Longannet East Arrival
Location type
JunctionNames and dates
Longannet Siding (1906-1907)Longannet Siding (1908-1912)
Longannet East Arrival (1969-)
Opened on the Kincardine and Dunfermline Railway (North British Railway).
Opened on the Longannet Power Station Loop (British Railways).
Description
Longannet siding was a loop and sidings at Longannet Point. It was later the site of the eastern arrival for the bunkers for Longannet Power Station.
When the railway opened in 1906 the loop was on the north side of the single track line. There was a siding from the west end of the loop, approached from the west. Another siding was at the east end of the loop line. The signal box was on the south side of the line opposite the west end of the loop. To the south of this was another short siding, approached from the east. To the north was Longannet Quarry.
The box was closed in 1907 but re-opened in 1908 before closing completely in 1912. Around 1908 Robert McAlpine established a concrete casting site in Longannet Quarry. These blocks were for the construction of Methil Dock No 3. Construction of this dock was undertaken between 1908 and 1912.
A military depot was located to the west in the Second World War and after. Longannet Siding was the location of the east end of a set of sidings which fanned out to serve bunkers between here and Kincardine.
In 1969 a new box opened, controlling the two triangular junctions which served the Longannet Bunkers for Longannet Power Station. The box was located next to the eastern apex of the eastern triangular junction. The bunkers site was redeveloped and the new layout of lines replaced the former layout. The power station opened in 1970.
After 1981 the layout was usually only accessed from the east. With reinstatement of the Alloa railway in 2008 it could once again be accessed from the west. This was one of the principal reasons for the re-opening of the Alloa line, directing loaded trains to arrive from the west instead of via the Forth Bridge reduced damage to the Forth Bridge and the overall mileage (coal trains often reached Longannet via the Forth Bridge, Burntisland, Lochgelly, Dunfermline and Torryburn or by the Forth Bridge and running round at Townhill Yard).
The power station closed in 2016.
The line is now used infrequently. Infrequent freight (currently including power station scrap trains in 2019) and occasional tour trains pass.
Tags
Siding junctionExternal links
NLS Collection OS map of 1892-1914NLS Collection OS map of 1944-67
NLS Map
| Nearby stations Kincardine Grangemouth Culross [2nd] Kilbagie Bogside Fife Culross [1st] Thornbridge Halt Forest Mill Kinneil Kinneil [1st] Clackmannan and Kennet East Grange Bo^ness [1st] Clackmannan Road Airth | Longannet West Arrival Longannet West Departure Longannet Bunkers Longannet Mine Longannet East Departure Longannet Power Station Kincardine Shipyard Kincardine Bridge Sands Siding Tourist/other Longannet MOD Kincardine Pier Firth of Forth Grangemouth Eastern Channel Moor Loch Grangemouth Eastern Channel Timber Basin |
| Location names in dark blue are on the same original line. | |
Books
 Mining from Kirkintilloch to Clackmannan and Stirling to Slamannan |  Stirlingshire and Clackmannanshire's Lost Railways |
