 Hayle viaduct | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Penzance |
| Locale | United Kingdom |
| Dates of operation | 1846–1947 |
| Successor | British Railways |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 7 ft (2,134 mm) (Dual gauge until 1892) |
| Previous gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) (until 1866 and again since 1892) |
| Length | 25.86 miles (41.62 km) excluding branches |
The West Cornwall Railway was a railway company in Cornwall, Great Britain, formed in 1846 to construct a railway between Penzance and Truro. It purchased the existing Hayle Railway, and improved its main line, and built new sections between Penzance and Hayle, and between Redruth and Truro, and opened throughout in 1852.
When the Cornwall Railway reached Truro in 1859, rail travel between Penzance and London was possible, by changing trains.
Later, however, the West Cornwall company was called on to carry out certain mandatory improvements; it lacked the funds to undertake the work, and it was forced to sell its line to the "Associated Companies"—in effect the Great Western Railway, from 1 January 1866.
The main line of the West Cornwall Railway is still in operation at the present day, forming the western end of the Cornish Main Line railway.