Lostwithiel and Fowey Railway

Lostwithiel and Fowey Railway

Company type	Railway company
Industry	Rail transport
Founded	June 30, 1862 (1862-06-30)
Defunct	1892 (1892)
Fate	Dissolved; assets transferred to Cornwall Minerals Railway
Successor	Cornwall Minerals Railway
Headquarters	Lostwithiel, Cornwall , England, United Kingdom
Area served	Cornwall
Products	Rail freight (china clay), passenger services (until 1965)

The Lostwithiel and Fowey Railway commenced operations in 1869 as a broad gauge line connecting the port of Fowey in Cornwall with the Cornish Main Line at Lostwithiel. Its chief cargo was china clay. Financial challenges led to its closure in 1880, but the Cornwall Minerals Railway later acquired and reopened it in 1895.

Passenger trains ran until 1965 when services were discontinued; since that time, the railway has been used exclusively for china clay freight and continues in operation today.

Chronology

• 1862 Lostwithiel and Fowey Railway Act 1862 (25 & 26 Vict. c. lxix)
• 1869 Opening of the line
• 1874 Cornwall Minerals Railway launches Par to Fowey route
• 1880 Suspension of services
• 1892 Dissolution of Lostwithiel and Fowey Railway Company
• 1895 Cornwall Minerals Railway reopens line
• 1968 Closure of Par to Fowey line

History

In 1861, negotiations took place with the Cornwall Railway to construct a branch from Lostwithiel to Caffamill Pill at Fowey, facilitating access for deep-water vessels. The planned route followed the River Fowey, featuring gentle slopes and requiring minimal engineering work aside from a few small bridges; new jetties were intended at Carne Point, north of Fowey.

The company was incorporated on 30 June 1862 through an act of Parliament, the Lostwithiel and Fowey Railway Act 1862 (25 & 26 Vict. c. lxix), with capital amounting to £30,000. The railway was designed to be close to five miles (8.4 km) in length. Construction faced delays due to financial constraints, and the broad gauge line eventually opened on 1 June 1869. Initially, it did not carry passengers and was operated by the Cornwall Railway Joint Committee.

The primary freight anticipated was china clay and minerals transported from St Austell; however, profitability depended largely on mining output. Competition intensified after the Cornwall Minerals Railway established a more direct connection to Fowey in 1874, triggering a price war.

Due to financial difficulties and expensive repairs required for timber bridges, services were halted starting 1 January 1880. Although leased to Cornwall Railway as storage sidings, traffic did not resume despite various attempts.

The Cornwall Minerals Railway (CMR), which had leased its lines to the Great Western Railway since 1877, improved its financial position through lease income and creditor agreements, enabling it to acquire the Lostwithiel and Fowey line. This purchase was authorized by the Lostwithiel and Fowey Railway Act 1892 (55 & 56 Vict. c. clxxxii) on 27 June 1892. Consequently, the L&FR Company was dissolved with assets transferred to CMR.

CMR converted the track to standard gauge, reconstructed and extended jetties at Carne Point, and linked it with their existing station at Fowey nearby. The line resumed operations on 16 September 1895 for both freight and passenger services; an intermediate stop at Golant was also introduced.

On 1 July 1896, ownership of CMR’s lines transferred to the Great Western Railway (GWR), incorporating this branch into GWR’s network. Mineral trains favored this route from Fowey due to its gentler gradients compared to alternatives.

Passenger operations were temporarily suspended during both World Wars for security reasons: closed between April and November 1917 during World War I, and again during World War II when Fowey served as a significant ammunition port for United States forces. Sidings at Woodgate Pill near Fowey supported munitions storage throughout WWII.

Passenger services ended permanently on 4 January 1965; since then, the line has been dedicated exclusively to mineral freight serving Carne Point. After closure of the Par to Fowey line in July 1968, this branch remains the only rail link to Fowey.

Initial period

An arrangement was established with the Cornwall Railway to manage the line upon its completion. Nonetheless, when the line commenced operations in 1869 only as far as Carne Point for freight, Cornwall Railway did not fulfill this commitment and instead leased a locomotive to the company. The Lostwithiel and Fowey found this setup financially burdensome.

By February 1870, the directors indicated that the provisional agreement with Cornwall Railway failed to generate sufficient revenue to offset upkeep expenses. They had engaged a locomotive lacking adequate power and were exploring options to acquire or lease a more capable engine.

20th century

After reopening, the railway utilized 455 'Metro' class engines until 1400 series locomotives were introduced, typically paired with one or two autocoaches, a notably uncommon train configuration in Cornwall. Locomotive number 1419 was frequently employed, though other classes were used during maintenance periods, including 6400 Class 0-6-0T and 4575 class 2-6-2T on passenger services. Freight operations utilized 4500 Class engines.

In subsequent decades, passenger transport transitioned to single-car DMUs of types and .

Starting in 1955, specialized open wagons designed for carrying China Clay were produced at Swindon Works. By 1974, approximately 900 of these wagons had been modified by adding raised tarpaulin supports, earning them the nickname "Clay Hoods". These four-wheeled, five-plank wooden open wagons (UCV) featured a wheelbase and vacuum braking systems. During the early 1970s, heavier freight trains bound for Carne Point employed these wagons hauled by 'Western' diesel locomotives; lighter loads were handled by smaller Type 2 diesels such as hydraulic models, later supplanted by diesel-electric variants. After these classes were retired in the 1980s, "Clay Hoods" trains were hauled by Class 37 locomotives. From 1988 onwards, older wagons were phased out in favor of 45-ton CDA hoppers equipped with air brakes; Class 37s based at St Blazey continued to haul these trains into the 1990s.

Contemporary operations

By 2006, the branch line operated a single daily train service Monday through Saturday, supplemented by up to three additional runs on Tuesdays and Fridays and one extra on Saturdays when demand required. These services generally started or ended at clay drying facilities such as Burngullow or Goonbarrow, utilizing locomotives from English, Welsh and Scottish Railway (EWS). Following EWS’s acquisition by DB Cargo, a new two-year contract was secured with Imerys.

Plans to re-open passenger service

In 2014, proposals surfaced to restore passenger services on the line, contingent upon securing funds for track upgrades and reconstructing a station at Fowey. This initiative gained backing from Fowey’s mayor John Berryman as well as councillors representing Lostwithiel, Fowey, and Cornwall Council.

The UK Government’s £500 million Restoring Your Railway (RYR) Fund, launched in 2020 with the goal of reopening rail lines and stations, included applications to reinstate the Lostwithiel–Fowey route in its first and third funding rounds. Nevertheless, neither submission was awarded Department of Transport financing by June 2022.

Sources

Documents related to the Lostwithiel and Fowey Railway are archived at The National Archives in Kew; it is believed that the minute books have been lost.