Cornish Main Line

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Cornish Main Line

Legend miles from London via Castle Cary  Main Line to London  225.75 Plymouth Plymouth (Millbay) Millbay Docks Pennycomequick Viaduct Cornwall Loop Junction Devonport Junction (to LSWR) Wingfield Villas Halt Devonport (Kings Road) (LSWR) Stonehouse Pool Docks 227.00 Devonport Albert Road Halt (LSWR) Devonport Tunnel 227.50 Dockyard Keyham Viaduct Ford (LSWR) Ford Platform 228.00 Keyham Devonport Dockyard branch (goods) Camels Head Halt (LSWR) Weston Mill Viaduct Bullpoint Siding Weston Mill Halt (LSWR) 228.75 St Budeaux Ferry Rd St Budeaux Victoria Rd  Gunnislake, Tamar Valley Line (LSWR)  Royal Albert Bridge and River Tamar 230.00 Saltash Coombe by Saltash Viaduct Defiance Platform Original line until 1906 Forder Viaduct Shilingham (or Wivelscombe) Tunnel Grove Viaduct Nottar Viaduct St Germans Viaduct 235.00 St Germans Tresulgan Viadcut Coldrennick Viaduct 240.25 Menheniot Treviddo Viaduct Carthuther Viaduct Bolitho Viaduct Liskeard Viaduct Transfer siding to Looe Valley Line 243.50 Liskeard Coombe station Moorswater depot and Viaduct Westwood Viaduct St Pinnock Viaduct (single line) Largin Viaduct (single line) West Largin Viaduct Derrycombe Viaduct Clinnick Viaduct Penadlake Viaduct Glyn Valley Siding 252.75 Bodmin Parkway Bodmin and Wenford Railway Brownqueen Tunnel (88 yards) Lostwithiel 256.00 Lostwithiel River Fowey Fowey Branch Milltown Viaduct Treverrin Tunnel (565 yards) 260.50 Par Atlantic Coast Line St Blazey Par Harbour 265.00 St Austell St Austell Viaduct Lansalson branch line Trenance Siding Gover Viaduct Burngullow Drinnick Mill Branch Burngullow Coombe St Stephen Viaduct Fal Viaduct Grampound Road Probus and Ladock Tregagle Viaduct Polperro Tunnel Buckshead Tunnel Truro Viaduct Carvedras Viaduct Truro (Newham) 279.50 Truro Higher Town Tunnel Penwithers Junction Maritime Line Chacewater Viaduct Chacewater To Newquay Scorrier Drump Lane (goods) Redruth Tunnel 288.50 Redruth Redruth Viaduct Reduth & Tresavean branches Portreath branch Carn Brea North Crofty Branch Dulcoath Roskear Branch Roskear Junction 292.00 Camborne Penponds Viaduct Helston Railway Gwinear Road Original Hayle Railway route to Hayle Angarrack Viaduct Guildford Viaduct 298.00 Hayle Hayle Wharves Hayle Viaduct St Ives Bay Line 299.50 St Erth Marazion (single line to Penzance) Long Rock Penzance TMD 305.25 Penzance

The Cornish Main Line is a railway line in the United Kingdom, which forms the backbone for rail services in Cornwall, as well as providing a direct line to London.

The line was completed in 1859 with the opening of the Cornwall Railway from Plymouth to Truro, where it linked with the earlier West Cornwall Railway on to Penzance. There were no through passenger services until 1867 due to a break of gauge at Truro – the Cornwall Railway had been built to the 7 ft 0¼ in (2,140 mm) broad gauge, while the older line was to 4 ft 8½ in (1,435 mm) standard gauge.

The route is characterised by the large number of viaducts, but the most significant structure is the Royal Albert Bridge which crosses the River Tamar at Saltash. At Truro the viaducts give sweeping views of the city and River Fal, while further west the north coast can be seen near Hayle before the line swings onto the south coast for the last mile or so along the beach at Marazion, giving a good view of St Michael's Mount.

Contents 1 Communities served 2 Burngullow - Probus Section 3 Accidents 4 See also 5 References

[edit] Communities served

• Plymouth (including the suburbs of Devonport and St Budeaux)
• Saltash
• St Germans
• Menheniot
• Liskeard
• Bodmin
• Lostwithiel
• Par
• St Austell
• Truro
• Redruth
• Camborne
• Hayle
• St Erth
• Penzance

The railway stations at St Austell and Penzance are adjacent to bus stations. In addition, integrated bus services operate from:

• Bodmin Parkway to Bodmin, Wadebridge, and Padstow
• St Austell to The Eden Project
• Redruth to Helston and RNAS Culdrose

Branch lines link:

• Plymouth to Bere Alston, Calstock, and Gunnislake
• Liskeard to Looe
• Par to Newquay
• Truro to Penryn and Falmouth
• St Erth to St Ives

[edit] Burngullow - Probus Section

The 7.5 mile long section of single track between Burngullow, near St Austell, and Probus, near Truro, used to be a major cause of delays in the region, requiring trains to wait for preceding trains to clear the singled section before proceeding. The second track was restored in August 2004. The total cost of the project was £14.3 million and was funded by Objective One, Strategic Rail Authority and Cornwall County Council.

[edit] Accidents

The Cornwall Main Line has been a very safe railway for passengers, although a number of railwaymen have been killed and there have been some memorable accidents over the years. These include:

• Grove Viaduct, St Germans – derailment, 6 May 1859.
• Menheniot – collision, 2 December 1873.
• Bodmin Road – derailment, 13 April 1895.
• St Austell – runaway train, 29 October 1872.

[edit] See also

• Cornwall Railway
• Cornwall Railway viaducts
• Disused railway stations (Plymouth to Penzance Line)
• Great Western Main Line
• West Cornwall Railway

[edit] References

• MacDermot, E T (1931). History of the Great Western Railway, volume II 1863-1921. London: Great Western Railway. 

v • d • e Railway lines in South-West England and the "Great Western" zone : InterCity lines: Cross Country Route • Great Western Main Line Main lines: Bristol to Taunton Line • Cherwell Valley Line • Cornish Main Line • Gloucester-Newport Line • Reading to Plymouth Line • South Wales Main Line • Wessex Main Line • West of England Main Line • Reading to Basingstoke Line Commuter lines: Exeter-Exmouth "Avocet" Line • Greenford Branch Line • Severn Beach Line • Slough-Windsor & Eton Line Rural lines: Exeter-Barnstaple "Tarka" Line • Golden Valley Line • Heart of Wessex Line • Henley Branch Line • Looe Valley Line • Marlow Branch Line • Par-Newquay "Atlantic Coast" Line • Exeter-Paignton "Riviera" Line • St Ives Bay Line • Tamar Valley Line • Truro-Falmouth "Maritime" Line