The used stone block sleepers and their track gauge was selected with obvious disregard of connecting to other lines further afield.

[1] However the decision was taken to make a junction with the A&FR near Guthrie instead; this prevented the selection of a route through Brechin, but avoided a considerable mileage of new construction.

The Forfar and Brechin Railway was proposed as an alternative main line route, avoiding the detour via Guthrie, somewhat shortening the mileage between Perth and Aberdeen.

Attempts were made to find an acceptable alternative site for stations at both the towns which would enable the operation of a through main line, but in both cases this proved impossible.

Undeterred, promoters submitted a bill to the 1890 parliamentary session, and the Forfar and Brechin Railway was authorised on 4 August 1890,[4][page needed] capital £160,000.

(The railway as built only ran from Forfar station in a westerly direction, curving north and east to the originally planned main line.)

Although still conceived as a through trunk railway, it started from Forfar heading west (involving a reversal there for through trains).

The fact that Phillips was in the lead means that he was the majority shareholder, so the company must have paid him for his work in shares.

[9][page needed][4][page needed] Goods trains continued to run throughout until on 17 March 1958 the line was closed completely between Careston and Brechin; it was further cut back to only Forfar to Justinhaugh from 7 September 1964, and completely closed on 4 September 1967.

The F&BR line continued eastwards to Brechin East Junction; this was a ground frame controlled connection only.