Camperdown Junction

Location type

Junction

Name and dates

Camperdown Junction (1878-)

Station code: National Rail
Opened on the Tay Bridge and Associated Lines (North British Railway).
Opened on the Trades Lane and Carolina Port Railway.

Description

This junction was east of Dock Street Tunnel, Dundee. It was the junction between the Dundee to Arbroath line and the later lines opened with the Tay Bridge.

The westernmost part of the Dundee and Arbroath Railway was actually built by the Trades Lane and Carolina Port Railway in 1840. Its Dundee terminus was at Dundee Trades Lane which was replaced with Dundee East in 1857. There was a level crossing immediately to the east of the station where the lines to the passenger station (south) and goods station (north) divided. To the south, and alongside the docks, was a street tramway/railway of the Dundee Harbour Trustees with which there was a connection.

This system of lines was chiefly Caledonian Railway owned by 1866.

In 1878, in connection with the opening of the Tay Bridge [1st], the North British Railway opened a line connecting to their bridge and also running from Buckingham Junction to Tay Bridge [Station] (now Dundee) station and on to the Dock Street Tunnel, making its connection east of Dundee East station at Camperdown Junction. This provided the first proper west to east railway connection through the city. As a result Dundee East was left on a short branch.

The NBR had previously arranged for running powers over the Dundee and Arbroath Railway, in advance in 1870. Now, with the opening of the bridge the Dundee and Arbroath Railway came into joint Caledonian Railway and North British Railway ownership, this being completed in 1880.

Camperdown Junction box opened in 1878. It was located over the westbound line to the east of the level crossing.

This box was replaced in 1903 with a much larger building. This was on the north side of the junction and west side of the level crossing. With expansion of this box in 1939 it replaced three boxes (from west to east):
- Dundee East (to the west at the station)
- Camperdown Junction
- Dundee East No 2 Gates (to the east where the Dundee East End Mineral Depot lines made a trailing connection)

The direct route from Broughty Ferry to Forfar [2nd] closed to passengers in 1955 and Dundee East closed in 1959.

With closure of the Strathmore Main Line in 1967 all Aberdeen traffic was transferred to the Dundee route.

Dundee East remained as sidings and a loop (which formerly led to the street tramway/railway to Dundee West to serve a concrete depot.

Camperdown box closed in 1985, replaced by the Dundee Signalling Centre.

The Camperdown level crossing has been stopped up. (Around 2010?)

Tags

Junction




Nearby stations
Dundee East
Dundee Trades Lane
Roodyards
Dundee West
Dundee
Dundee Ward Road
Offset at Back of Law
Dundee Esplanade
Crossroads
Stannergate
Magdalen Green
Newport-on-Tay East
Craigie
Lochee
Newport-on-Tay West
Dundee East Shed
Dundee Camperdown Dock
Dundee East End Mineral Depot
Dundee Gas Works
Dundee Victoria Dock
Britannia Engineering Works [Dundee]
Dundee Foundry
Camperdown Shipybuilding Yard
Panmuir Shipyard
Camperdown Saw Mills and timber Yard
Tay Foundry [1st]
Dundee King George V Wharf
Caledon Boiler Shop
Tourist/other
HM Frigate Unicorn
Carolina Port Signal Box
Location names in dark blue are on the same original line.


Chronology Dates

  /  /1870Caledonian Railway
Caledonian Railway gains running powers over the Dundee Harbour Trustees lines between Buckingham Junction (Dundee and Perth Railway) and Camperdown Junction (Trades Lane and Carolina Port Railway).
15/07/1870Tay Bridge and Associated Lines (North British Railway)
Tay Bridge [1st], Dundee Tay Bridge [Station] and line from Leuchars to Dundee authorised. Dundee's Dock Street Tunnel authorised. Running power access authorised for the Caledonian Railway between Buckingham Junction and Camperdown Junction.
01/06/1878Tay Bridge and Associated Lines (North British Railway)
Public opening of bridge and line between Camperdown Junction, Dundee (Tay Bridge) station and Leuchars. The Tay Bridge [1st] was single track and the other part of the line double. The bridge had signal boxes at either end. The engineer for the line was Thomas Bouch, knighted after Queen Victoria travelled over the bridge.
01/02/1880Dundee and Arbroath Joint Railway Caledonian Railway North British Railway
Dundee and Arbroath Joint Railway authorised (Caledonian Railway and North British Railway). This involved the bulk of the former Dundee and Arbroath Railway between Camperdown Junction and near Arbroath station and a short portion of the Arbroath and Forfar Railway as far as St Vigeans Junction. This followed the opening of the Tay Bridge [1st] in 1878 and the impending opening of the North British, Arbroath and Montrose Railway of 1880.
  /  /1884Dundee Suburban Railway
Agreement for operation with the Caledonian Railway and North British Railway. The line was to have run east from south of Fairmuir Junction past the north side of Dundee Law to turn south beyond the Eastern Necropolis and join the line near Camperdown Junction creating a loop via Dundee Tay Bridge [Station]. Stations were proposed at Kings Cross Road, Coldside, Maryfield and Craigie. A number of lines following a similar course were proposed, none were built.
05/01/1959Trades Lane and Carolina Port Railway
Dundee and Arbroath Railway
Dundee East to Camperdown Junction closed to passengers.

Books


An Illustrated History of Tayside's Railways