Railways of Kinross
There was provision for future extension to Tillicoultry, where a connection could be made with the Stirling and Dunfermline Railway line to Alloa.
[3][4] The proposal had encountered considerable opposition in Parliament, especially from the EP&DR and the Scottish Central Railway, who both feared expansion of the line into a competing through route.
The Act having been secured, a contract for construction was let in the sum of £47,818;[4] the first sod was cut among considerable rejoicing at Auchtermuchty on 14 January 1856.
The South Lumphinnans connection would have been a direct duplication of the Kinross-shire Railway route, and the latter was authorised while the F&KR proposed amendment was refused.
As the date of opening drew near, the Directors found that the EP&DR was unwilling to spare a locomotive to work the line, as had been hoped, although they were prepared to hire rolling stock to the little company.
[5] The line was opened from Ladybank to Strathmiglo on 8 June 1857, and extended to Milnathort on 9 March 1858,[note 2] and finally to Hopetown of Kinross on 20 August 1858.
[note 4][8] The line was authorised to be extended to meet the Kinross-shire Railway at a joint Kinross station by Act of 28 June 1858.
The EP&DR had agreed to work the line provided that the Kinross-shire acquired its own locomotive, and it did so, obtaining one similar to the F&KR engines, also from R & W Hawthorn.
The company obtained an Act of July 1861 to build a branch from Kelty to Kingseat, where it was intended to make a junction with the West of Fife Mineral Railway.
The financial performance of the little company was poor, and inevitably it had to seek absorption by its larger neighbour; Parliamentary authority to amalgamate with the EP&DR was obtained on 1 August 1861.
[4][6] The next section was to traverse exceptionally difficult terrain, and it was decided to build from the other end of the route, at Tillicoultry.
The NBR decided that the Rumbling Bridge station configuration was inconvenient for the extension, and it altered the proposed alignment, easing the ruling gradient from 1 in 50 to 1 in 63.
The opening of the first Tay bridge enabled through carriages to be run from Edinburgh and Glasgow to Dundee and Aberdeen, via Kinross.
Completion of the second Tay bridge transformed Fife, enabling the North British Railway to run fast trains from Dundee to Glasgow and Edinburgh.
From Glenfarg the line would run directly to Perth, by-passing the Caledonian route from Hilton Junction through Moncrieffe tunnel.
In 1867 nothing had been done and the Company had to ask for authority for extra time to build the line; meanwhile shareholders were becoming concerned about the financial commitment to numerous new construction schemes, and the project was dropped.
As well as the immediate approach railways at Queensferry, a new line was built from Saughton, some distance west of Edinburgh, to Dalmeny.
Leaving the north side of the Forth Bridge, trains would reach Inverkeithing over the approach railway, and then Touch Junctions at Dunfermline by the 1866 line.
The Fife and Kinross line closed between Ladybank and Mawcarse Junction on 5 June 1950 to passengers, and to goods on 5 October 1964.
[6] When the Glenfarg line closed, Perth to Edinburgh services were diverted over the slower route via Stirling and subsequently, with some improvement in journey time, along the Bridge of Earn to Ladybank line when it was reopened (it had closed to passengers in September 1955) [13] The original section of the Kinross-shire Railway between Lumphinnans Central Junction and Kelty South Junction closed to passengers on 2 June 1890 when the cut-off line opened,[13] but remained open for mineral traffic at least until 1960.
