Leven Railway
Introduction
This line will re-open between Thornton North Junction and East of Fife Central Junction as a re-doubled and electrified railway. The portion between the junction and new Levenmouth terminus will make use of a formerly freight route. The site of the original Leven [1st] terminus is not available for reopening. A new station at Cameron Bridge will open (replacing the original Cameron Bridge [1st] to the west).
It is hoped that the Cameronbridge Distillery may be served by rail again.
The line has been mothballed for several years. The last use of the line was for
- loading of opencast coal at the Earlseat Loading Pad (opened 2012, brief use)
- coal slurry Methil Power Station (ceased 1990s)
- traffic to the Cameronbridge Distillery (ceased 1990s)
- woodpulp at Methil Dock No 1 (ceased late 1980s)
Cameron Bridge and Leven [2nd] stations closed in 1969. The portion from East Fife Central Junction to Leven [2nd] closed completely in 1969 and the station site was redeveloped.
The Kingdom of Fife Railway Preservation Society have a depot, the Fife Heritage Railway , at the site of the former Kirkland Yard. The Leven and Methil docks were not part of the original line. Originally single track, it was later doubled and was later reduced to a single track. It formed a part of the Fife Coast Railway.
Dates
Portions of line and locations
This line is divided into a number of portions.
Thornton to Leven
Thornton Junction to Leven [1st].
This is a four way junction. To the north the main line runs north to Ladybank and the line branch to Cameron Bridge and Levenmouth, which is being re-doubled and electrified, runs off to the north east.. (This formerly ran to Leven [2nd] and the Fife Coast railway to St Andrews [2nd].) To the south the Dunfermline Branch heads west from the main line which runs south to ...
More detailsSee also
Edinburgh and Northern Railway
Dunfermline Branch (Edinburgh and Northern Railway)
Wemyss and Buckhaven Railway
Bill Roberton 22/08/2022
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Bill Roberton 26/10/2022
Bill Roberton 15/07/2023
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Bill Roberton 01/06/2021
This signal box was on the northern approaches to Thornton North Junction.
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See also
Edinburgh and Northern Railway
Bill Roberton 19/07/2023
Bill Roberton 03/08/2022
Bill Roberton 03/08/2022
Network Rail /08/2022
Network Rail /08/2022
Bill Roberton 31/08/2021
This loading pad opened in 2012 for loading of opencast coal which was extracted, by opencast, at the site of the former Earlseat Colliery, to the south. A loop was laid on the south side of the former Leven Railway railway 2/3 of a mile north east of Thornton North Junction. The site was just south of the former Balgonie Colliery Julian Pit bing.
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Bill Roberton 31/08/2021
Bill Roberton 31/08/2021
Bill Roberton 13/10/2021
Network Rail 04/03/2022
This grain distillery opened in 1824. It was rail served, the Leven Railway having reached Cameron Bridge [1st] in 1854.
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See also
Rail Served Distilleries
This was an island platform station surrounded by the Cameronbridge Distillery, for which there were many sidings.
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Network Rail 26/08/2022
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Bill Roberton 10/10/1990
Network Rail 26/08/2022
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Bill Roberton 19/05/2023
This new two platform station will be located east of the original Cameron Bridge [1st] station (closed 1969) and the former junction for the Muiredge Goods branch. It will be located on the former Leven Railway which will be re-doubled and electrified.
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Network Rail /09/2023
Network Rail /11/2023
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Network Rail /05/2023
Bill Roberton 18/07/2023
Bill Roberton 18/07/2023
Bill Roberton 19/07/2023
Bill Roberton 21/06/2023
This was a four way junction between the 1854 Leven Railway and the 1898 East Fife Central Railway and Kirkland Yard (North British Railway) (around 1910).
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See also
East Fife Central Railway
Kirkland Yard and Leven Dock to Methil Line Widening (North British Railway)
Network Rail /12/2020
Bill Roberton 01/12/2020
Network Rail /12/2020
Bill Roberton 20/07/2020
Bill Roberton 21/07/2023
Bill Roberton 18/07/2023
Bill Roberton 18/07/2023
Bill Roberton 19/07/2023
This level crossing was west of Leven [1st]. Initially it crossed the west end of that station's loop, and the Kirkland siding on its south side which gave access to Leven Dock.
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This was the original terminus of the Leven Railway. It was just west of Leven [2nd] which replaced it when the line was extended east by the East of Fife Railway to Kilconquhar.
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See also
East of Fife Railway
Leven Dock Railway
Ewan Crawford 04/01/2008
Bill Roberton 06/07/2013
Muiredge Branch
Cameron Bridge to Muiredge Goods.
This was an island platform station surrounded by the Cameronbridge Distillery, for which there were many sidings.
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Network Rail 26/08/2022
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Bill Roberton 10/10/1990
Network Rail 26/08/2022
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Bill Roberton 19/05/2023
This was the terminus of a short goods and mineral branch from Cameron Bridge [1st] built by the Leven and East of Fife Railway. The location has a complex history going through a number of different layouts.
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See also
Leven Colliery Branch (Fife Coal Company)
