This was the junction between the Lochhead branch and the West of Fife line. Both lines were single track mineral railways to the north of Dunfermline.
This area was originally served by the Elgin Railway. The history of opening and closing of lines and mines in the area is long and complicated. The junction was on the 1858 West of Fife Mineral Railway line from Whitemyre Junction on the Stirling and Dunfermline Railway. The branch to Lochhead dates from around 1863, however the extreme south end of this line is much older being part of the Elgin Railway to Elgin Colliery Hunter Pit and Elgin Colliery Tom Pit and the connection was probably originally put in for these pits which were close to the junction. The connection allowed the Elgin Railway south of here to close.
Elgin Colliery Fernieknowe Pit was just to the north.
The junction had a signal box (possibly from 1895), which closed in 1922. Just west of the junction was a siding on the north/west side of the line, approached from the junction. A water tower was built on the north side of the West of Fife line, close to the 'V' of the junction.
The branch closed in the 1950s and the railway closed altogether in 1963.
The formation is still visible and the water tower base survives.
The location is also known as Elgin Crossing.
/ /1863 | West of Fife Railway and Harbour Elgin Junction to Elgin Colliery Balmule Pit opened by North British Railway. (Approx date.) |
/ /1960 | West of Fife Railway and Harbour Elgin Colliery Balmule Pit to Elgin Junction (excluded) closed. (Approx date.) |
A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain: The North of Scotland v. 15 (Regional railway history series) | Fife's Lost Railways | Railways of Fife | The Railways of Fife |