New look station

Ian Gray from Perth emails: “Dundee railway station’s new frontage is not really a new thing. In 1957/58 the frontage comprising a booking office, which was latterly known as a ticket office, and an enquiry and reservation office (ERO), at the top of the stairs was opened in roughly the same position as the new entrance.

“The previous ticket office was where the entrance was until last week, adjacent to the parcels’ office. There was also a reservation and enquiry office in Union Street opposite the station entrance, long demolished.

“The station was called Dundee Tay Bridge as there was another station on ground level next to it called Dundee West. Dundee West was a terminal station with trains going to Perth and Glasgow. Tay Bridge trains went over the Tay Bridge to Fife and Edinburgh or through the tunnel to Arbroath and Aberdeen. Dundee West was closed following the Beeching era.

“I think I can lay claim to have been the only junior clerk ever to have worked in the old Tay Bridge ERO. Mind you I was only a junior for one day as the following day I attained the age of 18.

“In the 57/58 modernisation, the booking office and the ERO were separated by a glass partition with a glass door. It was surprising how many people did not see the door and walked straight into it. I remember one occasion when a passenger walked into the glass door and after apologising to the staff turned around and walked into the external glass door.”