Dundee East Railway Station was left to crumble before demolition in 1964.
The building in its pomp was quite the sight and was opened as ‘Dock Street’ station in December 1857 as the terminus of the Dundee and Arbroath Joint Railway.
It was renamed Dundee East the following year and this was to be the starting point for the direct line to Forfar when it was eventually built.
It had once been a very busy station especially during the summer with passengers flocking to it for excursions to places like Arbroath and Carnoustie.
However, all was not well after the Second World War.
Falling passenger use led to Dundee East being closed in January 1959 and the disused tracks became overgrown with weeds and plants.
Dundee East was demolished without ceremony in 1964.
The site is now a car showroom and only the sidings remain.
Did you know the city actually once had four railway stations?
The first was the original terminus of the line from Newtyle on Ward Road although nothing remains of it and it’s now the British Telecom building.
As for the others?
Dundee West stood opposite where the Malmaison hotel is today, virtually sharing the site with Tay Bridge Station, which operated at the same time.
Dundee West closed in May 1965 and was demolished in April 1966 for the construction of approach roads to the new Tay Road Bridge.
Tay Bridge Station was renamed Dundee and remains today.
Local historian Dr Kenneth Baxter from Dundee University said: “The station that is remembered as Dundee East was opened by the Dundee and Arbroath Railway in 1857, replacing an earlier station located nearby and sometimes referred to by historians as Trades Lane, though it was also called the East Station.
“The station at Trades Lane opened in 1840 and was the first proper western terminus of the railway, replacing earlier temporary terminuses to the east of the town.
“In actual fact as early as 1848, the old terminus was being called Dundee (East Station) in newspaper adverts for the Dundee and Perth and Aberdeen Railway Company’s services. The line would eventually become a joint-railway, operated by the Caledonian and North British Railways and their successors the LMS and the LNER.”
Dr Baxter said Dundee East was “quite small and spartan”.
It would later be eclipsed by the Caledonian’s Dundee West and the North British’s Tay Bridge Station, which were much larger and handled much more traffic.
He said: “In comparison to the grand Dundee West it was not much to look at, although the station-end originally featured some pleasant ironwork, and a later makeover gave it an interesting art-deco style appearance.
“In 1903 it was reported that electric lighting was to be installed in the station which was considered rather badly lit.
“Sliding iron gates for the collection of tickets were introduced in 1925 replacing wooden barriers and gates.
“Dundee East’s life blood throughout its existence was the local service to Arbroath, which attracted some commuter traffic, especially from Broughty Ferry.
“It also benefited greatly from traffic during the holidays as Dundonians’ flocked to Broughty Ferry, Carnoustie and Arbroath.
“It was also the terminus of the Dundee and Forfar direct line, which also brought suburban traffic from Barnhill as well as trains from Brechin and Kirriemuir.”
Competition for the railway
However having three stations close together was recognised as being an issue and in the 19th century various schemes for a central or general station were mooted.
A new electric tram route from the centre of Dundee via Broughty Ferry to Monifieth opening at the end of 1905 brought competition for the railway.
In 1927 it was reported that serious consideration was given to closing Dundee East and running the local Arbroath trains through Tay Bridge and either on to Tayport or Perth.
Dr Baxter said: “By the 1950s Dundee East was in an unenviable position.
“The closure of the Dundee to Forfar line to passengers in 1955 meant the number of services it offered were reduced and the remaining Arbroath services could be handled easily enough by Tay Bridge.
“Given this it is somewhat surprising that it managed to last as long as it did.”
Iain Flett of the Friends of Dundee City Archives gave his own take on the station.
“Dundee East Station was the second oldest in Dundee.
“The first, and first passenger line in the north of Scotland, was the Dundee to Newtyle line which was opened in 1838.
“Some Dundonians will remember the small steam pug engines which used to push and shunt coal trucks and the like.
“The line to the south of what is now Arnold Clark garage can still be seen over the gate.
“I have spoken to pensioners who recall the days of when a train could be hired, like a bus today, for a rail outing and remembered leaving East Station on Sunday School trips and the like.”
Dundee West and Dundee East were not close together and the trek was 20 minutes but not if you were elderly or laden with luggage!
Mr Flett said: “I recall the much-missed Innes Duffus telling me from his early taxi driving days that that was the worst fare you could hope for – an excited visitor to Dundee hailing you from Dundee East/West and then urgently asking to be taken to Dundee West/East!”
Sadly both stations have since vanished off the map.
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Death of a rail station: Dundee West was lost to the city forever in 1966
The end of the line for the Bervie to Montrose passenger train 70 years ago
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