 The attraction of Dunfermline as a railway objective was the mineral resources, especially coal in the Dunfermline coalfield.Kincardine had long had importance as a ferry crossing of the Forth, and in 1888 the North British Railway proposed a line connecting a junction near Clackmannan station with Kincardine, as well as acquisition of the ferry.However this was a low priority for the NBR at that time, and the idea came to nothing.