West Cornwall Railway - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The West Cornwall Railway was a railway company 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...

, England, United Kingdom, formed in 1846 to operate the existing Hayle Railway between 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...

and Redruth

Redruth

Redruth is a town and civil parish traditionally in the Penwith Hundred in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It has a population of 12,352. Redruth lies approximately at the junction of the A393 and A3047 roads, on the route of the old London to Land's End trunk road , and is approximately west of...

and extend the railway to 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...

and Truro

Truro

Truro is a city and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The city is the centre for administration, leisure and retail in Cornwall, with a population recorded in the 2001 census of 17,431. Truro urban statistical area, which includes parts of surrounding parishes, has a 2001 census...

.

The West Cornwall Railway was leased to 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...

, Bristol and Exeter Railway

Bristol and Exeter Railway

The Bristol & Exeter Railway was a railway company formed to connect Bristol and Exeter.The company's head office was situated outside their Bristol station...

and South Devon Railway

South 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...

in 1866 which resulted in direct services to London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

from Penzance for the first time after a third rail

Rail profile

The rail profile is the cross sectional shape of a railway rail, perpendicular to the length of the rail.In all but very early cast iron rails, a rail is hot rolled steel of a specific cross sectional profile designed for use as the fundamental component of railway track.Unlike some other uses of...

for the broad gauge

Broad gauge

Broad-gauge railways use a track gauge greater than the standard gauge of .- List :For list see: List of broad gauges, by gauge and country- History :...

had been added to the existing standard gauge tracks

Rail tracks

The track on a railway or railroad, also known as the permanent way, is the structure consisting of the rails, fasteners, sleepers and ballast , plus the underlying subgrade...

, making them mixed gauge.

Following the amalgamation

Consolidation (business)

Consolidation or amalgamation is the act of merging many things into one. In business, it often refers to the mergers and acquisitions of many smaller companies into much larger ones. In the context of financial accounting, consolidation refers to the aggregation of financial statements of a group...

s of 1876 the Great Western Railway was the sole lessee until the nationalisation of British Railways on 1 January 1948. The broad gauge was disused, and lifted, after 20 May 1892 when the line reverted fully to standard gauge.

Chronology

1837 Hayle Railway opened to Pool for goods traffic, also branches to Portreath
Portreath
Portreath is a civil parish, village and fishing port on the north coast of Cornwall, United Kingdom. The village is situated approximately three miles northwest of Redruth....

, Roskear
Roskear
Roskear is a cricket ground in Camborne, Cornwall. It was established in 1906, when Cornwall played Devon in the 1906 Minor Counties Championship...

, and North Crofty
1838 Main line competed to Redruth, also branch to Tresavean
1843 Passenger services introduced on main line
1846 West Cornwall Railway replaced Hayle Railway
1852 West Cornwall Railway opened from Truro Road to Penzance, also Hayle Wharves branch
1855 Line extended to Truro Newham
1859 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...

opened to new joint station at Truro
1865 Railway leased jointly to 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...

, Bristol and Exeter Railway
Bristol and Exeter Railway
The Bristol & Exeter Railway was a railway company formed to connect Bristol and Exeter.The company's head office was situated outside their Bristol station...

, and South Devon Railway
South 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...
1866 Broad gauge
Broad gauge
Broad-gauge railways use a track gauge greater than the standard gauge of .- List :For list see: List of broad gauges, by gauge and country- History :...

laid along the main line
1877 St Ives branch
St Ives Bay Line
The St Ives Bay Line is a railway line from to in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It was opened in 1877, the last new broad gauge passenger railway to be constructed in the country...

opened, the last new broad gauge passenger line
1887 Helston Railway opened from Gwinear Road
1892 Broad gauge abandoned, St Ives line converted to standard gauge
1936 Portreath and Tresavean branches closed
1947 West Cornwall Railway Company nationalised into British Railways
1948 North Crofty branch closed
1962 Helston branch closed
1963 Roskear branch closed
1972 Newham branch closed
1983 Hayle Wharves branch closed

Stations

Truro to Redruth (West Cornwall Railway)
- Newham (1855 – 1863)
- 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....
  
  (opened 1859) – joint 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...
- Truro Road (1852 – 1855)
- Chacewater (1852 – 1964)
- Scorrier – also known as Scorrier Gate (1852 – 1964)
- Redruth
  Redruth railway station
  Redruth Station serves the town of Redruth, Cornwall, United Kingdom. The station is operated by First Great Western as is every other station in Cornwall.-First station:Located at ...
  
  (opened 1852)
Redruth to Hayle (Hayle Railway)
- Redruth (1843 – 1852)
- Pool (1852 – 1961) – also known as Carn Brea; the location of the railway's workshops
- Dulcoath Halt (1905 – 1908)
- Camborne
  Camborne railway station
  Camborne railway station serves the town of Camborne, Cornwall, United Kingdom. It has been in use since 1843 and is currently operated by First Great Western. Services are provided by First Great Western and CrossCountry.-History:...
  
  (opened 1843)
- Penponds (1843 – 1852)
- Gwinear Road (1843 – 1964) – junction for Helston Railway from 1887
- Angarrack (1843 – 1852)
- Copperhouse (1843 – 1852)
- Hayle (1843 – 1852)
Angarrack to Penzance (West Cornwall Railway)
- Angarrack (1852 – 1853)
- Copperhouse Halt (1905 – 1908)
- Hayle
  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:...
  
  (opened 1852)
- 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:...
  
  (opened 1852)- known as St Ives Road until 1877 when it became the junction for St Ives Bay Line
  St Ives Bay Line
  The St Ives Bay Line is a railway line from to in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It was opened in 1877, the last new broad gauge passenger railway to be constructed in the country...
- Marazion Road (1852 – 1964) – known as Marazion after 1896
- 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....
  
  (opened 1852)

Bridges and viaducts

Penweathers Viaduct
Chacewater Viaduct
Blackwater Viaduct
Redruth Viaduct
Penponds Viaduct
Penponds Viaduct
Penponds Viaduct was built by the West Cornwall Railway c1852 to replace an inclined plane that had been built c1837 by the Hayle Railway. It is built of brick arches on stone piers and now carries the Cornish Main Line over a small valley in the bottom of which runs Viaduct Lane.-External links:*...

c1852, 338 feet (103 m), brick
Brick
A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.-History:...

arches on stone
Rock (geology)
In geology, rock or stone is a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids.The Earth's outer solid layer, the lithosphere, is made of rock. In general rocks are of three types, namely, igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic...

piers, replaced an inclined plane of c1837
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...
Guildford Viaduct
Hayle Viaduct
St Erth Viaduct

Standard gauge

The Hayle Railway contracted with J. Chanter to provide its locomotives. This contract was bought out by the West Cornwall Railway, the stock consisting of the Carn Brea, Chanter, Cornubria, Coryndon, and Pendarves.

These locomotives were replaced from 1851 by an expanded fleet comprising:

Apollo
Apollo
Apollo is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology...

(1866 – 1881), an ex-London and North Western Railway
London and North Western Railway
The London and North Western Railway was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. It was created by the merger of three companies – the Grand Junction Railway, the London and Birmingham Railway and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway...

0-6-0
0-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels...

(Great Western Railway (GWR) no. 1388)
Camborne
Camborne
Camborne is a town and civil parish in west Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is at the western edge of a conurbation comprising Camborne, Pool and Redruth....

(1852 – 1865), a Stothert and Slaughter
Avonside Engine Company
The Avonside Engine Company was a locomotive manufacturer in Avon Street, St. Philip's, Bristol, England between 1864 and 1934. However the business originated with an earlier enterprise Henry Stothert and Company.-Origins:...

0-4-2
0-4-2
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-4-2 represents the wheel arrangement with no leading wheels, four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle...

T
Carn Brea
Carn 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:...

(1853 – 1866), a Stothert and Slaughter 0-4-2
Ceres (1875 – 1881), an ex-London and North Western Railway 0-6-0 (GWR no. 1390)
Cyclops
Cyclops
A cyclops , in Greek mythology and later Roman mythology, was a member of a primordial race of giants, each with a single eye in the middle of his forehead...

(1874 – 1881), an ex-London and North Western Railway 0-6-0 (GWR no. 1389)
Falmouth
Falmouth, Cornwall
Falmouth is a town, civil parish and port on the River Fal on the south coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It has a total resident population of 21,635.Falmouth is the terminus of the A39, which begins some 200 miles away in Bath, Somerset....

(1855 – 1881) a Robert Stephenson
Robert Stephenson
Robert Stephenson FRS was an English civil engineer. He was the only son of George Stephenson, the famed locomotive builder and railway engineer; many of the achievements popularly credited to his father were actually the joint efforts of father and son.-Early life :He was born on the 16th of...

and Company 2-4-0
2-4-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-4-0 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and no trailing wheels....

(GWR no. 1384)
Fox
Fox
Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...

(1872 – 1912), an Avonside Engine Company
Avonside Engine Company
The Avonside Engine Company was a locomotive manufacturer in Avon Street, St. Philip's, Bristol, England between 1864 and 1934. However the business originated with an earlier enterprise Henry Stothert and Company.-Origins:...

0-4-0
0-4-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-4-0 represents one of the simplest possible types, that with two axles and four coupled wheels, all of which are driven...

T (GWR no. 1391)
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...

(1853 – 1866), a Stothert and Slaughter 0-4-2T
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...

(1860 – 1868), a Robert Stephenson 2-4-0 (GWR no. 917)
Ironsides (1852 – ?)
Mars (1866 – 1881), a Vulcan Foundry
Vulcan Foundry
Vulcan Foundry was a British locomotive builder sited at Newton-le-Willows, Lancashire .-History:It was originally opened in 1832 as Charles Tayleur and Company to produce girders for bridges, switches and crossings, and other ironwork following the opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway...

0-6-0T (GWR no. 1386)
Mounts 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...

(1853 – 1868), a Robert Stephenson and Company 2-4-0 (GWR no. 915)
Nestor
Nestor (mythology)
In Greek mythology, Nestor of Gerenia was the son of Neleus and Chloris and the King of Pylos. He became king after Heracles killed Neleus and all of Nestor's siblings...

(1865 – 1881), an ex-London and North Western Railway 0-6-0 (GWR no. 1387)
Penwith
Penwith
Penwith was a local government district in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, whose council was based in Penzance. The district covered all of the Penwith peninsula, the toe-like promontory of land at the western end of Cornwall and which included an area of land to the east that fell outside the...

(1853 – 1872), a Sothert and Slaughter 2-4-0
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...

(1851 – ?), a Stothert and Slaughter 0-4-2T
Penzance (1860 – 1868), a Robert Stephenson 2-4-0 (GWR no. 916)
Redruth
Redruth
Redruth is a town and civil parish traditionally in the Penwith Hundred in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It has a population of 12,352. Redruth lies approximately at the junction of the A393 and A3047 roads, on the route of the old London to Land's End trunk road , and is approximately west of...

(1852 – ?), a Robert Stephenson 2-4-0
Redruth (1865 – 1871), a Slaughter and Grunning
Avonside Engine Company
The Avonside Engine Company was a locomotive manufacturer in Avon Street, St. Philip's, Bristol, England between 1864 and 1934. However the business originated with an earlier enterprise Henry Stothert and Company.-Origins:...

0-6-0
St Just
St Just in Penwith
St Just is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The parish encompasses the town of St Just and the nearby settlements of Trewellard, Pendeen and Kelynack: it is bounded by the parishes of Morvah to the north-east, Sancreed and Madron to the east, St Buryan and Sennen to...

(1865 – 1881), a Robert Stephenson and Company 0-6-0 (GWR no. 1385)
St Ives
St Ives, Cornwall
St Ives is a seaside town, civil parish and port in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town lies north of Penzance and west of Camborne on the coast of the Celtic Sea. In former times it was commercially dependent on fishing. The decline in fishing, however, caused a shift in commercial...

(1855 – 1868), a Robert Stephenson and Company 2-4-0 (GWR no 918)
Truro
Truro
Truro is a city and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The city is the centre for administration, leisure and retail in Cornwall, with a population recorded in the 2001 census of 17,431. Truro urban statistical area, which includes parts of surrounding parishes, has a 2001 census...

(1852 – 1873), a Robert Stephenson and Company 2-4-0

Broad gauge

Broad gauge locomotives were pooled with the Cornwall Railway and South Devon Railway locomotives

South Devon Railway locomotives

South Devon Railway locomotives were broad gauge locomotives that operated over the South Devon Railway, Cornwall Railway, and West Cornwall Railway in England...

, those bought on behalf of the West Cornwall Railway being:

Gorgon class 4-4-0STs
South Devon Railway Gorgon class
The Gorgon class were six 4-4-0 saddle tank broad gauge locomotives operated on the South Devon Railway, Cornwall Railway and West Cornwall Railway...
- Pluto
  Pluto
  Pluto, formal designation 134340 Pluto, is the second-most-massive known dwarf planet in the Solar System and the tenth-most-massive body observed directly orbiting the Sun...
  
  (1866 – 1892) GWR no. 2123
- Titan
  Titan (mythology)
  In Greek mythology, the Titans were a race of powerful deities, descendants of Gaia and Uranus, that ruled during the legendary Golden Age....
  
  (1866 – 1886) GWR no. 2126
- Zebra
  Zebra
  Zebras are several species of African equids united by their distinctive black and white stripes. Their stripes come in different patterns unique to each individual. They are generally social animals that live in small harems to large herds...
  
  (1866 – 1892) GWR no. 2127
Remus class 0-6-0STs
South Devon Railway Remus class
The two Remus class locomotives were 0-6-0 saddle tank broad gauge locomotives operated by the South Devon Railway, England. They were ordered for working goods trains on the West Cornwall Railway but were also used on passenger trains....
- Remus
  Romulus and Remus
  Romulus and Remus are Rome's twin founders in its traditional foundation myth, although the former is sometimes said to be the sole founder...
  
  (1866 – 1886) GWR no. 2154
- Romulus
  Romulus and Remus
  Romulus and Remus are Rome's twin founders in its traditional foundation myth, although the former is sometimes said to be the sole founder...
  
  (1866 – 1892) GWR no. 2155
ex-Llynvi Valley Railway 0-6-0STs
Ada (1868 – 1884) GWR no. 2146
Rosa (1868 – 1885) GWR no. 2145 (ran as a 4-4-0ST until 1874)
Una (1868 – 1886) GWR no. 2147

In addition, two West Cornwall Railway locomotives were rebuilt to run on the broad gauge.

Penwith (1872 – 1888) 2-4-0T GWR no. 2136
Redruth (1871 – 1887) 0-6-0ST GWR no. 2156

Chronology

Stations

Bridges and viaducts

Standard gauge

Broad gauge

Further reading