Location type

Name and dates

Note: text in square brackets is added for clarity and was not part of the location's name.

Description

Westfield open cast mine opened in 1955. The disposal point was served by the North British Railway line which was built from Kelty to Kirkness Colliery and extended by the London and North Eastern Railway to Redford Junction. On opening the site was served from both east and west.

A series of looped sidings were on the north side of the existing line. At the west end of the sidings was a headshunt from which Westfield Disposal Point [1st] could be reached - a set of sidings to the north of the yard running on a south west to north east orientation and passing under hoppers and conveyors.

Later these loading sidings were not used and a conveyor laid directly to the east end of the yard itself where there was a disposal point on the north side.

Coal was sent east to Methil Power Station (opened 1965 to burn coal slurry). The line west to Kelty was closed in 1966.

The site closed in 1998. It opened again in 2008 for a final extraction of coal. For this most of the old track was lifted. Expansion of the opencast site had destroyed the approach from the east and a new alignment was needed. In its final form there was a loading pad in the looped sidings yard where coal was loaded by digger as the conveyors and loading area had been removed. A single long loop sufficed.

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