Junction was the original. Formerly a spur of the Denny Branch (Caledonian Railway) met the line here also. A signalbox remains open here.

To the south of the junction the line passes under the Forth and Clyde Canal in a twin-bore tunnel. This tunnel had a rockfall in 2003.

At this junction the Stirlingshire Midland Junction Railway line from Edinburgh via Falkirk meets the Scottish Central Railway route from Greenhill. A signalbox remains here with a fine series of signals. The junction also included a spur of the Denny Branch (Caledonian Railway) which ran west from here.

The tracks through the station were once quadrupled but are presently double track with a large gap between the tracks. Refuge loops exist to the north of the station. There is a signalbox on the east side of the line to the north of the station and to the west a grain depot which is served by sidings which are presently out of use. To the south of the station were bay platforms for services to Denny, Grangemouth and elsewhere.

The refuge tracks to the north were often used in the 1980s by Menstrie trains which were looped here to allow passenger trains to pass.

Larbert was the starting point for the troop train involved in the crash at Quintinshill and there is a memorial plaque here.

This was a south facing junction with the South Alloa Branch (Scottish Central Railway). The site has been partly obliterated by later motorway construction.

A very tall (to see over a road bridge over the railway) signalbox remains here called 'Plean Junction'. This was a north facing junction for a line which ran west to various collieries. A disused siding for a timber company remains here. The signalbox has recently been renovated and extended giving it a slightly odd appearance. For its safety CCTV has also been fitted facing the nearby roadbridge.

There was a station immediately to the south of the box called 'Plean'. Some buildings from this remain. To the north of the roadbridge the remains of the goods yard can be seen.

This was a south facing junction. This view show Polmaise Junction looking towards Stirling. The hill in the background has Stirling Castle on it. The Polmaise Colliery branch led off the the right from here. The signalbox at this location has been demolished.

This colliery is now closed and demolished. The colliery was located at the end of a short branch from Polmaise Junction. 

This was a two platform station. The site of the closed station has now been separated from the town by a new main road.

The Scottish Central Railway's shed was to the south of the station and goods yard and to the east of the line. There is a bridge over the line here which affords a good view of the line. There wer substancial sidings on the west side of the line the site of which are now taken up with industrial units and the Stirling Town Centre bypass road which dives under the approach to the passenger station.

The sidings at the former depot have been re-laid and are now the only freight sidings at the station. They remain out of use. To the north of the sidings is Stirling Middle Signalbox. To the south of the road overbridge was Stirling South Signalbox.

Stirling boasts a very fine station. The western part of the station, the original part, was used by the Caledonian Railway and the eastern part by the North British Railway. The station has a four through platforms and a number of bay platforms which serve the line in both the northern and southern directions. The bay platforms at the north end have little use these days (and were reduced in number in the 1990s) but may see some use if the Stirling and Dunfermline Railway is re-opened to passengers as far as Alloa.

To the east of the passenger station was the goods station. By the 1980s much of this was in use as a 'dirt carpark'. By the 2000s it has been removed in preparation for a new road and Forthside development.

The Stirling Barracks and military vehicle workshops at Forthside were rail served until the 1980s but this has been cut back.

To the north of Stirling station was the south facing junction between the Scottish Central Railway and the Forth and Clyde Junction Railway (closed and lifted) and the Stirling and Dunfermline Railway (closed but track still present).

The line was crossed by Forth Road on the level originally, but this was replaced by a road bridge which affords a good view of Stirling North signalbox, the junction and the station.

The North British Railway had its Forth locomotive sheds and goods depot here.

This is a two platform station with park and ride facilities. It was opened to the south of the former station which closed many years previously.

This two platform station was to the north of the roadbridge north of today's Bridge of Allan station. It had canopies over the platforms.

This ia a three platform station. Dunblane is both a through station for service running north to Perth and a terminus for local services from Glasgow, Edinburgh and Newcraighall. The former goods yard is now a park and ride carpark and the south signalbox has been demolished, but the original station building and a typical Caledonian Railway footbridge remain here. Dunblane (North) signalbox remains open. Trains terminating here use the outside face of the island platform and then draw forward to the signalbox to await the mainline being clear, they then drop back into the main southbound platform.

This is a south facing junction at the north end of Dunblane station. Today is a junction for a short siding used to stable track maintenance machines, formerly it was for the double track Dunblane, Doune and Callander Railway which run east to Callander and was extended to Oban. The branch was singled before closure.

This was a two platform station. To the south, at Ashfield, the line formerly ran in a tunnel which was opened out.

This halt served a nearby loch which was used for Bonspiel (curling) contests.

The station at Greenloaning is closed, but its fine building (now a house) signalbox, passing loops (one on either side of the line) and semaphore signals remain intact.

This was a two platform station by a level crossing. A short section of platform, a station building, sidings and a signalbox remain here.

This is a fine station which was once the junction for Crieff via the Crieff Junction Railway. The two main platforms are still in use, the branch platform is out of use. The trackbed for the branch and the former goods yard now form a carpark for the station. A pick up service for Gleneagles Hotel (contruction of the Hotel was started by the Caledonian Railway) operates.

This station was in the 'V' of the junction between the Scottish Central Railway and the Crieff Junction Railway. It had two platforms on each of the lines. Graham Langmuir recollected being in a train at this station when the 'new' Gleneagles station was under construction right next to it. After the station was replaced the junction was slightly remodelled.

This was a two platform station. The station building was demolised in the 1980s but the signalbox remains. The signalbox is often 'switched out' and controls a siding.

This was a two platform station. A British Railways signalbox existed here until the late 1990s.

This was a two platform station by a level crossing. The station building remains as a house.

This was a two platform station. Immediately to its east is a long viaduct.

This is a north facing junction where the Edinburgh and Northern Railway meets the line. There is a signalbox in the 'v' of the junction. Immediately to the north the line runs through the Moncrieff Tunnel.

There was a south facing junction for a line which ran to the harbour, and a north facing junction for a line which ran to Perth Prison. Both are now lifted.

The Caledonian Railway's large locomotive shed (and formerly works in Scottish Central Railway days) existed to the west of the line. This gained a large coal depot hopper in LMS days.

To the north of the main locomotive shed were these works.

To the south of the station, and west side of the line were the North British Railway's locomotive sheds. Here also the goods avoiding line (which runs round the west side of the station) started and the Dundee and Inverness/Aberdeen routes split. The site of the locomotive sheds is now occupied by Perth's signal centre which replaced a number of local signaboxes in the 1950s.

There was a ticket platform immediately south of the main station, probably by the North British Locomotive Sheds.

This station was formerly known as Perth General. It was a joint station. Other companies with physical connections to the station were the Scotland Midland Junction Railway and the Dundee and Perth Railway. The North British Railway had running powers from Hilton Junction and the Highland Railway had running powers from Stanley Junction. 

This view looks south from under the remaining part of the overall roof. The original layout of the station was similar to Carlisle Citadel, but with extra platforms (the Dundee platforms) at the South end. The main part of the station is only used for Inverness trains and local services to Edinburgh and Glasgow. Formerly it was possible to catch a train from here to other locations such as Forfar, Coupar Angus, Crieff, Methven and Kinross. Today the trains to Aberdeen must use the Dundee platforms only - the main line through Forfar (Scotland Midland Junction Railway) has closed. The station roof was cut back in the late 1960s.