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Today, the 50 Objects team publish narrative number 55 or, more precisely, the 5th extended narrative. These extended items spring from where the research, preparation and publishing were impossible to achieve within the strictures of producing an article every month. With the original project completed, these supplementary Objects allow greater time and scope to carry out research on the more challenging stories. One of these 'must do' narratives has to be the railway, and this has certainly proved challenging. 

  

The relationship between Kirkcaldy and its railway generates such a wealth of material that this story will consist of two separate narratives. Initially, in this Object, the focus will be on how and why the 'Iron Rails' arrived in the Lang Toun in 1847 and make no mistake, that was no formality! It could all have been so different as the story will disclose. 

  

The building of the infrastructure, the stations and the branch lines which served industry so well plus its revolutionary effect on Kirkcaldy will feature in the second episode. Trying to condense both aspects into one read would, at best, be unwieldy – hence this approach. 

  

It was never the intention that the railway would terminate in Kirkcaldy – it was merely a stop on a line which was intended to drive a route from the heart of Edinburgh to Dundee – despite two Firths having to be crossed. This story therefore looks at the line in its totality, not purely Kirkcaldy-centric. It seems that anything which affected the complete line also had a knock-on effect on Kirkcaldy. It cannot be stressed too highly that Kirkcaldy was only a cog in a big wheel, although the town council did, in time, manage to lever the construction of a branch line to the harbour – despite a fearsome incline having to be overcome. 

  

The 1840s was a period of intense railway mania throughout Britain and Fife was no exception. Travel and the transference of goods from Edinburgh to Fife were almost exclusively the province of shipping and as the dawn of the railways approached it was only a question of time before they provided another option. Kirkcaldy already had shipping links with Leith and Newhaven harbours but there was a weakness and that was the desperate need for a low-water pier where ferries could land and depart no matter the state of the tide. It was also a fact that, as steam supplanted sail, harbours had to be extended to accommodate these larger vessels. It was certainly a time for innovation and change. 

  

Burntisland had long been a ferry port but, in the 1840s, two men enhanced its facilities. They were the Duke of Buccleuch and John Gladstone.   It was the Duke of Buccleuch who answered the need for a 'south side' low-water pier choosing to build the facility on his own land at Granton. Simultaneously, John Gladstone, who was later knighted, fulfilled the same purpose on the northern shore at Burntisland. The pair set about securing steam powered ships to ply the crossing and through an Act of Parliament they all but secured the exclusive right to operate ferries between the two ports. 

  

With a ferry now in place the race was on to secure a railway line from central Edinburgh to travel through Fife stretching towards both Perth and Dundee. The ferry was an integral part of the plan as the Forth Bridge did not open until 1890. 

  

The first step was the construction of a line from Edinburgh to the shores of the Forth at Newhaven and, in 1836, the Edinburgh, Leith and Newhaven Railway was formed for that very purpose. Sadly, it failed to secure either sufficient interest or  sufficient capital and simply fell into abeyance. It was however resurrected early in the next decade with one significant change, in that the harbour of choice was now to be Trinity.  Ironically, despite the name, the line was never built to Newhaven – instead, as mentioned, it ran to Trinity, opening in 1842. Trinity, slightly to the west of Newhaven, is an area of North Edinburgh which was once a part of the Burgh of Leith. The line from Trinity ran to Scotland Street in the Cannonmills area of Edinburgh – some way short of the intended terminus which was to be close to Princess Street Gardens.  Trinity Station was built, later enhanced and it survives to this day but is now a residential property. However, it soon became obvious that Trinity did not have the facilities to be a significant ferry terminus and another choice was made – this time Granton. 

  

The reason for the change of port was simply that Granton with its superior facilities would quickly become the harbour of choice and would, in time, supplant Newhaven – it was obvious that it was far better to make the change rather than be left behind. 

  

An Act of Parliament - 'The Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Act' was sought and subsequently secured to extend the line to Granton from Trinity. At the same time the company name was altered to match that of the Act. The line was partially opened in 1846 but only as far as Scotland Street. It took until 1847, thanks to the necessity to excavate a 1,000-yard tunnel to reach Canal Street – the intended terminus in the middle of the city. The tunnel runs under Scotland Street, Dublin Street and St. Andrew's Square and remains there today. The north portal survives while the southern one was destroyed during the building of Waverley Market.  The tunnel had a short life as it was bypassed in the late 19th century. It has, at one time or another, served as an air raid shelter, a mushroom farm and a storage facility for vehicles. 

  

The first step had been successful – the Forth was now accessible by rail and the ferry could carry passengers over the Firth – all that was left was the stage from Burntisland onwards and, for this purpose, the Edinburgh, Dundee & Northern Railway was formed with the express intention to reach Perth and the southern shores of the Tay to secure access to Dundee. 

  

The first suggestion of such a route had been proposed by the famed engineer, Robert Stevenson, which failed to attract attention at the time but was resurrected in the mid 1830s. Stevenson’s 1835 map survives and is included in the full narrative. It sketched out the intended route but what is interesting is that one option was to skirt Kirkcaldy only passing the town where Asda stands today. Another suggestion was that it should cross the River Leven somewhere between Leslie and Balbirnie - that would have meant no iconic Markinch Viaduct! Once again nothing more transpired and it was not until 1844 that, as mentioned above, the Edinburgh, Dundee and Northern turned ideas into action – whilst at the same time shortening their name to The Edinburgh & Northern Railway. 

  

A strong committee was formed and a Prospectus issued to seek the raising of £800,000. The engineer who planned and eventually constructed the line was Thomas Grainger. Grainger was an outstanding railway engineer of this time but suffered an ironic death in 1852 which is covered in the full narrative. 

  

The route was so planned that after leaving Burntisland the coast would be hugged until reaching Kirkcaldy. The line would then turn northwards through Thornton and Markinch, the New Inn, until it arrived at Kettle. Here the railway would branch into two routes, with one arm heading towards Perth and the other making for Tayport via Cupar. 

  

The Prospectus was not an immediate success for two reasons – the principal one being concern over the fact that two firths had to be crossed by ferry. The other was the suggestion that a rival line was being mooted by The Edinburgh, Perth  Railway Company. Here the ambitious plan was to commence from Queensferry (only a mile crossing compared to the 5 miles required on the Granton/Burntisland Route) and travel via Dunfermline – Lochgelly – Kinross and reach Perth via Newburgh. The real potential hazard for the Edinburgh & Northern was their rival intended to drive a branch through Lochgelly to Kirkcaldy which would let them secure access to the rich pickings of the Fife coalfields. This could well have been a fatal blow to Grainger's route, and the uncertainty led to insufficient capital being secured.   

  

The Edinburgh & Northern responded by cutting their cloth and halting the proposed line at Cupar while continuing with what was now to be their main line to Perth. The intention was to bridge the Tay at Newburgh and join the new Dundee - Perth line at Glencarse. The rationale being, by this route, Dundee could be reached with no need for a ferry. A fresh Prospectus was issued in September 1844 for the reduced sum of £500,000, albeit with a shortened line and single rails rather than the intended double rails. With the Prospectus achieving the capital requirement it was off to Parliament with the Bill. 

  

The passage through Parliament achieved its second reading without difficulty but the Edinburgh - Perth Line fought tooth and nail in the Committee stage to sink the Act. The fighting was primarily done by landowners and other interested parties acting on behalf of the Edinburgh – Perth line and the full narrative discloses how this came unstuck when the opposition were not permitted in their attempt to compare their line's suggested advantages over the Edinburgh & Northern. To protect their position the Edinburgh & Northern made alterations to their route to make it both more attractive and dilute the opposition’s efforts. These included:- 

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•        Resurrecting the Cupar to Tayport line (the Admiralty had refused  to                          sanction the bridge over the Tay).

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•        A branch line be formed at Thornton – running to Dunfermline and Lochgelly           to reach the coalfields.

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•        A Branch line to Newburgh harbour. This never went ahead.

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•        From Guardbridge – a line constructed to connect with  St. Andrews.

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The Act was passed and it was then full steam ahead with the construction of the line and the story of how the thorny issue of reaching Perth was achieved. With no bridge over the Tay and the Scottish Central Railway trying to hold a monopoly over entering Perth from the south – a stroke of good fortune came the Edinburgh & Northern's way. With a bridge over the Tay rejected, where would the line go if it could not find a way past Newburgh? An innovative move saved the day in the shape of the Strathearn Junction Railway.

The methods used in the construction which saw the line being broken into sections is covered. These sections were worked on simultaneously rather than starting at Burntisland and then snaking towards the Tay.  Primarily, each section was worked by different contractors and sub-contractors. While working efficiently over the bulk of the line it came unstuck in spectacular fashion at one point.

Two different contractors, working on the excavation of Pettycur Tunnel, got their calculations wrong –resulting in a kink in the centre of the tunnel which remains there 179 years later. The resultant speed restriction remains in place to this day.

The railway line was passed by the Board of Trade inspector in early September 1847 and on the 20th great excellent broke out as the opening ceremony took place with the first trains taking centre stage.  

It is difficult to appreciate how close the Act came to being defeated in Parliament which would, without question, have delayed the laying of the excellent route which Kirkcaldy forms part of. The coming of the railway led to a huge upsurge in where Kirkcaldy manufacturers could sell their goods. They were no longer reliant on shipping and the use of carters - with the railway now opening up new markets all over the country.

This short extract can do no more than give a flavour of the successes, the delays, the disappointments and the sheer determination to succeed in any great depth, which is why the full narrative, providing greater detail plus augmented by maps and visuals, is well worth a visit. The railway altered Kirkcaldy, bringing nothing but benefit, and in no small way contributing to its becoming an industrial powerhouse.

It was certainly a close run thing and with the how and why now covered, it is on   the next part which will feature and focus on the railway in Kirkcaldy itself.