91-420: The Cornwall Minerals Railway owned and operated a network of 45 miles (72 km) of standard gauge railway lines in central Cornwall , England, United Kingdom. It started by taking over an obsolescent horse-operated tramway in 1862, and it improved and extended it, connecting Newquay and Par Harbours, and Fowey . Having expended considerable capital, it was hurt by a collapse in mineral extraction due to
182-527: A limited company , the 'Cornwall Minerals Railway and Harbour Company Limited' for the purpose of incorporating all his proposed works and obtaining Board of Trade authorisation under the Railways Construction Facilities Act 1864 ( 27 & 28 Vict. c. 121). However this was unsuccessful, and Roebuck and his company were obliged to obtain an act of Parliament in the ordinary way. The Cornwall Minerals Railway (now omitting
273-586: A connection; a double track narrow gauge line was built from Par (CMR station) to the GWR station; this opened on 1 January 1879; the CMR Par station was renamed St Blazey. There was of course a break of gauge at Par GWR. From 1877, the CMR was a financial vehicle only, all the day-to-day operation of the railway now being in the hands of the GWR. The company had evidently become formally insolvent, and this must have involved
364-649: A country (for example, 1,440 mm or 4 ft 8 + 11 ⁄ 16 in to 1,445 mm or 4 ft 8 + 7 ⁄ 8 in in France). The first tracks in Austria and in the Netherlands had other gauges ( 1,000 mm or 3 ft 3 + 3 ⁄ 8 in in Austria for the Donau Moldau line and 1,945 mm or 6 ft 4 + 9 ⁄ 16 in in
455-730: A lease to the Great Western Railway (GWR). (The Associated Companies , consisting of the original GWR, the Bristol and Exeter Railway and the South Devon Railway which had amalgamated in February 1876, forming a large and powerful railway company, also using the name Great Western Railway. The GWR was also lessee of the Cornwall Railway.) Lease of the CMR to the GWR was agreed on 30 April 1877, and
546-558: A location at Caffamill Pill, Fowey , where deep water berthing was available for shipping. The route would run alongside the River Fowey and so would have gentle gradients and few engineering problems, apart from some bridges across small tributary rivers; new jetties were to be built at Carne Point, a short distance north of Fowey. An act of Parliament , the Lostwithiel and Fowey Railway Act 1862 ( 25 & 26 Vict. c. lxix)
637-698: A more direct route to Fowey by the Cornwall Minerals Railway on 1 June 1874, and the two companies engaged in a bitter price war. The company's finances became increasingly strained and the necessity to reconstruct a number of timber bridges proved impossible to fund, leading to suspension of the line's activity from 1 January 1880. The line was leased to the Cornwall Railway for use as storage sidings but traffic never resumed, despite several attempts to attract new business. The Cornwall Minerals Railway (CMR) itself had experienced financial difficulties and from 1 October 1877 had leased its lines to
728-532: A munitions store. Never heavily used, the passenger service from Lostwithiel to Fowey was withdrawn on 4 January 1965, and the line now carries only mineral traffic to Carne Point. The CMR line from Par to Fowey closed on 1 July 1968, and the Lostwithiel and Fowey route is now the only rail route to Fowey. An agreement was signed with the Cornwall Railway for that company to work the line once it
819-468: A new line connecting St Blazey (near Par) and Fowey Harbour was to be built, with jetties and wharves there, and improvements to the quays at Newquay. There were also to be three short extensions elsewhere, to Carbis, to Melangoose Mill and to Treamble . This was a massive project; the improvements to Treffry's line involved a new alignment 2½ m (4 km) long in the Luxulyan Valley, which
910-601: A number of detail shortcomings. However, full opening took place on 1 June 1874, only 11 months after authorisation. Although the Treffry Viaduct had been by-passed by the main line, it was still used to access the Colcerrow Quarries: these were now served from the Luxulyan end, crossing the viaduct and reversing at its south end. Carmears incline was now out of use. However, in 1874 T. Medland Stocker of
1001-409: A short distance north of Fowey itself, in 1869. Intended for mineral traffic to the harbour, it was never successful in attracting traffic away from other routes, and it suffered commercially when the CMR line to Fowey opened in 1874. Traffic was suspended at the beginning of 1880. The CMR became interested in it as its jetties were usable, and it purchased the line from the insolvent owners; the transfer
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#17327823407921092-419: A single additional trip on Saturdays running as required. These trains typically had their origin or destination at one of the clay dries such as Burngullow or Goonbarrow, with booked motive power being an English, Welsh and Scottish Railway (EWS) Class 66 . EWS has since been sold to DB Cargo . In 2014 a plan was proposed to reinstate passenger trains on the line, funding to upgrade the track and reinstate
1183-561: A slump in prices. Despite its title, it operated a passenger service between Newquay and Fowey. After a period in bankruptcy it returned to normal financial arrangements and acquired the moribund Lostwithiel and Fowey line . In 1896 it sold its line to the Great Western Railway. Its main passenger line from Par to Newquay is still in use as the Atlantic Coast Line , and also carries some mineral traffic, but
1274-510: A standard gauge of 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ( 1,435 mm ), and those in Ireland to a new standard gauge of 5 ft 3 in ( 1,600 mm ). In Great Britain, Stephenson's gauge was chosen on the grounds that existing lines of this gauge were eight times longer than those of the rival 7 ft or 2,134 mm (later 7 ft 1 ⁄ 4 in or 2,140 mm ) gauge adopted principally by
1365-469: A station at Fowey would be required. The project had the support of Fowey mayor John Berryman and some councillors in Lostwithiel, Fowey, and Cornwall Council. In 2020, the UK Government announced their £500 million Restoring Your Railway (RYR) Fund, with the aim of enabling the re-opening of existing lines and stations. By June 2022 there had been three rounds of funding, with proposals to re-open
1456-493: A transfer of ownership. This resulted in a purchase by the GWR, made effective by the Cornwall Minerals Railway Act 1896 ( 59 & 60 Vict. c. cxcviii) on 1 July 1896. The entire network was now part of the larger company, and the CMR company was dissolved. The CMR had taken over Treffry's line from Newquay to East Wheal Rose, and extended it to Treamble. In the last years of the nineteenth century
1547-778: Is a railway with a track gauge of 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ). The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson ), international gauge , UIC gauge , uniform gauge , normal gauge in Europe, and SGR in East Africa. It is the most widely used track gauge around the world, with about 55% of the lines in the world using it. All high-speed rail lines use standard gauge except those in Russia , Finland , Uzbekistan , and some line sections in Spain . The distance between
1638-766: Is currently operated by the Ghana Railway Company Limited . Kojokrom-Sekondi Railway Line (The Kojokrom-Sekondi line is a branch line that joins the Western Railway Line at Kojokrom ) Indian nationwide rail system ( Indian Railways ) uses 1,676 mm ( 5 ft 6 in ) broad gauge. 96% of the broad gauge network is electrified. The railway tracks of Java and Sumatra use 1,067 mm ( 3 ft 6 in ). Planned and under construction high-speed railways to use 1,668 mm ( 5 ft 5 + 21 ⁄ 32 in ) to maintain interoperability with
1729-403: The Cornwall Minerals Railway and reopened in 1895. A passenger service operated, but it was withdrawn in 1965, and the line reverted to the conveyance of china clay; it remains open for that traffic at the present day. Promoters of an independent company conducted negotiations with the Cornwall Railway in 1861, regarding the construction of a branch line from that railway at Lostwithiel to
1820-559: The Great Western Railway (also lessee of and operator of the Cornwall Railway), but as trade improved its income from the lease and a financial arrangement with creditors resulted in the CMR having cash available, and it made arrangements to purchase the Lostwithiel and Fowey line. The purchase was confirmed by the Lostwithiel and Fowey Railway Act 1892 ( 55 & 56 Vict. c. clxxxii) of 27 June 1892. The L&FR Company
1911-608: The Liverpool and Manchester Railway , authorised in 1826 and opened 30 September 1830. The extra half inch was not regarded at first as very significant, and some early trains ran on both gauges daily without compromising safety. The success of this project led to Stephenson and his son Robert being employed to engineer several other larger railway projects. Thus the 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ( 1,435 mm ) gauge became widespread and dominant in Britain. Robert
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#17327823407922002-466: The Newquay and Cornwall Junction Railway ; some directors and officers served both companies, and offices were in a shared building at Par . The principal traffic was expected to be china clay and other minerals from the area around St Austell, but the financial performance of the company was dependent on the buoyancy of the mining activity. Difficult trading conditions were followed by the opening of
2093-494: The Treffry Tramways . Both were on the standard gauge . Treffry had made it clear that he wanted to connect these lines, forming a through route between Par and Newquay; in particular this would have enabled copper and tin ores to be exported from the north coast of Cornwall to South Wales, and coal to be imported that way, avoiding the difficult shipping route round Land's End. However Treffry suffered from ill health in
2184-646: The CMR sued the Cornish Consolidated Mines Corporation, but this simply resulted in the Mines Corporation going into liquidation. In addition china clay production was significantly reduced by agreement between the pit owners, following price depression due to over-production. These factors led to a desperate situation for the CMR which had made considerable financial outlays and was now unable to obtain income, and some major shareholders were severely embarrassed. Seeing
2275-583: The CMR to lay the Drinnick Mill to St Dennis section in mixed gauge, giving the Cornwall Railway broad gauge access to St Dennis; this obligation had been incorporated into the Newquay and Cornwall Junction Railway's Act. The CMR only laid narrow gauge (i.e. standard gauge) rails at first, seeing no advantage in adding the broad gauge rails. In fact the Cornwall Railway petitioned in the Court of Chancery for
2366-579: The GWR wished to build a line linking Truro and Newquay, and it obtained the Great Western Railway (Truro and Newquay Railway) Act 1896 ( 60 Vict. c. xii) as authority to do so; the line was called the Truro and Newquay Railway . Leaving the Truro to Penzance line at Chacewater, it joined the Treamble line at Shepherds, and much of the earlier Treffry route was used for the new line. A sharp curve near Trevemper
2457-758: The GWR. Loaded mineral trains from Fowey were usually routed on the line in preference to the Pinnock Tunnel route due to the challenging gradients on the latter. The passenger service on the line was interrupted during the First and Second World Wars (1914-18 and 1939-45). On 2 April 1917 it closed "for security purposes", reopening on 1 November 1917. During the Second World War, passenger services were withdrawn once again for "security reasons". The Second World War period also enabled reuse of sidings at Woodgate Pill near Fowey, which were used to service
2548-506: The Great Western Railway who took over the operation of the lines. They kept nine locomotives but sold the remaining locomotives to the Lynn and Fakenham Railway , in Norfolk , and Colne Valley and Halstead Railway ( Essex ) as surplus to requirements. The retained locomotives were numbered 1392 to 1400 and rebuilt as 0-6-0STs, receiving many standardised fittings at the same time. The last one
2639-840: The Great Western Railway. It allowed the broad-gauge companies in Great Britain to continue with their tracks and expand their networks within the "Limits of Deviation" and the exceptions defined in the Act. After an intervening period of mixed-gauge operation (tracks were laid with three rails), the Great Western Railway finally completed the conversion of its network to standard gauge in 1892. In North East England, some early lines in colliery ( coal mining ) areas were 4 ft 8 in ( 1,422 mm ), while in Scotland some early lines were 4 ft 6 in ( 1,372 mm ). The British gauges converged starting from 1846 as
2730-663: The Lostwithiel to Carne Point line is also in use for mineral traffic. A July 1878 public timetable shows two trains each way between Newquay and Fowey, calling at Halloon, Victoria, Bugle, Bridge, "Par St Blazey" and Fowey. There were two extra trips from Par St Blazey to Fowey. Par St Blazey was a single station, i.e. the later St Blazey. The 1895 edition of Bradshaw's Guide shows three daily passenger trains between Lostwithiel and Fowey; eight from St Blazey to Fowey and nine returning; and four to and from Newquay. The Cornwall Minerals Railway built St Blazey workshops to house and maintain its 18 locomotives. A roundhouse with nine roads
2821-647: The Netherlands for the Hollandsche IJzeren Spoorweg-Maatschappij ), but for interoperability reasons (the first rail service between Paris and Berlin began in 1849, first Chaix timetable) Germany adopted standard gauges, as did most other European countries. The modern method of measuring rail gauge was agreed in the first Berne rail convention of 1886. Several lines were initially built as standard gauge but were later converted to another gauge for cost or for compatibility reasons. 2,295 km (1,426 mi) Victoria built
Cornwall Minerals Railway - Misplaced Pages Continue
2912-604: The Par to Fowey line has been converted to a private road. Joseph Austen (1782 - 1850) of Fowey inherited considerable lands and mineral resources in central Cornwall. By 1838 he changed his name to Joseph Treffry, and he is better known by that name. The expense of transport of minerals to market was heavy, and Treffry set about improving the means of transport. He built Par Docks , and the Par Canal connecting them to Pontsmill , together with tramways on inclined planes that brought
3003-530: The St Dennis terminal of Treffry's lines to Burngullow on the newly opened Cornwall Railway. The new company was the Newquay and Cornwall Junction Railway (N&CJR), and it built its line on the broad gauge ; Treffry's lines were standard gauge . The N&CJR had ambitious plans to extend and possibly take over and convert the Treffry lines, but in fact it ran out of money before completing its own line: it
3094-522: The West of England China Clay and Stone Company was persuaded that the water that had been brought to the Carmears water wheel, now disused, was a source of power that could be put to use; by 1875 a stone mill plant had been made operational at Pontsmill, using power generated by water turbines. The stone was brought to the site via Nanpean and St Dennis Junction, and the works were gradually expanded, becoming
3185-462: The acquisition not merely of the locomotives, but also of new rolling stock, and the provision of goods station accommodation and maintenance facilities, and of a proper signalling system. The CMR built a half- roundhouse at St Blazey (then called Par) to house the large fleet of 18 locomotives; they were intended to be used in pairs, bunker to bunker, and the roundhouse was designed to accommodate them in pairs. The Newquay and Cornwall Junction Railway
3276-645: The advantages of equipment interchange became increasingly apparent. By the 1890s, the entire network was converted to standard gauge. The Royal Commission made no comment about small lines narrower than standard gauge (to be called "narrow gauge"), such as the Ffestiniog Railway . Thus it permitted a future multiplicity of narrow gauges in the UK. It also made no comments about future gauges in British colonies, which allowed various gauges to be adopted across
3367-492: The appointment of an administrator. In the following years, the very depressed state of mineral trade in Cornwall revived somewhat, and with it the traffic on the CMR network, and the lease charge received from the GWR. In March 1885 the CMR made a scheme of arrangement with creditors, releasing it from administration, by means of a financial reconstruction. Finding itself out of administration, and with income steadily rising as
3458-630: The broad gauge rails to be added, and this was done in the following year (June 1875), although they were arranged so as to be unusable. Mineral extraction in Cornwall was always susceptible to world price fluctuations and at the time of opening of the CMR lines, cheap iron ore production in Spain and elsewhere developed and made the Cornish mines uneconomic; numerous iron ore mines closed suddenly. Contracts had been agreed with certain mines guaranteeing volumes of carrying, which they were now unable to satisfy;
3549-461: The building of the Truro line, the opportunity was taken to substantially enlarge and modernise the Newquay station, to accommodate the additional traffic. It was ready for the opening of the new line from Truro, and from May 1906 through carriages were worked to Newquay from London via Luxulyan. This was to encourage the development of the seaside holiday trade, which increased considerably in the following decades. In turn this required improvements to
3640-483: The coal mines of County Durham . He favoured 4 ft 8 in ( 1,422 mm ) for wagonways in Northumberland and Durham , and used it on his Killingworth line. The Hetton and Springwell wagonways also used this gauge. Stephenson's Stockton and Darlington railway (S&DR) was built primarily to transport coal from mines near Shildon to the port at Stockton-on-Tees . Opening in 1825,
3731-468: The collapse in iron ore prices led to closure of the mine. Left without any traffic, the line was lifted in 1888. Treffry's water wheel at Carmears was put back into use in the 1890s to mill stone. This became known as the Wheelpit Mill and the resulting material was piped down to Pontsmill in slurry form in a pipeline laid on the course of the former tramway incline. The raw material was brought to
Cornwall Minerals Railway - Misplaced Pages Continue
3822-597: The colonies. Parts of the United States, mainly in the Northeast, adopted the same gauge, because some early trains were purchased from Britain. The American gauges converged, as the advantages of equipment interchange became increasingly apparent. Notably, all the 5 ft ( 1,524 mm ) broad gauge track in the South was converted to "almost standard" gauge 4 ft 9 in ( 1,448 mm ) over
3913-443: The connecting sidings on the line were worked from the respective ends, until in 1930 the GWR constructed a deviation, reconnecting the through line and by-passing the mineral workings. The Retew branch was extended from Melangoose Mill to Meledor Mill in 1912 in connection with china clay workings. The Treamble branch was closed in 1917, later being relaid and reopened in 1926. The Rock Mill Quarry tramway had fallen into disuse at
4004-459: The course of two days beginning on 31 May 1886. See Track gauge in the United States . In continental Europe, France and Belgium adopted a 1,500 mm ( 4 ft 11 + 1 ⁄ 16 in ) gauge (measured between the midpoints of each rail's profile ) for their early railways. The gauge between the interior edges of the rails (the measurement adopted from 1844) differed slightly between countries, and even between networks within
4095-463: The development of mineral extraction, and railway transport, in central Cornwall, and as well as acquiring an interest in iron mines, he negotiated with Treffry's trustees to lease the tramways. A 60-year lease was concluded on 21 February 1872. As part of the agreement, Roebuck undertook that if he was successful in acquiring the N&;CJR line he would lay broad gauge rails on the former Treffry line from
4186-740: The first railways to the 5 ft 3 in ( 1,600 mm ) Irish broad gauge. New South Wales then built to the standard gauge, so trains had to stop on the border and passengers transferred, which was only rectified in the 1960s. Queensland still runs on a narrow gauge but there is a standard gauge line from NSW to Brisbane. NMBS/SNCB 3,619 km (2,249 mi) Brussels Metro 40 km (25 mi) Trams in Brussels 140 km (87 mi) 1,032 km (641 mi) The Toronto Transit Commission uses 4 ft 10 + 7 ⁄ 8 in ( 1,495 mm ) gauge on its streetcar and subway lines. Takoradi to Sekondi Route,
4277-454: The haul road, including Pinnock Tunnel; it is now owned by Imerys . The CMR main line between Par and Newquay is in operation at the present day; local passenger services operate under the brand name the Atlantic Coast Line , and through services from London and the North of England operate (2014) to Newquay via Par on summer Saturdays. Freight is handled between St Dennis Junction and Par, and
4368-743: The important copper mine Fowey Consols and Par Consols into the network. Kaolinite , generally known in the United Kingdom as china clay , was extracted in the Hensbarrow area north-west of Luxulyan and the mineral was also brought to Pontsmill. Treffry soon expanded his interests by building a horse-operated tramway up the Luxulyan Valley to Molinnis, near the present-day Bugle; this line opened in 1844. Later he built another tramway from Newquay to Hendra, and from Newquay to East Wheal Rose mine; he also developed Newquay Harbour: these lines opened in 1849, and collectively are conventionally known as
4459-519: The income from mineral traffic so deficient, the Company started a passenger service between Fowey and Newquay , using six second-hand coaches probably obtained from the Midland Railway . This started on 20 July 1876; two trains ran each way, taking 95 minutes for the 26-mile (42 km) journey. The CMR's financial situation became increasingly difficult, and the only way out seemed to be
4550-429: The initial gauge of 4 ft 8 in ( 1,422 mm ) was set to accommodate the existing gauge of hundreds of horse-drawn chaldron wagons that were already in use on the wagonways in the mines. The railway used this gauge for 15 years before a change was made, debuting around 1850, to the 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ) gauge. The historic Mount Washington Cog Railway ,
4641-534: The inner sides of the rails) to be used. Different railways used different gauges, and where rails of different gauge met – a " gauge break " – loads had to be unloaded from one set of rail cars and reloaded onto another, a time-consuming and expensive process. The result was the adoption throughout a large part of the world of a "standard gauge" of 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ), allowing interconnectivity and interoperability. A popular legend that has circulated since at least 1937 traces
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#17327823407924732-400: The inside edges of the rails is defined to be 1,435 mm except in the United States, Canada, and on some heritage British lines, where it is defined in U.S. customary / Imperial units as exactly "four feet eight and one half inches", which is equivalent to 1,435.1 mm. As railways developed and expanded, one of the key issues was the track gauge (the distance, or width, between
4823-498: The largest complex of stone mills in Great Britain in the twentieth century. The branch to quarries at Cairns, diverging from the Colcerrow branch, ceased operation about 1880. The Treamble branch was extended to Gravel Hill where there were iron ore deposits; this was an addition to the originally authorised network, and was done by arrangement with the landowner and without Parliamentary authority. The authorising Act had required
4914-411: The last few years of the passenger service, these were operated by Class 121 and Class 122 single-car DMUs . In 1955 specific open wagons for the conveyance of China Clay were constructed at Swindon Works , and from 1974 the whole fleet of around 900 wagons were modified when a metal bar was added to raise the tarpaulins that were used when the wagons were loaded to protect the cargo, giving them
5005-427: The late 1840s and he never saw his dream brought into effect: he died in 1850. Nonetheless his initiative vastly enhanced transport and reduced costs, but he chose horse operation on the basis of lower costs of operation, and this led to its soon becoming obsolescent. A railway connecting Cornwall with London and the industrial Midlands and North of England had long been desired, but the difficult topography made raising
5096-486: The main line from Par: in 1921 the line was doubled between St Dennis Junction to Tregoss Moor. Goonbarrow to Bugle was doubled in 1930. At the beginning of 1948, the main line railways of Great Britain were nationalised, under the Transport Act 1947 . In the following years, the use of Fowey Harbour declined somewhat, and some jetties were closed. In January 1965 the passenger service between Lostwithiel and Fowey
5187-512: The mineral traffic revived, and the original network being operated by the GWR, the CMR considered adding to its network to better serve mineral traffic. A short spur to Wheal Virgin was opened, probably in 1893; it was known as the Wheal Rose Branch (not to be confused with East Wheal Rose, south of Newquay). On 2 October 1893 a more ambitious new line from Goonbarrow Junction (then referred to as Roskear Sidings) to Carbean; this section
5278-476: The necessary finance difficult. After a long struggle, the Cornwall Railway opened in 1859, connecting Truro and Plymouth, and by association with the Great Western Railway (GWR) and its allies, it formed a broad gauge route from Truro to London and Gloucester; there was a connecting line from Penzance, and the Cornwall Railway later extended to Falmouth. In 1864 another line was promoted, to join
5369-450: The nickname "Clay Hoods". These 5-plank wooden open wagons, designated UCV, had 4 wheels with a 9 feet (2.7 m) wheelbase and vacuum brakes, and in the early 1970s the heavier freight trains to and from Carne Point were typically made up of these wagons hauled by Class 52 'Western' diesels while lighter loads were hauled by smaller Type 2 diesels, initially Class 22 hydraulics and then later by Class 25 diesel-electrics. Following
5460-505: The origin of the 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ) gauge even further back than the coalfields of northern England, pointing to the evidence of rutted roads marked by chariot wheels dating from the Roman Empire . Snopes categorised this legend as "false", but commented that it "is perhaps more fairly labeled as 'Partly true, but for trivial and unremarkable reasons. ' " The historical tendency to place
5551-405: The outermost portions of the wheel rims, it became apparent that for vehicles travelling on rails, having main wheel flanges that fit inside the rails is better, thus the minimum distance between the wheels (and, by extension, the inside faces of the rail heads ) was the important one. A standard gauge for horse railways never existed, but rough groupings were used; in the north of England none
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#17327823407925642-558: The point where the two lines met as far as Newquay, and improve the route for locomotive-operated passenger trains from Burngullow to Newquay; and similarly if he acquired the Lostwithiel and Fowey Railway he would extend that to Fowey Harbour, as its southern extremity was at deep water jetties at Carne Point, some distance north of Fowey itself. The lease of the tramways was only a first step, and Roebuck's proposed improvements were ambitious, involving new lines, and locomotive operation. The ailing N&CJR came into his plans, and he formed
5733-632: The reference to a harbour) obtained authorisation by the Cornwall Mineral Railways Act 1873 ( 36 & 37 Vict. c. clxii) to acquire and improve the Treffry Tramways, and to build new railways to connect St Dennis (then called 'Bodmin Road Junction') and Molinnis; and to acquire the Newquay and Cornwall Junction Railway and to build a line between its northern end at Nanpean (Drinnick Mill) and Hendra. Moreover,
5824-411: The rest of the network. All other railways use 1,668 mm ( 5 ft 5 + 21 ⁄ 32 in ) ( broad gauge ) and/or 1,000 mm ( 3 ft 3 + 3 ⁄ 8 in ) metre gauge . BLS , Rigi Railways (rack railway) 449 km Several states in the United States had laws requiring road vehicles to have a consistent gauge to allow them to follow ruts in
5915-439: The retirement of these classes of locomotive in the 1980s, trains of "Clay Hoods" were typically hauled by Class 37s and while from 1988 the old open clay wagons were replaced with 45-ton CDA hoppers with air brakes, into the 1990s the trains continued to be hauled by class 37's based at St Blazey . By 2006 there was one train per day on the branch from Monday to Saturday, with up to three other trips on Tuesdays and Fridays and
6006-522: The road. Those gauges were similar to railway standard gauge. Lostwithiel and Fowey Railway The Lostwithiel and Fowey Railway opened in 1869 as a broad gauge railway linking the port of Fowey in Cornwall with the Cornish Main Line at Lostwithiel . Its main traffic was china clay . The company ran into financial difficulties and closed in 1880, but the line was purchased by
6097-405: The site along the original Treffry line over the viaduct. This horse-drawn operation continued until about 1918, the primitive operating method having been a significant disadvantage. The Colcerrow Quarry operation, also using the viaduct, continued until about 1930. The Cornwall Minerals Railway network was leased to the GWR, and was being operated by that company, and discussions started regarding
6188-492: The term "narrow gauge" for gauges less than standard did not arise for many years, until the first such locomotive-hauled passenger railway, the Ffestiniog Railway , was built. In 1845, in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland , a Royal Commission on Railway Gauges reported in favour of a standard gauge. The subsequent Gauge Act ruled that new passenger-carrying railways in Great Britain should be built to
6279-427: The traffic did not leave to the company sufficient profit to pay the cost of maintaining the permanent way. The directors had hired an engine — the only one they could obtain at so short a notice — it is not, however, of sufficient power, and it has become necessary to obtain a more efficient one. With this view, the directors were negotiating for the purchase or hire of an engine of greater power. The reopened railway
6370-476: The turn of the century, but in the 1920s the Central Cornwall Dry was built in the valley floor west of Pontsmill, fed from a speculative quarry at Starrick Moor. The earlier tramway from Pontsmill was revived, but crossed to the south side of the river to reach the kiln. A petrol locomotive made trips to Pontsmill. The activity continued until the 1960s but was then closed down. In connection with
6461-452: The two railways. The line reopened on 16 September 1895, for both goods and passenger traffic, and passenger trains ran to the CMR passenger station at Fowey. An intermediate station was opened at Golant . The Cornwall Minerals Railway sold its line to the Great Western Railway, and this took effect on 1 July 1896, from which date the Lostwithiel and Fowey line was simply the Fowey branch of
6552-434: The wheels of horse-drawn vehicles around 5 ft ( 1,524 mm ) apart probably derives from the width needed to fit a carthorse in between the shafts. Research, however, has been undertaken to support the hypothesis that "the origin of the standard gauge of the railway might result from an interval of wheel ruts of prehistoric ancient carriages". In addition, while road-travelling vehicles are typically measured from
6643-426: The world's first mountain -climbing rack railway , is still in operation in the 21st century, and has used the earlier 4 ft 8 in ( 1,422 mm ) gauge since its inauguration in 1868. George Stephenson introduced the 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ) gauge (including a belated extra 1 ⁄ 2 in (13 mm) of free movement to reduce binding on curves ) for
6734-408: Was 3 + 1 ⁄ 2 miles (5.6 km) in length. A shorter branch, half a mile (about 1 km) in length was opened on the same day from Bugle to Martins Goonbarrow and Great Beam. The CMR worked the longer Carbean branch itself with a locomotive specially acquired for the purpose. The Lostwithiel and Fowey Railway (L&FR) had opened as a broad gauge line connecting jetties at Carne Point,
6825-711: Was authorised by Act of Parliament on 27 June 1892. The CMR rebuilt the line, reconstructing several bridges and altering the track gauge to standard gauge: the main line at Lostwithiel had been converted by the GWR in May 1892. The jetties at Carne Point were improved, and a connecting line was made between the CMR Fowey station and yard, and the former L&FR Carne Point terminal. The line reopened on 16 September 1895, and carried both goods and passenger traffic. The short Gravel Hill extension from Treamble had been built solely to serve an iron mine there, and almost as soon as it opened
6916-480: Was authorised by act of Parliament, the Cornwall Minerals Railway Act 1877 ( 40 & 41 Vict. c. ccxxiii), on 10 August 1877; it took formal effect on 1 October 1877 and was for a term of 999 years. The GWR was to receive 53.11% of gross receipts. At that time there was no connection between the GWR (ex Cornwall Railway) line and the CMR at Par, but the lease encouraged the GWR to make
7007-477: Was authorised to be transferred to the CMR by the act of Parliament, and the CMR worked that line from June 1874, although the actual formal transfer did not take place until 1884. The CMR pressed ahead rapidly with the construction and conversion works, applying considerable resources on the ground. An inspector from the Board of Trade examined the line on 15 May 1874, but did not grant the necessary permission due to
7098-413: Was built in the Luxulyan Valley floor north west of Pontsmill, in 1920. It was located on the west bank of the river at a point where the original Treffry line had been on the east side. A short branch extension was built and the stub of the old line renovated to serve the location; a petrol locomotive was used to trip from Pontsmill itself. The dry was later taken over by English Clay Lovering Pochin, but it
7189-496: Was built only from Burngullow to Nanpean, opening in 1869. Another short line opened in 1869: the Lostwithiel and Fowey Railway opened from a junction with the Cornwall railway at Lostwithiel to jetties some distance north of Fowey. Fowey was then an important harbour and the railway's purpose was simply forming a connection for minerals and goods to the Cornwall Railway system. William Richardson Roebuck became interested in
7280-478: Was closed in 1960. When the Newquay and Cornwall Junction Railway had been authorised, the Carpella Mining Company retained rights to extract minerals—in this case china clay—in the ground, and in 1909 that company exercised its right. Notwithstanding the objections of the GWR, the mining company's rights prevailed, and the line was severed, creating the so-called Carpella Gap. For the time being
7371-481: Was closed. The route between Par and Fowey closed in October 1968, and was immediately converted to be used as a private haul road for English China Clays (ECC) to carry china clay from the dries at Par to the deep water docks at Fowey. The formation was widened to make a two lane road, and ECC undertook a major modernisation of the handling equipment at Fowey. The railway route is almost entirely preserved as part of
7462-399: Was complete. As the line when opened in 1869 only went as far as Carne Point, and that only for goods traffic, the Cornwall Railway would not fulfil the agreement and so hired a locomotive to the railway instead. The Lostwithiel and Fowey considered this arrangement as too expensive. In February 1870 the directors reported that the temporary arrangement made with the Cornwall for carrying on
7553-440: Was difficult terrain for railways: the Carmears incline was to be by-passed. Toldish Tunnel and the Treffry and Trenance Viaducts were unsuitable and they too needed to be by-passed; and numerous level crossings of roads needed to be replaced by bridges. The line to Fowey involved a new tunnel at Pinnock, 1,173 yards (1,073 m) in length, and by far the longest tunnel in Cornwall. The conversion to locomotive operation required
7644-550: Was dissolved and the line and jetty accommodation were transferred to the Cornwall Minerals Railway. The CMR reconstructed the line and converted it to the 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ( 1,435 mm ) standard gauge , rebuilding and extending the jetties at Carne Point also. The CMR had a Fowey station a short distance south of the L&;FR terminal, and the CMR constructed a connection to link
7735-669: Was eliminated by a new alignment over a short distance—the Trevemper deviation . The new line opened in two stages, the northern section completing the through route, opening on 2 January 1905. Whereas in the 19th century, numerous branches and sidings had been built in Central Cornwall to reach china clay deposits, by the 20th century, it had become normal practice to bring china clay to the railway in slurry form in pipelines, and numerous clay dries were constructed adjacent to existing lines. A clay dry known as Central Cornwall Dry
7826-784: Was less than 4 ft ( 1,219 mm ). Wylam colliery's system, built before 1763, was 5 ft ( 1,524 mm ), as was John Blenkinsop 's Middleton Railway ; the old 4 ft ( 1,219 mm ) plateway was relaid to 5 ft ( 1,524 mm ) so that Blenkinsop's engine could be used. Others were 4 ft 4 in ( 1,321 mm ) (in Beamish ) or 4 ft 7 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ( 1,410 mm ) (in Bigges Main (in Wallsend ), Kenton , and Coxlodge ). English railway pioneer George Stephenson spent much of his early engineering career working for
7917-536: Was obtained on 30 June 1862 and the Lostwithiel and Fowey Railway was incorporated with capital of £30,000. The railway was to be 5 miles and 15 chains (8.4 km) in length. Money proved difficult to come by, and there was some delay in construction, and the line eventually opened on 1 June 1869, on the broad gauge. It did not carry passengers, and it was worked by the Cornwall Railway Joint Committee. There were close links with
8008-470: Was operated by 455 'Metro' class 2-4-0 T locomotives until 1400 0-4-2 T were deployed with an autocoach or two, an otherwise rare train type in Cornwall. 1419 was the regular locomotive but other classes worked the branch, particularly on the days when it was being serviced, and on occasion both the 6400 Class 0-6-0T and 4575 class 2-6-2T were recorded on passenger duty. Freight trains were operated by 4500 Class locomotives. In
8099-426: Was provided around a turntable , each of which could take a pair of locomotives which were designed to be operated as back-to-back pairs. Numbered 1 to 18, the 0-6-0 T locomotives were built by Sharp, Stewart and Company . Four carried names: The name Treffrey was incorrectly spelt, it should have been Treffry after the owner of the Newquay railway and Par Tramway. In 1876 the locomotives were transferred to
8190-533: Was reported to have said that if he had had a second chance to choose a gauge, he would have chosen one wider than 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ( 1,435 mm ). "I would take a few inches more, but a very few". During the " gauge war " with the Great Western Railway , standard gauge was called " narrow gauge ", in contrast to the Great Western's 7 ft 1 ⁄ 4 in ( 2,140 mm ) broad gauge . The modern use of
8281-528: Was withdrawn in 1936, but in 1910 five virtually identical locomotives, the GWR 1361 Class , had been built to work alongside them. The Newquay and Cornwall Junction line was worked by broad gauge locomotives acquired from that railway's contractor . The Great Western Railway in 1876 decided not to use these and provided locomotives from their main fleet. A small shed at Burngullow housed the broad gauge locomotives. Standard gauge A standard-gauge railway
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