What could be more idyllic than the huffing and puffing of a steam train, racing along the coastline of Fife's East Neuk, in all its splendour?

Serving a large portion of villages along the East Neuk coast - calling at St Monans - the Fife Coast Railway was very much a lifeline. Operating from the late 1800's until 1969, lost to the 'Beeching Cuts', it served the community for nearly a hundred years.

Formed from the process of joining St Andrews railways, Leven railways and other links to the main line between Edinburgh, Kirkcaldy, Leuchars, and eventually Dundee as it is now, our coastal track portion acted as a great tourism magnet and mode of transport.

Moving East from Kirkcaldy station, the train would call at:

• Cameron Bridge (next to the distillery near Windygates, Fife.)
• Leven
• Lundin Links
  
• Largo
  
• Kilconquhar
• Elie
  
• St Monance (interchanged between the spellings of 'Monance' and 'Monans' throughout its existence.)
• Pittenweem
• Anstruther
• Crail
• Kingsbarns
• Boarhills
• Stravithie
• Mount Melville
• St Andrews (Option to connect onwards to to Guardbridge, Leuchars, and Dundee from here.)

The track was broken up into several portions - these parts coalesced to form the route you would travel from village to village. In the earlier days of railways, tracks were often privatised, and were built in seperate parts, causing this to happen. Seperated by colour in the above source, you can see how different companies did this.

A historic journey, for free!

The video linked below shows footage from the journey along the East Neuk coastline. Once you've watched the piece, make sure to return to this article, and continue learning from the text below.

St Monans Railway Station was fully functional from 1863, but unforgivingly fell victim to the sweeping reformation that was the railway cuts of Dr Richard Beeching in September 1965. With a picturesque setting, tourism potential, and a 'holiday haven' feel, the village was gladly served by the station - it was difficult to comprehend how such a network could suddenly be lost. The railway served as a mode of transport, taking children to and from Waid Academy, (the local High School), in Anstruther. It also helped locals move around, and travel to their places of work.

If the railway was open today, with the requirements for usage being met, the journey would likely be considered one of the most prestigious and scenic in the nation. There aren't many intact coastlines, caressed with idyllic villages and enveloped in golf courses, quite like ours, here in the East Neuk.

Unfortunately, high usage of cars, buses and other forms of transport make it unlikely that the line will ever reopen. It does, however, remain a local treasure, and is featured in heritage pieces.

It is possible to walk large sections of the railway route, with the old railway bridge in St Monans still very much intact. It is possible to see an exposed portion of the station platform, near to the Veterinary Clinic.