Hopefully many of you managed to watch 'Scotland's Scenic Railways' on Channel 4 the other evening, featuring Largo and Lundin Links stations, vintage railway footage and present day local scenes. For anyone that missed it, the programme is currently on All 4 catch-up here.  One of the content contributors, who appeared on the programme, was Robert Drysdale. Robert has kindly written up detailed memories of his many childhood holidays to Lower Largo and Lundin Links and has included several photographs in the attached PDF document. Among the images are pictures of both Largo and Lundin Links stations after the railway line closed and the tracks had been lifted, plus a view from the former road bridge over the line at the top of Drummochy Road.  

To access this evocative description of holidaying in Largo in the 1950s and 1960s, please click here and enjoy! Above is a picture of Robert (right) with his baby sister and mother in the garden of 'Kincraig' (number 15 the Temple). Below is a view of the closed Largo station with the tracks recently lifted, taken from the footbridge over the line. These and many more images appear in the document.

 
Largo is going to feature in some detail in one of the 3 additional episodes of Scotland’s Scenic Railways coming to Channel 4 over the coming weeks. Filmed last autumn, these shows are a mix of stories featured in the original 2019 The World’s Most Beautiful Railway series and new content filmed between lockdowns in 2020. The new material includes an item about the East of Fife railway, prompted by the reopening of the line to Leven.
 
Featuring some archive material from this blog and from blog readers, vintage film footage, history of the old line and interviews with people who remember when the railway served Largo, anyone with an interest in Largo will not want to miss this. The East of Fife item is in the episode that transmits on Sunday April 4th @ 8pm on Channel 4. You will also see preparations taking place at Leven for the reinstatement of a five and a half mile section of the line to Leven (Levenmouth Rail Scheme). Spread the word!

The above photograph has appeared in a previous blog post, entitled After the Line Closure. However, new information has just come to light about this particular journey which is well worth sharing. Intrigued by the 'headboard' on the front of the engine, which reads LCGB North West, Brian Malaws investigated the story behind this. He asked Peter Crossman, Hon General Secretary of the Locomotive Club of Great Britain, if he could provide any information. He duly responded with the following...

The club's monthly magazine, The Bulletin, records that on Tuesday, July 5th 1966, members of the North West Branch of the Locomotive Club of Great Britain travelled on the 09:05 Thornton Yard to Crail working. Apparently, great interest was shown in the headboard by the train crew and yard staff. The train consisted of class B1 4-6-0 no. 61133 hauling one wagon of coal and a brake van, in which the club members were accommodated. After arriving safely at Crail, the train returned to Anstruther, where the locomotive was turned on the still-operational turntable during a lunch stop on the return journey to Thornton.

The line had closed to passenger traffic in September 1965 so this was a rare opportunity to travel the line, which then closed to even goods traffic two weeks afterwards. Demolition of the station followed a few years later.

With thanks to Brian Malaws for sharing this snippet of information.

The above photograph is part of Historic Environment Scotland's Canmore collection but was originally part of a private collection. It's dated as circa 1890, which tallies with what we can see in the image. Firstly, the image was certainly captured after 1888, as the stone-built "W.C. for the benefit of sailors and fishers" can be seen on the right hand edge below the lamp.  Another clue to the date is the registration 'KY 478' on the sail of the fishing boat on the right. This vessel was sold to Messrs G.R. and W. Jamieson of Shetland in 1901 (see 18 May Shetland Times below) so the image was taken prior to that date.

In the background, under the right hand arch of the viaduct is the old wooden footbridge over the Keil Burn. Different versions of this footbridge existed up until 1914. The photographer has clearly waited for a train to pass over the viaduct before committing to the picture. The engine is a pleasingly old-looking one - reminiscent of a toy train to modern eyes. There a lot of people in the scene, including a group of men taking a rest on the right, a young girl heading for the end of the pier and several men (and possibly boys) congregating around one of the fishing boats. It's not too hard to imagine the smells and sounds that would have accompanied this sight. It's another image that I would love to be able to step right in to!

The above postcard, sent in August 1903, is significant to this blog, not so much for the image of Lucerne Railway Station, but for the recipient and the short message on the front. The postcard was sent to Master Joe Bennet, Mayfield, Lundin Links. Mayfield (along with Eastfield) is a striking double villa on Leven Road and was written about here recently. The houses were built for John Bennet. Joe was his young son, aged around eight at the time he received this message. Although the family lived in Edinburgh most of the time, they were clearly spending summer at their Lundin Links house at this time. Although it is unclear who sent the card, it was clearly someone who know Joe and Lundin Links well. Here is the message:

Wouldn't Mr Robertson take a fit if he had a station like this to look after at Lundin Links!

This refers to Robert Robertson, the station master at Lundin Links railway station. Lucerne station was of course a grand city station - a stark contrast to the small station at Lundin Links, which in 1903 was still a single building, short platformed affair, largely unchanged since the 1850s (as seen below in a circa 1900 image). Robert was born in Kilconquhar in 1860 - the early days of the railway in the East of Fife. By the time of the 1891 census, he was married with one daughter and working as a signalman at Kingsbarns Station. A couple of years later, he moved to Lundin Links and, by the 1901 census, he was living in the station master's house with his wife, mother-in-law and three children (Magdeline, Janet and David).

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Two years after the humorous postcard message was sent, Mr Robertson's station was given a major upgrade. Perhaps not quite elevating it to Lucerne standards but nevertheless quite a step up for a village station. The report below from the 23 November 1905 Leven Advertiser describes the extent of the changes. The "new group of buildings" included a booking office, a general waiting room and a ladies waiting room. The platform was greatly lengthened. Mr Robertson and his family were given an "improved dwelling house" within the old station building.
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The photograph above shows the expanded station where Mr Robertson would remain station master for the rest of his days. Sadly, the First World War saw the Robertsons lose their only son David at the age of 22. The extract below from the 28 October 1916 Fife Free Press tells of how he was a bright young man with a promising future. As the 28 June 1923 Leven Advertiser further below suggests, Robert never fully recovered from the loss of his son and his health gradually declined until his death in 1923. During his thirty years at Lundin Links Station he was "always to be found at the post of duty" providing "entire satisfaction to the thousands who travelled to Lundin Links". He was a man who didn't need the lure of a huge city station like Lucerne!
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Many will remember with great fondness the cine films made by Ernest Mackie back in the 1960s. Featuring subject matter such as the railway and the local posties. Often humorous - these films were publicly screened from time to time at venues such as the Simpson Institute and the Old Baptist Meeting Hall. Some locals were fortunate enough to have copies of the original films put onto DVD and one of them has suggested sharing the films more widely via this site, so that local people can relive the memories, perhaps see themselves (or people they know) in the films and appreciate once again the talent of Ernest Mackie. 

Ernest was truly ahead of his time in terms of the skill and quality of his film-making. When you watch these short films, please do take time to remember that these were made with 1960s technology. A huge amount of care and thought went into the filming, editing, captioning, music, etc. The first film (which you can link to from here) is entitled 'Sentimental Journey' and it captures perfectly the sadness at the loss of the East of Fife railway line and its stations. It features a very moving poem and shows a mix of clips from both before and after the line's closure. A few stills from the film are shown below.

Sadly, Ernest Mackie passed away on 23 August 2019 at the age of 88. 

Above is a 'before and after' comparison of the signal box at Largo Station. On the left an image captured shortly before the station's closure. On the right the same view not long after closure, when the weeds and vandals had begun to make their mark. The last passenger train ran on 5th September 1965. Goods services were withdrawn on 18th July 1966. The line was officially closed on 18th December that year - although the very last train to run on the line was April 1967.

Below is a shot featuring the British Railways totem with the station name: 'Largo' (in the classic 'hot dog' shape). These station totems (and other signage such as the one on the signal box above) came in a range of colours, all featuring the Gill Sans font. While signs in Scotland were light blue, North Eastern was orange, Great Western Region was brown, the Midland Region was maroon, Southern Region was dark green and Eastern Region was dark blue. This corporate identity was introduced 1948/9 and was replaced in the late 1960s (post the Beeching cuts and too late to apply Largo or Lundin Links Stations). 

The 'lion on wheel' emblem was also introduced in 1948/9 and can also be seen below on the banking among the flowers to the left of the totem sign. It's shown again below post-closure in an abandoned (yet still visible) state some years later. Further below is the official BR emblem upon which it was based.
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Below are some more scenes of dereliction at Largo Station. Firstly, some rather scruffy looking platforms and tracks superimposed on the same scene in better times (taken from the footbridge over the tracks). Next the levers inside the signal box, through broken glass. Finally, an overgrown track-side, looking through the footbridge. Around 1970/71 the Largo Station buildings were demolished. ​

More 'after the closure' photos of Largo Station are here and for Lundin Links Station click here.
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The "iron bridge" footbridge at Lundin Links (seen in the photograph above to the left of centre in the distance) was built in 1896. This was the same year as the opening of the new Lundin Golf Club House (read more about that here and here). Built for the convenience of the golfers and completed in time for the summer season, the bridge allowed easier access to the building from the east side. Previously, safe access was only from Golf Road to the west.

At the time, Lundin Mill only extended as far south as Crescent Road but feuing plans were underway to develop what would become Victoria Road and Station Road (now Links Road). The 1893 map below shows the spot chosen for the bridge. Handily placed for the residents of (and visitors to) Lundin Mill, Drummochy and Lower Largo, the feus around this area were soon occupied. Non-golfers obviously benefited too from the safer access to the beach.

The 1912 map further below, shows the footbridge now situated between Norvil on the right and Victoria Boarding House to the left. Norvil in particular was planned and built just months after the footbridge was erected. This was probably no coincidence, as Norvil was built for seedsman William Watt - a keen golfer (more of that another time). Further below are a series of images featuring the iron bridge, including (at the very end) a still from cine footage taken from the train driver's cab shortly before the line closed in 1965, The road bridge at the top of Drummochy Road can be seen in the distance to the left. Sadly the footbridge was removed in the early 1970s but many still refer to the vicinity around the steps down to the path were it once stood as "the iron bridge".
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Finally, a few shots from the present day of the spot where the old bridge once stood.

The above engraving by Frederick Borders featured in the 1860 book "The Handy Book of the Fife Coast" by Henry Farnie. The same book had a full page advert for the the 'marine villas' that were being built in the village as part of the ambitious plans set out by the Standard Life Assurance Company at that time. At first glance the engraving is not particularly recognisable as Lundin Links. However, zooming in on the centre detail (below) reveals 'Fir Park' standing proud in front of Largo Law, plus a scattering of houses. Colour has been added below to highlight these features, which are tricky to make out in the original.

Further to the left of the engraving is a representation of the newly-created railway station and a passing train - see below. The shack-like temporary station building that briefly existed between 1857 and 1858 before it was replaced with the permanent station building can be made out. As the book 'The Leven and East of Fife Railway' by Hajducki, Jodeluk and Simpson states:

"Provision was made for the situation where, if after five years from opening, the traffic generated was not sufficiently remunerative for the railway company, then the obligation to keep the station open was no longer binding on them. Lundin Links station was opened along with the rest of the line in August 1857 with a temporary building but in September 1858 an agreement was reached between the East of Fife company and Standard Life that the station was to be completed as a permanent structure. Standard Life contributed £450 out of a total of £800 for the station and its approach road and would also undertake to construct four villas by the station."

The villas named 'Homelands' and 'Haworth' were duly built but, aside from several other homes built on Crescent Road, further development was slow. The permanent station building had a distinctive design - quite unlike others in the vicinity. It seems likely that James Campbell Walker had a hand in its design, which had echoes of 'Homelands'. The opening announcement and the original timetable are shown below (from 13 August 1857 Caledonian Mercury).

Frederick Borders the engraver behind these images was born in London around 1827. By 1851 he was employed as an engraver is Islington but by the time of the 1861 census he was in Edinburgh working as a wood engraver. He had probably completed the Lundin Links engraving 3-4 years prior to that. He was still in Edinburgh in 1871 and the next year married Helen Wight in Edinburgh before relocating to London. Their first child Frederick was born soon afterwards, followed by Samuel, Helen and Alice. The 1881 census finds Frederick senior in Wandsworth Prison as a 'debtor' but ten years later he is back working as a 'draughtsman and engraver on wood' in Southwark (the place where he died in 1894).
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​As a follow-up to the previous post - above is a 1969 view across Largo Harbour with the disused station in the background. This image has been converted from a slide and the magnified view below shows the station in more detail. The station master's house is visible above the viaduct arch to the left of the tree. The bridge over the railway line remains in place. The station buildings still appear to be in reasonable condition from this distance but the track area seems quite overgrown with vegetation.

Another point of interest in the detail below is the bright red World War Two sea mine positioned in front of the Crusoe Hotel, tucked in next to the 1888 harbour toilet facility. These mines were reconditioned into charity collection boxes to support the dependants of those lost at sea, as well as sick, disabled or retired fishermen and mariners. These were found in many a coastal town or village. Some displayed the message "I am a real sea mine. Instead of destroying seamen, I want to help them". Does anyone know when this one was removed from the harbour area?

The location of the remaining sea mines around the UK can be seen on the shipwrecked mariners' society website.  The closest one appears to be at St Monans. For another glimpse of the old Lower Largo one, see about 23 seconds into the following home movie clip:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MDMfqXcpus