Muiredge Goods

Location type

Sidings

Name and dates

Muiredge Goods (1868-1967)

Opened on the Leven Railway.
Opened on the Leven Colliery Branch (Fife Coal Company).

Description

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.

The original goods station was approached from the north and was on the north side of today's A995. The terminus had a goods shed on the east side and sidings. On the west side of the site was Bowman and Co's Muiredge Colliery. To the north of this was the Muiredge Saw Mill.

Bowman and Co built mineral lines out from Muiredge to their various pits; to Isabella Pit, Bye Pit and Percival Pits to the west, Rosie Pit to the south west and a line to Methil Harbour to the east. The Fife Coal Co Ltd built a line east to Leven Colliery No 3 Pit Pirnie, Leven Colliery No 4 Pit and Leven Colliery Nos 1 and 2 Pits.

With the opening of the Wemyss and Buckhaven Railway a further line was opened from the west end of Buckhaven station to an end on junction at Muiredge. Ownership of the Bowman line from Buckhaven to Muiredge was transferred to the North British Railway.

An extra curve was added by Bowmans to allow coal from Isabella Pit to travel to Cameron Bridge [1st], creating Plunks Junction and a triangular junction between the North British Railway line and Bowman line. Bowman's line from Muiredge to Methil Harbour was abandoned.

With the opening of the Wemyss Private Railway a new east to west alignment was opened north of Muiredge which severed the former Muiredge to Cameron Bridge [1st] branch at Plunks. The two portions of the branch remained open providing access to the new private railway. The southern portion connected to the private line with a junction to the east and the northern portion connected to the private line with a junction to the west. The private line largely used the route of the closed Bowman line eastwards to Methil Harbour and the route of the Bowman line westwards. The private line progressively subsumed all the former Bowman lines. The Wemyss and District Tramways Company opened along the course of today's A995 leading to a railway, tramway and road level crossing just to the south of the original Muiredge terminus.

There was a locomotive shed to the south of the level crossing on the east side of the line and approached from the south.

Around nationalisation the northern portion closed and the southern portion from Plunks via Muiredge to Buckhaven was transferred to the Wemyss Private Railway. The Muiredge Colliery sidings were transferred to the National Coal Board. The Fife Coal Co Ltd line was transferred to the private line.

Muiredge Colliery closed in 1938 but the line over Muiredge Level Crossing survived this.

The line at Buckhaven closed around 1967/68. The portion south of the level crossing closed in 1963.

The locomotive shed to the south of the level crossing survives in other uses. The Muiredge saw mill also still exists, greatly expanded.

Tags

Goods sidings mine

External links

NLS Collection OS map of 1892-1914
NLS Collection OS map of 1944-67
NLS Map
NLS Map
NLS Map

Books


Scotland’s Lost Branch Lines: Where Beeching Got It Wrong