The 1864 proposed Penryn - Helston Railway

[whole diary]

[RailCornwall]

It was proposed in the mid 19th Century to Link Helston to the rail network via a branch off of the Truro - Falmouth line, these plans got as far as an Act of Parliament (1864) which granted permission, however investors were not found and the plans scrapped and the permission revoked within 4 years of the granting of the permission, an example of C19 Railway Mania at it's peak. The company was wound up in 1869.

I know it's an extraordinarily long shot but has anyone here who's heard of this project any idea of the proposed routing across Southern Cornwall?

I gather from heresay in the past that the proposal was to provide an extension once built west of Helston to Marazion to provide an alternative to the Redruth - Camborne route across Western Cornwall.

(Please move to a more appropriate forum if necessary)

[grahame]

(Please move to a more appropriate forum if necessary)

Feels like the right place to me - I don't think it's a campaign for a new service.   Mind you, there's a lot to be said for having a robust network with alternative routes ...

[froome]

I know we have maps of all the lines ever built, but it would be fascinating to see a map of all those that were ever proposed during the 19th century. I wonder what the largest settlement that never had a proposal for a line was?

[stuving]

Was the bill really passed in 1864? A quick search finds the public notice of the bill's introduction in November 1846, which lists the parishes it goes through - pretty much in a straight line. Nothing about an extension there, but then that was before they had surveyed the initial route.

If you really want the full details, The National Archives says you should go to Truro:

Reference:    QSPDR/17/1
Title:    Plans and sections, Helston Railway. Penryn to Helston. With OS^▸ (Ordnance Survey) 1 inch map
Date:    1846
Held by:    Cornwall Record Office, not available at The National Archives

Those plans will be very interesting - as I found when I looked at some of the RGRR plans in the Berkshire RO.

[stuving]

Was the bill really passed in 1864?

Answer: yes. It was abandoned by order of the Board of Trade in April 1868. I don't think these local acts appear in any of the on-line sets of legislation - there were an awful lot of them.

[RailCornwall]

I shall make arrangements to visit the records office. Looking at their online catalogue they have many documents in connection with this which should satisfy my curiosity.

[JayMac]

I wonder what the largest settlement that never had a proposal for a line was?

Hugh Town? 

[bradshaw]

The plans for every railway bill had to be deposited in each of the parishes through which it passed. This took the form of a line strip map of the route, with every property within 100yds of the centre line being numbered.

The accompanying Book of Reference lists each property together with the owner, the lessee and the occupier. Failure to list these accurately could cause failure of the Bill. This had to be submitted by the 30th of November and, in the Railway Mania, saw frenetic activity.

They remain a useful, and under used, source of past industries and people. I am involved with writing an history of the sailcloth industry in South Somerset/West Dorset and these plans have allowed me to locate some sites of the industry which have long disappeared.

[RailCornwall]

Finally with the open of Cornwall's new archive centre Kresen Kernow at Redruth, I've been along and consulted the Original map and schematic route map.

The Line was to leave Penryn Station Southwards, along a cutting to the North of the Penryn Viaduct and then follow the following route...

Penryn ... Kernick ... Mabe Church (some of the route would appear to now be under the College and Argal Reservoirs) ... Treverva .... Constantine ..... Bridge .... North of Gweek .... Tregarrick .... then approaching Helston from the East with a Station off Meneage Street in the area to the north of the present Furry Way roundabout.

Fascinating.

As for the potential Helston - Marazion line that's for more digging in the coming months.

I'll attempt to superimpose the route on a modern map too and post it here.