Train GraphicClick on the map to explore geographics
 
I need help
FAQ
Emergency
About .
Travel & transport from BBC stories as at 09:15 29 Mar 2024
- Bus plunges off South Africa bridge, killing 45
- Easter getaway begins with flood alerts in place
Read about the forum [here].
Register [here] - it's free.
What do I gain from registering? [here]
 02/06/24 - Summer Timetable starts
17/08/24 - Bus to Imber
27/09/25 - 200 years of passenger trains

On this day
29th Mar (1913)
Foundation of National Union or Railwaymen (*)

Train RunningCancelled
09:00 Gatwick Airport to Reading
09:08 Newbury to Bedwyn
09:54 Bedwyn to Newbury
10:22 Newbury to Bedwyn
10:55 Bedwyn to Newbury
11:29 Newbury to Bedwyn
11:57 Bedwyn to Newbury
12:52 Bedwyn to Newbury
Short Run
05:33 Plymouth to London Paddington
06:37 Plymouth to London Paddington
07:03 London Paddington to Paignton
08:35 Plymouth to London Paddington
08:41 Westbury to Bristol Temple Meads
09:37 London Paddington to Paignton
09:45 Bristol Temple Meads to Salisbury
10:35 London Paddington to Exeter St Davids
Delayed
05:03 Penzance to London Paddington
06:05 Penzance to London Paddington
07:10 Penzance to London Paddington
08:03 London Paddington to Penzance
08:15 Penzance to London Paddington
09:04 London Paddington to Plymouth
10:04 London Paddington to Penzance
11:03 London Paddington to Plymouth
PollsOpen and recent polls
Closed 2024-03-25 Easter Escape - to where?
Abbreviation pageAcronymns and abbreviations
Stn ComparatorStation Comparator
Rail newsNews Now - live rail news feed
Site Style 1 2 3 4
Next departures • Bristol Temple MeadsBath SpaChippenhamSwindonDidcot ParkwayReadingLondon PaddingtonMelksham
Exeter St DavidsTauntonWestburyTrowbridgeBristol ParkwayCardiff CentralOxfordCheltenham SpaBirmingham New Street
March 29, 2024, 09:22:26 *
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Forgotten your username or password? - get a reminder
Most recently liked subjects
[109] Infrastructure problems in Thames Valley causing disruption el...
[72] would you like your own LIVE train station departure board?
[67] West Wiltshire Bus Changes April 2024
[66] Reversing Beeching - bring heritage and freight lines into the...
[59] Return of the BRUTE?
[41] 2024 - Service update and amendment log, Swindon <-> Westbury...
 
News: the Great Western Coffee Shop ... keeping you up to date with travel around the South West
 
   Home   Help Search Calendar Login Register  
Pages: [1]
  Print  
Author Topic: Retracing the abandoned tracks of Cornwall's highest railway  (Read 5297 times)
grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 40691



View Profile WWW Email
« on: February 24, 2019, 20:05:03 »

The platform at Coombe was built as the freight transfer point between the Liskeard & Caradon Railway (bringing ore from the Cheesewring area) and the Looe & Liskeard Canal but in 1860 the Railway was extended to Looe, the railway built in many places on top of the canal.

1st January 1916 the Railway north of Moorswater was abandoned.


From Cornwall Live - an article with lots of pictures (and onward links) to the railway north of Moorswater, which climbed from the sea level of the Looe branch to be the highest railway in Cornwall.

Quote
Retracing the abandoned tracks of Cornwall's highest railway

Over 150 years ago an audacious plan took rail travel to new heights in Cornwall, but today the tracks of this engineering feat are lost in the wilderness of Bodmin Moor.

High up on the south east corner Bodmin Moor, with its views stretching across the Tamar Valley and on to the hills of Dartmoor, ramblers are drawn to follow in the tracks of curious granite blocks, uniformly laid into the natural landscape, guiding them higher and higher.

The landscape here has not changed for centuries, but around 150 years ago, these granite sleepers numbered some 120,000, and, overlaid with train tracks, ran from Moorswater near Liskeard up to Kilmar Tor at almost 1300ft above sea level, making it the highest railway line in Cornwall.

Today, what is left of this abandoned railway, blending back into its natural environment, speaks more of its sad demise than its heyday of productivity and the innovative engineering of its design. But thankfully, all is not lost at the end of this line.
Logged

Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
SandTEngineer
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 3485


View Profile
« Reply #1 on: February 24, 2019, 21:33:18 »

Yes, amazing that the rails that are left have lasted so long.
Logged
Jamsdad
Sr. Member
****
Posts: 201


View Profile Email
« Reply #2 on: February 24, 2019, 23:24:26 »

Not quite accurate I'm afraid , you wont find any rails. The line was laid with individual granite setts to hold the rails rather than traditional transverse wooden sleepers. The traces of the line are quite easy to follow and with a bit of imagination and a good OS (Ordnance Survey) map you can join up the dots to project the planned extension of the line beyond Minions right out to Kilmar Tor and then with guesswork on towards Altarnun.
Logged
Pb_devon
Transport Scholar
Sr. Member
******
Posts: 287


View Profile
« Reply #3 on: February 25, 2019, 08:03:50 »

A splendid piece with excellent images. I can recommend a visit on a fine day, and I would mention Trevallicks farm shop cafe with the model railway that customers can operate! (Other excellent eateries are available in the locality).
Logged
SandTEngineer
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 3485


View Profile
« Reply #4 on: February 25, 2019, 09:02:01 »

Not quite accurate I'm afraid , you wont find any rails. The line was laid with individual granite setts to hold the rails rather than traditional transverse wooden sleepers. The traces of the line are quite easy to follow and with a bit of imagination and a good OS (Ordnance Survey) map you can join up the dots to project the planned extension of the line beyond Minions right out to Kilmar Tor and then with guesswork on towards Altarnun.

So what are the steel bits in the photographs in the linked report?
Logged
Jamsdad
Sr. Member
****
Posts: 201


View Profile Email
« Reply #5 on: February 25, 2019, 20:08:47 »

Loose rail on a quarry incline at Kilmar Tor Quarry. All the track on the substantive railway line was lifted in WW1 and taken to France.
Logged
Do you have something you would like to add to this thread, or would you like to raise a new question at the Coffee Shop? Please [register] (it is free) if you have not done so before, or login (at the top of this page) if you already have an account - we would love to read what you have to say!

You can find out more about how this forum works [here] - that will link you to a copy of the forum agreement that you can read before you join, and tell you very much more about how we operate. We are an independent forum, provided and run by customers of Great Western Railway, for customers of Great Western Railway and we welcome railway professionals as members too, in either a personal or official capacity. Views expressed in posts are not necessarily the views of the operators of the forum.

As well as posting messages onto existing threads, and starting new subjects, members can communicate with each other through personal messages if they wish. And once members have made a certain number of posts, they will automatically be admitted to the "frequent posters club", where subjects not-for-public-domain are discussed; anything from the occasional rant to meetups we may be having ...

 
Pages: [1]
  Print  
 
Jump to:  

Powered by MySQL Powered by PHP Powered by SMF 1.1.2 | SMF © 2006-2007, Simple Machines LLC Valid XHTML 1.0! Valid CSS!
This forum is provided by customers of Great Western Railway (formerly First Great Western), and the views expressed are those of the individual posters concerned. Visit www.gwr.com for the official Great Western Railway website. Please contact the administrators of this site if you feel that the content provided by one of our posters contravenes our posting rules (email link to report). Forum hosted by Well House Consultants

Jump to top of pageJump to Forum Home Page