The branch line which ran from Chacewater to Newquay via St Agnes, Perranporth and Shepherds to Newquay had a short life by comparison, with seven unstaffed halts at Mount Hawke, Goonbell, Mithian, Perranporth Beach Halt, Goonhavern, Mitchell & Newlyn and Trerice and Trewerry. It was built by the GWR to stop further lines from th LSWR encroaching further west. In 1937, it was decided to widen the station layout to include a passing loop, with a new 300ft long island platform, allowing the passing of trains. The original platform was demolished and the booking hall canopy was dismatled and replaced on the other side, the doors on the old platform side being bricked up and new ones opened on the reverse. This must have been a very large undertaking and obviously weakend the structure, as four supporting columns were added and the approach road built up, steps added to access the building. This left the booking hall rather remote from the new platform and made it an unconvential station.

Although popular with the local area and being rather profitable, it only survived 60 years. Despite attempts by local businessmen and the council, the whole line closed on 4th February 1963 and demolition just over a year later.

I have based this model on running in 1949, just after nationalisation, although I built it at first as it was left in a derelict state around the mid 1970's, finally creating the layout in 1949.

When I visited the site in 1975, this was all that was left of the station

This is my model of how the station booking hall was left after the removal of all other buildings. It was left in a weed strewn state and very vandalised, but managed to survive and is now a part dwelling and small business. As for the rest of the site, it is now a small industrial estate, the platform has been removed and the cutting below the booking hall has been filled in to the footings. This building and the weighbridge office at Shepherds are the only remaining buildings of the whole line, all others being demolished straight after closure.

This is looking under the model of the booking hall. The original building's doors on the other side were bricked up and new ones created. Acces to the platform was originally by a footbridge, built in 1937, but was removed in the early 1950's, access then by a ramp, across the down line to the platform, a practice not allowed today!

This view is from the platfom, showing the trackbed towards the road overbridge, looking towards Perranporth. The track split int two just this side of the bridge, with catch points protecting movements.

This is a view of the booking hall from the field opposite. I have purposely built it in its derelict state, but have another one built for the finished layout, which I will show next. All of the buildings are made of card and were designed and printed on my computer, as no drawings survived. Some of the smaller items can be seen in the background, ready for the next phase.

This is how the station looked in and around 1949, with the footbridge and island platform. the Cattle Dock under construction. You can see the new track layout, allowing two trains into the station at the same time.

Looking from the road bridge, minus the footbridge. To the right of the booking hall is a large advertising hoarding, with a Pagoda Shelter to its left. This was used as a store. Behind the farthest booking hall chimney can be seen the weighbridge office and hut, with a siding which came round behind the goods shed and also served the coal yard, in the distance. On the platform is the waiting shelter. This is how the staion looked untill closure

This is a view of the entrance to the station from the road. Traffic could park just beyond the curved black fencing and lorries would go straight on to the weghbridge and goods shed for loading/unloading. Often, there were tar furnaces stationed on the right hand side, which were used to repair the road surfaces in the local area.

Ths cattle dock had removeable fences, as in the summer, two camping coaches were often stabled, allowing families to holiday at the station. As mentioned earlier, the footbridge was removed in the early fifties.

This is going to be displayed in the St Agnes Museum, in Cornwall this Spring, as part of their section depicting the impact of the railway in the Village.

And Finally!

The last train ran on 4th February, 1963, a bitterly cold night, having had snow the whole week. This is how it probaby would have looked before the lights were turned off and the station closed forever!