mikeyh Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 Hi, Been a long time reader and admirer of RMweb, but only recently signed up and this is my first ever post. We've got a holiday booked in Looe for the week after next and I've got my pass signed for a days train/railway watching, while the rest of the family sit on the beach in the blazing Cornish sunshine! So just wondered if the experts here could point me in the direction of the best places to visit (by car/foot) to see what's left of the traditional railway infrastructure in the county, especially signal boxes and semaphore signals, station buildings, depots (I know there's only 2), rail connected china clay installations, viaducts, etc. Would be nice to see a few trains as well of course, especially any freight? I thought I'd probably head down west first and then work my way back up. Obviously places need to have access/be visible from public rights of way - don't mind walking a bit though. Thanks in advance for any help. Mike Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornbyandbf3fan Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 I strongly recommend Largin viaduct and Restormel viaduct http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/85147-spots-in-cornwall/ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
edcayton Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 Or you could do what is described in an article in this month's Railway Magazine, buy a rover ticket and ride all the lines in the county in a day. Ed Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeyh Posted June 27, 2014 Author Share Posted June 27, 2014 Hi and thanks very much for your replies, The idea of my day out on my own was to do it by car so that I can get to places that aren't necessarily near stations. I can probably cover more ground like that anyway. The idea of a day out on the train is in the plan for another day. Strangely the idea of a day driving round looking at signals and buildings wasn't that appealing to my wife but shes up for a day out on the train. You can get a Cornwall Rover ticket (which includes Plymouth and the Gunnislake branch) for £10.00 which seems amazing value. And yes I did read the article in Railway Magazine by the chap who did all the lines in a day and I'd love to do that. A Saturday would be the best day, but we're limited to a week day and you can't start 'till after 9.00 so the first train we can get is the 09.09 from Looe. So as far as I could work out, if we go straight down to Penzance first, and then do the St Ives and Falmouth branches we'll run out of time to do Newquay, and certainly no chance of Gunnislake. Unless anybody here can come up with a better plan? Cheers, Mike Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeyh Posted July 1, 2014 Author Share Posted July 1, 2014 Can you still do that, specially if you start from Looe? just asking I dont know no more Hi Mickey, Had another go at this at the weekend and I think I've cracked it - at least all the lines west of Liskeard - as follows. You do have to use the first available train in the morning and the last one back, so a long day!! Arr Dep Looe 09.09 Liskeard 09.40 09.50 Truro 10.40 10.51 Falmouth Docks 11.14 11.20 Truro 11.50 12.03 Penzance 12.43 12.51 St Erth 13.03 13.18 St Ives 13.31 13.33 St Erth 13.47 14.10 Par 15.06 16.10 Newquay 17.02 17.22 Par 18.13 18.49 Liskeard 19.14 19.18 Looe 19.49 I'll let you know if it works. Mike Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Oldddudders Posted July 2, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 2, 2014 Cornwall is a bigger county than one imagines, and by road or by train, journeys take time. It does not have even a mile of motorway. It does have stunning scenery, but be prepared for the trains to be uncomfortably full at times - rolling stock is in short supply for the local services. Worth being a bit careful at Newquay if you want to get back on the train! Your itinerary looks really rewarding, and I hope that is how it proves to be on the day. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium St Enodoc Posted July 3, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 3, 2014 What's wrong with Restormel? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeyh Posted July 17, 2014 Author Share Posted July 17, 2014 Hi, Back from holiday now. Had a fantastic time - lots of pasties and Doom Bar, hardly any rain!! - and managed 2 great 'train' days out. The day covering all of the mainline and branches west of Liskeard went perfectly to plan - all the trains were pretty well dead on time. All were reasonably loaded without being overcrowded and most of the stock seemed clean and appropriate for the duty it was on - the exception in my IMHO being the provision of 3 carriages - a 153 and a 150 - for the 06.42 Bristol to Penzance. Over 4 1/2 hours with no air-conditioning or buffet - surely not good enough! I make it about 215 miles travelled altogether for £10.00 - great value and a brilliant way to see Cornwall and it's railways. The second day I took the car and went back to the some of the stations we'd only passed through or stopped a few minutes at, as well as Long Rock and St Blazey depots. Another long but interesting day. I think I got most of the surviving signal boxes and semaphores that are easily accessible. Didn't make it to Largin or Restormel viaducts - I was running out of time - by then but I guess they will still be there for a few more years - unlike the signals! Nothing unusual or especially interesting seen. Good to see 57 604 Pendennis Castle shunting at Long Rock, and 66 176 speeding through Par with the clay train was impressive, but otherwise just many Sprinters, HST's and a few Voyagers. It's clear that Cornwall, along with the South- West in general, is becoming a real freight desert compared to even a few years ago - it was particularly depressing to see the once bustling complex at Burngulow deserted and almost derelict. Overall 2 very interesting and enjoyable days out. As discussed elsewhere in this section, big change is coming sooner rather than later so get out and see what's left before it's too late! Nothing of any rarity value or great artistic merit, but photos are here if anyone is interested. I will try to get them into better order and caption them as time allows. https://www.flickr.com/photos/60855917@N06/sets/72157645638976081/ Cheers, Mike Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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