ON SATURDAY, May 1, 1869 the railway line between Tillicoultry and Dollar was formally opened when the 11.15 train from Alloa arrived.

On board were Mr Jopp and Mr Lorimer, the traffic superintendents. Everyone on board was greeted with cheering by a large crowd of curious onlookers who wanted to see history being made in the village.

A carriage was provided for the men, and in it they made their way to Rumbling Bridge, returning in time to meet the 4 o'clock train bound for Alloa and Stirling.

The arrival and departure of the men was photographed by Mr Bradshaw of Dollar. From the top of houses and on the windows, flags and banners were displayed, and the village took on the look of a summer gala.

On Monday, May 3 the track was opened to passengers. The railway would prove to be well used by travellers, and the people of the Dollar said it was 'a great boon to them'.

A timetable was posted both at the station and in the local newspapers, giving people the opportunity to travel by train whenever they wished.

It was frequent and made journeying to places such as Alloa or Stirling much more convenient, rather than people having to first make their way to Tillicoultry Station three miles away.

The fares were in keeping with those on other parts of the Devon Valley line and it was believed the village would see a huge increase in summer visitors as people flocked to Castle Campbell, a place they had perhaps wished to visit but had found inconvenient to travel to without the railway.

New possibilities opened, and businesses hoped it would also boost their profits.

As the line continued to Rumbling Bridge, it was also expected the hotel there would see an influx of visitors, especially those wishing to visit the Rumbling Bridge Gorge.

With the coming of the railway, however, it was thought the Dollar coach would suffer a loss of business.

Although this did eventually happen, the proprietor of the Castle Campbell Hotel decided that it would be a novelty for visitors to travel between Dollar and Rumbling Bridge by coach, so made sure it was available for such excursions.

The first stationmaster of Dollar railway station was Mr McNess who went on to become an accountant with the Natal Government Railway and spent the rest of his life involved in railways one way or another.

He died in Johannesburg in South Africa in 1899.