Denburn Valley Railway
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A junction between the Great North of Scotland Railway and the Aberdeen Railway was suggested in the 1840s, and it was originally hoped a joint station could be provided at Market Street, in the centre of Aberdeen. However funds for this were not forthcoming and the railways ended up with separate stations, the GNSR at Waterloo Quay and the Aberdeen at Guild Street. Connections between the two railways were poor, being made by horse-drawn carriages and hand carts.
In the 1860s both companies made proposals for connecting railways. One, the Scottish & North Eastern Railway's Scottish Northern Junction Railway scheme (the SNER was the successor of the Aberdeen Railway) involved the construction of a railway from Limpet Mill (north of Stonehaven) to the Deeside Railway at Culter, and from thence running northwards to meet the Great North of Scotland Railway at Kintore. Meanwhile the GNSR proposed the "Circumbendibus" railway which would have ran from Kittybrewster around the city of Aberdeen to Guild Street. This was opposed by most of the city's residents as it would have involved the construction of long cuttings and high embankments. However, actions by Parliament permitted both companies to come to an agreement about a railway through the Denburn Valley, and this was authorised on 23 June 1863.
The Denburn Valley Railway cost the GNSR £125,000 and the SNER £70,000. It ran from the GNSR's line at Kittybrewster down the route of an old burn (which was culverted) to Guild Street, where a new joint station and junction with the SNER was provided. The joint station was impressive, being similar in design to St Pancreas Station in London. Two tunnels were built for the new railway, one of which collapsed during construction and delayed the completion of the line. At the time of opening there were no intermediate stations, although suburban stations were later provided at Schoolhill & Hutcheon Street. The route was double track throughout and opened in 1867.
Aberdeen Joint Station was comprehensively rebuilt around 1915. Both the intermediate stations on the Denburn Valley Railway closed in 1937 and Kittybrewster closed in 1967, but the Denburn Valley Railway continues to be used by trains running from Aberdeen to Inverness, although the line is now single-track. |
StationsAberdeen Joint - KittybrewsterAberdeen JointSchoolhill Hutcheon Street Kittybrewster |