PLYMOUTH |
The Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History |
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The railway line from Laira (Crabtree) to Sutton Harbour was originally laid by the Plymouth & Dartmoor Railway and was, of course, to their gauge of 4 feet 6 inches. Following the arrival of the South Devon Railway at Laira Green in 1848, they set about purchasing the Plymouth and Dartmoor's line and added a third rail to the GWR broad gauge of 7 feet and a quarter to enable their trains to run to the Harbour. This happened during 1851. The following year they moved the temporary arrivals shed from the old Laira Green Station to the quay at Coxside for use as a goods station. This line was not operated by steam locomotives, however, only horse power. The length of the branch was given as 1 mile 62 chains. During 1854 the South Devon obtained powers to operate steam locomotives over the branch and in 1856 they started to rebuild the line. They removed the former Plymouth & Dartmoor track but then quickly re-laid it. The local press reported that at 1pm on Saturday September 12th 1857 the South Devon Railway ran a steam locomotive over the line from Laira, conveying Mr Margery, the engineer of the line, Mr Cockshott, the traffic superintendent, and the contractors. At Coxside a truck was hooked on and the train made its way back to Laira. The Branch was opened for goods traffic on October 1st 1857. This contradicts previously published information that the line was only able to accept horse-drawn trains and that locomotives were not introduced until April 19th 1869. The entire Dartmoor Gauge track had been removed and it was exclusively worked by the South Devon Railway. However, between Laira and Cattewater Junction the two tracks ran in parallel, so that P&D traffic could still access the Cattewater Wharves. One locomotive was allocated to work the branch, named "Tiny". It was one of the smallest broad-gauge engine ever built. An 0-4-0 with a vertical boiler, it was allegedly built by Messrs Sara & Company of Plymouth but the only known reference to a Company by that name is Messrs Sara and Burgess at Penrhyn, near Falmouth, in Cornwall. It was supplied in January 1868. That Company is known to have made three similar engines for Messrs Cox and Company, shipbuilders, of Falmouth, and one for the Port of Par. February 1st 1876 saw the GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY taking over the running on the South Devon and Cornwall Railways. They re-laid the Sutton Harbour Branch and re-opened it on November 6th 1876, just after the London & South Western Railway opened its branch. CLICK HERE to go to details of the route |
