Bodmin and Wenford Railway
Bodmin and Wenford Railway | |
---|---|
standard gauge | |
Commercial history | |
Opened | 1887 |
Closed | 1983 |
Preservation history | |
1986 | short train rides from the station commenced |
1990 | Reopened to Bodmin Parkway |
1993 | Colesloggett Halt opened |
1996 | Reopened to Boscarne Junction |
Headquarters | Bodmin General |
Website | |
www |
The Bodmin and Wenford Railway is a 6 miles 12 chains (9.9 km) heritage railway at Bodmin in Cornwall, England. Its headquarters are at Bodmin General railway station and it connects with the national rail network at Bodmin Parkway.
The original line was opened in 1887 and 1888. Passenger trains were withdrawn in 1967 and freight traffic in 1983. Heritage trains started to operate in 1990. Most of the trains are typical of those that have operated in Cornwall and west Devon.
History
The Cornwall Railway was authorised to construct a branch from its Plymouth to Falmouth main line but lack of funds prevented this. When the main line did open in 1859 the town of Bodmin was only served by Bodmin Road station which was nearly 4 mi (6 km) away. An independent Bodmin and Cornwall Junction Railway was authorised in 1864 to construct the branch but again, a lack of funds prevented the work.[1]
The
Boscarne Junction gave the GWR access to the mineral branch line to
Passenger services were withdrawn by British Rail (BR) on 30 January 1967 but freight continued to Wadebridge until 2 September 1978 and to Wenford until 3 October 1983.[4] Before that happened, a siding had been opened at the Walker Lines Industrial Estate (near Bodmin General on the line to Bodmin Road) for Fulford Trumps who suppliers of agricultural equipment.[5]
As a heritage railway
The Great Western Society leased the engine shed at Bodmin General from 1969. Its GWR 1361 Class locomotive 1363 was kept there and sometimes gave trips around the station area but was moved to their headquarters at Didcot Railway Centre in 1982.[3]
After freight traffic ceased a Bodmin Railway Preservation Society was formed in 1984, their aim being to reopen the whole of the GWR line to Boscarne Junction. Shares were issued by the Bodmin and Wenford Railway plc in 1985 to finance the purchase and restoration of the line. The Cornish Steam Locomotive Society moved their trains from the Imperial Dry at Bugle to Bodmin in 1987. The North Devon Diesel Group brought their locomotives in 1988[3] but relocated to Torrington in 2008.[6]
A
A workshop was erected at Bodmin General in 1987 using a structure moved from
The siding at Walker Lines was used from December 1989 until July 1991 for freight traffic dispatched by the Fitzgerald Lighting Company. Trains were worked to Bodmin Parkway by Bodmin and Wenford Railway diesel locomotives where they were handed over to British Rail. Traffic was resumed in September 1996 with
Proposed extensions
The Bodmin and Wenford Railway wanted to reopen the Wenford branch so that china clay could be moved from Wenfordbridge by rail. A separate company, Bodmin and Wenford Rail Freight Limited, was set up in 1992[10] but the line was not reopened. There were objections from cyclists as the route was now the Camel Trail cycle route[11][12] and the china clay drier closed in 2002.[13]
Attention has since changed to the route from Boscarne Junction towards Wadebridge, although this is also alongside the Camel Trail. The Bodmin and Wenford Rail Freight company was renamed as the Bodmin and Wadebridge Railway Company Limited in 2004 to facilitate this scheme.[10] Initially referred to as 'The Wadebridge Trailway'[14] it became the 'RailTrail' project in 2008. It was supported by the North Cornwall District Council but only by a single casting vote. There were objections from cyclists, environmentalists and some residents of Wadebridge. A bid for government funding was made in 2020.[15]
£54,000 funding was secured from the
Route
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The railway is 6 miles 12 chains (9.9 km) long[17] and climbs about 300 ft (91 m) on gradients as steep as 1 in 37.[3]
Bodmin Parkway
Located at 50°26′46″N 4°39′46″W / 50.4461°N 4.6627°W, 3 mi 41 ch (5.7 km) from Bodmin General.
Opened by the Cornwall Railway in 1859 as 'Bodmin Road', it was rebuilt when the Bodmin line opened in 1887. It was renamed 'Bodmin Parkway' in 1983. Trains to Bodmin depart from their own platform on the north side of the station. A siding at the west end connects the Bodmin line with the main line, movements being controlled from a ground frame.[18] Just outside the station the Bodmin line crosses the River Fowey on a 79 yd (72 m) viaduct.[17]
Colesloggett Halt
Located at 50°27′36″N 4°40′28″W / 50.4599°N 4.6745°W, 2 mi 27 ch (3.8 km) from Bodmin General.
This platform, on the east side of the line, was opened in 1992 to serve Bodmin
Bodmin General
Located at 50°27′58″N 4°43′00″W / 50.4662°N 4.7168°W.
This is the headquarters of the Bodmin and Wenford Railway. The original platform is on the west side of the line with the station buildings at the end beyond the
Boscarne Junction
Located at 50°28′26″N 4°45′41″W / 50.4740°N 4.7614°W, 2 mi 61 ch (4.4 km) from Bodmin General.
The junction was the site of exchange sidings from 1888. A small wooden platform was provided from 1964 to allow passengers to connect with a shuttle service to
Rolling Stock
Most of the locomotives operating on the Bodmin and Wenford Railway are
Passenger trains are mostly formed from British Rail Mark 1 coaches but some Great Western Railway coaches are also used.
Heritage goods wagons include several examples of open wagons that had been built by British Rail to carry china clay in Cornwall. Other wagons are used to maintain the railway and its equipment. The oldest item is a ganger's pump trolley dating from when the London and South Western Railway owned the Bodmin and Wadebridge line. It used to be kept in a shed at Dunmere Junction.[21]
References
- ^ a b Whetmath, C.F.D. (1967). The Bodmin and Wadebridge Railway. Branch Line Handbooks. pp. 23–25.
- ^ Whetmath 1967, p. 27.
- ^ ISBN 0-86093-566-3.
- ISBN 1-873793-83-9.
- ^ Mitchell & Smith 1996, Plate 107.
- ^ Bayley, Jon. "Industrial diesels locomotives – the 'little wonders' of preservation". Plymouth Live. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-904-34968-6.
- ^ a b Oakley 2009, pp. 11–13.
- ^ "The Stations". Bodmin and Wenford Railway. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
- ^ a b "Bodmin and Wadebridge Railway Company Limited". GOV.UK. Companies House. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
- ^ "Rough ride for rail". Railwatch. RailFuture. October 1997. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
- ^ Vaughan 2002, p. 107.
- ^ "Wenford Dries". Historic England. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
- ^ "The Wadebridge Trailway" (PDF). Bodmin and Wenford Railway. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
- ^ Greenaway, Aaron (6 July 2020). "Cornish railway lines axed in Beeching cuts could be restored". Cornwall live. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
- ^ "Bodmin & Wenford Railway successfully secure funding towards second platform project". Bodmin and Wenford Railway. 16 April 2019. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
- ^ ISBN 0-9549866-1-X.
- ^ Oakley 2009, pp. 15–16.
- ^ Oakley 2009, pp. 16–17.
- ^ "Meet the fleet". Bodmin & Wenford Railway. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
- ^ Mitchell & Smith 1996, Plate 51.