During the nineteenth century, Brechin’s textile and whisky industries were thriving. The Brechin to Dun branch line was built in 1848 to transport these products. In 1885, the station was expanded to accommodate growing demand for passenger and freight trains.
The Aberdeen Railway Company were forced to sell the Brechin branch line to the Caledonian Railway Company in July 1894 due to financial issues and the line was reopened to goods train on January 7, 1895 with passenger services starting on June 1, 1895.
The Railways Act of 1921 forced individual railway companies in Britain to merge. Caledonian Railway was absorbed into the London, Midland, and Scottish (LMS) Railway in 1923, who operated the branch line until nationalisation of the railways in 1947, when it became part of British Railways (BR).
British Railways (from 1965 known as British Rail) continued to operate trains along the four mile branch line until increased competition from cars closed services to passengers in 1952. It remained open to freight traffic until 1981.
In 1979, a group of railway enthusiasts launched Caledonian Railway Brechin Limited, and successfully bid to save the branch line. In 1993, the group were awarded a light railway order, granting permission to run passenger services along the entire length of the line to Bridge of Dun.