FAIRMUIR JUNCTION TO MARYFIELD GOOD LINE
Fair Muir Junction was to the
north of Lochee on the north side of Cleppington Road, which the goods
branch
paralleled to Maryfield Goods Yard. Dundee's two main goods
yards were high above and to the eastern edge
of the City. You can just make out the tracery of the incline railway,
passing west of King's Cross Fever Hospital
and running northwards to Balgray Road.
A Flash Earth view of Fairmuir Junction during clearance
for the new shopping precinct. The Cleppington Road bridge is at
bottom center, The Kingsway overbridge where the old & new lines met
is at top right. The Crossroads station site
(on the old line) is on the far right, with Fairmuir Goods yard
and the Fairfield goods line extension going off top right.
CINE FILM (Video) SCREEN GRABS
Left: Strathmore Road/Harefield Road bridge. This is now a
footpath from Lochee. Today there is a gate at the right hand side
of the bridge, leading
down to the track bed. Right: Clepington Road Bridge. End of the
footpath from Harefield Road. On this side of the bridge the track bed
has been
partly in filled and a gentle graded path allows you to gain access to
the foot path. However, the view through the bridge is now impossible as
it has been filled in and the Fairmuir Junction area on the northern
side of the bridge is under a massive industrial estate.
From Cleppington Road bridge. Left: The telegraph pole on
the left still stands today. An 08 Shunting loco is approaching Fairmuir
Junction with a
trip to Muirfield and/or Maryfield yards. This is part of the present
day footpath. Right: Passing the Ex junction points for the Newtyle
branch at
Fairmuir Junction. The train is taking the Maryfield line and about to
run into Fairmuir Goods yard. The Newtyle section can just be seen
going
off to the left hand side of the signal box. The brick building on the
right was the Co-op Bakery.
Two views from the north side of the Cleppington Road
bridge and Fairmuir Junction, with the old track bed heading northwards
to Newtyle. Only the
goods line to Muirfield and Fairfield goods sidings remained at this
time.
Left: Fairmuir Junction Signal box. The old
incline track bed came in around this point, from the northern portal of
the Law Tunnel.
Right: Brown & Tawse stood to the right of the signal box,
with the incline track bed behind that .
Having passed under Cleppington Road bridge
the train curves off past the signal box. on a right hand curve and onto
the Maryfield branch
proper, with Fairmuir Yard just around the corner. The yard
backs up to the tenement houses in the background on Strathmartin
Road.
The track on the right is the Up exit line from the yard. The incline
railway came in from just behind the house on the right,
crossing the present track site, to the left and onto Newtyle.
Left: Site Of Fairmuir Goods Yard from
Strathmartin Road bridge. Right: Ditto. From the backfilled track bed
and bridge over Strathmartin
Road. The large building stands on what was the Co-op Cold Store. This
is also a good indictor as to how much backfilling has been
carried out over the length from here to Maryfield Goods Yard.
Strathmartin Road railway over bridge (Google Street View)
Fairmuir Goods Yard Site. The north corner of
the large building on the right is seen above (left) from Strathmartin
Road. This building stands on the site of the
Co-op Cold Store. You can follow the track bed east to west and see the
Ex under bridge crossing leading past Fair Muir Park and onto Maryfield.
Goods Yard.
FAIRMUIR YARD. FROM CINE FILM SCREEN GRABS
The 08 is shunting in Fairmuir Yard (Left), while the Class
24 loco is parked up at the western end of the yard waiting it's next
turn of duty (Right).
Left: A Clayton Type Diesel loco shunting in the yard.
Right: The southern side of the yard. This backs up to the Cleppington
Road. Note the wagon
loading gauge over the track on the left.
The 08 shunting in the yard, with the houses of Cleppington
Road in the background
The Class 24 departing from the yard with a
train of coal empties, passing Fairmuir Junction Signalbox
and heading south to Lochee and onto Dundee via Ninewells Junction.
This whole area is now under
a large Industrial estate. The incline railway had crossed from left to
right virtually at this spot. The
large building in the background is now the car park in front of the
Kingsway Shopping Center.
The house seen above is still there. This is
pretty close to the same scene above.
You can see the Kingsway Shopping Center in the background.
StrathmartinRoad(D&NBridge)Southwards.jpg
Ex Fairfield Branch over brdge on Strathmartin
Road (Looking south)
Leaving Fairmuir yard for Maryfield. Passing the Co-op Cold
Store and about to go under the Strathmartin Road bridge.
Compare this scene with the present day one below and the photo of the
large modern building on the site of the Co-op Cold Store.
You can see what drastic changes have taken place since the branch
closed. Again ,demonstrating the vast amount of backfilling that
has taken place between Fairmuir and Maryfield. Above, there is a clear
way right up to the next under bridge at Old Glamis Road.
Note the signal. It is either the 'fixed' distant signal for Fairmuir
Junction or stopping trains for shunting back into Fairmuir sidings.
The Strathmartin road bridge where the extension carried on
from Fairmuir Yard to Maryfield Goods Yard. The line ran in a deep
cutting , which
has been backfilled from here to Maryfield.
Left: The track bed to Maryfield from Strathmartin Road is
backfilled and forms part of Fair Muir Park. Right: The track bed is
fenced off by Fairmuir Street.
A point of interest is that modern railway fencing has been used, which
suggests that Rail track is still responsible for such work.
Left: The track bed from Fairmuir is behind this worksite.
Right: Old Glamis Road. There is no sign that the railway ran in a deep
cutting
with an over bridge at this point. The track bed runs left to right
through the entrance of the car sales yard, towards Maryfield.
Two views from Balgray Place. Left: The telephone post is
central to the track bed looking towards Maryfield Goods Yard. Right:
The track bed is
central to the photograph looking towards Fairmuir Junction. These two
photos show how much backfilling has been done.
The back gardens have been extended over part of the cutting.
Two views from Graham Street. Left: Looking towards
Fairmuir Jctn, with Dundee College buildings on the left. There has been
much backfilling.
Right: On the east side of Graham Street, standing on the
backfilled track bed looking towards Fairmuir Jctn.
Left: Also from Graham Street. The track bed ran in line
with the new 'white' house up ahead, where it entered Maryfield Goods
Yard.
The houses on the right are built upon the site of the the Douglas
Foundry. Right: the yard looking towards the Clepington Road.
On the far left is a heap of soil used for the backfill. The original
cutting spoil was used in the building of Riverside Drive.
The track bed between Fairmuir Goods and
Maryfield Goods yard. You can make out the widening of the railway as it
formed Maryfield Goods
Yard on the right
Layout of Maryfield Goods yard. The Douglas Foundry, which
is now a housing estate, which is steadily
creeping towards Maryfield yard.
A diagonal view looking across the yard towards Clepington
Road. Right: Roughly centre of the Yard looking towards the branch,
which is on the far right.
Left: The yard looking westwards up to the
present day fencing. Right: On the entrance road from Clepington Road
and
entering the goods yard. The branch ran in from the 'white' house beyond
and to the right of the parked lorry.
Left: This old building on Clepington Road near the
entrance to the goods yard may have been railway property!
Right: Rear of the building within the goods yard site.
Maryfield Goods Yard paremeter. From the Clepington Road
VIDEO SCREEN GRABS OF SHUNTING AT MARYFIELD
Left: From the back of a brake van, between
Muirfield and Maryfield as the train approached Muirfield Goods yard. In
the distance you can see the over bridge on Old Glamis
Road. Right: As close as you are ever likely to get to the same view as
on the left. The brake van was in the shadow of the north side of the
Strathmartin Road bridge,
which, would have been almost directly below the paving slabs in the
2009 photo.
Reverse view of Strathmartin Road bridge. The
brake van would have been roughly
where the Daffodils up ahead are.
Left: Shunting at Maryfield. This is at the lead-in off the
branch. A train is being marshaled ready for returning to Dundee. Left:
Note the depth of the cutting
and the high road bridge at Graham Street. You can also see the next
bridge back at Balgray Place. The backfill is now level with the
road bridge. The shunters
are standing pretty much at the spot of the new 'white' house mentioned
above. The shunter on the left is
pinning down wagon brakes, while his colleague is
back onto near siding to pick up more wagons, before setting out of the
yard and back onto the wagons on the left to form the completed train.
The wagon brakes
will assure a firm buffer-up, ready for the coupling of the front
portion on to the rear portion. Right: The completed train waiting for
departure. In both photos
the background is filled with the Douglas Foundry, which is now a
housing estate, as indeed is this part of the yard.
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Links & Reading:
The Dundee & Newtyle Railway by Niall Ferguson. Still available from some books shops and on the Internet.
The Dundee & Newtyle (A history by Elliot Simpson)
http://www.auchterhouse.com/history/railway.htm (Includes and excellent map of the railway)
http://www.geograph.org.uk/search.php?i=7762615 Excellent 'remains' photos including the Law Tunnel, Balbeuchley Incline and Dronley
http://www.hows.org.uk/personal/rail/incline/dund.htm Explains the inclines but sketches are very poor quality and almost useless.
Video Screen grabs from the The Railways Of Scotland Volume 8 "Dundee". An excellent video available on DVD, from Cinerail at: http://www.cinerail.com/cinerail/railways-of-scotland.html There are many great archive scenes of almost every Scottish route you can think of. Well worth a look.
The Cromford & High Peak Incline railway in Derbyshire has been luckier in having much of it's buildings, including an Engine House preserved. This is what could have happened, indeed, should have happened with at least one of the D&N inclines. However, the C&H gives an excellent comparison of what the D&N would have looked like.
http://www.hows.org.uk/personal/rail/incline/hop.htm
Boddam To Ellon Branch (Walks) By Bill Reid.
Hosted by www.theatreorgans.com
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