Longannet Mine
Location type
MineName and dates
Longannet Mine (1969-2002)Served by the Longannet Power Station Loop (British Railways).
Description
This mine was part of a unit consisting of Bogside Colliery (1959 - 1985), Castlehill Mine (1965 - 1990), Solsgirth Colliery (1965 - 1990) and (later) Castlebridge Colliery (1979 - 2002). Coal mined at those locations was brought to the surface here by means of a long underground conveyor. Overground the conveyor continued to Longannet Power Station which was supplemented by coal delivered by train by truck.
Coal was worked over an large area and manriding was required to take staff to the active coal faces.
An inrush of water closed the mine complex in 2002.
Tags
Mine colliery Longannet ComplexExternal links
Canmore site recordNLS Collection OS map of 1892-1914
NLS Collection OS map of 1944-67
| Nearby stations Kincardine Culross [2nd] Kilbagie Grangemouth Bogside Fife Culross [1st] Forest Mill East Grange Clackmannan and Kennet Thornbridge Halt Kinneil Kinneil [1st] Clackmannan Road Bo^ness [1st] Bo^ness | Longannet Bunkers Longannet East Arrival Longannet West Departure Longannet West Arrival Longannet East Departure Longannet Power Station Kincardine Shipyard Kincardine Bridge Sands Siding Kincardine Ground Frame Kincardine Power Station Tourist/other Longannet MOD Kincardine Pier Moor Loch Firth of Forth |
| Location names in dark blue are on the same original line. | |
Chronology Dates
| / /1962 | South of Scotland Electricity Board Longannet Power Station planned by South of Scotland Electricity Board (SSEB). The National Coal Board (NCB) plans to supply it from Bogside Colliery No 3, Castlehill Mine and Solsgirth Colliery via Longannet Mine at the power station. Longannet will be connected to Solsgirth by a five mile underground conveyor. |
| / /1964 | National Coal Board Construction begins of drift mines to supply the new Longannet Power Station. Longannet Mine (where coal was brought to the surface), a new Bogside Mine (No 3), Castlehill Mine and Solsgirth Mine. The mines will work the Upper Hirst seam. |
| 01/03/1965 | National Coal Board Construction begins of Solsgirth Colliery Pit No 2 of the Longannet Mine complex. |
| 15/04/1965 | National Coal Board Construction begins of Solsgirth Colliery Pit No 1 of the Longannet Mine complex. |
| / /1970 | National Coal Board Coal reached at Solsgirth Colliery of the Longannet Mine complex. |
| / /1970 | National Coal Board The two drifts of Castlehill Mine, of the Longannet Mine complex, in production. |
| / /1978 | National Coal Board Plan authorised for new mine, which was to be called Castlebridge Mine, for the Longannet Mine complex, to the south of Forrestmill. This extended the workings west. |
| / /1980 | National Coal Board Cowdenbeath Mine Rescue Team privatised and moved to Crossgate. Now specialise in training and to respond to Longannet Mine complex emergencies. |
| / /1986 | National Coal Board Castlebridge Mine, the new mine of the Longannet Mine complex, opened. |
| /07/1987 | National Coal Board Plan to link Polmaise Nos 3 and 4 Colliery with Longannet Mine complex abandoned. |
| / /1988 | National Coal Board Solsgirth Colliery, of the Longannet Mine complex, driven through to Castlebridge Mine. |
| / /1995 | Scottish Coal Takes over Longannet Mine complex. |
| /05/1997 | Scottish Power New power station proposed on the site of the closed Kincardine Power Station. The power station to be supplied with coal from Longannet Mine. |
| / /1999 | Scottish Coal Castlebridge Mine of the Longannet Mine complex is nearly worked out. A new face needed to be developed, the Dewar Workings under the Forth downstream of the Kincardine Bridge. |
| /12/1999 | Scottish Coal Dewar Zone workings of the Longannet Mine complex opened near the area of Airth Colliery (the workings reached under the Forth to the opposite bank downstream of the Kincardine Bridge). |
| 27/03/2002 | Scottish Coal Longannet Mine complex closed following in-rush of water in the Castlehill workings. Following this Scottish Power had to import considerable quantities of coal through the Hunterston Ore Terminal for Longannet Power Station. |
| /02/2003 | Kincardine and Dunfermline Railway (North British Railway) Coal import terminal near Longannet Power Station for Scottish Power proposed (Longannet Mine had closed the previous year). |
