VINTAGE LUNDIN LINKS AND LARGO
  • Blog

Glenfinnan (62467) at Viewforth

26/12/2017

2 Comments

 
Picture
This is the 'Glenfinnan' approaching Largo having passed Viewforth (see buildings to the right on the shore). The image, which appeared in the July 1964 'Railway World' magazine, was captured by WJV Anderson in August of 1957 - which was exactly 100 years after the opening of the line. To the left of the line is the poultry farm at Buckthorns Farm. 

The magazine article noted that "like many other lines in Britain, the East Fife is under threat of closure. If the Beeching economic axe does chop it off, the memories will never be erased". Of course the axe did fall and the line closed in September 1965 to passenger traffic (with some goods services continuing for a brief spell thereafter).

The Glenfinnan locomotive had met its demise in 1960 after almost fifty years of service. An image of it being cut up can be seen here:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/93456400@N04/14742346492

If you have memories of the railway through Largo and Lundin Links, please comment!
2 Comments
John Band
27/12/2017 11:21:29 am

Born 1964 I can remember as a toddler being held in my granny Jean Philip's arms in her front porch at Largo caravan park and seeing what I can only imagine was either one of the last goods trains or an engineers train involved in track removal slowly crossing the viaduct.Circa 1970,just before the station at Largo was demolished I remember playing there with older brother Neil and his pals and being too small to climb from the track bed onto the platforms,I had to walk to the end and up the ramps.The footbridge and white painted wooden gates for the footpath across the track at the end of the platforms adjacent to the viaduct were still intact. The station buildings whilst mainly intact were damaged and vandalized. When the buildings were first demolished the West bound platform edge was graded leaving the buildings footprint visible, the older and original platform used for East bound trains was completely taken away. The complete goods platform adjacent to Station Park was left intact. The once multiple award winning garden between the signal box and the West bound station building was whilst overgrown was mainly intact with its walls and models decorated with sea shells. A large concrete disc maybe 1.5metres in diameter with the early British Railways crest (a lion striding over a locomotive wheel) was embossed upon it with Largo written across the middle and all painted white was clear to see in the grass. All of this was bulldozed later when the council improved the carpark,a true crime as it didn't make much difference to the parking.Circa 1980 the former timber steps from the rear of the West bound platform to the public path down to Largo were removed. I can remember the road bridge at the top of Drummochy being removed to improve the sharp bend, also the deck being removed from the bridge over the bottom of Durham Wynd. Soon after the stone abutments began to lean over the road due to the lack of the steel deck bracing them. Prior to these being cut down and the new access steps being built there was always a narrow set of stone steps leading up from Durham Wynd to Bourtree Terrace which were very steep and dangerous to come down as you had no sight of traffic coming down the hill. My pal Alan Ramsay and I collected track bolts, fishplates, rail chairs and iron wedges from the old track bed from as far as Kilconquhar station, bringing them home on our bogey. These were last seen when Dad and I put them under the steps we built down the Harbour Wynd gable of our house "Rhinivie" at the Caravan site (now Seatoun Place) . For many years a BR blue toton platform sign"Largo" was displayed in the garden of 42 Station Park adjacent to the station I would have given my left arm to have owned that !

Reply
Ricky Jurecki
20/3/2018 08:29:56 am

John, the information you remember is amazing. I am doing a bit of research myself to the village and to be honest I get more info in your comments than anywhere. Keep it up.

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    About

    This blog is about the history of the villages of Lundin Links, Lower Largo and Upper Largo in Fife, Scotland. Comments and contributions from readers are very welcome!

    Search

    There is no in-built search facility on this site. To search for content, go to Google and type your search words followed by "lundin weebly".

    Contact

    Categories

    All
    Antiquities
    Beach
    Boarding Houses
    Business
    Churches
    Clubs And Societies
    Drummochy
    Facilities
    Farming
    Fishing
    Golf
    Houses
    Keil's Den
    Largo Law
    Lower Largo
    Masseney Braes
    New Gilston
    People
    Railway
    School
    Shops
    Standing Stanes
    Streets
    Tourism
    Upper Largo
    Viaduct
    War

    Archives

    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013

    Links

    Largo Baywatch Blog
    Fife Family History Society
    ​
    Polish Parachute Brigade Info​

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.