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Disused railway stations (Plymouth to Penzance Line)
Encyclopedia
There are seventeen disused railway stations between Plymouth
in Devon
and Penzance
in Cornwall
, United Kingdom
. The remains of nine of these can be seen from passing trains. While a number of these were closed following the so-called "Beeching Axe
" in the 1960s, many of them had been closed much earlier, the traffic for which they had been built failing to materialize.
on 4 May 1859, where it joined up with the West Cornwall Railway
which had been completed from there to Penzance
on 16 April 1855. The section from Carn Brea to Angarrack dates back to the Hayle Railway
, opened on 23 December 1837. It now forms Network Rail
's Cornish Main Line
.
finally reached the town of Plymouth
on 2 April 1849. Docks were opened adjacent to the station and a new headquarters office was built next door. The station was expanded ready for the opening of the Cornwall Railway
on 4 May 1859 and the South Devon and Tavistock Railway
on 22 June 1859. It became known as Plymouth Millbay after other stations were opened in the town in 1876-7 at Mutley and North Road
.
The station was closed to passengers on 23 April 1941 after bombs destroyed the nearby goods depot; the passenger station being used thereafter only for goods traffic and access to the carriage sheds. All traffic ceased from 14 December 1969 except for goods trains running through to the docks which continued until 30 June 1971.
The site is now occupied by the Plymouth Pavilions
leisure complex. Two granite gate posts outside the Millbay Road entrance are all that is left of the station, although a goods shed on what used to be Washington Place is still extant nearby
was opened by the Great Western Railway
on 1 June 1904. It was served by the Plympton to Saltash
railmotor
service introduced at that time to compete with the electric tram
ways in the town. It was closed in June 1921.
for its railmotor
services on 1 June 1904. It was located to serve the northern district of Devonport
which had grown around the naval dockyard
; other stations serving this traffic were opened at Keyham
(1900) and Dockyard Halt
(1905). The denuded remains of the southbound platform still remain, just west of an underbridge into the Royal Navy Dockyard and at the commencement of the cutting before Keyham.
It was closed on 6 November 1941, during the World War II
blitz
of Plymouth and Devonport.
which was moored nearby. Most trains were the railmotor
s and auto trains
from which were run for an extra ¾ mile (1 km) beyond Saltash
where they otherwise terminated. Access to the platform was by steps from a bridge that carried a road across the railway to Wearde Quay.
The line was doubled and moved on 4 February 1906 and Wearde became the junction for a deviation line to that allowed the removal of the remaining timber viaducts
on the Cornish Main Line
.
The station closed on 27 October 1930 but the platforms are still in existence and alterations to the road bridge to accommodate the new alignment of 1906 can be clearly seen. The old line was retained as carriage sidings for Saltash until 2 December 1964 and another siding behind the platform was kept in use until 1972.
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Doublebois was at the summit of the Cornwall Railway
. A siding was provided here when it opened on 4 May 1859 to enable trains to be split into smaller parts to enable them to be worked over the steep inclines up from Liskeard
and Bodmin Road
.
In January 1860 the railway company was asked to provide a facility here for goods traffic, which they acceded to after local people subscribed £130 towards it and offered the necessary land. Because of this the company offered to build an accompanying passenger station. The station opened on 1 June 1860, providing a service to people and mines in the St Neot area.
The station has since been closed (5 October 1964) but the earthworks can still be seen.
, the Cornwall Railway
provided a temporary station a little further west for the opening of the line on 4 May 1859 until the permanent station was ready on 27 June 1859.
Once it was open, the Cornwall Railway
found there was a demand for facilities to transport china clay
from the St Stephens
district to Par harbour. To satisfy this they opened a station at Burngullow on 1 February 1863. The construction costs were largely met by Mr Robartes, who had interests in the extraction of the china clay.
A branch line to Nanpean was opened for goods traffic by the Newquay and Cornwall Junction Railway
on 1 July 1869. A small engine shed was built by them on the north side of the station, this closed in 1922.
The station was closed and rebuilt a little further west on 1 August 1901, but closed to passengers on 14 September 1931. The sidings and branch continue to handle heavy china clay traffic.
The large dryer and storage sheds alongside the main line are the Blackpool clay works; Burngullow clay works are smaller and situated alongside the branch line a short distance from the junction.
Two railway accidents have happened here, both involving runaway china clay trains. On the first occasion a train had left Burngullow with wagons for Par harbour
on 29 October 1872. It was unable to stop for signals at St Austell
but the driver of the passenger train coming in the other direction saw the train sliding towards it and reversed his train back to Par
.
On 9 June 1952 a similar problem occurred with a train on the branch line approaching Burngullow. This time the train ran into a siding where it collided with a stationary engine. Unfortunately the driver of the runaway train, who had stayed at the controls in an attempt to bring it to a halt, later died from his injuries.
The former 'up side' (London bound) station building still remains some seventy years plus after closure.
The signal box was closed in 1986 when the Burngullow to Probus section of the Mainline was singled, and the signals were then controlled by the Signal Box at Par railway station
. The double line was re-instated in 2004.
was opened with the Cornwall Railway
on 4 May 1859, but it was known as "Grampound Road" due to the distance from that town. A newspaper at the time reported at the time merely that "it comprises arrival and departure stations exactly similar to those at Par
."
A goods shed
was not provided until 1864 but the goods traffic developed quickly: 3,580 cattle were dispatched in the twelve months to June 1869, more than any other station on the line.
Because of its remote location two cottages were built in 1860 for the station master and his staff. A small village known as Grampound Road grew up around the railway station and continues to expand despite the station closing (along with Doublebois, Chacewater, Scorrier, Gwinear Road and Marazion) on 5 October 1964. Harry Hingston was the last registered paid employee and station master.
The site is easily recognised from passing trains.
on 1 February 1908. Unusually for a stop classified as a halt, it was staffed, at least initially.
Characteristic Great Western Railway corrugated iron waiting shelters were provided on both of the wooden platforms. The Great Western Railway was nationalised into British Railways from 1 January 1948 and the station was closed on 2 December 1957.
The station was nearer to Probus
than Ladock
, indeed Grampound Road railway station was also convenient for the latter village.
Both platforms still remain here and although grassed over are easily detectable.
If you follow the B3275 towards Probus,then turn off left towards Ladock there is a rail bridge over the road.
Just under the bridge on the right is the former pathway up to the up side platform of the halt, which now houses a mobile phone mast.
A station was opened at Chacewater
by the West Cornwall Railway
on 25 August 1852. On 6 July 1903 a branch line to Perranporth was opened from nearby Blackwater; it was extended to Newquay
on 2 January 1905. Blackwater Junction was closed on 9 November 1924 which resulted in the physical junction being moved the half mile to Chacewater station, although most trains ran through to Truro
.
The Perranporth line closed on 4 February 1963. Even after its closure to passengers a few years later, Chacewater station was retained for goods traffic for many years, latterly for Blue Circle Cement. The Penzance bound platforms can still be seen, complete with much altered station building.
There are two viaducts east of Chacewater. The 128 yard (181 m) Blackwater Viaduct is immediately east of the station site and the 93 yard (132 m) Chacewater Viaduct is a little further east towards Truro. .
by the West Cornwall Railway
on 25 August 1852. Initially known as "Scorrier Gate", the name was changed to "Scorrier" in March 1856. It reverted to "Scorrier Gate" from 1 June 1859 but became plain "Scorrier" once more on 1 October 1896. It closed to passengers on 5 October 1964.
on 23 May 1843 by the Hayle Railway
and named "Pool
" after a nearby village. The railway was closed on 16 February 1852 and reopened by the West Cornwall Railway
on 11 March 1852, however Pool station remained closed until 25 August 1852 when it was reopened as "Carn Brea", only to be renamed "Pool" once more in June 1854. It reverted to "Carn Brea" on 1 November 1875. It was closed on 2 January 1961.
Carn Brea was the home of the West Cornwall Railway's workshops where they maintained the locomotives and rolling stock.
opened a railmotor
halt near Dolcoath mine
on 28 August 1905 but it closed again on 1 May 1908; the days when Dolcoath was one of the biggest mines in Cornwall were long past. It was situated to the west of Dolcoath level crossing
and the site can be recognised because of this.
provided a station at Penponds
from 23 May 1843 until 16 February 1852. It was not replaced when the West Cornwall Railway
opened a month later.
Road" was opened by the West Cornwall Railway
on 11 March 1852 west of a level crossing
and became a junction for the Helston Railway on 9 May 1887. The goods yard lay west of the station to the north of the line, but extensive sidings were constructed alongside the main line east of the level crossing to handle traffic for the branch.
The station formerly had two signalboxes: West, on the down platform itself, and East, out in the goods marshalling yard.
The branch line closed to passengers on 3 September 1962 and to goods on 8 October 1964; the and the station is now closed. The former 'down' Penzance
-bound platform-cum- Helston
branch bay is still more or less intact.
The DMU
, formerly on site undergoing restoration by the Helston Railway Preservation Company
in the cattle dock just east of the level crossing, has now been moved to the company's [Trevarno] base.
introduced passenger trains on 23 May 1843. The service was closed on 16 February 1852. On 11 March 1852 the West Cornwall Railway
opened a new station. The old station had been on the section of the Hayle Railway that was closed entirely as a steep rope-worked incline
descended from Angarrack
to sea level at Copperhouse, it was replaced by a much gentler incline to the new Hayle railway station
. However the new Angarrack station was closed in 1853. (See also Angarrack viaduct
.)
introduced railmotor
services in west Cornwall and provided several small halts at which they called. Copperhouse was one of the small halts provided for these services, opening on 1 July 1905 to provide a service to the Copperhouse district in Hayle
.
An earlier station had been provided at Copperhouse nearer the waterfront by the Hayle Railway
from 23 May 1843 until their line closed on 16 February 1852.
A station was opened at Marazion
by the West Cornwall Railway
on 11 March 1852. The original single platform was situated on the south side of the line but the station was rebuilt about thirty years later when a second platform was added. The line westwards to Penzance
was doubled in 1893 and the goods yard expanded so that it could share in handling the large volume of perishable traffic – fish, fruit and vegetables – from the surrounding farms and harbours. The line eastwards to St Erth
was not doubled until 1929.
The station is situated on the shore of Mount's Bay
with fine views of St Michael's Mount
and for many years was home to six old Pullman
coaches that were formerly used as camping coach
es. Three of these were rescued and restored, and now provide sleeping accommodation at Petworth railway station
, which has been converted into a guest house. One was purchased privately while the others were left to become derelict until broken up on site. In 2006 the remains of these coaches was cleared away from the site to make way for nine holiday cottages,the old station has now been fully restored into a two bedroom bungalow currently owned by the developers. The 1880s station building still stands, but part of the line westwards is currently reduced to a single track.
Plymouth railway station
Plymouth railway station serves the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. It is situated on the northern edge of the city centre close to the North Cross roundabout...
in Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
and Penzance
Penzance railway station
Penzance railway station serves the town of Penzance, Cornwall, UK. The station is the western terminus of the Cornish Main Line from London Paddington station. The current journey time to or from London is about five hours....
in Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The remains of nine of these can be seen from passing trains. While a number of these were closed following the so-called "Beeching Axe
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
" in the 1960s, many of them had been closed much earlier, the traffic for which they had been built failing to materialize.
Background
The railway from Plymouth to Truro was opened by the Cornwall RailwayCornwall Railway
The Cornwall Railway was a broad gauge railway from Plymouth in Devon to Falmouth in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The section from Plymouth to Truro opened in 1859, the extension to Falmouth in 1863...
on 4 May 1859, where it joined up with the West Cornwall Railway
West Cornwall Railway
The West Cornwall Railway was a railway company in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, formed in 1846 to operate the existing Hayle Railway between Hayle and Redruth and extend the railway to Penzance and Truro....
which had been completed from there to Penzance
Penzance railway station
Penzance railway station serves the town of Penzance, Cornwall, UK. The station is the western terminus of the Cornish Main Line from London Paddington station. The current journey time to or from London is about five hours....
on 16 April 1855. The section from Carn Brea to Angarrack dates back to the Hayle Railway
Hayle Railway
The Hayle Railway was an early Cornish railway, built to standard gauge, and opened in 1837. The railway served the engineering works and copper quays at Hayle with the copper mines of Redruth and Camborne carrying ore to the port and coal to the mines, before the construction of the Saltash Bridge...
, opened on 23 December 1837. It now forms Network Rail
Network Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
's Cornish Main Line
Cornish Main Line
The Cornish Main Line is a railway line in the United Kingdom, which forms the backbone for rail services in Cornwall, as well as providing a direct line to London.- History :...
.
Plymouth Millbay
The trains of the South Devon RailwaySouth Devon Railway Company
The South Devon Railway Company built and operated the railway from Exeter to Plymouth and Torquay in Devon, England. It was a broad gauge railway built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel-Chronology:* 1844 South Devon Railway Act passed by parliament...
finally reached the town of Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
on 2 April 1849. Docks were opened adjacent to the station and a new headquarters office was built next door. The station was expanded ready for the opening of the Cornwall Railway
Cornwall Railway
The Cornwall Railway was a broad gauge railway from Plymouth in Devon to Falmouth in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The section from Plymouth to Truro opened in 1859, the extension to Falmouth in 1863...
on 4 May 1859 and the South Devon and Tavistock Railway
South Devon and Tavistock Railway
The South Devon and Tavistock Railway was a broad gauge railway linking Plymouth with Tavistock in Devon, England. It opened in 1859, was extended by the Launceston and South Devon Railway to Launceston, Cornwall, in 1865, and was closed in 1962....
on 22 June 1859. It became known as Plymouth Millbay after other stations were opened in the town in 1876-7 at Mutley and North Road
Plymouth railway station
Plymouth railway station serves the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. It is situated on the northern edge of the city centre close to the North Cross roundabout...
.
The station was closed to passengers on 23 April 1941 after bombs destroyed the nearby goods depot; the passenger station being used thereafter only for goods traffic and access to the carriage sheds. All traffic ceased from 14 December 1969 except for goods trains running through to the docks which continued until 30 June 1971.
The site is now occupied by the Plymouth Pavilions
Plymouth Pavilions
Plymouth Pavilions is an entertainment and sports complex in Plymouth, Devon, England. It has a Fun Pool, Ice Rink, Live Cafe and arena. The arena is used for corporate hire and as an entertainment venue....
leisure complex. Two granite gate posts outside the Millbay Road entrance are all that is left of the station, although a goods shed on what used to be Washington Place is still extant nearby
Wingfield Villas Halt
This suburban halt near Devonport Junction in PlymouthPlymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
was opened by the Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
on 1 June 1904. It was served by the Plympton to Saltash
Saltash railway station
Saltash railway station serves the town of Saltash in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated on the south side of the town between the Royal Albert Bridge over the River Tamar and Coombe Viaduct which spans a small tributary of the same river...
railmotor
GWR steam rail motors
The steam rail motors were self-propelled carriages operated by the Great Western Railway in England and Wales from 1903 to 1935. They incorporated a steam locomotive within the body of the carriage.-History:...
service introduced at that time to compete with the electric tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
ways in the town. It was closed in June 1921.
Ford Platform
Ford was one of the halts opened by the Great Western RailwayGreat Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
for its railmotor
GWR steam rail motors
The steam rail motors were self-propelled carriages operated by the Great Western Railway in England and Wales from 1903 to 1935. They incorporated a steam locomotive within the body of the carriage.-History:...
services on 1 June 1904. It was located to serve the northern district of Devonport
Devonport, Devon
Devonport, formerly named Plymouth Dock or just Dock, is a district of Plymouth in the English county of Devon, although it was, at one time, the more important settlement. It became a county borough in 1889...
which had grown around the naval dockyard
HMNB Devonport
Her Majesty's Naval Base Devonport , is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy . HMNB Devonport is located in Devonport, in the west of the city of Plymouth in Devon, England...
; other stations serving this traffic were opened at Keyham
Keyham railway station
Keyham railway station is a suburban rail station in the city of Plymouth, England. It is served by First Great Western services between Plymouth and Gunnislake and a very few on the Cornish Main Line to Saltash and beyond....
(1900) and Dockyard Halt
Dockyard railway station
Dockyard railway station is a First Great Western suburban station on the Cornish Main Line in Devonport, Plymouth, United Kingdom. As the name implies it serves Devonport Dockyard...
(1905). The denuded remains of the southbound platform still remain, just west of an underbridge into the Royal Navy Dockyard and at the commencement of the cutting before Keyham.
It was closed on 6 November 1941, during the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
blitz
Blitzkrieg
For other uses of the word, see: Blitzkrieg Blitzkrieg is an anglicized word describing all-motorised force concentration of tanks, infantry, artillery, combat engineers and air power, concentrating overwhelming force at high speed to break through enemy lines, and, once the lines are broken,...
of Plymouth and Devonport.
Defiance Platform
Defiance Platform was opened by the Great Western Railway on 1 March 1905 and served naval personnel travelling to the nearby torpedo training school on HMS DefianceHMS Defiance (1861)
HMS Defiance was the last wooden line-of-battle ship launched for the Royal Navy. She never saw service as a wooden line-of-battle ship. In 1884 she became a schoolship.- Design :...
which was moored nearby. Most trains were the railmotor
GWR steam rail motors
The steam rail motors were self-propelled carriages operated by the Great Western Railway in England and Wales from 1903 to 1935. They incorporated a steam locomotive within the body of the carriage.-History:...
s and auto trains
GWR Autocoach
The GWR Autocoach is a type of coach that was used by the Great Western Railway for push-pull trains powered by a steam locomotive. The distinguishing design feature of an autocoach is the driving cab at one end, allowing the driver to control the train without needing to be located in the cab of...
from which were run for an extra ¾ mile (1 km) beyond Saltash
Saltash railway station
Saltash railway station serves the town of Saltash in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated on the south side of the town between the Royal Albert Bridge over the River Tamar and Coombe Viaduct which spans a small tributary of the same river...
where they otherwise terminated. Access to the platform was by steps from a bridge that carried a road across the railway to Wearde Quay.
The line was doubled and moved on 4 February 1906 and Wearde became the junction for a deviation line to that allowed the removal of the remaining timber viaducts
Cornwall Railway viaducts
The large number of Cornwall Railway viaducts were necessitated by the topography of Cornwall, United Kingdom, where hills and areas of high ground are separated by deep river valleys that generally run north or south...
on the Cornish Main Line
Cornish Main Line
The Cornish Main Line is a railway line in the United Kingdom, which forms the backbone for rail services in Cornwall, as well as providing a direct line to London.- History :...
.
The station closed on 27 October 1930 but the platforms are still in existence and alterations to the road bridge to accommodate the new alignment of 1906 can be clearly seen. The old line was retained as carriage sidings for Saltash until 2 December 1964 and another siding behind the platform was kept in use until 1972.
Doublebois
Cornwall Railway
The Cornwall Railway was a broad gauge railway from Plymouth in Devon to Falmouth in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The section from Plymouth to Truro opened in 1859, the extension to Falmouth in 1863...
. A siding was provided here when it opened on 4 May 1859 to enable trains to be split into smaller parts to enable them to be worked over the steep inclines up from Liskeard
Liskeard railway station
Liskeard station serves the town of Liskeard in Cornwall, England. The station is west of Plymouth on the Cornish Main Line and it is the junction for the Looe Valley Line.-History:-Cornwall Railway:...
and Bodmin Road
Bodmin Parkway railway station
Bodmin Parkway railway station is a station on the Cornish Main Line and serves the nearby town of Bodmin, Cornwall, United Kingdom. The station is west of , in the civil parish of St Winnow....
.
In January 1860 the railway company was asked to provide a facility here for goods traffic, which they acceded to after local people subscribed £130 towards it and offered the necessary land. Because of this the company offered to build an accompanying passenger station. The station opened on 1 June 1860, providing a service to people and mines in the St Neot area.
The station has since been closed (5 October 1964) but the earthworks can still be seen.
Respryn
Due to delays in securing the site for Bodmin RoadBodmin Parkway railway station
Bodmin Parkway railway station is a station on the Cornish Main Line and serves the nearby town of Bodmin, Cornwall, United Kingdom. The station is west of , in the civil parish of St Winnow....
, the Cornwall Railway
Cornwall Railway
The Cornwall Railway was a broad gauge railway from Plymouth in Devon to Falmouth in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The section from Plymouth to Truro opened in 1859, the extension to Falmouth in 1863...
provided a temporary station a little further west for the opening of the line on 4 May 1859 until the permanent station was ready on 27 June 1859.
Burngullow
50.337°N 4.835°WOnce it was open, the Cornwall Railway
Cornwall Railway
The Cornwall Railway was a broad gauge railway from Plymouth in Devon to Falmouth in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The section from Plymouth to Truro opened in 1859, the extension to Falmouth in 1863...
found there was a demand for facilities to transport china clay
Kaolinite
Kaolinite is a clay mineral, part of the group of industrial minerals, with the chemical composition Al2Si2O54. It is a layered silicate mineral, with one tetrahedral sheet linked through oxygen atoms to one octahedral sheet of alumina octahedra...
from the St Stephens
St Stephen-in-Brannel
St Stephen-in-Brannel is a civil parish and village in central Cornwall, United Kingdom. St Stephen village is four miles west of St Austell on the southern edge of Cornwall's china clay district.In medieval times the parish lay within the royal manor of Brannel...
district to Par harbour. To satisfy this they opened a station at Burngullow on 1 February 1863. The construction costs were largely met by Mr Robartes, who had interests in the extraction of the china clay.
A branch line to Nanpean was opened for goods traffic by the Newquay and Cornwall Junction Railway
Newquay and Cornwall Junction Railway
The Newquay and Cornwall Junction Railway was a broad gauge railway intended to link the Cornwall Railway with the horse-worked Newquay Railway. It opened a short section to Nanpean in 1869, the remainder being built by the Cornwall Minerals Railway who took over the company in 1874...
on 1 July 1869. A small engine shed was built by them on the north side of the station, this closed in 1922.
The station was closed and rebuilt a little further west on 1 August 1901, but closed to passengers on 14 September 1931. The sidings and branch continue to handle heavy china clay traffic.
The large dryer and storage sheds alongside the main line are the Blackpool clay works; Burngullow clay works are smaller and situated alongside the branch line a short distance from the junction.
Two railway accidents have happened here, both involving runaway china clay trains. On the first occasion a train had left Burngullow with wagons for Par harbour
Par, Cornwall
Par is a town and fishing port with a harbour on the south coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town is situated in the civil parish of Tywardreath and Par and is approximately east of St Austell. Par has a population of around 1,400.....
on 29 October 1872. It was unable to stop for signals at St Austell
St Austell railway station
St Austell Station serves the town of St Austell, Cornwall, United Kingdom. The station is operated by First Great Western, as is every other station in Cornwall....
but the driver of the passenger train coming in the other direction saw the train sliding towards it and reversed his train back to Par
Par railway station
Par Station is a railway station serving the village and port of Par, Cornwall, England in the United Kingdom. It is the junction for the Atlantic Coast Line to Newquay. The station is operated by First Great Western, and served by trains operated by both First Great Western and...
.
On 9 June 1952 a similar problem occurred with a train on the branch line approaching Burngullow. This time the train ran into a siding where it collided with a stationary engine. Unfortunately the driver of the runaway train, who had stayed at the controls in an attempt to bring it to a halt, later died from his injuries.
The former 'up side' (London bound) station building still remains some seventy years plus after closure.
The signal box was closed in 1986 when the Burngullow to Probus section of the Mainline was singled, and the signals were then controlled by the Signal Box at Par railway station
Par railway station
Par Station is a railway station serving the village and port of Par, Cornwall, England in the United Kingdom. It is the junction for the Atlantic Coast Line to Newquay. The station is operated by First Great Western, and served by trains operated by both First Great Western and...
. The double line was re-instated in 2004.
Grampound Road
A station to serve GrampoundGrampound
Grampound is a village in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated on the A390 road six miles west of St Austell.Grampound with Creed is the civil parish of which the village of Grampound and the village of Creed are the main settlements...
was opened with the Cornwall Railway
Cornwall Railway
The Cornwall Railway was a broad gauge railway from Plymouth in Devon to Falmouth in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The section from Plymouth to Truro opened in 1859, the extension to Falmouth in 1863...
on 4 May 1859, but it was known as "Grampound Road" due to the distance from that town. A newspaper at the time reported at the time merely that "it comprises arrival and departure stations exactly similar to those at Par
Par railway station
Par Station is a railway station serving the village and port of Par, Cornwall, England in the United Kingdom. It is the junction for the Atlantic Coast Line to Newquay. The station is operated by First Great Western, and served by trains operated by both First Great Western and...
."
A goods shed
Goods shed
A goods shed is a railway building designed for storing goods before or after carriage in a train.A typical goods shed will have a track running through it to allow goods wagons to be unloaded under cover, although sometimes they were built alongside a track with possibly just a canopy over the door...
was not provided until 1864 but the goods traffic developed quickly: 3,580 cattle were dispatched in the twelve months to June 1869, more than any other station on the line.
Because of its remote location two cottages were built in 1860 for the station master and his staff. A small village known as Grampound Road grew up around the railway station and continues to expand despite the station closing (along with Doublebois, Chacewater, Scorrier, Gwinear Road and Marazion) on 5 October 1964. Harry Hingston was the last registered paid employee and station master.
The site is easily recognised from passing trains.
Probus and Ladock Halt
This halt was opened by the Great Western RailwayGreat Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
on 1 February 1908. Unusually for a stop classified as a halt, it was staffed, at least initially.
Characteristic Great Western Railway corrugated iron waiting shelters were provided on both of the wooden platforms. The Great Western Railway was nationalised into British Railways from 1 January 1948 and the station was closed on 2 December 1957.
The station was nearer to Probus
Probus, Cornwall
Probus is a civil parish and village in Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom. It is famous for having the tallest church tower in Cornwall. The tower is high, and richly decorated with carvings...
than Ladock
Ladock
Ladock is a village and civil parish in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated approximately six miles northeast of Truro.Historically, Ladock was two small settlements; Bissick by the river and Ladock on the hill...
, indeed Grampound Road railway station was also convenient for the latter village.
Both platforms still remain here and although grassed over are easily detectable.
If you follow the B3275 towards Probus,then turn off left towards Ladock there is a rail bridge over the road.
Just under the bridge on the right is the former pathway up to the up side platform of the halt, which now houses a mobile phone mast.
Chacewater
Chacewater
Chacewater is a village and civil parish in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated approximately three miles east of Redruth.-Village:...
by the West Cornwall Railway
West Cornwall Railway
The West Cornwall Railway was a railway company in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, formed in 1846 to operate the existing Hayle Railway between Hayle and Redruth and extend the railway to Penzance and Truro....
on 25 August 1852. On 6 July 1903 a branch line to Perranporth was opened from nearby Blackwater; it was extended to Newquay
Newquay railway station
Newquay railway station is the terminus of the Atlantic Coast Line that runs from Par railway station. It is operated by First Great Western and is situated close to the town centre and beaches in Newquay, Cornwall, England, UK.-History:...
on 2 January 1905. Blackwater Junction was closed on 9 November 1924 which resulted in the physical junction being moved the half mile to Chacewater station, although most trains ran through to Truro
Truro railway station
Truro Station serves the city of Truro, Cornwall, UK. It is the situated on the Cornish Main Line and is the junction for the Maritime Line to Falmouth. The station is operated by First Great Western....
.
The Perranporth line closed on 4 February 1963. Even after its closure to passengers a few years later, Chacewater station was retained for goods traffic for many years, latterly for Blue Circle Cement. The Penzance bound platforms can still be seen, complete with much altered station building.
There are two viaducts east of Chacewater. The 128 yard (181 m) Blackwater Viaduct is immediately east of the station site and the 93 yard (132 m) Chacewater Viaduct is a little further east towards Truro. .
Scorrier
A station was opened at ScorrierScorrier
Scorrier is a village in Cornwall, in the United Kingdom. It is about 2 miles northeast of the centre of Redruth and 3 miles south-east of the coast at Porthtowan, on the A30 road at the junction of the A3047 road that leads west to Camborne and the B3298 road south to Carharrack...
by the West Cornwall Railway
West Cornwall Railway
The West Cornwall Railway was a railway company in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, formed in 1846 to operate the existing Hayle Railway between Hayle and Redruth and extend the railway to Penzance and Truro....
on 25 August 1852. Initially known as "Scorrier Gate", the name was changed to "Scorrier" in March 1856. It reverted to "Scorrier Gate" from 1 June 1859 but became plain "Scorrier" once more on 1 October 1896. It closed to passengers on 5 October 1964.
Carn Brea
A station was opened near Carn BreaCarn Brea
Carn Brea is a civil parish and hilltop site in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The hilltop site is situated approximately one mile southwest of Redruth.-Neolithic settlement:...
on 23 May 1843 by the Hayle Railway
Hayle Railway
The Hayle Railway was an early Cornish railway, built to standard gauge, and opened in 1837. The railway served the engineering works and copper quays at Hayle with the copper mines of Redruth and Camborne carrying ore to the port and coal to the mines, before the construction of the Saltash Bridge...
and named "Pool
Pool, Cornwall
The village of Pool is bypassed by the A30 in West Cornwall, situated on the A3047 between Camborne and Redruth, between Tuckingmill and Illogan Highway.Not to be confused with:* Poole, the town in Dorset....
" after a nearby village. The railway was closed on 16 February 1852 and reopened by the West Cornwall Railway
West Cornwall Railway
The West Cornwall Railway was a railway company in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, formed in 1846 to operate the existing Hayle Railway between Hayle and Redruth and extend the railway to Penzance and Truro....
on 11 March 1852, however Pool station remained closed until 25 August 1852 when it was reopened as "Carn Brea", only to be renamed "Pool" once more in June 1854. It reverted to "Carn Brea" on 1 November 1875. It was closed on 2 January 1961.
Carn Brea was the home of the West Cornwall Railway's workshops where they maintained the locomotives and rolling stock.
Dolcoath Halt
The Great Western RailwayGreat Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
opened a railmotor
GWR steam rail motors
The steam rail motors were self-propelled carriages operated by the Great Western Railway in England and Wales from 1903 to 1935. They incorporated a steam locomotive within the body of the carriage.-History:...
halt near Dolcoath mine
Dolcoath mine
Dolcoath mine was a copper and tin mine in Camborne, Cornwall, in the United Kingdom. Its name derives from the Cornish for 'Old Ground', and it was also affectionately known as The Queen of Cornish Mines. The site is north-west of Carn Brea. Dolcoath Road runs between the A3047 road and Chapel Hill...
on 28 August 1905 but it closed again on 1 May 1908; the days when Dolcoath was one of the biggest mines in Cornwall were long past. It was situated to the west of Dolcoath level crossing
Level crossing
A level crossing occurs where a railway line is intersected by a road or path onone level, without recourse to a bridge or tunnel. It is a type of at-grade intersection. The term also applies when a light rail line with separate right-of-way or reserved track crosses a road in the same fashion...
and the site can be recognised because of this.
Penponds
The Hayle RailwayHayle Railway
The Hayle Railway was an early Cornish railway, built to standard gauge, and opened in 1837. The railway served the engineering works and copper quays at Hayle with the copper mines of Redruth and Camborne carrying ore to the port and coal to the mines, before the construction of the Saltash Bridge...
provided a station at Penponds
Penponds
Penponds is a village near Camborne, Cornwall, England, UK....
from 23 May 1843 until 16 February 1852. It was not replaced when the West Cornwall Railway
West Cornwall Railway
The West Cornwall Railway was a railway company in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, formed in 1846 to operate the existing Hayle Railway between Hayle and Redruth and extend the railway to Penzance and Truro....
opened a month later.
Gwinear Road
A station known as "GwinearGwinear, Cornwall
Gwinear is a village in west Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated approximately two miles east of Hayle and overlooks the Angarrack valley....
Road" was opened by the West Cornwall Railway
West Cornwall Railway
The West Cornwall Railway was a railway company in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, formed in 1846 to operate the existing Hayle Railway between Hayle and Redruth and extend the railway to Penzance and Truro....
on 11 March 1852 west of a level crossing
Level crossing
A level crossing occurs where a railway line is intersected by a road or path onone level, without recourse to a bridge or tunnel. It is a type of at-grade intersection. The term also applies when a light rail line with separate right-of-way or reserved track crosses a road in the same fashion...
and became a junction for the Helston Railway on 9 May 1887. The goods yard lay west of the station to the north of the line, but extensive sidings were constructed alongside the main line east of the level crossing to handle traffic for the branch.
The station formerly had two signalboxes: West, on the down platform itself, and East, out in the goods marshalling yard.
The branch line closed to passengers on 3 September 1962 and to goods on 8 October 1964; the and the station is now closed. The former 'down' Penzance
Penzance
Penzance is a town, civil parish, and port in Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom. It is the most westerly major town in Cornwall and is approximately 75 miles west of Plymouth and 300 miles west-southwest of London...
-bound platform-cum- Helston
Helston
Helston is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated at the northern end of the Lizard Peninsula approximately 12 miles east of Penzance and nine miles southwest of Falmouth. Helston is the most southerly town in the UK and is around further south than...
branch bay is still more or less intact.
The DMU
Diesel multiple unit
A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines. They may also be referred to as a railcar or railmotor, depending on country.-Design:...
, formerly on site undergoing restoration by the Helston Railway Preservation Company
Helston Railway Preservation Company
The Helston Railway Preservation Company is a heritage railway that aims to rebuild the Helston branch line that linked Gwinear Road on the Cornish Main Line to Helston, Cornwall, England.- Overview :...
in the cattle dock just east of the level crossing, has now been moved to the company's [Trevarno] base.
Angarrack
The Hayle RailwayHayle Railway
The Hayle Railway was an early Cornish railway, built to standard gauge, and opened in 1837. The railway served the engineering works and copper quays at Hayle with the copper mines of Redruth and Camborne carrying ore to the port and coal to the mines, before the construction of the Saltash Bridge...
introduced passenger trains on 23 May 1843. The service was closed on 16 February 1852. On 11 March 1852 the West Cornwall Railway
West Cornwall Railway
The West Cornwall Railway was a railway company in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, formed in 1846 to operate the existing Hayle Railway between Hayle and Redruth and extend the railway to Penzance and Truro....
opened a new station. The old station had been on the section of the Hayle Railway that was closed entirely as a steep rope-worked incline
Cable railway
A cable railway is a steeply graded railway that uses a cable or rope to haul trains.-Introduction:...
descended from Angarrack
Angarrack
Angarrack is a village in west Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated in the parish of Gwinear-Gwithian two miles east of Hayle....
to sea level at Copperhouse, it was replaced by a much gentler incline to the new Hayle railway station
Hayle railway station
Hayle railway station serves the town of Hayle, Cornwall, United Kingdom. The station is operated by First Great Western and is on the Cornish Main Line north east of .-History:...
. However the new Angarrack station was closed in 1853. (See also Angarrack viaduct
Angarrack viaduct
Angarrack railway viaduct is situated at Angarrack in west Cornwall, United Kingdom.The eleven-arch granite-built viaduct carries the Cornish Main Line railway across the steep-sided valley of the Angarrack River, a tributary of the River Hayle, between the present day stations of and...
.)
Copperhouse Halt
The Great Western RailwayGreat Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
introduced railmotor
GWR steam rail motors
The steam rail motors were self-propelled carriages operated by the Great Western Railway in England and Wales from 1903 to 1935. They incorporated a steam locomotive within the body of the carriage.-History:...
services in west Cornwall and provided several small halts at which they called. Copperhouse was one of the small halts provided for these services, opening on 1 July 1905 to provide a service to the Copperhouse district in Hayle
Hayle
Hayle is a small town, civil parish and cargo port in west Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated at the mouth of the Hayle River and is approximately seven miles northeast of Penzance...
.
An earlier station had been provided at Copperhouse nearer the waterfront by the Hayle Railway
Hayle Railway
The Hayle Railway was an early Cornish railway, built to standard gauge, and opened in 1837. The railway served the engineering works and copper quays at Hayle with the copper mines of Redruth and Camborne carrying ore to the port and coal to the mines, before the construction of the Saltash Bridge...
from 23 May 1843 until their line closed on 16 February 1852.
Marazion
Marazion
Marazion is a civil parish and town in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated on the shore of Mount's Bay, two miles east of Penzance and one mile east of Long Rock.St Michael's Mount is half-a-mile offshore from Marazion...
by the West Cornwall Railway
West Cornwall Railway
The West Cornwall Railway was a railway company in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, formed in 1846 to operate the existing Hayle Railway between Hayle and Redruth and extend the railway to Penzance and Truro....
on 11 March 1852. The original single platform was situated on the south side of the line but the station was rebuilt about thirty years later when a second platform was added. The line westwards to Penzance
Penzance railway station
Penzance railway station serves the town of Penzance, Cornwall, UK. The station is the western terminus of the Cornish Main Line from London Paddington station. The current journey time to or from London is about five hours....
was doubled in 1893 and the goods yard expanded so that it could share in handling the large volume of perishable traffic – fish, fruit and vegetables – from the surrounding farms and harbours. The line eastwards to St Erth
St Erth railway station
St Erth railway station is situated at Rose-an-Grouse in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It serves the nearby village of St Erth, which is about away, and is the junction for the St Ives Bay Line to St Ives.-History:...
was not doubled until 1929.
The station is situated on the shore of Mount's Bay
Mount's Bay
Mount's Bay is a large, sweeping bay on the English Channel coast of Cornwall in the United Kingdom, stretching from the Lizard Point to Gwennap Head on the eastern side of the Land's End peninsula. Towards the middle of the bay is St Michael's Mount...
with fine views of St Michael's Mount
St Michael's Mount
St Michael's Mount is a tidal island located off the Mount's Bay coast of Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is a civil parish and is united with the town of Marazion by a man-made causeway of granite setts, passable between mid-tide and low water....
and for many years was home to six old Pullman
Pullman (car or coach)
In the United States, Pullman was used to refer to railroad sleeping cars which were built and operated on most U.S. railroads by the Pullman Company from 1867 to December 31, 1968....
coaches that were formerly used as camping coach
Camping coach
Camping coaches were offered by many railway companies in the United Kingdom as accommodation for holiday makers in rural or coastal areas.The coaches were old passenger vehicles no longer suitable for use in trains, which were converted to provide basic sleeping and living space at static locations...
es. Three of these were rescued and restored, and now provide sleeping accommodation at Petworth railway station
Petworth railway station
Petworth railway station was a railway station nearly two miles from the town of Petworth in West Sussex, England.It was located on the former London, Brighton and South Coast Railway single track Pulborough to Midhurst branch line...
, which has been converted into a guest house. One was purchased privately while the others were left to become derelict until broken up on site. In 2006 the remains of these coaches was cleared away from the site to make way for nine holiday cottages,the old station has now been fully restored into a two bedroom bungalow currently owned by the developers. The 1880s station building still stands, but part of the line westwards is currently reduced to a single track.