Redruth and Chasewater Railway

Infobox rail
railroad_name=Redruth and Chasewater Railway
gauge=RailGauge|48
start_year=1826
end_year=1915
length=9 miles
hq_city=Devoran
locale=United Kingdom
successor=Abandoned

The Redruth and Chasewater Railway was a very early industrial railway line in Cornwall, United Kingdom that opened in 1825 and closed in 1915. It was built to a 4ft narrow gauge and ran half way across the Cornish peninsula from the port of Devoran on Restronguet Creek (off the Fal Estuary) to the mining areas around Redruth.

History

Early years

In the early years of the Nineteenth century large amounts of minerals from the mines in West Cornwall were being carried by horse to the coast to be loaded onto ships. Due to the increasing quantities of minerals and the poor state of the trackways, a railway to link the mines around Gwennap, Cornwall with the coast near Devoran was authorised on 17 June 1824. The track was of 4ft (1.22m) gauge and used wrought iron rails attached to granite blocks by cast iron chairs; it was also the first use of edge rails in Cornwall. The official opening of the Redruth and Chasewater Railway was on 17 June 1826 when some of the proprietors travelled in 3 wagons from Wheal Buller to the end of the line at Narabo Quay, near Devoran. The journey, downhill, was made under gravity with a horse assisting for the return. The line was extended into Devoran in November 1826, and then in 1827 it was extended at both ends; beyond Devoran to Point Quay and from Wheal Buller to Redruth. It is here noted that some Internet sites appear to indicate that the Redruth and Chasewater Railway ran between Portreath and Devoran, fully across the Cornish peninsula, but this not the case. Portreath had its own unrelated railway.

The railway company, whose headquarters were in Devoran, did not initially operate the line, but rather levied tolls on traffic using it. Several mines had long branches with storage sidings for the wagons.

uccess

Initially the line was generally successful. Serving both Great Consols and United Mines, the two largest in the area, and traffic by the 1830's was well in excess of 60,000 tons annually with the company reporting profits approaching £3000. Copper Ore transported down to ships for onward movement to South Wales was supplemented by coal carried in the other direction to serve the ever-deeper mines.

Initially the railway company had not been carriers, and up to 1854 the line was worked throughout by horses, but in November 1854 two tank engines, "Miner" and "Smelter" were delivered and began working between Devoran and Carharrack, making the Redruth and Chasewater one of the first narrow gauge railways to introduce steam locomotives. At this time the remainder of the railway was operated by the company's own horses. By 1859 traffic had increased to 90,000 tons annually leading to the acquisition of a third engine, "spitfire". This enabled the whole line from Devoran to Redruth to be worked by steam except the final 1½ miles from Devoran to Point Quay which remained horse-worked until final closure.

Decline

The railway workshops, like the officies, were located in Devoran, and "Miner" was substantially rebuilt here in 1869, but traffic began to decline as the copper mines closed and in 1879 a receiver was appointed. "Smelter" was relegated to the status of reserve engine; but lack of maintenance meant that the line deteriorated and derailments were common. The extension to Chacewater that gave the railway its name was never completed despite works starting in 1853. Closure of the line finally came on 25 September 1915 when "Miner" took the last train down to Devoran.

Locomotives

The three locomotives were very similar to look at, being described as "odd-looking". The boiler was surmounted by a square tank from which projected a tall chimney; the cabs were open with sides lower than the top of the tanks.

References

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ee also

* British industrial narrow gauge railways