Lochty no more

More Kirkcaldy pics: not certain that this photo is Kirkcaldy Just realized the first photo is not Kirkcaldy either it`s just outside Kennoway goods station on the Lochty line, with the distinctive iron age fort of maidens castle in the background. All the photo`s are courtesy of Pete Westwater, I have another 4 photo`s which wont load for some reason - I will keep working on it.

Stand by your beds - more photo`s of Kirkcaldy than you can shake a stick at ( courtesy of my friend Pete Westwater ) more to follow!

A few photo`s of Kirkcaldy harbour already posted elsewhere but so what all three photo`s are courtesy of Pete Westwater

Peter Westwater sent me this photo some time ago ( not the best quality I`m afraid ) I was looking for an example of an NBR fixed distant signal, this example is from the Invertiel line it was situated at the top of an cutting for sighting purposes, still had it`s NBR paint scheme (distant arms were painted red ) - I still think the Inverteil line would have been a perfect setting for a preserved railway, Kirkcaldy to Auchtertool.

Kirkcaldy`s 5 signal boxes were "Randolf" (known as the randy box,- controlling the entrance to the randolph pit )"Dysart", "Sinclairtown", "Kirkcaldy Harbour Branch Junction" ( 21 levers ),"Kircaldy" ( 44 levers ) "Inverteil Junction" closed about 1963 and was replaced by "Seafield" which must have opened about then. Unless anybody knows different.

GrahamAlas I am too young to remember, In my day it was a class 40 or a pair of class 20`s, just occasionally a class 37. The only working steam engines I saw as a kid was on the Wemyss Private Railway just to wander off topic again, Pete Westwater sent me this photo of Cameronbridge station ( Windygates ) the line in the foreground was a connection to the WPR system, the distillery pug (Ruston & Hornsby 88 - preserved at SRPS Bo`ness ) can be seen in the background behind some grain wagons, as can the signal box ( Built by the NBR in 1910 - same time as "Methil East").

GrahamI recall a fair number of open wagons used to lie in sidings near Methil goods station ( the old Methil station ) I assumed the traffic was china clay for the paper mills at Markinch, 5 plank open wagons with tarpaulin bars fitted, trains of full wagons were normally sheeted with perhaps 2 roads at Kirkland yard occupied with 5 plank opens every other road full of 16t mineral wagons. an earlier photo of Kirkland yard courtesy of Pete Westwater showing 4 roads with 5 plank open wagons and just to get back on topic the top of the Kirkcaldy harbour branch ( courtesy Pete Westwater )

GrahamThe doll on signal No14 in your diagram has been preserved at the KFRPS in Leven it has been bolted to the platform end for our open day, but will be re-fitted with NBR signal parts and used as a bracket signal eventually

Kirkcaldy Goods yard in NBR days anybody know the name of the signal cabin ( the NBR had cabins not boxes )

"An Historical Survey of Chester to Holyhead Railway" by V.R. Anderson and G.K. Fox, Oxford Publishing Co ISBN 08609322168 has 7 pages on Holyhead including LNWR period photo`s of the breakwater railway and a fold out map. Hope this helps

Yes Mick, the member who dismantled the frame Peter Westwater, dismantled everything then carefully took dimentions of the inside of the locker room referencing everything to rail hight outside the box. This time all the parts have been carefully loged and kept in a dry container. The re - development of the Kirkland yard site will give us an NBR station building and platform accessed over a latttice footbridge with an NBR signal cabin & NBR signals, which I feel will be better than the mix of period / styles / railway companies that many preserved railways end up with. Although to be fair the trains going through the station will be a mix of period / styles / railway companies. Given the books Peter has been lending me recently ( " A Guide to Mechanical Locking Frames" ) it looks like I will be recruited on to his team to re - assemble the Locking frame, always did like a challenge.

Abandoned "Thornton South" signal cabin - photo courtesy of Pete Westwater ( the NBR had cabins not boxes ) the cabin required extensive shoaring due to mine workings in the area, bullhead rail has been used, the mine workings were so shallow the miners could set there watches by the passing trains ( the NBR refused to purchase the coal underneath the line from the Fife Coal Company, and possibly regreted it ). We hope to re - create this cabin at the Kingdom of Fife Railway Preservation Society in Leven, the glass all round design suits the location, we have the "Stevens & sons" Glasgow new pattern lever frame from "Thornton South" to put in it ( Thornton had 9 signal cabins ). we have also identified a supplier of imperial size bricks matched from one from the remains of "East Fife Central Junction", can`t wait to get started.

Yes Mick`s model is spot on, here is a photo of the real thing on subsidiary arms the NBR used a diferent style of spectacle plate, a heavier casting as the signal arm had to return to danger if the wire broke the gantray in this photo is from "Methil west" the two signal arms on the right have this type a close up photo of a broken one we are currently repairing. I hope this information helps

The NBR "Blue" glass was used as parafin lamps gave off a yellow light, when shone through "blue" glass showed signal green. "Green" glass was used for oil lamps which produced a white light. The "Blue" glass on your model is colour perfect, we made the mistake of using Blue glass in a NBR flap ground signal - a yellow light behind it gives off a purple light. The correct colour is a blue/green tone, a guy that restores stained glass windows is making a replacement for us colour matching it using a piece of broken spectacle glass.

We are currently restoring a full size version of this at the Kingdom of Fife Railway preservation society ( see NBR signal parts - Railways of Scotland forum ). your model is superb, the signal arm is particulary good. I assume your model is post grouping as the ladder would be an LNER addition NBR signal arm in the background, shunt-facing road signal arm in foreground awaiting repair

SHARK WITH BROKEN TEETH THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU PLOUGH BALLAST THROUGH A SET OF POINTS.DB993875 Photographed inside the shed at KFRPS yard at Kirkland SHARK WITH BROKEN TEETH THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU PLOUGH BALLAST THROUGH A SET OF POINTS.DB993875 Photographed inside the shed at KFRPS yard at Kirkland

Some photographs of a 20 ton tar wagon at the Kingdom of Fife Railway Preservation Society`s Kirkland yard in Leven, The wagon, No202 built by Hurst Nelson of Motherwell in 1955 for William Briggs & sons Ltd Camperdown Refinery Dundee. The tar wagon was donated to the Fife Railway Preservation Society (now the KFRPS) in the late 70`s and was on the Lochty railway until it closed. The Briggs tar wagon is due for a repair/repaint later this year, I will post photo`s of the finished article when it`s done. as usual if anybody requires detailed photo`s of this wagon for a model PM me and I will be more than happy to oblige.

We have had a good response to ths post, so if nobody objects I will post a wagon a week as the KFRPS have an interesting inventory of stock. which may be of interest to modelling comunity if anybody require`s further information on a specific wagon PM me and I will be happy to oblige.

I think some photographs of the builders plates this weekend could setttle this, but I suspect Paul Bartlett has hit the nail on the head, however I do wonder why an east coast company went to the LMS for a design when the LNER could have provided this - price perhaps!

One of these photo`s is the wrong way round! The captions are in the wrong place, perhaps a spelling mistake or two - I think I better give myself a good shake before someone else does - whoop`s

Some photographs of Scottish Grain Distillers 20 ton Grain wagons at the KFRPS yard at Kirkland ( Leven ) awaiting restoration. SGD had 5 distilleries in central scotland, Cameronbridge (Fife), Port Dundas (Glasgow), Carsebridge (near Alloa), Cambus (near Alloa) and the Caledonian ( Edinburgh). The wagons which are of riveted construction but otherwise similar to the standard BR 20 ton grain wagon were originally painted DCL ( Distillers Company Ltd ) the company split into two separate orginisations, Scottish Malt Distillers (SMD) & Scottish Grain Distillers (SGD) c1956 and would have been re- painted around this time The company name changed yet again to Uninted Distillers who kindly donated the wagons for preservation in the late 1980`s. (the distillery shunter was later donated to the SRPS at Boness). Potographs of Cameronbridge station from the 60`s, 70`s and 80`s show these wagons lurking in a variety of sidings at Cameronbridge (Windygates). Following yet another name change, this time to Diagio.60 ton pollybulks were delivering grain to Cameronbridge distillery, unloaded by portable grain elevator into a lorry in the station yard in the late 80`s early 90`s then driven into the distillery. Diagio and proceding companies have shown a consistantly genorous policy when disposing of there rail assetts The KFRPS are keen to get these wagons back on the top line, so if any genorous Rmwebbers would like to contribute - you know who to make the cheque`s out to. If anybody requires more detailed photo`s for modeling purposes PM me and I will be more than happy to oblige.

Another cracking photo Bruce, capturing history as it happened. I had an occasion to drive along there this week with the exeption of the rails imbedded in the tarmac at the two level crossings, and a quality cycle path there is very little evidence that a railway passed this way only 25 years ago. But look on the bright side at least our beloved 06003 is preserved, all be it in Englandshire.

More cracking photo`s Bruce, did you notice the shunter riding on the front step of 06003 as it trundles down the branch from Markinch? only his arm is visible. I asume this was taken from the top of the embankment on the old Leslie line.

Whilst using the superb donegalrailway.com website, researching the Londonderry & Lough Swilly Railway. I just could not resist clicking the button marked County Donegal Railway, 200 miles of 3`gauge with station layouts designed specifically for modellers. It is surprising that so few layouts are based on the CDR, another of Ireland`s undescovered little gem`s?