| North Cornwall Railway | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 SR Maunsell N class 2-6-0 No. 31845 train at Halwill Junction | |||
| Overview | |||
| Other name(s) | North Cornwall Line | ||
| Status | Ceased operation | ||
| Owner |
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| Locale | |||
| Termini | |||
| Service | |||
| Type | Heavy rail | ||
| System |
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| History | |||
| Opened | 21 July 1886 | ||
| Completed | 27 March 1899 | ||
| Closed | 28 January 1967 | ||
| Technical | |||
| Line length | 49.8 mi (80.1 km) | ||
| Number of tracks | Single track with passing loops | ||
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge | ||
| Operating speed | 55 mph (89 km/h) maximum | ||
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| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Dates of operation | 1886–1922 |
| Successor | London & South Western Railway |
The North Cornwall Railway (NCR) also known as the North Cornwall Line, was a standard gauge railway line running from Halwill in Devon, to Padstow in Cornwall, at a distance of 49 miles 67 chains (49.84 miles, 80.21 km) via Launceston, Camelford and Wadebridge. The line was opened in late 19th century by the North Cornwall Railway Company with support throughout much of its construction and existence by the London and South Western Railway (LSWR).
The railway line was part of a drive by the LSWR to expand its influence in the South West, connect its rail network with the Bodmin and Wadebridge line, and to develop both holiday and freight traffic to Cornwall. The LSWR had opened a line connecting Exeter with Holsworthy in 1879,[1] and by encouraging the NCR it planned to create railway access to previously inaccessible parts of the northern coastal area.
As part of the 1923 railway groupings, the North Cornwall line came under the full ownership of LSWR, as the LSWR itself came under the ownership of Southern Railway. From 1948 the line was nationalised and brought under British Railways, where it remained until the line's closure in 1967 as a part of the Beeching Axe. Today the NCR's trackbed is used for the Camel Trail and the heritage Launceston Steam Railway.
In his tribute to the network of railway lines operated by the LSWR in North and West Devon and North Cornwall, T.W.E. Roch wrote that "There are few more fascinating lines than the one which leads to North Cornwall from Okehampton."[2]
- ^ Semmens, Peter (1988). The Withered Arm: the Southern West of Exeter. Weybridge: Ian Allan. ISBN 0-7110-1806-5.
- ^ Roche, T.W.E. (1977). The Withered Arm: Reminiscences of the Southern Lines West of Exeter (new ed.). Bracknell: Forge Books.