Inverkeithing to Thornton Junction

     The railways covered in this album were constructed piecemeal and it took some time before they were formed into a comprehensive network under the auspices of the North British Railway. Add in the myriad of mineral lines built to serve the collieries and a complex system emerges. Between 1890 and 1970 the line as far as Cowdenbeath enjoyed main line status as part of the Edinburgh to Perth direct line. Once coal was king in this area, but coal mining is now long gone, and the remaining route is a shadow of itself today with ScotRail providing the majority of trains over the route.

Reviews:

'It is good to be reminded of the romance of North British steam, but also to know that the Scottish government has invested sensibly in a line that Beeching had little faith in.'
(HJ, Steam World, Issue 432, June 2023)

'The volume exemplifies the values of this well-established series, with every location given comprehensive coverage.'
(John Yellowlees, North British Railway Study Group Journal, No.148, March 2023)

'It follows the familiar format with a brief geographical and historical background, timetable extracts, maps, tickets and photographs with helpful and well-written captions.
The photographs are from both the steam and diesel eras, with an interesting selection of colliery shunting locos.'
(Railway Observer, July 2023)

'Can I recommend it? As with all the Middletons an undoubted yes if your interests either encompass the area covered or the former industrial landscapes of the UK.'
(John New, SLS Journal - The Journal of The Stephenson Locomotive Society, March/April 2023, No.940, Vol.99)

'This Middleton Press book comprehensively covers the area from Inverkeithing via Cowdenbeath to Thornton Junction. Every station is illustrated and, I was delighted to find, many of the former rail served coal mines and works.'
(Ewan Crawford,  https://railscot.co.uk)

'This volume covers a network of lines that had individual origins and came together under the North British Railway, served by a host of mineral lines, now disappeared, along with the local coal industry.'
(Heritage Railway, Issue 304, March-April 2023)

'This is a very detailed study of the route and should be useful to those interested in the rail network of this area of Fife.'
(Industrial Railway Society Bulletin, May 2023)