Instruct: Given a question, retrieve relevant documents that can help answer the question.
Query: When did the Wemyss Private Railway shut down?
The collieries were nationalised in 1947 and the sidings connections at the pits followed; the main line railways of Great Britain were nationalised in 1948, but the central section, now known as the Wemyss Private Railway remained in private hands. However the mineral activity in East Fife declined and in 1970 the Wemyss Private Railway closed down.
The first long section of railway was the Wemyss and Buckhaven Railway; this and several short branches built early on were worked by the North British Railway with that company's locomotives.
After the end of the war Government control was continued, and the collieries were nationalised from 1 January 1947. The railways immediately serving pits were allocated to those pits, but the main line and the rolling stock remained for the time being with the Wemyss Estate Railway, renamed the "Wemyss Private Railway". The dispute over the valuation of the colliery siding assets dragged on until 1955: the WCC received a little under £2 million for them.
The new Methil dock was entirely successful, and mechanical handling equipment and other modern aids ensured rapid loading of shipping. Nonetheless Wemyss did not wish to be a long term operator of harbour facilities, particularly because he foresaw that considerable development would be needed in later years to keep abreast of the expansion of trade. Discussions took place with the North British Railway in 1888 which resulted in the sale of the facilities to that company. This became effective on 1 February 1889 and included the Wemyss and Buckhaven line and the Methil extension, the Methil and Leven docks, and the railways serving them. Wemyss undertook never to construct or allow a railway or dock on his lands that would compete with the transferred lines and harbours. This was a most significant concession, as he was handing monopoly control to the NBR; at the time he had an excellent relationship with the Chairman of the NBR, John Walker, and this may have influenced him. The purchase cost £225,000; the Wemyss Castle station was to be maintained by the NBR for the private use of Wemyss, and Wemyss was given a seat on the NBR board.[2][4][6]
After transfer of the colliery assets to the National Coal Board, the Wemyss Private Railway obtained a former Caledonian Railway 782 Class six wheel side tank locomotive built in 1899, formerly in British Railways service. It arrived in 1954 but was in poor condition. It was given the number 21, and was scrapped in 1959.
Wemyss went on to construct several connecting lines to pits not otherwise served by railways, and in time a substantial network, ultimately referred to as the "Wemyss Private Railway" was developed. The relationship between that network and the North British Railway was not always entirely amicable.
The Wemyss Private Railway was a network of lines, sometimes known as the Wemyss Estate Railway. The lines were a group of mineral and other railways in Fife, Scotland, mainly on the land of the Wemyss family. They were built to connect coal pits to harbours and the railway network, for the use of tenants of the Estate. The Wemyss and Buckhaven Railway was built at the expense of the Wemyss Estate and carried passengers; it was later sold to the North British Railway.
When numerous collieries needed a railway connection the Wemyss Estate built a connecting line to Methil Harbour and improved the harbour itself. The local network became known as The Wemyss Private Railway and the Estate's interest was transferred to the Wemyss Coal Company. These terms have been used interchangeably by authors.
The first of these was the Wemyss and Buckhaven Railway, opened in 1881 from Thornton to Buckhaven, later extended by the "Leven Extension Railway" to connect Methil and Leven harbours, in 1884. Randolph Wemyss sold the Wemyss and Buckhaven Railway to the NBR, but the development of further pits not served by the existing railways prompted him to construct a network of mineral lines that became known as the Wemyss Estate Railway, or alternatively "Wemyss Private Railway".
When the Wemyss Coal Company was formed, the first locomotive it obtained was a powerful six-wheel saddle tank, intended for the steeply graded zigzag to the Michael colliery. It was named Lady Lilian and arrived in 1896. When Lady Lilian divorced Wemyss, the locomotive was designated No 1. instead.
From 1894 difficult discussions took place between the NBR and the Wemyss Estate and its coalmaster tenants. The NBR was continuing to advance the benefits of developing Burntisland, and Wemyss as a Director of the NBR was heartily opposed to that as being wasteful for the NBR. His position was anomalous as his interests in the WCC were also contrary to any development of harbours elsewhere than at Methil. Conacher and a section of the NBR directors favoured Burntisland and were reluctant to expend money on developing Methil. The negotiations ended on 20 February 1896 with a thirling agreement (that is, a mutually binding limitation agreement) in which the coalmasters and Wemyss himself undertook for 21 years to ship all their coal from NBR harbours, and not to condone the construction of any rival railway wholly or partly in Fife. Short private colliery railway connections were allowed under the agreement.[note 3][2][6]
The Estate comprised very extensive lands in the County of Fife, and coal was mined on estate lands from at the latest the eighteenth century. Randolph Wemyss was possessed of an exceptionally dynamic business mind and developed the mineral extraction; as he did so it emerged that huge quantities of winnable coal lay under the lands of the estate.[2]
It was financed privately by the Wemyss Estate and largely built on Wemyss Estate land, and it opened in 1881.
In 1872 - 1873 the Hugo pit became productive; it was in high land above West Wemyss, and an inclined tunnel was dug, down which hutches of coal were lowered on a double track rope worked inclined plane, of 25 inches gauge. At the lower end of the tunnel the plane reached the small harbour of West Wemyss, already reached by the Victoria and Barncraig hutch tramways. An enlargement of West Wemyss Harbour was made at this time too, starting in 1872 and completed in September 1873.[2]
Five of these locomotives passed to the Wemyss Estate Railway when Bowman's lease terminated in 1905.
When the extension railway from Buckhaven to Methil and Leven was made, it was operated by the Wemyss Estate, and a four-wheel saddle tank locomotive was procured in 1884 from Barclays & Co of kilmarnock; it was named Lady Lilian. In 1887 a second similar engine was obtained from Grant, Ritchie and Company, and named Jubilee. When the Leven dock and railway were sold to the North British Railway, the locomotives were transferred also.
In May 1897 Wemyss indicated to the NBR that he planned to build a new connecting railway from Muiredge Den to Methil; at six miles in length it was to connect numerous collieries in the district. The NBR immediately took the view that this was prohibited under the thirling agreement, and lengthy and antagonistic correspondence followed. The NBR argued that the licence to build new colliery connections was personal to Wemyss (not the WCC) and did not allow him to carry the minerals of others on the line. The matter went to arbitration, and the arbitrator gave his decision on 10 March 1899: he found in favour of Wemyss. The NBR complied with the obligations of the NBR's finding, but continued to try to dissuade Wemyss from building the line by proposing concessions on the continued use of the NBR lines.
Shortly after October 1887 a lease was agreed between Wemyss and the Fife Coal Company for the exploitation of a pit at Wellsgreen; this too would need a railway connection. Wemyss required that to join his lines at Wemyss Castle station, by agreement with the NBR; the branch ran south from the colliery.[2]
In 1913 coal exports reached a total of 3,224,000 tons, of which two-thirds was handled by the Wemyss Estate Railway.[7]
The collieries were nationalised in 1947 and the sidings connections at the pits followed; the main line railways of Great Britain were nationalised in 1948, but the central section, now known as the Wemyss Private Railway remained in private hands. However the mineral activity in East Fife declined and in 1970 the Wemyss Private Railway closed down.
Wemyss needed to extend the Buckhaven line to Leven Harbour, and strong opposition might be expected from the North British Railway, who would lose mileage by it. Wemyss forged an agreement with them, finalised on 21 April 1883,[6] by agreeing to the Burntisland carriage rates applying to coal traffic from outside the immediate area to Methil and Leven. Wemyss also agreed not to allow competing railways access to the area over his lands; the North British anticipated an incursion by the rival Caledonian Railway and this may have been significant in securing their consent to Wemyss' line.
Wemyss had an understanding with Walker and the NBR that they would develop Methil Dock and the railway facilities in line with the growth of exported minerals, and a second dock basin at Methil was planned. However Walker died suddenly on 24 April 1891,[6] and his successor John Conacher was considerably less amenable to Wemyss' intentions. The NBR had been spending money on developing Burntisland harbour, and Conacher saw the attraction in avoiding duplication and taking the profit in the longer haul from Wemyss' estates to Burntisland.
The new Methil dock was entirely successful, and mechanical handling equipment and other modern aids ensured rapid loading of shipping. Nonetheless Wemyss did not wish to be a long term operator of harbour facilities, particularly because he foresaw that considerable development would be needed in later years to keep abreast of the expansion of trade. Discussions took place with the North British Railway in 1888 which resulted in the sale of the facilities to that company. This became effective on 1 February 1889 and included the Wemyss and Buckhaven line and the Methil extension, the Methil and Leven docks, and the railways serving them. Wemyss undertook never to construct or allow a railway or dock on his lands that would compete with the transferred lines and harbours. This was a most significant concession, as he was handing monopoly control to the NBR; at the time he had an excellent relationship with the Chairman of the NBR, John Walker, and this may have influenced him. The purchase cost £225,000; the Wemyss Castle station was to be maintained by the NBR for the private use of Wemyss, and Wemyss was given a seat on the NBR board.
The line was a little over four miles long; by the end of 1880 a demonstration goods train was run, but the line was not properly finished, and the Board of Trade inspection took place on 30 July 1881, by Major General Hutchinson. With some qualifications, the line was passed as fit for passenger operation, and it opened formally on 1 August 1881. It was worked by the North British Railway.[6] There were intermediate stations at West Wemyss (at the present-day Standing Stane Road) and Wemyys Castle, close to the town of East Wemyss. It had private accommodation for Wemyss and his family.
The line was a little over four miles long; by the end of 1880 a demonstration goods train was run, but the line was not properly finished, and the Board of Trade inspection took place on 30 July 1881, by Major General Hutchinson. With some qualifications, the line was passed as fit for passenger operation, and it opened formally on 1 August 1881. It was worked by the North British Railway. There were intermediate stations at West Wemyss (at the present-day Standing Stane Road) and Wemyss Castle, close to the town of East Wemyss. It had private accommodation for Wemyss and his family.