| Camborne and Redruth Tramways | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Car 1 in Camborne | |||
| Operation | |||
| Locale | Camborne, Redruth | ||
| Open | 7 November 1902 | ||
| Close | August 1934 | ||
| Status | Closed | ||
| Infrastructure | |||
| Track gauge | 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) | ||
| Propulsion system(s) | Electric | ||
| Depot(s) | Carn Brea | ||
| Statistics | |||
| Route length | 3.7 miles (6.0 km) | ||
| |||
The Camborne and Redruth Tramways company operated an electric freight and passenger tramway service in the Cornish towns of Camborne and Redruth between 1902 and 1934. [1]
The proposal for Camborne and Redruth, put forward by the Urban Electric Supply Company, was for a combined lighting scheme and tramway. The Urban Electric Supply Company was a subsidiary of Edmundson's Electricity Corporation.
The construction of the generating station and distribution system cost £38,500 (equivalent to £4,273,207 in 2020) [2] and the tramway and vehicles cost £35,000 (equivalent to £3,884,733 in 2020). [2] The tramway was constructed by Dick, Kerr & Co. in around 6 months. Track-laying started on 7 April 1902, [3] and the network was single-tracked with eight passing loops and double tracks at each end. The sharpest curve was 40 ft radius and the steepest section on East Hill was 1:15.
It was mostly complete by September 1902. [4] Members of Camborne and Redruth Councils visited on 1 October 1902. The first trial run of the system took place on Wednesday 8 October 1902, with a delegation of local dignitaries invited by the company manager Mr. F.C. Hanning [5] The trial car arrived at the Camborne terminus at 11.30am driven by the manager, accompanied by William Ward, the electrical engineer. The West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser for 9 October 1902 reported that those passengers who caught hold of a certain brass rod, to get on to the car, experienced a mild electric shock, the effect of which caused them to quickly release their hold, and this brought a smile to the face of Engineer Ward.
The Board of Trade Inspector passed the tramway for use on 25 October 1902. The formal opening was held on 7 November 1902 when Mrs. Wigham, wife of an Edmundson's Director was the guest of honour.
The tramway opened for passenger service on 7 November 1902, [6] and for freight in May 1903.
Vehicles were obtained from G.F. Milnes & Co. in 1902 and 1903, and comprised 6 open top double deck cars (48-seaters), 2 single-deck cars (34-seaters) plus 2 freight locomotives. The company livery was dark green and cream. Between 7 November 1902 and 30 September 1903 the passenger service carried one million passengers. [7]
The freight locomotives moved 12 side-tipping mineral ore wagons on the tramway from East Pool mine. [8]
Around 1926, the Cornish Motor Transport Company inaugurated a 15-minute bus service between Redruth and Camborne, which reduced the patronage of the passenger tram service. Despite a reduction in fares and an amended service, it was not commercially viable [9] and the service closed to passengers on 29 September 1927. The freight services continued.
In August 1934 the freight service of tin ore was replaced by an aerial ropeway. [10]
Camborne is a town in Cornwall, England. The population at the 2011 Census was 20,845. The northern edge of the parish includes a section of the South West Coast Path, Hell's Mouth and Deadman's Cove.
Cornish wrestling is a form of wrestling that has been established in Cornwall for many centuries and possibly longer. It is similar to the Breton Gouren wrestling style. It is colloquially known as "wrasslin’" in the Cornish dialect of English; historically, this usage is attested by Chaucer, Shakespeare and Drayton.
Rugby union in Cornwall is Cornwall's most popular spectator sport with a large following. The followers of the national side are dubbed Trelawny's Army. In 1991 and 1999 Cornwall made the County Championships finals, played at Twickenham Stadium, with Cornwall beating first Yorkshire and in 1999 Gloucestershire to win the cup.
Truro railway station serves the city of Truro, Cornwall, England. The station is 301 miles (484 km) from London Paddington via Bristol Temple Meads. It is situated on the Cornish Main Line and is the junction for the Maritime Line to Falmouth Docks.
Redruth station serves the town of Redruth, Cornwall, United Kingdom, and is situated on the Cornish Main Line between Truro and Camborne. The station is 310 miles (500 km) from London Paddington via Bristol Temple Meads.
Camborne railway station serves the town of Camborne, Cornwall, England. The station is 313 miles (504 km) from London Paddington via Bristol Temple Meads. It is located on Trevu Road in the town, adjacent to a level crossing and the Railway Hotel.
Hayle railway station serves the small town of Hayle, Cornwall, United Kingdom. Great Western Railway manage the station and operate most train services.
Penzance railway station serves the town of Penzance in west Cornwall, England. It is the terminus of the Cornish Main Line from Plymouth, 327 miles (526 km) from London Paddington via Bristol Temple Meads, and is the southernmost railway station in Great Britain. The first station opened in 1852 and through travel to and from London commenced from 1859 with the opening of the Royal Albert Bridge. The station was rebuilt by the Great Western Railway in 1876 and the current layout was the result of a further rebuilding in the 1930s. In 2020 the station is owned by Network Rail and managed by Great Western Railway who also operate the train services, together with CrossCountry.
Falmouth Docks railway station is situated in Falmouth, Cornwall, England. It was opened in 1863 as the terminus of the Maritime Line from Truro, although since 1970 Falmouth Town has been the principal station for the town. Falmouth Docks is 312 miles 46 chains measured from London Paddington. Services are operated by Great Western Railway, who also manage the station.
Carbis Bay railway station is on the St Ives Bay Line in Cornwall, United Kingdom and serves the village and beach of Carbis Bay, a community that only adopted this name after the arrival of the railway in 1877. It is 324 miles (521 km) from London Paddington via Bristol Temple Meads. Carbis Viaduct is situated on the St Ives (west) side of the station.
Helston railway station was the terminus of the Helston Railway in Cornwall, United Kingdom, which opened on the 9 May 1887 and during its time of operation was the most southerly railway station on the UK mainland. The line was operated by the Great Western Railway and was absorbed by that company in 1898. It closed to passengers on the 5 November 1962 and to freight on the 5 October 1964. Despite being a terminus station, Helston was built in the same manner as other stations on the line as a through station. This came from the original plan that the line would head towards The Lizard but this never happened and the station remained unchanged and always looked like a 'through' station until closure. The station secured its place in history when it became the first place in the country with a railway-operated bus service. These GWR road motor services met trains at the station and carried passengers on towards The Lizard.
Camborne RFC was established in 1878, and are one of the most famous rugby union clubs in Cornwall. They currently play in South West Premier following promotion from Tribute South West 1 West in 2015–16; a level five league in the English rugby union system. When the rugby union leagues were introduced in 1987, Camborne was the highest placed Cornish team and played in Area 4 South. They are also one of the most successful club sides in Cornwall having won the Cornish Cup ten times as of 2016 – level with local rivals Redruth – following a record fourth title in a row in 2016. Camborne enjoys a strong a rivalry with neighbours Redruth, with the two clubs meeting each year, in what is the world's longest enduring rugby fixture.
John Harvey was a Cornishman whose career started as a blacksmith and engineer at Carnhell Green near Hayle, in west Cornwall. In 1779 he established a foundry and engineering works at Hayle called Harvey & Co. By 1800 the company employed more than 50 people and continued to grow as Harvey worked with many of the great Cornish engineers and entrepreneurs of the day. These included Richard Trevithick, William West, and, more importantly, Arthur Woolf. In 1797, Harvey's daughter, Jane, married Richard Trevithick.
Angarrack railway viaduct crosses the valley of the Angarrack River at Angarrack in west Cornwall, United Kingdom.
Charles George Eustice is a British politician and former public relations executive serving as Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs since 2020. A member of the Conservative Party, he has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Camborne and Redruth since 2010.
The Kinver Light Railway operated a passenger and freight tramway service between Amblecote and Kinver, in South Staffordshire, between 1901 and 1930.
The Cornwall Super Cup is an annual English Rugby Union club competition founded in 2007, organized by the Cornwall Rugby Football Union and was last sponsored by Tribute Ales. Previously the competition was competed for by the top three Cornish national league teams - Redruth, Camborne and Launceston. Currently, the competition is competed for by Camborne and Launceston, due to the fact that they are the top Cornish sides that are in the same division, with Redruth one division higher in National League 2 South.
The CRFU Cornwall Cup is an annual rugby union knock-out cup club competition organised by the Cornwall Rugby Football Union first played for in 1896 but only regularly since 1969. It is open for teams based in Cornwall that are ranked below the national leagues but above the Cornish regional divisions. Tier 9 to 10 clubs have their own competition in the Cornish Clubs Cup.
The 1894–95 Rugby Union County Championship was the seventh edition of England's premier rugby union club competition at the time.
St Martin and St Meriadoc's Church, Camborne is a Grade I listed parish church in the Church of England in Camborne, Cornwall.
 | Wikimedia Commons has media related to Camborne and Redruth Tramways . |
