Fife Coastal railway ((Part 3)) Methil Leven To St andrews SQ2009 Cameron Brig
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- Опубликовано: 6 авг 2009
- In 1854 the Leven Railway opened, linking the town with Thornton Junction on the Edinburgh - Aberdeen main line. This helped it to become a tourist resort popular with visitors from the west of Scotland, and particularly Glasgow. Later in the 19th century the Leven Railway became part of a loop line of the North British Railway linking Thornton Junction and Leuchars Junction via St Andrews. The railway between Leven and St Andrews closed in 1964/65. The railway between Leven and Thornton Junction closed to freight in 1966 and passengers in 1969.
A project into the reopening of the line is under consideration. See Leven rail link.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leven,_Fife 
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Woah, my dad is at 2.45! He was a signal man in Fife, and I've just found this video for the first time. My folks passed away in the 90s.
This is wonderful! Thank you so much for posting it. What a lovely surprise to see my dad on film!
I live in the USA now, but my sister and family are in Glenrothes.
Thank you Mr.Beeching for depriving us of all these wonderful rural lines.
At 3.37 is my mom Catherine on the platform. She would have been holidaying from Edinburgh to Ely (she talked about that and there is a wider history) and she must have taken a day trip to St. Andrews. This is the only moving image our family have of her. Catherine died in 1986. So to come across this film archive is - and I choose the word carefully - amazing
Hi. If 3:37 is correct, I think it's Anstruther. St. Andrews was partially in a cutting and an island platform and the lie of the land looks different from 3:38. I think she may have been changing trains here as the one the cameraman was on was labelled Anstruther on its destination board but the scene ending at 3:37 has it with no destination displayed going in the opposite direction. 3:38 onwards is definitely St. Andrews so maybe they were both ended up on the same train.
💚
So happy that they are rebuilding a section of the old line again for 2024. Cameron Bridge and Levenmouth stations are being constructed as we speak.
Old railway lines just fill you with nostalgia!
Damn Beeching!
Just imagine what a fabulous heritage line this would have made. Imagine the value it would have today as a draw for tourism there. Steam trains along the Fife coast into St Andrews. The Americans already love St Andrews - imagine if students could arrive to University "Harry Potter-style"!
I've stayed in St Monans, Pittenweem, St Andrews and Elie. There are remains of this line to be seen all along the route. It's very possibly my favourite part of the world. Adrian
Pity the cuntservative party closed all the pits and railways
I worked in Crail in the Summer of 1959 and got the first train leaving St Andrews. Sometimes, being the only passenger at that time, I would sit in the driver's cabin and remember the changing of the tablets at Kingsbarns (4.16). Mr Davidson, the Stationmaster at St Andrews always had a great floral display. Thanks for puting up this film.
Good to see Lower Largo looking so splendid!
Did you film this? You definitley deserve to be bought a pint!! Do you know how long I have waited to see a video like this? Well done my friend a great piece of history....
For anyone wondering. It took me years to finally find these songs!
Tommy Scott: The Ball O’Killiemuir
😊
Every time I see this it brings back many many memories of my five years down there.
What a beautiful light railway that could have been today. Recently took the admittedly excellent bus service through the Kingdom, but that rail service would be better in so many ways. Min’s a Jarl ..
we used to stand on the bridge into Elie station to get lost in the smoke from the engines .. we had fun jumping up to pull the chains for lighting the gas lamps, to help Mr Paton the station master .. once I was allowed on to the goods engine to throw coal on the fire but the shovel was too heavy so I needed help - it was my birthday .. those were the days!! Stupid short-sighted Beeching took it all away.
I was brought up in a tenement in Argyle Street, St Andrews right beside the coastal line. I watched as the very last train went past our window before the line was closed. It has always been a huge regret of mine that I never traveled the line and, in particular, that I wasn't on that last train.
We used to get the steam train to Dundee almost every Saturday morning to go swimming at the Baths. Every summer holiday I would get the (steam) Flying Scotsman Edinburgh to King's Cross. Great days!
I really enjoyed that.
My great great grandparents left Buckhaven after the 1881 census to travel to Smoky Stockport in Cheshire.
They must have left with their children from that little railway station.
Robert Cairns born Kirkcaldy1853 and Jane nee Wilson born 1855 Buckhaven.
Children, Mary, Joseph and Alexander. M and J stayed in Stockport, Alex born 1881 disappeared after 1891. Love to find out.l
This is just superb, thank you so much for posting (and thanks to Ian Mathewson for the "link" via his own wonderful short film). For me personally, to be able to see Lundin Links station again was fantastic. To see the Lundin Links station sign ........... my father was offered it for two shillings and turned it down. What a shame nostalgia didn't exist in 1965 as it does today!
I was a beach life guard (RLSS and ASA)on Leven beach in the late 60s early 70s.
The bothy we used is shown at 5.10.
Its no longer standing and that area today is a caravan park.
I see todays life guards have it lucky as they are sheltered in a look out hut.
O by the way ,the waters freezin!
Enjoy😇.
I lived in Leuchars in the mid-50s and loved this Line. The five-set Fife Coast Express would overnight at Leuchars. Its articulated coaches were said to be from the prewar Coronation. I spent many happy hours with signalman Jock McLeod whose box controlled the St Andrews branch. Many, many thanks for this wonderful old film. PS: Your version of The Ball at Kirriemuir is much more polite than the one I learned at school!!
Your version of The Ball at Kirriemuir is much more polite than the one I learned at school!! Well it was for public consumption.😁😁
This footage is amazing .. I'm grateful to you for sharing such an amazing glimpse back into my childhood. I grew up in Elie but now live in Edinburgh.
What a great find, thank you for sharing this gem. That was a long tunnel at the last 4 minutes ! Elie rocks. Will share this with my family, great nostalgia. I never even knew there was a station at Cameron Bridge. Appreciate your efforts and even the music made me smile. Steve
See at 2.00, this is a tiny road bridge to Earlsferry by Elie, a road turning off the main road to Elie that many will miss. A narrow road, used mainly by locals and with passing places, it could be awkward, there is a small sign for Earlsferry after a tight bend in the main approach road , the place virtually unrecognizable today! The previous clip is of Kilconquhar Station, pronounced 'Kinnocar' and best known today for its Kinconquar Castle Hotel and Country Club, a magnet for visitors.
Awesome I Live near the old train tracks leading to Cameron distillery
They contained the tokens to permit the driver onto the section of line (the driver hands back the token for the section he's just finished and collects the token for the section he's about to enter).
The loop was just to make them quicker and easier to exchange.
They are still in use in Scotland, e.g. between Elgin, Forres and Nairn.
Many thanks for sharing this film - my great grandfather and great uncles world on the line and my family used the line from Leuchars to St Andrews for holidays. I can remember the station - but I never travelled from St Andrews round to Leven.
I'm a St Andrean, but just too young to have ridden on the railway: one of my first memories is the station being demolished. My father came by train from Glasgow on the "Fife Coast Express" for his job interview in 1963. It was very interesting to see this: thank you for posting it. I think, though, that some of the sections have been edited together in the wrong order.
Loved them brings back memories
Walked all that line both ways many times both ways in 1959/62
An absolute brilliant piece of historical footage. Can remember Lower Largo station as a wee boy. When was the film taken. Must have been around 1964 or 65
. . .This version of the song is the best one of those available and I want a copy for when I go on Scotland's trains! It goes perfectly with the DMU as it enters and departs from the stations, and I wish they'd re-sign our railways with those lovely old coloured Regional Name Boards and Sausage Totem Signs again!!
. . .Can you find out the Album/Name of the Artist please?
Chris Williams
this is for kipper3296 was your grandad on the platform at elie lexe as i used to know him he was a friend of my cousin copeland mackie from greigs garage in the high street at elie lexe used to do the creels as he had his own boat as well alex london
Yeah that's him
You just got a glimpse of the methil power station at the end
The kfrps which I volunteer at has 2 of the locomotives that worked there shunting coal
The largo law and the Garvie flyer.
was born in leven 1952 moved to s/wales 1964,but still a fifer
Champion mate, Glad you enjoyed it, n thanx for the share...
@Scottishguyusa Thats Amazin mate, glad it gave you a great buzz... Wire in about savin it to your PC , then you can whip it onto a disc....
Fab though pal, glad it made ye happy...
I'm not nostalgic - I'm realistic. The Beeching cuts have been and gone and life can be lived retrospectively, however the case certainly exists to reopen/rebuild the Outer Fife Circle. St Andrews is the only Scottish Univeristy town not to be connected by rail. Considering the numbers of students and the overwhelming numbers of visitors to the Open Golf thent he case is blatantly clear to al least re-establish this link.
Add to that the Methil branch line where we now have the golden oppportunitity to build a rail halt on cleared power station that would bring inward investment from Edinburgh commuters (not to mention Europes biggest spirit producers at Cameron Bridge, then why are the Scottish Parliament/ Sustrans holding off on this?
The last five rail links to be restored have all proved to individually profitable - indeed the Strling-Alloa-Kincardine line reached it's first annual target within it's first quarter so why are we waiting? Sustrans have identified that East Fife is the largest conurbation to be deprived of a rail link to the network.
Why?
Considering that Edinburgh has become increasingly anti-car for the last decade then why are we ignoring the more environmentally friendly alternative options?
If you've ever had to commute the Standing Stane Road (A915) then you'll be wondering why you're not on a train parralell to the rusting tracks of the Methil Branch line.
+Kevin Dempsey I'm sure there's a valid business case for reopening the Methil and St Andrews branches. I did not know of the busy economic activity at Cameron Bridge but that translates into healthy rail freight flows of grain, biomass/coal and finished (bulk or bottled) alcoholic spirits to be distributed worldwide.
Pointless.... Waste of money. There is a perfectly good bus service
enjoyed this
Cheers for the info mate, wow!
Theres me thinking it was the cash aswell.
cheers.
Too bad there’s not one from St.Andrews to Dundee via Tayport and Newport on Tay.
No University buildings at St.Andrews and indeed no Old Course Hotel. The clump of trees just before the walk bridge are there though. Strange cluster of trees sitting there on their own but they say
St. Andrews to me when I see them.
I think the bridge came to an end in the 80s when it had incident with an articulated lorry. Must have been one of those new high sided ones that they had introduced.
An absolute brilliant and priceless documentary. I've also posted a much smaller film of parts of the East Coast line (with some near identical scenes) but this is much much better. If I had one complaint then it would be about the music though again I can simply turn down the sound.
@lonelyzenith glad you enjoyed pal...
Hi there. We are working on a piece about the old Leven train line for tonight’s STV News at 6 - would you be ok for us to use a short extract of it if we credit your name? Many thanks, Kaye.
that is just quality mate, do you have the film yourself?
No im only 37 mate,, brill film though eh...
Glad you like it...
Got any videos between Cameron bridge and leven station beacause I live a few minutes away from there and I'm interested?
What's the song called at the start?
Whats the song is at the start
wow great stuff eh,, any1 know what the purse/bags that they swapped over were???
I believe they contained the token/key that was used by the signalmen, giving them access to the points/signals mechanisms. Only one train allowed on to the (single track) section at a time. Stay free. 😎
That soundtrack is Led Zeppelin I believe
The colour footage was really good - the music was awful!
What's the music to this.
I turned the sound off, much better
I can't find these exact songs on YT, yeah they are on here but just not these versions.
Wayne Thomson look up a guy called Tommy Scott. He has plenty of mixes of scottish songs on youtube. Think the one you're looking for is called THE best of hop scotch ceilidh party
@BillDFC Id say Beeching the Bastard lol,,
The 'Beeching Axe' is an informal name for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost[1] of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard Beeching.
That would be a nice train run if it was a preservation railway, unfortunately a lot of the old railway land is now private.
whats the song at the start called
The Ball of Kirriemuir
Great stuff mate :D is your Grandad still alive?
fine stuff eh...
@kazzieo9 isnt it just mate, check out the others? goosebumps n that lol.
Music continues for about 4 minutes after the cine clips finish. Why? It's not even very good music (although that is subjective)
I would really like to know the song at the start :D
The Ball O Kirriemuir
+StoodStill How you understood one word of the chorus, I'll never know haha. Thank you heaps! Now I just gotta find this version :P
+Shea Te Huia Yeah, it's a great duet version. If you ever find that out, let me know please!! :)
Yeah but who sings it? It's not Kenneth McKellar or Jim Croce
+Wayne Thomson I'm not sure. It's definitely a duet.
Fiona F is a Trainspotter ; p
@IanMathewson1 no sure buddy... Your dates prob about right, just lookin at some o the gear they are wearin eh lol...
@quinnman1971 - people dislike Beeching but they forget a number of things:-
1. The preservation of British steam traction depends largely on preservation trust owned tracks made possible by Beeching.
2. The preservation of stations in their former glory with every feature designed by expensive teams of British origin has only been possible thanks to Beeching.
3. Railways were not a good rival to the private car, they were more expensive and rail freight pricing made lorry transport a must.
Just kidding M
ooops ps , an extra 4 mins of nothingness LMAO...
What is the name of the song at the very beginning?
CelloMuse, I think it’s called the ball of Kirriemuir but not 100% sure.