Lansalson branch line (Trenance valley line) | |
---|---|
Overview | |
Status | Closed |
Locale | Cornwall |
Service | |
Type | Heavy rail |
Operator(s) | Great Western Railway, British Railways |
History | |
Opened | 1920 |
Closed | 1968 |
Technical | |
Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
The Lansalson branch line (also known as the Trenance valley line) was a railway line built by the Great Western Railway (GWR) to serve the china clay industry in the Trenance valley near St Austell in Cornwall, UK. The line was authorised by the GWR in 1910 and after setbacks due to World War I the line opened to Bojea Sidings on 1 May 1920 for mineral and goods traffic only, and to Lansalson Sidings on 24 May 1920. [1] It closed in 1968.
The mineral known as china clay in the UK, and as kaolinite in other countries, was discovered in large quantities in the 1830s, lying north and north-west of St Austell. Much of the output was carted to Charlestown Harbour at first, and then to Pentewan over the Pentewan Railway. As railways developed in Cornwall a number of direct access points connected the deposits, but the area close to St Austell was not among them, notwithstanding a proposal to extend the Pentewan Railway there in the 1880s.
The china clay industry was subjected to heavy swings in its trade cycle, and a slump in 1903-4 was followed by an upsurge.
The Great Western Railway decided to connect the Lansalson area by a short branch line running north up the river valley; engineering difficulties were minimal although the gradient would be heavy. The GWR authorised construction on 26 July 1910, but little progress was made before the onset of World War I, and work was suspended.
A resumption was made at the end of hostilities, and the line opened to Bojea Sidings on 1 May 1920 and throughout to Lansalson Sidings on 24 May 1920. The line was single, with intermediate sidings operated by ground frame. [2]
The line was 1m 53c (2.5 km) in length. It left the Cornish Main Line at Trenance Junction, 600 yards (500 m) west of St Austell railway station, immediately east of Trenance Viaduct. It turned north and passed Carlyon Farm kiln in the village of Trethowel; a short distance north were Bojea sidings. The line crossed the road to Bodmin (B3274) then past Lower Ruddle wharf to Boskell sidings, then crossing to the western side of the St Austell or White River. The line terminated at Lansalson wharf in the village of Ruddlemoor.
The gradient was 1 in 40 rising from Trenance Junction, almost without a break.
There was a short length of double track at Trenance Junction, and siding connections at Carlyon Farm, Bojea, Lowell Ruddell, Boskell and Lansalson. [2]
The line closed to traffic in 1968 but in 2005 the railway bed has been converted into a cycle trail (apart from a small section due to a land usage disagreement) from Tremena Gardens in St Austell to the Wheal Martyn china clay country park. The cycle trail forms part of a series called the Clay Trails. The sections relevant to this former railway line are the Wheal Martyn trail and the St Austell Trail.
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The Treffry Tramways were a group of mineral tramways in Cornwall in the United Kingdom, constructed by Joseph Treffry (1782-1850), a local land owner and entrepreneur. They were constructed to give transport facilities to several mines and pits producing non-ferrous metal, granite and china clay in the area between the Luxulyan Valley and Newquay, and were horse-operated, with the use of water and steam power on inclines, and at first operated in conjunction with the Par Canal and Par Docks, also constructed by Treffry. One of the routes crossed the Luxulyan Valley on a large viaduct, the largest in Cornwall when it was built.
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The Truro and Newquay Railway was a Great Western Railway line in Cornwall, England, designed to keep the rival London and South Western Railway (LSWR) out of the west of the county. The line was completed in 1905 and closed in 1963.
The St Austell River properly known as the River Vinnick, but historically called The White River, is a 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) long river located in south Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. 50.337°N 4.793°W. The river has also been known as the "red river" due to tin streaming and mining activity upstream.
The Wheal Martyn China Clay Museum is a museum of china clay mining, at Carthew, on the B3274 road about 2 miles (3.2 km) north of St Austell in Cornwall, England. A Victorian clay works has been preserved, and there is an exhibition building.
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