Burntisland railway station

Burntisland railway station is a railway station in the town of Burntisland, Fife, Scotland. The station is managed by ScotRail and is on the Fife Circle Line.

1. History

The station was designed by Grainger & Miller engineers. Originally it was the southern terminus of the Edinburgh and Northern Railway, with tracks and trainshed stretching away behind the imposing terminus building. The railway opened its main line north across Fife to Lindores & Cupar (branch line) in September 1847. These were extended by the following summer to Hilton Junction, near Perth, and Tayport. From Burntisland, a ferry service ran across the River Forth to Granton in the northern suburbs of Edinburgh, from where trains could be taken to various destinations across central and south-west Scotland. The current station, which bypasses the site of the original station, dates from 1890 when the Forth Rail Bridge and associated connecting lines were opened to provide a direct route across the Forth estuary to Edinburgh Waverley.

1. Accidents and incidents

On 14 April 1914, an express passenger train hauled by NBR H class locomotive 872 Auld Reekie was in collision with a freight train that was being shunted. The cause of the accident was an error by the signalman. Two people were killed.

1. Services

Two trains per hour call at the station off peak (Mon-Sat), running southbound to Inverkeithing and Edinburgh and northbound to Kirkcaldy & Glenrothes with Thornton. One of the latter then continues along the western side of the Fife Circle line back to Edinburgh via Cowdenbeath. Evenings see an hourly service, with some through trains beyond Kirkcaldy to Dundee or Perth, whilst on Sundays the first northbound diagram of the day is a semi-fast service to Aberdeen, with an hourly service each way around the Circle thereafter.

1. References

Nearby Places View Menu

Burntisland Parish Church

Burntisland Parish Church (also known as St Columba's, Burntisland) is a church building in the Fife burgh of Burntisland, constructed for the Church of Scotland in 1592. It is historically important as one of the first churches built in Scotland after the Reformation, with a highly distinctive and apparently original square plan. It is Category A listed for its architectural and historical importance. In 1601 the church was the location of a meeting of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland which proposed to King James VI of Scotland that they work on a new Bible translation. When James became King James I of England he was able to devote resources to the production of what would ultimately become the King James Version.

Church Historic Site

Burntisland Burgh Chambers

Burntisland Burgh Chambers is a municipal structure in the High Street, Burntisland, Fife, Scotland. The building, which is the meeting place of the Burntisland Community Council, is a Category B listed building.

Government Historic Site

Burntisland

Burntisland ( , Scots: Bruntisland) is a former Royal burgh and parish in Fife, Scotland, on the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. It was previously known as Wester Kinghorn or Little Kinghorn. The town has a population of 6,269 (2011). Burntisland is known locally for its award-winning sandy beach, the 15th-century Rossend Castle, as well as the traditional summer fair and Highland games day. To the north of the town a hill called The Binn is a landmark of the Fife coastline; a volcanic plug, it rises 193 metres (632 ft) above sea level.

Beach Landmark

338 m

Battle of Kinghorn

The Battle of Kinghorn was fought on 6 August 1332 at Wester Kinghorn (now Burntisland), Fife, Scotland. An invading seaborne force of 1,500 men was commanded by Edward Balliol and Henry Beaumont, Earl of Buchan. A Scottish army, possibly 4,000 strong, commanded by Duncan, Earl of Fife, and Robert Bruce, Lord of Liddesdale (an illegitimate son of King Robert the Bruce) was defeated with heavy loss. Balliol was the son of King John Balliol and was attempting to make good his claim to be the rightful king of Scotland. He hoped that many of the Scots would desert to him. Balliol and Beaumont's forces were still disembarking from their ships when the Scots attacked them. The Scots pressed hard, but were beaten off by English longbowmen and some supporting infantry even before Balliol's men-at-arms could get ashore. The Scottish losses are disputed, but included several nobles. The invaders fought the main Scottish army five days later at the Battle of Dupplin Moor and inflicted a crushing defeat. Balliol was crowned king of Scotland on 24 September.

Historic Site Landmark