Perth and the Railways

Early Proposals

As early as 1804 there was a proposal to build an iron railway to Perth to transport coal from Lochore in Fife, if the Town Council of Perth would pay half of the costs. The proposal came to nothing when the Town Council declined to pay.

Between 1819 and 1827 Robert Stevenson surveyed waggonways between Crieff and Aberdeen by Perth and between Dunfermline and Perth by Kirkcaldy. These schemes were abandoned with the advent of the steam locomotive. These early waggonways would have relied on horses to pull the waggons.

In 1835, following improvements to Perth Harbour by Robert Stevenson, there were three proposals for new railways to reach Perth Harbour from Dunkeld, Crieff and Dundee, but all failed to gain approval.

The Battle of the South Inch

South Inch painting by Macneill Macleay in 1842

During the 'Railway Mania' of the 1840s there was a revival of interest in bringing railways to Perth. By 1845 there were four proposals for different railways into the city: the Scottish Central from Stirling, the Scottish Midland Junction from Forfar, the Dundee and Perth from Dundee and the Edinburgh and Northern from Burntisland by Ladybank. All the schemes would have had stations at various places on the South Inch, with the Scottish Central having an alternative location at the north-west corner of the Inch.

The prospect of losing the leisure and recreation amenities afforded by the Inch to the people of Perth aroused the opposition of prominent citizens and certain members of the Town Council. A painting of the South Inch was used to support a petition against building on the Inch which was submitted to Parliament.

Following a public inquiry the site for a new joint station was chosen at the Scottish Central's alternative site at the north-west corner of the South Inch. This is the site of the present station and had been proposed as the site of a station as early as 1835.

The Arrival of the Railways

Perth General STation, late 19th Century

Perth General Station was built to the designs of William Tite of London in 1847-8. The Scottish Central line to Stirling was opened on 22 May 1848, the Edinburgh and Northern line to Burntisland on 18 July 1848 and the Scottish Midland Junction line to Forfar on 20 August 1848. Perth was finally linked to the growing national network of railways.

The Railway Viaduct

Oddly, the first railway to reach Perth was the Dundee and Perth on 24 May 1847, to a terminus at Barnhill on the east side of the Tay. Passengers had to cross the Tay by ferries or Perth Bridge to reach the city. The Dundee railway declined to join the other three railway companies at the General Station after a wooden bridge was opened across the Tay. Instead its terminus was at Princes Street Station, although the tracks were constructed to take the line into the General Station. Passengers had to walk or take carriages between the two stations to continue their journey until 1862, when the General Station was extended to include a station for the Dundee line. The wooden bridge was replaced in 1862-3 by the present bridge. Both bridges incorporated a swinging arch on the west side to allow navigation on the Tay by boats. The swing arch was closed permanently around 1890.

Further Developments

In 1850 the first train from London to Aberdeen passed through Perth. In 1856 the Perth and Dunkeld Railway was opened, and extended to Inverness in 1863. In 1858 the Almond Valley and Methven Junction Railway was opened, being extended to Crieff in 1866. In May 1857 John Menzies opened one of its earliest bookstalls at Perth Station. In 1885 the General Station was further extended and the Station Hotel built soon after.

Detail from Perth Station, coming South, by George Earl 1895

Queen Victoria

Soon after the railway reached Perth, Queen Victoria came to Perth by train. Her return to London from Balmoral by sea was prevented by stormy weather at the last minute. Instead she travelled south by a special train from Montrose, reaching Perth on the evening of 29 September 1848. She was accommodated in the ladies saloon before being conveyed to the George Hotel where she stayed the night. Overnight Perth's station was transformed for the royal departure the following morning. A large triumphal arch was constructed, extra gas lighting provided and the station bedecked with bunting and flowers.

On 6 September 1851 Queen Victoria again arrived at Perth Station, travelling north from London to Balmoral. Although her train only stopped for a couple of minutes, the station platform was thronged with thousands of people, including a contingent of the 79th Highlanders, the High Constables of Perth, magistrates and other dignitaries. During royal visits to Perth station the boardroom served as the Queen's dining room.

20th Century

By the start of the 20th century, Perth was the junction for three railway companies: the Caledonian to Glasgow, Crieff, Dundee and Aberdeen; the North British to Edinburgh and Fife; and the Highland to Inverness. In 1923 the Caledonian and Highland were absorbed into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, while the North British was absorbed into the London and North Eastern Railway.

The latter half of the century saw the closure of the Almond Valley Line in 1951, the Strathmore Line in 1967 and the Glenfarg Line in 1970. Nevertheless all was not gloom: Perth participated in the swansong of steam. Sir Nigel Gresley's A3 and A4 Pacifics, which had served the East Coast Main Line between King's Cross, Edinburgh and Aberdeen, served from 1962-66 on the 'Three Hour Expresses' on the Strathmore Line between Glasgow and Aberdeen.

As a major railway junction where several different railways met, Perth had a large number of railway buildings, goods yards and workshops. With the decline in the railways these redundant spaces have been redeveloped: the St Catherine's Road Retail Park, Tesco Supermarket in Edinburgh Road and Perth Leisure Pool all occupy former railway land.