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Wemyss and Buckhaven Railway
This line is closed. Until recently a
small portion remained open at the Methil docks running through to the
site of Methil station. The complex of lines at Methil docks were very
substancial consisting of three large docks, a harbour, marshalling yards
and coal loading facilities. There was a connection from Buckhaven to
a branch of the Leven
Railway.
The original line ran from Thornton to
Buckhaven. It was extended first to Methil and later to meet the Leven
Dock Railway by Leven. These lines and docks were built at the instigation
of the Wemyss family who owned a large number of local coal mines as well
as the lands of Wemyss, Buckhaven, Methil and Leven. The line was sold
the the North
British Railway. Unhappy with the service provided the Wemyss family
produced their own Wemyss
Coal Company railway which ran from their pits to a washery by Methil.
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| Survey |
To be
entered |
| Engineers |
To be
entered |
| Act |
To be
entered |
| Contractors |
To be
entered |
| Opened |
To be
entered |
| Closed |
Yes
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Methil Docks
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Clickable Schematic of route
[Key] |
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Local area
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This line ran along the north bank of the Firth
of Forth in Fife. The line served a number of coalmines, washeries and extensive
docks at Methil.
Chronology
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Description of route
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From Thornton to Methil with a branch running
north to meet a branch of the Leven Railway
running south from Cameron Bridge. At Thornton there was a connection which
passed under the East Coast Main Line which connected to the Dunfermline
Branch running westwards to Thornton Yard, Cowdenbeath and Dunfermline.
Methil
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26040 preserved in Methil. |
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In Methil there was the passenger terminus
of the line, a single platform terminus. The line continued to connect to the
former Leven Dock Railway
and served the extensive sidings of the Methil Docks which were extensively
used for the export of coal.
Although the station is closed the former station
building remains standing. The building and former Methil West Yard are the
private premises of a road haulage company. A portion of the yard is in use
for preservation of buses, cranes, locomotive 26040 and other railway equipment.
Please see Jeffray
Wotherspoon's website for complete details.
Page created on 19/01/1998
Page last edited on 09/10/2003
E-mails to: Ewan
Crawford
