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The Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History |
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The Cornwall Railway ran from Plymouth's Cornwall Junction, just north of Millbay Station, through Devonport and St Budeaux into Cornwall and when joined to the earlier West Cornwall Railway would be the last part of the trunk route from London to Penzance. Birth of the Cornwall Railway Early in 1844 a meeting was held in Truro with the object of forming a company to construct a line through Cornwall. This was at first proposed to run through Okehampton, Devon, and down through the centre of the County, roughly in line with the road used by the London mail coach service. However, when the South Devon Railway Act was published, authorising a route to the south and ending at Plymouth, a route into Cornwall at Torpoint was proposed. This was surveyed initially by a Captain Moorson. The first Cornwall Bill was rejected by the House of Lords Committee, who suggested that a fresh survey be carried out avoiding the severe gradients and the ferry crossing. This survey was carried out by non other than Isambard Kingdom Brunel, of course, who proposed a line crossing the river Tamar by means of a bridge at Saltash and running then to St Germans and Liskeard. Nowhere did the inclines exceed 1 in 60 although there were some short stretches at 1 in 59. As a result of these changes, the Cornwall Railway Act received the Royal Assent on August 3rd 1846. Of the authorised capital (£1,600,000), the South Devon Railway provided £150,000, while the Great Western supported the project to the tune of £75,000. The Bristol and Exeter Railway contributed £112,000. The line was to be built to Brunel's "Broad" gauge of 7ft 0¼ins, and after a slow and unsteady start, Brunel proposed that the line be single track throughout so that it could be built quicker and cheaper. The line in Cornwall, from Truro to Liskeard, was completed first, in 1852, and then the contract was let for the stretch from Devonport to the bridge at Saltash, which was to be named the Albert Bridge, by permission of His Royal Highness, the Prince Albert, consort to Queen Victoria. In January 1853 the contract was given to Mr J C Mare, who was already known for his work on the Britannia Bridge across the Menai Straits in north Wales. Progress of the line On Tuesday May 17th 1853 the "Plymouth Mail" reported: 'The works between Stoke and Saltash passage, are progressing vigorously. The men are at work on the proposed deep cutting through Keyham Barton, and the line may be marked out by the works for some distance on the Saltash side of Weston Mill Lake.' In 1854 the short branch of the South Devon Railway that ran from Millbay to Devonport Station was purchased by the Cornwall Railway and the line was promptly extended through the Devonport Tunnel to the Albert Bridge. Millbay Station was extended to cope with the extra traffic and was to be run by a joint committee of the two railways. Opening of the Cornwall Railway At the end of March 1859 the final span of the Albert Bridge was hoisted into place and the first train to cross the Bridge, reputedly driven by Mr Thomas Tunstall ran on April 11th 1859. The first train from Plymouth to Truro ran on April 12th on the following day despite the fact that Board of Trade approval did not come until shortly afterwards. The Bridge was officially opened by HRH Prince Albert on Monday May 2nd 1859 and the first public trains ran on May 5th. Goods traffic did not start until early October. There were four major engineering projects within the Plymouth part of the Cornwall Railway. First came the viaduct over Stonehouse Pool, originally built of wood but rebuilt in 1908 with iron girders. Then came the short tunnel under Devonport. Thirdly came the massive timber viaduct over Keyham Lake. This was rebuilt in 1900 using iron girders and again in 1937 using steel ones. Finally came the viaduct across Weston Mill Lake, which was replaced by a new steel bridge in 1903 when the road embankment alongside was also being built. Locomotives for the Cornwall Railway were supplied by Evans & Company for an initial period of seven years. They were similar to those also supplied by the same Company to the South Devon Railway. It would appear that Evans worked both systems as though they were one line, which presumably meant that locomotives that had worked into Plymouth from Exeter might be sent on down to Penzance even though it was on another company's rails. For details of the passenger train service on the Cornwall Railway at Plymouth in February 1864 CLICK HERE. In April 1876 the South Devon Railway agreed to provide the locomotives for the Cornwall Railway and a contract was duly signed. The original livery of the passenger coaching stock was chocolate all over but this was changed in about 1864 to chocolate below the waist rail and cream above it. It was thus similar to both the Great Western and South Devon Railway companies. The Cornwall Railway had no locomotives of its own, those being supplied in the first instance by the contractors and after July 1866 by the South Devon Railway. Cornwall Railway merges with Great Western Railway By June 1875 the finances of the Company were in such a bad state that an overdraft had to be arranged with the National Provincial Bank. This was followed on February 1st 1876 by the GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY leasing the whole system, which was then run in its entirety from Paddington to Penzance. It was not until June 30th 1889 that the end of the Cornwall Railway Company came, with its final board meeting be held on June 21st. The Company was dissolved on July 1st.
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