Friarton Junction

Location type

Junction

Name and dates

Friarton Junction (1853-1968)

Opened on the Scottish Central Railway.

Description

This junction was in the south of Perth, just north of Moncrieffe Tunnel. The branch for Perth Harbour branches off from the main line here, running north east to a headshunt by the River Tay.

Perth South Shed was on the west side of the line to the north of the junction. This shed was originally approached from the north, from Edinburgh Road Bridge Signal Box, with later looped lines on the west side of the main line, east side of the shed. The shed was relocated a little to the south in 1937.

On the east side of the main line was Friarton Yard which was served at its south end from the harbour branch. The yard was built on a site which originally had coke ovens.

By reversal from the harbour branch and yard a branch south and east to alongside the River Tay served the gas works and manure siding.

The signal box was on the east side of the line, running round the rear of the box was the branch to the gas works. This box was provided during the great rebuilding of Perth in 1886 and replaced an earlier box.

There was a level crossing here immediately to the south of the junction and signal box. Also on the east side, and south of the road, was a crossing keeper's cottage of great age.

To the south of the level crossing and north of the tunnel was Moncrieffe Siding, serving a public loading bank on the east side of the line and approached from the south.

The level crossing was stopped up in advance of the closure of the signal box in 1962 during the Perth Resignalling, replaced by Perth Power Box. The crossing was replaced by a foot bridge. Also in 1962 Perth New Yard replaced Friarton Yard which survived until the 1990s as a lime depot. The harbour branch approach was altered during these works so that it could only be reached by reversing into the gas works sidings from the remains of the yard and then reversing. The branch closed in 1968. The Friarton loading bank line to the south was lifted.

The shed closed in 1967 and a single northbound slow goods line survived by the main line opposite the remains of the yard. This was disused in the later 1990s.

The footbridge still survives but there is no junction here today and no sidings have survived, it is simply a double track line.

Tags

Junction
06/09/2019




Books


A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain: The North of Scotland v. 15 (Regional railway history series)

An Illustrated History of Tayside's Railways

Bradshaw's Guides Scotlands Railways West Coast - Carlisle to Inverness: 5

Scottish Central Railway (Oakwood Library of Railway History)