Kincardine Line

      Kincardine Line (North British Railway) 
Locale Scotland
Dates of operation 1 June 1906 – 31 December 1922
Successor line London and North Eastern Railway
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 12 in)
Legend
   Stirling and Dunfermline Railway (west)
Alloa (S&DR)
Alloa East Junction
   Stirling and Dunfermline Railway (north)
Kincardine Junction
   Stirling and Dunfermline Railway (east)
Clackmannan and Kennet
Kilbagie
Kincardine
Culross
Torryburn
Cairneyhill
Charlestown (KL) (formerly Charlestown Railway)
Torryburn Line Junction
Elbowend Junction
Netherton Goods
   Dunfermline and Queensferry Railway (south east)
Charlestown Branch Junction
Dunfermline (Lower) (D&QR)
   Dunfermline and Queensferry Railway (north east)

The Kincardine Line was a railway in Clackmannanshire and Fife, Scotland connecting the stations in Alloa and near Dunfermline along the north shore of the Firth of Forth. A short branch line ran from Charlestown Junction to Charlestown on the shore of the Forth. This branch line had been part of the Charlestown Railway, also part of the North British Railway.

Contents

Opening

The section between Kincardine and Kincardine Junction on the Stirling and Dunfermline Railway was opened in 1893, with the line between Kincardine and Dunfermline opening in 1906.

Charlestown Branch

The Charlestown Branch started life as the Elgin Waggonway in 1792, later becoming the Charlestown Railway. The North British Railway bought the line and the harbour at the end of the line in 1863, although three years later it was partly abandoned. In 1894, the line was rebuilt and re-opened.

Closure

The Charlestown Branch closed to passengers on 1 November 1926, remaining opening to serve RNAD Crombie siding until 1964.

Passenger services were withdrawn between Alloa and Dunfermline in 1930, although the line remained open for coal trains. Coal trains to Kincardine and Longannet Power Stations continued to use the line. The line to the west of Kincardine became derelict.

Re-opening

Under Scottish Executive funding, and to relieve congestion on the Forth Bridge, the line between Stirling and Alloa was reopened to passenger traffic, and the line to Kincardine was rebuilt for coal traffic to Longannet.[1] Construction work started in 2005, with tracklaying commencing at the end of September 2006.

The line reopened to freight traffic from the Alloa direction to Longannet during April 2008, with passenger services from the west into Alloa commencing on 19 May 2008.

Connections to other railways

References

Sources