A Quick History of Liskeard and Caradon Railway

TeamManley

Liskeard and Caradon Railway passing through West Caradon Mine

A Quick History of the Caradon Railway

Home Page The walk Map Views Figures Lodes Information Sources

*1836 to 1917*	*The Railway that enabled one of the largest industrial booms in Cornwall.*
The beginnings A canal is dug 1777 First survey of route of a Canal from Looe to Liskeard 1825 Liskeard and Looe Union Canal Act 1827 Canal partly in use 1830 Canal Opened	*The origins of this Railway lay not in the minerals around Caradon hill but the farmland around Liskeard. A list of its original carriage rates indicates the intended traffic:* *Limestone,sand,manure, burnt lime,salt* *Coals, buiding stone,timber,brick,tiles* *Grain,flour, potatoes,hay*
The Railway is built 1836 Large copper deposits discovered at South Caradon Mine 1842 Survey for a railway line from the canal to the Caradon mines and quarries 1843 Liskeard and Caradon Railway act 1844 Construction started by November opened as far as Trembe 1846 Line completed from Moorswater to South Caradon mine and through Gonomena incline to Cheesewring.	*The Lanes of South East Cornwall soon proved to be incapable of transporting the new traffic of ore down to the Canal wharf at Moorswater. And so a railway was built.* *Some facts on the new railway* *The Original directors: With their vested interests.* *Norris: The Mineral Lord of South Caradon* *P & J Clymo :Of South Caradon mine* *J Allen:Of West Caradon Mine* *Liskeard and looe Union Canal Representatives* *A Solicitor* *Its Construction* *£12,000 was its initial capital* *Robert Cole of the canal company was its engineer.* *Cheeswring quarry was where the work started and where the granite sets to hold the rails came from.* *It ran on a downhill gradient along all its route down to moorswater with no tunnels.* It was profitable from the start of its operations.
The Railway Expands 1860 Liskeard and Cardon Railway act Liskeard and Looe railway opened 1862 First locomotive used "Caradon" an 060 Saddletank Joint committee formed with Looe and Liskeard Railway 1863 Copper traffic peaks 27,000 Tons carried 1877 Kimar Junction Railway opens, allows Gonomena Incline to be by passed. 1882 Trewint line act	*Operation* *The line was originally gravity and Horse powered .* *Wagons ran downhill in the afternoon, each controlled by a brakeman and horses pulled them* *back the following morning.* *A link to nowhere?* The Trewint line act was part of a grand plan to extend the line Northwards across Bodmin Moor towards Launceston and the LSWR. It was based on optimistic idea that the railway would generate its own traffic as opened up access to the barren moorland. *Extended by Instalments* *The railway expanded over the years to serve the mines and quarries around Caradon Hill. Dates of opening each section are* *Gonomeana 1844* *Tokenbury 1861* *Kilmar Jn 1877* *Phoenix 1864* *Cheeswring 1844* *Sharp tor 1858* *Kilmar railway 1858* *Berah 1868* *North Kilmar branch 1879*
The Final days 1885 South Caradon Mine is abandoned . 1886 Receiver appointed for the Railway. 1907 New working at Phoenix mine. 1909 GWR commence working the line. 1914 Phoenix mine is abandoned. 1917 Liskeard and Caradon Railway closed 1931 Line abandoned	*Role in the First World war* *The line was requisitioned in great war and temporary closed to assist war effort in January 1917 the track was lifted and sent to France* *Lives on* The original Canal fron Liskeard to Looe was replaced by a Railway line which is still in operation and services are run by Wales and West railway. Goods traffic still arrives at Moorswater from the main line in the form of cement traffic.

TeamManley

Hosted by www.Geocities.ws