Ladybank

Location type

Station

Name and dates

Ladybank (1847-)

Station code: LDY National Rail ScotRail
Where: Fife, Scotland
Opened on the Fife and Kinross Railway.
Opened on the Edinburgh and Northern Railway.
Open on the Edinburgh to Perth.
Open on the Edinburgh to Dundee.

Description

This is a two platform station with the main original station building on the northbound platform, architect probably David Bell. The building is a complicated structure with different numbers of storeys.

On the southbound platform is a North British Railway waiting room building and an older building known as the 'Laird's Waiting room' (south end of platform). The platforms are linked by subway.

The station is the junction of the lines to Perth and Dundee. It is the central part of the 'Y' of the Edinburgh and Northern Railway.

There was a bay platform at the south end of the station, this served the Fife and Kinross Railway by reversal. Trains would set out south for a short distance, before reversing to head west.

Between the two lines at the north end of the station was Ladybank Works and Ladybank Shed. The wagon works building still stands.

On the east side of the station, approached from the north east, was the goods yard.

Within the 'V' of the junction was Ladybank North signal box, one of two boxes opened in 1888, along with Ladybank south box which was on the east side of the line opposite the reversing spur for the Auchtermuchty line at Ladybank South Junction.

North to Glenburnie Junction was singled in 1934. The line west to Auchtermuchty closed in 1957.

The north box took over the south box in 1966 when the south box was replaced with a ground frame for the sidings. The box became simply Ladybank Junction. This in turn closed in 1980 when the Edinburgh Signalling Centre took over.

The art studio of Kirsty Lorenz is on platform 2 in the main station building. Also in this building is the Off the Rails Arthouse .

The Artline - Art and Heritage on the railway in Fife

Tags

Station Junction

External links

Canmore site record
NLS Collection OS map of 1892-1914
NLS Collection OS map of 1944-67
12/10/2019

Facilities

Listing: B




Nearby stations
Kingskettle
Collessie
Falkland Road
Springfield
Auchtermuchty
Markinch
Lindores [2nd]
Cupar
Lindores [1st]
Glenburnie
Luthrie
Strathmiglo
Leslie
Cameron Bridge [1st]
Cameron Bridge
Ladybank South Junction
Ladybank Shed
Ladybank Works
Ladybank Chemical Works
Ladybank Saw Mill
Forthar Lime Works Railway Tunnel
Pitlessie Maltings
Forthar Lime Siding
Forthar Lime Works
Bunzion Lime Works
Rameldry Colliery
Cults Siding
Cults Lime Works
Tourist/other
Coaltown of Burnturk
Falkland Palace
Location names in dark blue are on the same original line.


Chronology Dates

31/07/1845Edinburgh and Northern Railway
Act receives Royal assent. Mainline from Burntisland to Perth via Ladybank. Branches from Ladybank to Cupar and Kirkcaldy to the harbour. The Perth station was to be beside the Dundee and Perth Railway station.
17/09/1847Edinburgh and Northern Railway
Opened from Burntisland to Lindores and Cupar. Stations at Burntisland [1st], Kinghorn, Kirkcaldy, Sinclairtown, Dysart, Thornton, Markinch, Falkland Road, Kingskettle, Ladybank, Collessie, Lindores [1st], Springfield and Cupar.
06/06/1857Fife and Kinross Railway
Line opened between Ladybank and Strathmiglo.
01/02/1890Edinburgh and Northern Railway
New further west Bridge of Earn [2nd] station opened to serve both the Perth to Ladybank and Perth to Cowdenbeath lines. Bridge of Earn [1st] closes.
  /07/1933Edinburgh and Northern Railway
Bridge of Earn Junction to Newburgh [1st] singled and Glenburnie Junction to Ladybank singled. Newburgh [2nd] to Glenburnie Junction becomes a long loop.
06/06/1950Fife and Kinross Railway
Ladybank (excluded) to Mawcarse Junction (excluded) closed to passengers. Auchtermuchty, Strathmiglo and Gateside closed.
19/09/1955Edinburgh and Northern Railway
Bridge of Earn Junction to Ladybank closed to passengers. Stations at Abernethy, Newburgh [2nd] and Collessie closed.
29/01/1957Fife and Kinross Railway
Ladybank (excluded) to Auchtermuchty (excluded) closed to goods and completely.
11/01/1966Edinburgh and Northern Railway
Bridge of Earn Junction to Ladybank closed by rockfall at Clatchard Craig Quarry.
16/01/1967Edinburgh and Northern Railway
Line re-opened between Bridge or Earn Junction and Ladybank after clearing rockfall at Clatchard Craig Quarry and re-instating line.
16/02/1972Edinburgh and Northern Railway
Tokenless block introduced between Ladybank and Hilton Junction. Bridge of Earn Junction signal-box closed.
06/10/1975Edinburgh and Northern Railway
Hilton Junction to the former Bridge of Earn Junction to Ladybank re-opened for passengers (after closure of the Glenfarg Line (North British Railway)).
17/12/2007Edinburgh and Northern Railway
Accident involving a car which came off the A92 north of Ladybank on the Perth route. The car was empty and was struck by a Class 170.

News items

21/07/2023Railway line reopens after vehicle struck road bridge between Ladybank and Perth [The Courier]
15/05/2023Vehicle strikes rail bridge at Ladybank [The Courier]
12/04/2022Community projects benefit from £4m investment [ScotRail]
30/12/2021Trains disrupted between Perth and Ladybank after bridge strike [The Courier]
16/11/2021Railway line re-opens after lorry crash on Fife embankment [The Courier]
15/11/2021Five hurt as car stuck on railway embankment [BBC News]
01/10/2021Tayside and Fife passengers face train disruption for second day running [The Courier]
03/08/2021North-east rail commuters face disruption as engineers fail to complete line improvements on time [Press and Journal]
15/03/2021Track inspections causing delays for Highland rail passengers [Press and Journal]
10/10/2018ScotRails new high-speed train breaks down on first trip [Scotsman]

Books


A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain: Scotland - The Lowlands and the Borders v. 6 (Regional railway history series)

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

Forgotten Railways: Scotland

Railways of Fife

The Railways of Fife