User:The joy of all things/subpage 31

== History ==

== History ==

Thornton Marshalling Yard<ref>{{cite web |title=Thornton Marshalling Yard, Fife - Hansard - UK Parliament |url=https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/1961-11-29/debates/5a54e753-28f5-4f35-a683-6b5ed9e8424d/ThorntonMarshallingYardFife |website=hansard.parliament.uk |access-date=2 July 2025}}</ref> was built on a {{convert|78|acre}} site, {{convert|2.5|mi|0}} west of the village of Thornton in Fife.{{sfn|Bruce|1980|p=196}} The yard was one of five major marshalling yards planned in the Scottish Region after Nationalisation. The other four were Perth New Yard, Cadder (north Glasgow), Mossend (south Glasgow) and Millerhill. Its geographical location took advantage of being in an area of coal mines, with projected heavy investment in new and larger mines in the area. One in particular, Rothes, being a new planned mine by the National Coal Board.{{sfn|Bruce|1980|pp=196–197}} Rothes was expected to produce {{convert|5,000|tonne}} of coal annually, so in anticipation of this, a dedicated line was built directly from the east end of the yard into Rothes Colliery.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Griffiths |first1=Roger |last2=Hooper |first2=John |title=Thornton Junction Post-Nationalisation|journal=Steam days |date=February 2025 |issue=426 |page=59 |publisher=Mortons Media |location=Horncastle|issn=0269-0020}}</ref>

Thornton Marshalling Yard<ref>{{cite web |title=Thornton Marshalling Yard, Fife - Hansard - UK Parliament |url=https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/1961-11-29/debates/5a54e753-28f5-4f35-a683-6b5ed9e8424d/ThorntonMarshallingYardFife |website=hansard.parliament.uk |access-date=2 July 2025}}</ref> was built on a {{convert|78|acre}} site, {{convert|2.5|mi|0}} west of the village of Thornton in Fife.{{sfn|Bruce|1980|p=196}} The yard was one of five major marshalling yards planned in the Scottish Region after Nationalisation. The other four were Perth New Yard, Cadder (north Glasgow), Mossend (south Glasgow) and Millerhill. Its geographical location took advantage of being in an area of coal mines, with projected heavy investment in new and larger mines in the area.<ref>{{cite news |title=Work begun at Thornton Marshalling yard |work=The Scotsman |issue=24,834 |date=19 January 1955 |page=5}}</ref> One in particular, Rothes, being a new planned mine by the National Coal Board.{{sfn|Bruce|1980|pp=196–197}} Rothes was expected to produce {{convert|5,000|tonne}} of coal annually, so in anticipation of this, a dedicated line was built directly from the east end of the yard into Rothes Colliery.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Griffiths |first1=Roger |last2=Hooper |first2=John |title=Thornton Junction Post-Nationalisation|journal=Steam days |date=February 2025 |issue=426 |page=59 |publisher=Mortons Media |location=Horncastle|issn=0269-0020}}</ref>

Thornton yard was planned before the Modernisation Plan came into effect, with Parliamentary powers being obtained in 1948, and the site was cleared in 1953, two years before the Modernisation Plan was announced.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Gourvish |first1=Terence R. |title=British Railways: 1948 - 73; a business history |date=1986 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge |isbn=0-5212-6480-4 |page=278}}</ref> The yard had a number of lines running into and out of it, though the yard was set up to handle the bulk of its traffic from and to the east; 12 of its sorting sidings were for west-bound traffic, 23 were for east-bound traffic.<ref name="BWC"/> Westfield opencast site had opened in 1955 and was located on the line between Thornton Yard and Kelty Junction.<ref name="SD">{{cite journal |last1=Griffiths |first1=Roger |last2=Hooper |first2=John |title=The locomotives of Thornton Junction's final steam shed |journal=Steam days |date=April 2025 |issue=425 |page=13 |publisher=Mortons Media |location=Horncastle|issn=0269-0020}}</ref> The first part of the yard opened in November 1956, with full opening following in 1957 at a cost of £1,350,000 ({{Inflation|UK|1,350,000|1956|fmt=eq|cursign=£|r=-3}}) and it had the capacity to handle 3,000 wagons per day.<ref name="BWC"/><ref>{{cite book |last1=Hammond |first1=Rolt |title=Railways tomorrow; a study of railway transport problems with special emphasis on the modernization plan for British railways |date=1963 |publisher=Redman |location=London |page=56|oclc=3439083}}</ref> It replaced a number of smaller marshalling yards dotted around central and east Fife, with a view to being a nodal point on the wagonload network as well as being a layover point and re-marshalling location for coal trains.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bradley |first1=Simon |title=The railways: nation, network and people |date=2015 |publisher=Profile Books |location=London |isbn=9781846682131 |page=383}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Allen |first1=Cecil J. |title=Modern railways; their engineering, equipment, and operation |date=1959 |publisher=Faber & Faber |location=London |page=221|oclc=2766251}}</ref>

Thornton yard was planned before the Modernisation Plan came into effect, with Parliamentary powers being obtained in 1948, and the site was cleared in 1953, two years before the Modernisation Plan was announced.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Gourvish |first1=Terence R. |title=British Railways: 1948 - 73; a business history |date=1986 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge |isbn=0-5212-6480-4 |page=278}}</ref> The yard had a number of lines running into and out of it, though the yard was set up to handle the bulk of its traffic from and to the east; 12 of its sorting sidings were for west-bound traffic, 23 were for east-bound traffic.<ref name="BWC"/> Westfield opencast site had opened in 1955 and was located on the line between Thornton Yard and Kelty Junction.<ref name="SD">{{cite journal |last1=Griffiths |first1=Roger |last2=Hooper |first2=John |title=The locomotives of Thornton Junction's final steam shed |journal=Steam days |date=April 2025 |issue=425 |page=13 |publisher=Mortons Media |location=Horncastle|issn=0269-0020}}</ref> The first part of the yard opened in November 1956, with full opening following in 1957 at a cost of £1,350,000 ({{Inflation|UK|1,350,000|1956|fmt=eq|cursign=£|r=-3}}) and it had the capacity to handle 3,000 wagons per day.<ref name="BWC"/><ref>{{cite book |last1=Hammond |first1=Rolt |title=Railways tomorrow; a study of railway transport problems with special emphasis on the modernization plan for British railways |date=1963 |publisher=Redman |location=London |page=56|oclc=3439083}}</ref> It replaced a number of smaller marshalling yards dotted around central and east Fife, with a view to being a nodal point on the wagonload network as well as being a layover point and re-marshalling location for coal trains.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bradley |first1=Simon |title=The railways: nation, network and people |date=2015 |publisher=Profile Books |location=London |isbn=9781846682131 |page=383}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Allen |first1=Cecil J. |title=Modern railways; their engineering, equipment, and operation |date=1959 |publisher=Faber & Faber |location=London |page=221|oclc=2766251}}</ref>