Toldish Tunnel was built by Joseph Treffry

Joseph Treffry

Joseph Austen Treffry was an engineer, mining adventurer, and industrialist who became a significant landowner in Cornwall, United Kingdom.-Biography:...

 as part of his mineral tramway

Treffry Tramways

The Treffry Tramways were a disjoint network of horse worked mineral tramways in Cornwall in the United Kingdom. They were named after the man principally responsible for their construction, Joseph Treffry , a local land owner and entrepreneur. At their maximum extent, the Treffry Tramways...

 from Newquay

Newquay

Newquay is a town, civil parish, seaside resort and fishing port in Cornwall, England. It is situated on the North Atlantic coast of Cornwall approximately west of Bodmin and north of Truro....

 (Newquay to St. Dennis) which opened in 1849. This line was built to carry trams. In 1874 the line was taken over by the Cornwall Minerals Railway

Cornwall Minerals Railway

The Cornwall Minerals Railway operated a network of railway lines in Cornwall, United Kingdom. Based at St Blazey, its network stretched from Fowey to Newquay and lasted as an independent company from 1874 to 1896, after which it became a part of the Great Western Railway.-Authorisation:The...

 and the line from Newquay was extended to 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...

. At this time the line from Newquay to Par was converted to standard gauge

Standard gauge

The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...

 which was needed for the larger passenger carrying trains. It was not viable to widen the tunnel, so in 1874 it was bypassed and closed. The new line missing out the Toldish tunnel section was opened on 1 June 1874.

Geographical location

• East portal: 50.403977°N 4.92232°W
• West portal: 50.40250°N 4.92852°W

Current condition

The arch at the western entrance of the Toldish tunnel is been partially bricked up and the cutting is now flooded. The tunnel is still shown as a disused railway and runs east-west from grid reference SW 924601 to SW 920599. The eastern entrance is overgrown but looks to be in good condition.

See also

• Atlantic Coast Line, Cornwall
  Atlantic Coast Line, Cornwall
  The Atlantic Coast Line is a community railway line in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The line runs from the English Channel at Par, to the Atlantic Ocean at Newquay.-Route:The Atlantic Coast Line starts from Par station, in the village and port of Par...
  
  
• West Cornwall Mineral Railways ISBN 9781904474487 (February 2005) by Maurice Dart