RMweb Premium keefer Posted August 26, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 26, 2012 i know someone who works at hutchison's - i believe the main 'working' bit now is on the left-hand side of The Path (going up the hill), just after where the bridge over was. the substantial bits on the other side are all gone completely - parking up on patthead sands, you'd be hard pushed to think that such a huge undertaking ever existed there. i think there is a throw-back to the original route of The Path though - it now follows a fairly even curve up the hill, but it used to have a vicious 'dog-leg' in it. i think that's the bit that still exits as an access road for whatever remains on the harbour side Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Kirk Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 Hi Keefer, A bit OT but I will post it anyway. The original Path was a nightmare for bus/lorry drivers before the new road was driven through. The cut off bit you refer to is I think used as a car park by Hutchison employees. You can see that it is still cobbled and twists. IIRC the old fashioned road signs used to say "steep hill 1 in 10" so you had a cobbled S bend with a bit of 1 in 10. Kirkcaldy had a 3ft 6in gauge tramway which ran up here. My late Father told me that if a heavily laden tram was stopped at the bottom the driver backed up along a bit of the flat road at the harbour and took a run at it. So if anyone was considering a harbour model prior to 1931 they would have to include a tramway. When I was learning to drive (1964) my Father occaisionally gave me a chance to drive his MG Magnette. One day as we started up the Path I changed down to third but there was a lorry ahead struggling (heavily laden Thames Trader)so I had to try changing down again from third to second. Missed second and got reverse. Father was not amused at awful crunching noise from beloved car but to his credit he allowed me to go on and hill start once the lorry had got going again. The power station for the tramway was one of the things served by the top end of the harbour branch. When the trams closed it was taken over and run by Nairns to power their factories. There is or was until recently a car dealers in what had been the yard outside the power station. Here some of the tracks remained embedded in cobbles. best wishes, Ian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium keefer Posted August 28, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 28, 2012 thanks for that ian, i take it this is what you mean? http://goo.gl/maps/IUZvW (i've no idea what that guy is doing on the wall!) i'll have to check, but i'm sure there were 4 tracks wide at this point - the main up/down railway line then a couple of lines on this side, one of which went onto the harbour branch - and the old OS map also shows the signalbox mentioned a few posts ago these 'old lines' are interesting enough, but when there's a personal perspective from those who were there at the time, it's even better! many thanks to everyone Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawrence Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 I am sitting here baffled as how I missed this thread, especially as I grew up in Ravenscraig Street and my father was Assistant Harbourmaster there (and Methil & Burntisland) from about '73 for many year (not sure when Forth Ports made him redundant) It has been great seeing these pictures as I now seem to remember litlle about the railway in Kirkcaldy except that the line ran past the bottom of Viewforth High School. Dad is in his 80's now but I can certainly ask if he remembers anything or has any pictures from his time there. Brilliant thread, keep em coming. As an aside, I am sure, somewhere in the house, I have a copy of the railway layout of Tayport harbour but digging that out may well be a post Christmas thing but feel free to pm me if it is of interest. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Robertson Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 The Kirkcaldy Harbour Line fascinates me a great deal and the photos and comments are of immense personal interest. I do recall however when I was particularly young in the 1980s that I saw the harbour track as it ran parallel to Balsusney Road and Victoria Road. Does anyone know when these tracks were specifically lifted following the closure of the Harbour Line in 1984? Thanks. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
'CHARD Posted September 4, 2013 Share Posted September 4, 2013 Lovely shot from 1984, an era I can remember extremely clearly in the Kirkcaldy area. http://www.railbrit.co.uk/imageenlarge/imagecomplete.php?id=44449 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lochty no more Posted September 5, 2013 Share Posted September 5, 2013 The only photograph I know of the Kirkcaldy harbour branch signalbox is this one from Peter Westwaters collection 60068 Sir Visto the subject of the photo, but it does give you an idea of the layout at the top of the harbour branch ( photo courtesy P. Westwater ) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
'CHARD Posted September 5, 2013 Share Posted September 5, 2013 You can never get enough Sir Visto, regular Waverley Route performer. Love the classic grain wagon lurking centre of shot Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
'CHARD Posted September 6, 2013 Share Posted September 6, 2013 More immediate post-closure sadness, 1984: http://www.railbrit.co.uk/imageenlarge/imagecomplete.php?id=44472 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lochty no more Posted September 6, 2013 Share Posted September 6, 2013 More immediate post-closure sadness, 1984: http://www.railbrit.co.uk/imageenlarge/imagecomplete.php?id=44472 The Lochty Railway lifted some track / points in the late 70`s - early 80`s from Kirkcaldy harbour, I recently overhauled an NBR point lever from Kiirkcaldy so it did not all disapear. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonrobb Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 The only photograph I know of the Kirkcaldy harbour branch signalbox is this one from Peter Westwaters collection 540p06 60068 sir visto at harbour sidings.jpg 60068 Sir Visto the subject of the photo, but it does give you an idea of the layout at the top of the harbour branch ( photo courtesy P. Westwater ) Brilliant photograph brings back all sorts of memories the Harbour Branch Box was at the bottom of my grandparents garden in Balsusney Road signalmen and drivers used to come through the close by our house as it was the easiest way to get to the box and to the enginemans bothy on the right of the photograph, in my early teens was very friendly with the signalman used to spend a lot of time in that box watching the trains and chatting about railways. As my father had been on the railways in the late 1940s early 1950s a lot of drivers and fireman would drop into my grannies house for a cup of tea and a bit of cake, one driver in particular if he saw me down by the harbour would always give me a lift up to my grannies on his Hunslet, only once did I travel the branch on a pug that was great fun. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wizard of the Moor Posted December 1, 2013 Share Posted December 1, 2013 The latest issue (No. 120) of the North British Railway Study Group journal has the first part of a short series of articles by Alan Simpson on the Kirkcaldy Harbour branch and its traffic. OS maps from 1855 and 1913 are included, along with lots of photos showing the locations of the various sidings, bridges etc. The emphasis in this first part is very much on the different industries on the branch and the traffics that they generated. Highly recommended. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Tugwash Posted March 4, 2018 Share Posted March 4, 2018 Very interesting thread. I considered a model of Kirkcaldy Harbour after doing an agency job on the dredger (UKD Seahorse) which was preparing the harbour for the return of grain coasters. I was quite pleased to get a “Kirkcaldy” entry in my discharge book as I thought that’s probably the first one of those there’s been for a long time. Anyway, I thought the photo might be of interest, it shows an inset for Kirkcaldy from an old Imray (as opposed to Admiralty) chart. Rail lines on harbour charts are rarely updated or removed so often provide an insight into what once was despite there being no rails in existence. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Tugwash Posted March 4, 2018 Share Posted March 4, 2018 Sorry here is the pic Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Tugwash Posted March 4, 2018 Share Posted March 4, 2018 For inspiration here are a few more harbour chart insets from Fife, some of the rail systems more complex than others. The Charlestown one unfortunately doesn’t show anything of the nearby Crombie naval ammunition depot which could make an unusual model subject. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
'CHARD Posted March 4, 2018 Share Posted March 4, 2018 These are fascinating! Thanks for sharing! I love the way the land is blue, counter-intuitively!!!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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