Liskeard and Caradon Railway
Encyclopedia
The Liskeard and Caradon Railway was a mineral railway in Cornwall
, in the United Kingdom
, which opened in 1844 and closed in 1917. Its neighbour, the Liskeard and Looe Railway, opened in 1860 and is still operating as the Looe Valley Line
.
was once an important source of mineral
s,including copper
, tin
, lead
and granite
. The minerals were carried by packhorse
from the mines to a canal
basin at Moorswater
, near Liskeard
. Here, they were loaded into barge
s and carried down the Liskeard and Looe Union Canal
(opened 1828) to the coastal seaport of Looe
.
of 27 June 1843 and the first stage, from Moorswater to the South Caradon Mine was opened in November 1844. A branch to Cheesewring Quarry was opened in March 1846. The original track used T-section rail in chairs, fixed to stone blocks. It was laid to standard gauge
(4ft 8½in) although there was, at the time, no prospect of a link-up with any other standard-gauge system. The route of the line went up the valley from Moorswater and close to Wood Hill manor, Tremabe, Tremar, St Cleer
and Darite
to the South Caradon mine (just North of Crows Nest).
The Act of 1843 prohibited the use of locomotives on pain of a fifty pound fine, so the line was worked by gravity and horsepower. It was graded at about 1 in 60 (1.7%) for most of its length and the wagons came down by gravity and were hauled back by horses. On the downhill journey the wagons would be loaded with the products of the mines and quarries. On the uphill one they would carry coal to power the steam engines which pumped water out of the mines to prevent flooding.
So successful was the railway that the canal could not cope with the traffic and another railway was needed. The Liskeard and Looe Railway (LLR) was authorised by an Act of 11 May 1858 and opened in December 1860. This started from an end-on junction with the Liskeard and Caradon Railway at Moorswater and then ran parallel to the Liskeard and Looe Union Canal and the river to the quayside at Looe.
Also in 1860 the use of steam locomotive
s was authorised. The first one was hired from James Murphy, contractor, of Newport, South Wales and a new locomotive was purchased in 1862, followed by several others. See Locomotives below for further details.
A further Act of 15 May 1860 authorised various improvements and extensions. These included a branch from Crows Nest (near South Caradon Mine) eastwards to Tokenbury Corner and the purchase or lease of the Kilmar Railway. The Kilmar Railway was owned by the Cheesewring Granite Company. It had been built in the late 1850s and served quarries north of the Cheesewring
at Kilmar Tor and Bearah Tor. The purchase of the Kilmar Railway was not completed until 1876.
An Act of 12 August 1882 authorised a further extension. This ran first north from Tokenbury Corner, then west, to link up with the former Kilmar Railway near South Phoenix mine. It enabled trains for the Cheesewring quarries and Phoenix mines to bypass the Gonamena section, which was very steeply graded. Ambitious plans, authorised in 1882 and 1884, would have extended the line to Trewint
and Launceston but, apart from a couple of miles of earthworks, nothing came of these plans.
The LCR had no official powers to carry passengers but did carry them, in open wagons, by using a legal loophole. The passengers travelled free, but a charge was made for the carriage of their hats, coats and parcels. The LLR, by contrast, did obtain the necessary powers and passenger services between Moorswater and Looe began on 11 September 1879, using four-wheel coaches.
As early as 1877 there were plans for a link with the Cornwall Railway
(amalgamated with the Great Western Railway
in 1889) but there were two problems. First, the Cornwall Railway was broad gauge
. Secondly, it crossed 150 feet (45.7 m) above its neighbour on the Moorswater viaduct. In 1892, the GWR in Cornwall was converted to standard gauge so one obstacle was removed. After several abortive attempts, construction work began, in 1898, on a link between the LLR and the GWR. This link, nearly two miles long and describing almost a complete circle, runs from Coombe Junction (near Moorswater) on the LLR to Liskeard (GWR) station
. It was completed in 1901.
The LLR lives on. It was amalgamated with the GWR at the grouping
in 1923 and passed to British Railways on nationalisation in 1948. It is now operated by First Great Western
and has been granted community railway status. It is marketed by them in association with the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership
as the Looe Valley Line
.
After 1909, various GWR locomotives began to appear on the line, including 1901
and 2021
class 0-6-0PT
and, later, 2-6-2T of classes 4400
and 4500
. See Locomotives of the Great Western Railway
.
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...
, in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, which opened in 1844 and closed in 1917. Its neighbour, the Liskeard and Looe Railway, opened in 1860 and is still operating as the Looe Valley Line
Looe Valley Line
The Looe Valley Line is an community railway from Liskeard to Looe in Cornwall, United Kingdom, that follows the valley of the East Looe River for much of its course...
.
History
Caradon HillCaradon Hill
Caradon Hill is on Bodmin Moor in the former Caradon district of Cornwall, United Kingdom. The summit is above mean sea level.The hill was once famous for its copper mines but these are now closed. The South Caradon Copper Mine, 1 km to the SW of the transmitter, was the largest copper mine...
was once an important source of mineral
Mineral
A mineral is a naturally occurring solid chemical substance formed through biogeochemical processes, having characteristic chemical composition, highly ordered atomic structure, and specific physical properties. By comparison, a rock is an aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids and does not...
s,including copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
, tin
Tin
Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn and atomic number 50. It is a main group metal in group 14 of the periodic table. Tin shows chemical similarity to both neighboring group 14 elements, germanium and lead and has two possible oxidation states, +2 and the slightly more stable +4...
, lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
and granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
. The minerals were carried by packhorse
Packhorse
.A packhorse or pack horse refers generally to an equid such as a horse, mule, donkey or pony used for carrying goods on their backs, usually carried in sidebags or panniers. Typically packhorses are used to cross difficult terrain, where the absence of roads prevents the use of wheeled vehicles. ...
from the mines to a canal
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
basin at Moorswater
Moorswater railway station
Moorswater railway station was the centre of operations for the Liskeard and Caradon Railway and the Liskeard and Looe Railway. The two railways made an end on junction here...
, near Liskeard
Liskeard
Liskeard is an ancient stannary and market town and civil parish in south east Cornwall, England, United Kingdom.Liskeard is situated approximately 20 miles west of Plymouth, west of the River Tamar and the border with Devon, and 12 miles east of Bodmin...
. Here, they were loaded into barge
Barge
A barge is a flat-bottomed boat, built mainly for river and canal transport of heavy goods. Some barges are not self-propelled and need to be towed by tugboats or pushed by towboats...
s and carried down the Liskeard and Looe Union Canal
Liskeard and Looe Union Canal
The Liskeard and Looe Union Canal is a derelict broad canal between Liskeard and Looe in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The canal is almost 6 miles long and had 24 locks. The Engineer was Robert Coad...
(opened 1828) to the coastal seaport of Looe
Looe
Looe is a small coastal town, fishing port and civil parish in the former Caradon district of south-east Cornwall, England, with a population of 5,280 . Looe is divided in two by the River Looe, East Looe and West Looe being connected by a bridge...
.
Early years
By 1840, the traffic was growing beyond the capacity of the packhorses. It was impossible to extend the canal northwards because of the hilly terrain so a railway was the obvious solution. The Liskeard and Caradon Railway (LCR) was authorised by an Act of ParliamentAct of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
of 27 June 1843 and the first stage, from Moorswater to the South Caradon Mine was opened in November 1844. A branch to Cheesewring Quarry was opened in March 1846. The original track used T-section rail in chairs, fixed to stone blocks. It was laid to standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
(4ft 8½in) although there was, at the time, no prospect of a link-up with any other standard-gauge system. The route of the line went up the valley from Moorswater and close to Wood Hill manor, Tremabe, Tremar, St Cleer
St Cleer
St Cleer is a civil parish and village in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The village is situated on the southeast flank of Bodmin Moor approximately two miles north of Liskeard....
and Darite
Darite
Darite is a village in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is three miles north of Liskeard....
to the South Caradon mine (just North of Crows Nest).
The Act of 1843 prohibited the use of locomotives on pain of a fifty pound fine, so the line was worked by gravity and horsepower. It was graded at about 1 in 60 (1.7%) for most of its length and the wagons came down by gravity and were hauled back by horses. On the downhill journey the wagons would be loaded with the products of the mines and quarries. On the uphill one they would carry coal to power the steam engines which pumped water out of the mines to prevent flooding.
So successful was the railway that the canal could not cope with the traffic and another railway was needed. The Liskeard and Looe Railway (LLR) was authorised by an Act of 11 May 1858 and opened in December 1860. This started from an end-on junction with the Liskeard and Caradon Railway at Moorswater and then ran parallel to the Liskeard and Looe Union Canal and the river to the quayside at Looe.
Also in 1860 the use of steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
s was authorised. The first one was hired from James Murphy, contractor, of Newport, South Wales and a new locomotive was purchased in 1862, followed by several others. See Locomotives below for further details.
A further Act of 15 May 1860 authorised various improvements and extensions. These included a branch from Crows Nest (near South Caradon Mine) eastwards to Tokenbury Corner and the purchase or lease of the Kilmar Railway. The Kilmar Railway was owned by the Cheesewring Granite Company. It had been built in the late 1850s and served quarries north of the Cheesewring
Cheesewring
The Cheesewring is a granite tor in Cornwall, United Kingdom, situated on the eastern flank of Bodmin Moor on Stowes Hill in the parish of Linkinhorne approximately four miles north of Liskeard. It is a natural geological formation, a rock outcrop of granite slabs formed by weathering...
at Kilmar Tor and Bearah Tor. The purchase of the Kilmar Railway was not completed until 1876.
An Act of 12 August 1882 authorised a further extension. This ran first north from Tokenbury Corner, then west, to link up with the former Kilmar Railway near South Phoenix mine. It enabled trains for the Cheesewring quarries and Phoenix mines to bypass the Gonamena section, which was very steeply graded. Ambitious plans, authorised in 1882 and 1884, would have extended the line to Trewint
Altarnun
Altarnun is a village and civil parish in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is located on the north-eastern edge of Bodmin Moor at .The parish of Altarnun includes the village of Fivelanes and the hamlets of Bolventor, Treween and Trewint, and had a population of 976 according to the 2001 census...
and Launceston but, apart from a couple of miles of earthworks, nothing came of these plans.
The LCR had no official powers to carry passengers but did carry them, in open wagons, by using a legal loophole. The passengers travelled free, but a charge was made for the carriage of their hats, coats and parcels. The LLR, by contrast, did obtain the necessary powers and passenger services between Moorswater and Looe began on 11 September 1879, using four-wheel coaches.
Merger
The legal relationship between the Liskeard and Caradon and Liskeard and Looe Railways was complicated. Although they were separate companies they co-operated very closely and shared locomotives and rolling stock. By the mid-1880s, the LCR's fortunes were declining because of falling mineral traffic, while those of the LLR were rising because the growth of tourism led to an increasing number of passengers. The LCR's plight continued to worsen and, in 1895, the LLR took over the working of the LCR.As early as 1877 there were plans for a link 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...
(amalgamated with 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...
in 1889) but there were two problems. First, the Cornwall Railway was 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 :...
. Secondly, it crossed 150 feet (45.7 m) above its neighbour on the Moorswater viaduct. In 1892, the GWR in Cornwall was converted to standard gauge so one obstacle was removed. After several abortive attempts, construction work began, in 1898, on a link between the LLR and the GWR. This link, nearly two miles long and describing almost a complete circle, runs from Coombe Junction (near Moorswater) on the LLR to Liskeard (GWR) station
Liskeard railway station
Liskeard station serves the town of Liskeard in Cornwall, England. The station is west of Plymouth on the Cornish Main Line and it is the junction for the Looe Valley Line.-History:-Cornwall Railway:...
. It was completed in 1901.
After the GWR take over
In 1909 the GWR took over the working of both the LCR and the LLR. Because of the decline in mineral traffic the LCR's days were numbered. It closed on 1 January 1917 and, by April that year, most of the rails had been lifted.The LLR lives on. It was amalgamated with the GWR at the grouping
Railways Act 1921
The Railways Act 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of the benefits which...
in 1923 and passed to British Railways on nationalisation in 1948. It is now operated by First Great Western
First Great Western
First Great Western is the operating name of First Greater Western Ltd, a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup that serves Greater London, the South East, South West and West Midlands regions of England, and South Wales....
and has been granted community railway status. It is marketed by them in association with the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership
Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership
The Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership is the largest Community Rail Partnership in the United Kingdom. It was formed in 1991 to promote the use of, and improvements to, rural railways in Devon and Cornwall, and also to promote the places served in order to improve the local economy.The...
as the Looe Valley Line
Looe Valley Line
The Looe Valley Line is an community railway from Liskeard to Looe in Cornwall, United Kingdom, that follows the valley of the East Looe River for much of its course...
.
Locomotives
- Liskeard was a 0-6-00-6-0Under 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...
ST, maker unknown. She was hired from James Murphy of Newport, South Wales, in 1860 and later purchased. She was sold back to James Murphy in 1866.
- Caradon was a 0-6-0ST supplied new to the railway in 1862 by Gilkes Wilson and CompanyGilkes Wilson and CompanyGilkes Wilson and Company was a British locomotive manufacturer at Teesside Engine Works in Middlesbrough which opened in 1843.Initially repairing locomotives, the company built its first new engines in 1847...
, works number 138. She had outside cylinders 13in x 24in and 4ft 0in driving wheels. The boiler was of the conventional type with the firebox located between the second and third axles. She was scrapped about 1907.
- Cheesewring was another 0-6-0ST supplied new in 1865, also by Gilkes Wilson and Company, works number 195. Again, she had outside cylinders 13in x 24in and 4ft 0in driving wheels but she differed from Caradon in being of the "long boiler" type with the firebox behind the third axle. She became GWR number 1311 and was scrapped in 1919.
- Kilmar was another "long boiler" 0-6-0ST supplied new in 1869 by Hopkins Gilkes and Company (successors to Gilkes, Wilson and Co), works number 264. She was similar to Cheesewring but not identical. In particular, Kilmar 's saddle-tank was shorter (presumably in the interests of weight reduction). Driving wheels were, again, 4ft 0in diameter and cylinders were either 12in x 24in or 14in x 24in (sources disagree). She became GWR number 1313 and was scrapped in 1914.
- Looe was a 0-6-0ST supplied new in 1901 by Robert Stephenson and CompanyRobert Stephenson and CompanyRobert Stephenson and Company was a locomotive manufacturing company founded in 1823. It was the first company set up specifically to build railway engines.- Foundation and early success :...
, works number 3050. She had outside cylinders 16in x 20in and driving wheels 3ft 3in or 3ft 6in diameter (sources disagree). She was found to be too heavy – damaging the track and causing derailments – so she was sold in 1902 to the London and East India DocksEast India DocksThe East India Docks was a group of docks in Blackwall, east London, north-east of the Isle of Dogs. Today only the entrance basin remains.-History:...
Railway (later the Port of London AuthorityPort of London AuthorityThe Port of London Authority is a self-funding public trust established in 1908 by the Port of London Act to govern the Port of London. Its responsibility extends over the Tideway of the River Thames and the authority is responsible for the public right of navigation and for conservancy of the...
), becoming PLA number 11. She was scrapped in December 1950.
- Lady Margaret was an inside-cylinder 2-4-02-4-0Under 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....
T supplied new in 1904 by Andrew Barclay and CompanyAndrew Barclay & Sons Co.Andrew Barclay Sons & Co. was a builder of steam and diesel locomotives, based in Kilmarnock, Scotland, that was founded in 1840 and is now owned by Wabtec Rail.- History :...
. Dimensions were: cylinders 14½in x 22in; driving wheels 4ft 0in; leading wheels 2ft 7½in. She became GWR no 1308 and was scrapped about 1948.
After 1909, various GWR locomotives began to appear on the line, including 1901
GWR 1901 Class
The GWR 1901 Class was a class of 120 small 0-6-0 saddle tank steam locomotives. Numbered 1901-2020, they were designed by George Armstrong and built at the Wolverhampton railway works, England, of the Great Western Railway between 1881 and 1895...
and 2021
GWR 2021 Class
The GWR 2021 Class was a class of 140 0-6-0 saddle tank steam locomotives. They were built at the Wolverhampton railway works of the Great Western Railway between 1897 and 1905...
class 0-6-0PT
0-6-0PT
The GWR 0-6-0PT , is a type of steam locomotive built by the Great Western Railway with the water tanks carried on both sides of the boiler, in the manner of panniers. They were used for local, suburban and branch line passenger and goods traffic, for shunting duties, and as banker engines on...
and, later, 2-6-2T of classes 4400
GWR 4400 Class
The Great Western Railway 4400 Class was a class of 2-6-2T side tank steam locomotive. They were introduced in 1904 for work on small branch lines.- External links :*...
and 4500
GWR 4500 Class
The Great Western Railway 4500 Class or Small Prairie is a class of steam locomotive. They are 2-6-2T type. A total of 75 were built; 55 were built in four batches between 1906 and 1915. A fifth batch of 20 locos was built in 1924, during Collett's tenure at Swindon. The first two batches were...
. See Locomotives of the Great Western Railway
Locomotives of the Great Western Railway
The first Locomotives of the Great Western Railway were specified by Isambard Kingdom Brunel but Daniel Gooch was soon appointed as the railway's Locomotive Superintendent. He designed several different broad gauge types for the growing railway, such as the Firefly and later Iron Duke Class 2-2-2s...
.