Cornish Railway Discoveries 4: Newquay to Truro Railway

I explore the remains of the former railway line that once ran from Newquay to Truro, passing through Goonhavern, Perranporth and St. Agnes, before joining the Cornish mainline at Blackwater Junction, near the village of Chacewater.
#railways #cornwall #newquay

[@rail324nqch-par-8]

Building new roads hasn't exactly always proved to be the answer to traffic problems.

[@francismewton3276]

Im a st Agnes boy and I remember catching a steam train to Truro with my mum ,1963 it was closed and the railway preservation society tried buying the whole line for £10,000 pounds ,they got the money then British rail decided to raise the cost meaning they could not afford anymore than the£10,000 so a short time later the track was lifted .they used to be a preaire tank engine that pulled 2or3 coaches then the dmu diesel was also used later on .The Truro to Newquay branch line made the most profitable line in Cornwall . Mum took me on the train most Saturdays from st .Agnes to Truro then back home on the old bus the journey was really nice and it was a sad day when it was closed ,The st Agnes station was a restaurant for many years.

[@westcountrywanderings]

That is a brilliant comment - thank you! So sad that this line closed. With all of the tourism around Perranporth and St. Agnes these days, as well as more people commuting into Truro, I am certain that this line would be well used today, if it still existed. I didn't know that the station used to be a restaurant. Thanks for the additional information - it is very much appreciated! Cheers, Paul.

[@deckertyrell3340]

Excellent video. Informative, well paced, and presented in a nice relaxed style. Your presenting comes across with warmth and with genuine interest. Thank you.

[@westcountrywanderings]

Thank you - that's very kind of you. Yes, I had my daughter to help me with this one too. I have always been fascinated about disused railway lines, and although that is not the sole focus of my channel, there will be more videos like this appearing hopefully. Regards, Paul

[@keithgale2596]

The shunter is a Frank Hibberd number 3776 built in 1956 and worked in Devonport Dockyard until 1983. It was then preserved at Cornwall Railway Museum Zelah until it moved to St Agnes Station in 1987.

[@westcountrywanderings]

Yes, that Railway Museum at Zelah is really interesting! I remember seeing it from a bus going to work in the early 1980s (long before the A30 Zelah bypass was built in the late 1980s) but when I went for an explore it had closed a few months later. No trace of it remains. I think one image exisits in the Cornwall Railway Society's most excellent website. A lot of the items went on to the Bere Ferrers Railway Centre on the Gunnislake Branch. Another of F C Hibberd's locos is in preservation 'Berrylands' at the Devon Railway Centre at Bickleigh nr. Tiverton. I remember it from a recent visit. Thank you for the additional information! Cheers, Paul

[@DonSalmonMusic]

🚂 Love your railway series Paul 🚂 Thanks for braving the winds and sharing this historic railway line. 🤩 Absolutely another fabulous video 🤗 Thanks for sharing🤗🤗🤗 God bless you 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

[@westcountrywanderings]

Thank you so much Don! Glad you enjoyed it. Yes, I try to keep the content fresh, with a mixture of railways, canals, walks, beaches and gardens, as well as a few towns, right across the wider Westcountry. My railway series is usually very popular though. Glad you enjoyed it. This video was made with a fair bit of help from my daughter, Nicole, who is the real railway boffin! Thanks again, and God Bless you too. Paul.

[@thomashenderson7058]

My Grandparents lived in one of the houses next to Goonbell Halt, the halt was still there complete with pagoda shelter but being used as a local rubbish dump when I was a kid, it was later filled in but the metal entrance gate is still there next to what is left of a stone bridge. I also remember picking wild strawberries with my grandparents at St.Agnes station which still had a platform but no track at the time and have also walked across the Goonbell viaduct a few times

[@westcountrywanderings]

Thank you Thomas - some brilliant memories of the railway line there. I did see that the entrance gate still exisited at Goonbell, but, unfortunately, time was not on my side to do a further and more detailed exploration on this occasion. I like too your recollection of wild strawberry picking around St. Agnes station. I was saddened to see that the former craft centre at Presignoll Barns has now gone too. Regards, Paul.

[@royedwards8713]

Hi Paul great video nice views 👌👌

[@westcountrywanderings]

Thank you Roy! Hope you are having a great week. Take care, Paul.

[@michaelmiller641]

Interesting places, with strange names! Lovely video, Paul, as always!

[@westcountrywanderings]

Thanks so much Michael! Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for commenting Yes, like Wales and Ireland, the Celtic legacy is everywhere, thankfully, in Kernow. Gwaytyas an gorhemynadow gwella, Paul

[@lionelmarytravels6003]

Thanks Paul. That was so very interesting. I had no idea such a line ever existed, although it would have been a more direct route between Truro and Newquay. Years ago, I remember passing that old station at St.Agnes, although the railway had long gone. Nice to see little bits and pieces remaining here and there, especially the lovely viaduct. I've heard of the Lappa Valley railway, but never visited. All in all, a great video.

[@westcountrywanderings]

Thanks Lionel and Mary! Hope you both had a great Christmas! Yes, my daughter loved travelling on the Lappa Valley Railway when she was younger in the 1990s. Some say that they closed the wrong line to Newquay, and this would have made a better commuter link into Truro, a major employment centre in Cornwall, as well as link to West Cornwall, and the tourist town of Perrranporth too. The other route only stayed open mainly because of the clay trains - it is quite a slow ride from the mainline at Par. I have lots of lost railway lines to explore planned for my Railway Series for 2023 right across the Westcountry, and the southern part of the West Midlands south of Birmingham. Great to hear from you! Happy New Year to you both! Paul.

[@richardweston3643]

Paul always a pleasure watching your videos, if you wish to read a little more about this branch the October 2022 edition of Railway Byways has a good article on it with some good archive photos. Thanks again.

[@westcountrywanderings]

Thank you Richard. Yes, my daughter has been telling me for a while that there was very little on this line on KZbin. Very few visitors to Perranporth are even aware that it used to have a railway. My goodness it could do with it now , with the horrendous traffic problems that it experiences in the summer, and on Bank Holidays. Thanks, I will check out that edition of of Railway Byways. Take care, Paul.

[@michaelpilling9659]

Hello Paul - greetings from Poland What a fascinating journey. This must have been a lovely line to travel on, in its' day. Your commentary was superb - explaining in detail, the history of the line and what we were looking at. Superb camera work with some lovely still photographs at the end of the video. Thanks so much for braving the weather for us. See you again soon. Stay safe please.

[@westcountrywanderings]

Thank you Michael! That's a lovely comment; glad you enjoyed it. Unfortunately, the camera work and sound was not quite up to my usual standard, simply because it was so windy! I was struggling to hold it still. At least it was dry though; you can't have everything! Still, I was pleased with what we did manage to find, considering that this line closed nearly 60 years ago. More Cornish content still to come soon! Stay safe too - I was very concerned to hear as to what happened near Przewodow. Hopefully, the truth will out as to whatever side, or whom, was responsible. Take care, Paul

[@michaelpilling531]

President Duda has been on TV confirming the rocket was made in Russia but fired by Umrainian forces attempting to shoot down a Russian Cruise missile. The Russians have responded that they never fired one into the airspace concerned. Investigations are continuing

[@westcountrywanderings]

@@michaelpilling531 Yes, from what I have now seen, and from the trajectories, it looks like it was indeed a missile accident from the Ukrainian air defence forces. Let us hope and pray that common sense, and peace prevails on all sides soon.

[@StephenandYhana]

Hi Paul, great new video buddy 😊 these old railway lines remind me of the Flitch Way in Essex, which I have cycled along a few times. Nice to see parts of this is still be used for pleasure trains 😊 great video and great little exploration too

[@westcountrywanderings]

Thank you so much Stephen and Yhana! Yes, my daughter has been asking me for ages (she lives in Cornwall) to make a video about it because before I published it, there was nothing on KZbin about the entire length of this former railway line. Shame they closed it, because Perranporth has increased its tourism (with associated traffic problems) hugely since it closed, and Cornwall's population has nearly doubled since the 1960s, with much of the expansion in and around the areas that this line served. A lovely area too. Hope you are starting to feel better Stephen. Take care both of you, Cheers, Paul 👍🙂

[@cathydyer3774]

Thanks Paul and Nicole. I am not a railway buff but I liked the old railway photos and the pretty walk on the old line at Perranporth. It reminded me of the lovely railway walk in Wombourne, South Staffs. We lived there 1989 to 1992.😊

[@westcountrywanderings]

Thank you Cathy! That's OK; I try to do a selection of different videos, like my canal and railways series, as well as my Severn Way and Cotswolds walks, and Westcountry coastline too, as I know that not every video will appeal to everyone. Yes, those old railway photos are so evocative of a bygone age aren't they? My Dad was born in Staffordshire - Newcastle-under-Lyme. I haven't been that way for a long time. Glad it brought back some memories for you. Take care, Paul.

[@cathydyer3774]

😊

[@rail324nqch-par-8]

Local lad the line closed just 12 months before I was born That dismantled railway bridge after Lappa Valley presumably that was the one at Mitchell and Newlyn Halt. Excellent description.

[@westcountrywanderings]

Thank you! Yes, you probably are aware that you used to be able to access the remains of the halt at Mitchell & Newlyn but last time I was there it was completely overgrown. Oh, how we could do with lines like these now with our horrendously overcrowded roads. Cheers, Paul

[@abandonedrailwaya2470]

Very interesting vlog, Paul. Thanks for sharing. Take care, Mate.🙂👍

[@westcountrywanderings]

Thanks so much Ron! Glad you enjoyed it. I still need to catch up with your last video. Take care, Paul.

[@richardbradley961]

THANK YOU PAUL, REGARDS R.

[@westcountrywanderings]

Thank you Richard! Glad you enjoyed it. Take care, Paul.

[@cupcakescorner7684]

Lovely history.

[@westcountrywanderings]

Thank you so much! Cheers, Paul.

[@SimonGlanvilleOrganist]

At Goonhavern Halt, there was actually a hump back bridge adjacent to the halt, not a level crossing. It was removed in 1983 and the ground levelled. In 2015, after a storm, the section of platform that is currently visible was revealed. At Perranporth Beach Halt, the site of the halt itself now has 4 houses on it, although the access path does still survive. Where you were walking was the Great Western Walk on the other side of the bridge from the site of the halt.

[@westcountrywanderings]

Thank you for the information Simon. Thanks for watching and commenting too. It is much appreciated. Cheers, Paul.

[@davidberlanny3308]

Hi Paul, what an interesting abandoned line, just been looking at railmaps and Google maps, I never knew there was a railway at Perranporth. Another semi natural swimming pool on the beach there. We used to holiday in Newquay in the 70s and I remember walking the branch through town which eventually tunnels down to the harbour. I seem to recall the tunnel mouth was used as an aquarium. Oh the sound of those seagulls, it's been far too long since I've been in the area. Great video!! Good luck from Spain!! PS: There is a great collection of shells on Perranporth beach on Google maps, that is until you zoom in!!

[@westcountrywanderings]

Thank you David! Yes, I think that a lot of visitors to the town of Perranporth don't realise it previously had railway, or that it was a large centre of Cornish mining, long before the tourist and second home trade started. The Beach Halt station was added as an afterthought by GWR when they realised that the main station was poorly sited for daytrippers to Perranporth's huge beach. Shame that nothing remains. The platform at Beach Halt Station is now the platform at Falmouth Town station, which opened in the early 1970s. I lived in Perranporth for a while about 12 years ago, after moving there from Redruth, so I got to know the area fairly well. I have made three previous videos about the town, which are in the Cornwall Playlist on my channel. Yes, it has a tidal swimming pool too, just around the side of the large rock on the beach, though, sadly, it isn't maintained or lifeguarded like Bude's is. It also has a fascinating, although somewhat dangerous, coastline, with many hidden 'caves' which are large mining adits, with uncapped vertical drop shafts inside. Many tourists have been killed inside them over the years, unaware of the dangers. Thanks for a great comment and for watching. Take care, Paul.

[@jasonstevens7957]

Arrrgh! Cant wait to watch this but the misses and the cat are asleep and i dont have ear phones! :)

[@westcountrywanderings]

Hi! Thanks for comment! Hope you are able to catch up with it later, Cheers, Paul.

[@faithg9766]

I really enjoy your sleuthing on these old lines. The old photos & maps are great. Many thanks.

[@westcountrywanderings]

Thank you Faith! Glad you enjoyed the detective work that myself and my daughter did a few days ago. Thanks for watching and commenting, take care, Paul.

[@NaomisAdventures]

Cool to see the train

[@westcountrywanderings]

Thank you! Yes, surprising to see a train running on a closed line, even if it was 'just' a miniature tourist line. Good to see though. Thanks for watching and commenting 👍🙂 Cheers Paul

[@platformten5958]

Hi Paul. Great video. My late wife and I used to spend two weeks every year from 1990 to 2003 on a caravan site in Marazion. We travelled all around the county (although the true Cornish would prefer it to be referred to as 'country') but to be fair to her, I didn't 'drag' her around the sites of former railway stations etc. Shame really as I am a model railway enthusiast and the old GWR is my preferred modus operandi on my layout. Your railway ramblings are more than welcome as they give me the opportunity to see sites that I never had the privilege of visiting during those years. However, the culture of the area was fascinating and learning of the fact that they have their own language came as a surprise to me. I took the opportunity of studying some of the customs like Helston's Furry Day, Mousehole's Tom Bawcock's Eve, their national flag of St Pirran and, not forgetting of course, the marching to London of Trelawny's Army which gave rise to the now famous Cornish national anthem. We always stayed at the same campsite which is opposite St Michael's Mount, but that former Civil War stronghold is a story in itself. Happy days! Please tell your daughter Nicole that it is great to hear of a female railway enthusiast as they are few and far between. Long may she continue to reside in the area as it is a great place to live; just ask ex-PM David Cameron 😂. The only thing I don't miss is the summer time log-jam on the A30 at Indian Queens near Bodmin. Take care my friend, from another Paul. 👍

[@westcountrywanderings]

Thank you Paul. Great to hear from you. Yes, I lived for many years in Cornwall, and my daughter grew up there too. It is a fascinating county (my ex wife, being Cornish, would insist on country too) with much history and atmosphere. I have another railway adventure from Cornwall coming soon, which I am about to start editing. Welcome to Westcountry Wanderings! Cheers, Paul 🙂👍

[@platformten5958]

Paul. Thanks for your kind reply. I look forward to your next upload from Cornwall (or should I say 'Kernow'). I have recently started viewing the videos on your channel and I must say your approach is a refreshingly honest one in the sense that there are no cheap frills around the edges of your commentary, you just say it as it is. I shall certainly be watching your uploads regularly from now on. My brother is a GP in the Forest of Dean and I spent a year (2005-06 after my wife's passing) in Tetbury, Gloucs, which had a branch line of its own back in the day, no thanks to Dr Beeching 👎. I visited the site of its former station which now has a fancy brick-type design covering the area where the turntable used to be. If you're ever up that way, take a peek; parking is not a problem. Cheers, Paul. 👍

[@westcountrywanderings]

@@platformten5958 Yes, I know Tetbury well; I only live a few miles away near Stroud. There is talk of reopening the other Kemble branch - to Cirencester, using a light railway. I hope it gets the green light. I find it incredible that a town as bustling, and as busy, as Cirencester does not have a railway. Thankfully, Portishead is now going ahead. I hope to cover both Portway Station and Marsh Barton Station when they open soon. Yes, I don't use gimmicks, false banter, or forced humour. That is probably due to my autism. Thanks again, Paul.

[@richardbird4702]

Just discovered your channel and subscribed. It's good stuff! Was watching this video which brought back memories of my attempt to cross Wheal Liberty viaduct, shown on your film, in 2014 . I was defeated by the head high gorse and brambles on the approach. The viaduct was built by a local contractor in 1902 by the name of Arthur Carkeek of Redruth. Not been to Shepherds but I see this is now more or less devoid of railwayana. I was surprised you did not mention the huge engine house of East Wheal Rose lead/zinc mine which is in the main grounds of Lappa Valley theme park. It is notable for a tragedy which occurred on 5th July 1846 when a localised cloud burst resulted in waves of water covering the site and roaring down the open shafts. Some 36 miners working underground failed to make their way out and lost their lives. Later, a new company took over and installed a huge 100 inch cylinder pumping engine along with others. This engine, along with its house, was one of the largest in Cornwall. The best of the ore by this time had gone and this venture resulted in financial failure shortly after. If you have not seen it there is some old footage of a DMU cab view along the line before closure. I will not give you the link as KZbin don't like that, but if you put in a search for "End of Chacewater Line Part 2" you should be able to find this. Finally, talking of railways, my late wife and I visited the aptly named Charfield station (in your neck of the woods) on our way to Cornwall. This was the scene of a terrible rail crash and also holds one of Britain's most interesting rail mysteries. Charfield Station is still there, replete with rusty water tank but the whole is now disused. In October 1928 a south bound express passed signals at danger at dawn and crashed into two other trains at the station. The wreckage piled up against the road bridge and, due to the wooden bodied coaches and their gas lighting, who whole lot went up in flames, burning for most of the day. There is a memorial to the victims in the grounds of the nearby (disused) church on the hill, amongst whom were two children whose identity has strangely never been established. It is said that on the anniversary of the crash, and for some years later, a woman, dressed in black and brought to the church by chauffer driven car, arrived to bring flowers to the memorial. If true, then this adds mystery to the event. It may be worth a little video!

[@westcountrywanderings]

Hello Richard, and welcome to Westcountry Wanderings! Thanks very much for watching and your lovely, detailed comment. As you may have seen, I do videos about railways, canals, walking, coast, countryside, history, and more. I have grouped all of the railway ones into a playlist (there are seperate playlists for canals, Cornwall, Somerset, etc). I used to live in Cornwall for over 25 years, after I was posted there when I was in the RAF, but I have now returned to Gloucestershire, where I was born, for family reasons. Yes, that gorse is really fierce around Wheal Liberty viaduct. It was cleared a few years ago, but sadly has sprung up with a vengance again! Yes, sorry I did not include East Wheal Rose, because the only way you can access it is by catching a train from Beeny Halt; unfortunately I only had one day in the wintertime to complete the shooting on this little film, so there was no time for a train ride this time. However, I would like to do a seperate video about the Lappa Valley Railway at some future point. Yes, I was aware of the Charfield crash, such a tragedy. I haven't done a video about it simply because one of my KZbin colleagues, Ron from Parkinsons Walks, did a great video about it a year ago. You can find the video here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ama9gnuHr5t3la8 I am sure you would enjoy his channel too. Thanks again, take care, Paul.

[@richardbird4702]

Ah yes. Have also been following Parkinson's walks. Also a most interesting series. Just watched your video of the Yealmpton railway which brought back memories of my grandfather, who often stayed at Noss Mayo early in the 1900s. He was a keen amateur photographer and took "progress photos" of the GCR line as it burrowed beneath the sandstone of the city. Short video of his efforts here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/faLdY6uQrNOemsU The family, including me, come from Nottingham but my own main interest is in mines, hence the Cornwall connections. (My eldest son now lives in Totnes where I will be heading shortly!) I have one of my grandfather's old pictures of Membland Hall in the local area you describe. Now long gone.

[@westcountrywanderings]

@@richardbird4702 Thank you for sharing that link of the video of your grandfather's excellent photographs. Those are very precious archives of Railway history now. That video deserves to be more widely seen. Noss Mayo is a beautiful place. Thanks again, Paul

[@qsmdman]

as a kid i played in perranporth station as it closed the year before

[@westcountrywanderings]

Oh, wow! That's would have been amazing to see - so sad that nothing remains today. Thanks for watching and commenting. Cheers, Paul.

[@DonnaTaibossigai]

Excellent tour of the countryside following this line, Paul! Even though some areas aren't really visible anymore, some places like the bridge with the arches were pretty amazing. I enjoyed watching and listening. 🙂

[@westcountrywanderings]

Thank you Donna! Yes, I have my daughter to thank for this one - idea & research. Yes, that viaduct was amazing wasn't it? It looked in good condition too. Thanks so much, take care, Paul.

[@ChangesOneTim]

There can't have been many rural branches that could boast triangular junctions at both ends. IIRC the south-to-east chord at Tolcarn never carried a scheduled passenger service and was used mainly to turn locos.

[@westcountrywanderings]

Yes, it's such a shame (like many others) that it has gone. They are now going to expand Newquay station, put in an additional passing loop, and run through trains to Falmouth. If this had been kept they could have ran a circular service to/from Truro via St. Austell, Par, Newquay, Perranporth and St. Agnes too. Considering just how jammed all of the roads are in all those areas now, right throughout the year, it would be well used. Thanks for watching and commenting! Cheers, Paul.

[@ChangesOneTim]

@@westcountrywanderings It was the harsh realities of the time that saw the end of the Perranporth route, sadly. Stripping NQY down to one platform in 1987 was a big mistake, I reckon. Using a remote token machine set-up, it would have been perfectly possible to operate two platforms without needing to keep the signal box. One and three-quarter miles of double track between Tregoss Moor and St Dennis Jn is being reinstated to form a 'dynamic loop' - same principle as the redoubling through Axminster ten years or so ago. This should mean that, unless one train is running more than a few minutes late, both trains can keep moving.

[@qsmdman]

The viaduct at mithian was possible to walk across 10 years

[@westcountrywanderings]

Yes, it is a shame that that is no longer possible. Thanks for commenting. Cheers, Paul.

[@chrismccartney8668]

Ots legacy is jammed roads.

[@westcountrywanderings]

So true!