Burntisland East Dock

Location type

Place

Name and dates

Burntisland East Dock (1901-)

Opened on the Edinburgh and Northern Railway.

Description

This is the larger dock at the harbour of Burntisland. There is a dock gate at the west end. This dock was formerly associate with the shipping of coal from the extensive Fife coal field's mines.

The dock received its Act in 1896 and construction began around 1899. The dock opened in 1901. The existing Burntisland Albert Pier and Slip Pier of the tidal eastern harbour were removed and replaced.

The dock was served from the east end by the railway, the former Edinburgh and Northern Railway, which by this date was owned by the North British Railway. Lammerlaws Yard, a marshalling yard, was laid out to the east. Loaded coal trains would approach from the east, travelling via the main line north or the Kirkcaldy District Railway (North British Railway) which travelled across country to the mining district around Cowdenbeath. Lines on the north side of the dock were a reconstruction of those serving Burntisland West Dock and Burntisland Albert Pier.

In addition to quayside lines there were three coal hoists, one to the north and two on the south side.

The dock was partly built in response to the competing coal export docks at Methil Docks and the privately owned Wemyss Private Railway. The 1876 Burntisland West Dock was no longer able to handle the volume of coal traffic and, rather than lose all the traffic to Methil, the east dock was built.

From 1917 the east dock a northern quayside was associated with Burntisland Aluminium Works. Import of bauxite for the works ceased in 1982.

Although coal shipment ended and the aluminium works are closed the dock remains open. Dockside cranes have been removed. Railway track remains embedded in the docksides but the dock is no longer railway served.

Forth Ports - Burntisland

Tags

Dock




Books


A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain: The North of Scotland v. 15 (Regional railway history series)

Burntisland: Fife's Railway Port (Locomotion papers)

Fife's Last Days of Steam

Fife's Lost Railways

Railways of Fife

The Railways of Fife