Open every weekend from Easter to Christmas. Opening Times: Saturdays 11am to 1pm and 2pm to 4.30pm; Sundays 2pm to 4.30pm
6. Devon Valley Railway (Devon Way)
The beginning of Dollar station
The steps and platform you are standing on are all that is left of Dollar station which served the Devon Valley Railway. The line formed one section in the chain which linked East and West Scotland. The line closed to passengers in 1964.
The Devon Valley Railway (DVR) was built in two sections by two railway companies. The first section between Alloa and Tillicoultry (Glenfoot) was built by the Stirling and Dunfermline Railway Company, and the Devon Valley Railway Company was formed in 1858 with the power to complete the section of line between Tillicoultry and Kinross. The first sod was cut at Rumbling Bridge on 4th August 1860 at a ceremony which attracted 1400 spectators, and the first section to be opened was the section between Kinross (Hopefield) and Rumbling Bridge.
The section between Tillicoultry and Dollar was opened on 1st May 1869, and a large crowd gathered to meet the first train in Dollar. The construction of the final section from Dollar to Rumbling Bridge presented the most difficult technical challenge, and was opened on 15th April 1871
Sections of the River Devon were diverted in order to cut construction costs, especially near Taits’ Tomb which left it high and dry.
Remaining platform of Dollar Station before building Strathdevon Place
Station buildings after closure – seen from west
Dollar Station – looking east
Front of Royal train in Dollar Station, 1963
How the railway was used
Five to six trains ran daily, but were not allowed on Sundays in the early days (except for trains from England which started their journeys on a Saturday). The journeys to Glasgow and Edinburgh, previously having been taken by foot, carriage and steamer, now took two hours from Dollar.
The opening of the line brought a dramatic increase in the number of visitors to the area, with favourite attractions being Castle Campbell, Rumbling Bridge and the Academy Botanical Gardens. The coming of the railway caused a temporary dramatic increase in the number of pupils attending the Academy.
The new Dollar coal mine (now demolished) situated in Muckhart at Westerton was in production from 1951 to 1973. A spur of the railway was laid to carry coal from (and to!) the mine.
During the 1950s an extensive photographic record of the DVR – one of the most complete records of any former railway line – was made by Peter Wilson of Dollar. The collection was donated to Dollar Museum, and it can be viewed there.
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh travelled on the DVR on their visit to Dollar in 1963.
Closure of the line
As a result of Dr Beeching’s cuts, Saturday 13th June 1964 saw the last passenger train to Perth, and marked the end of the Dollar to Kinross section of the DVR. On the same day the last passenger train on the DVR left Dollar for Alloa at 9.06pm, and the Alloa Advertiser wrote that ‘… the sky became overcast and the peaks of the Ochils were shrouded in mist …’. There was a farewell ceremony in Tillicoultry in the presence of the last station master of Dollar and Tillicoultry, Mr D Hay, and the train arrived in Alloa at 9.20pm.
The station complex was demolished, and the land is now used for housing. The line from Dollar Mine to Alloa remained open until the Mine closed in 1973. It was then taken up and is now a popular walkway and cycle path. As you can see from the photographs, there has been a huge growth in vegetation since the days of the railway.
Dollar Museum houses an exhibition on the Devon Valley Railway and contains an extensive collection of archive material, consisting of photographs, maps, and a working model of Dollar station.
Visit the Museum – entrance free – to see this exhibition and other exhibitions on many aspects of the story of Dollar. We are normally open April to December on Saturdays from 11.00am to 1.00pm and from 2.00pm to 4.30pm, and on Sundays from 2.00pm to 4.30pm. You can find us up the Burnside at the top bridge.
Check out the Museum website www.dollarmuseum.org.uk for details of all our exhibitions and any updates to our opening times.
Coal train leaving Dollar mine – travelling towards Alloa
Track at Lower Mains bridge looking east
Image shows part of a combined working model of Dollar Railway Station (as it was around 1960) with Dollar Mine, and it also shows some underground mine workings. On display at Dollar Museum.