I visited Culross again at the weekend – you would almost think there was something drawing me back there – and I noticed the car park was very busy and there were lots of people on the path that runs beside the railway line towards Longannet power station.
Something quirky was about to happen – a steam train was due to come along the rarely used line, and the extra visitors were mostly train-spotters. Some had fancy cameras and some binoculars, in case they weren’t close enough to see all the fine detail, although in fact the path runs so close to the railway line that they were only about 2 metres away from it.
I may be wrong but I think the line is still in at least occasional use to transport coal to Longannet. Although it’s a single track line and the rails look a bit rusty, it seems to be kept in a good state of repair and there are signs by the crossing points to tell people to beware of the trains.
The railway line, or one very like it, already features in ‘A Reformed Character’ – I’m now wondering if I should add a steam train to my tentative list of ingredients for the next in the mystery series (working title ‘Death at the Happiness Club’). It does seem appropriately quirky!
Cecilia Peartree - woman of mystery 