Treffry Tramways facts for kids
The Treffry Tramways were a network of small railways in Cornwall, UK. They were built by Joseph Treffry, a local landowner and businessman. These tramways helped transport heavy materials like metal ores, granite, and china clay from mines. They ran between the Luxulyan Valley and Newquay. Horses pulled the wagons, but water and steam power helped on steep slopes. They also connected to the Par Canal and Par Docks, which Treffry also built.
One famous part was a huge bridge, called the Treffry Viaduct, crossing the Luxulyan Valley. It was the biggest bridge in Cornwall when it was built. The tramways opened in stages from 1835 to 1870. They made moving minerals much easier.
However, the tramways were a bit old-fashioned for their time. In 1874, a richer company called the Cornwall Minerals Railway took them over. This company spent a lot of money to make the lines better. They made them suitable for steam trains and extended them.
The first parts of the tramways were built without needing a special law from Parliament. They were a private project. People called them different names, like "Treffry's Railway." A "tramway" is a simple railway, often not fenced off, like the ones used in towns.
Today, some parts of the old tramway routes are still used by passenger trains. These trains run as the Atlantic Coast Line between Par and Newquay.
Contents
History of Treffry's Tramways
Early Transport Challenges
Joseph Treffry owned large areas of land in Cornwall. This included mines in the high ground around the Luxulyan Valley. Moving heavy minerals from these mines to sell them was very difficult. People had to use horse-drawn carts on bad roads.
Treffry lived in Fowey, which had a deep harbour for ships. He had improved the docks there in 1811 and 1813. He wanted to build a tramway to bring minerals from the Luxulyan Valley to Fowey. But another landowner, Charles Rashleigh, owned land Treffry needed. Rashleigh also owned a rival harbour at Charlestown. So, he would not let Treffry use his land.
Treffry then decided to build a harbour at Par. He finished it in 1833. He also built the Par Canal, which connected Pontsmill to the new harbour. This canal was ready by 1840.
Connecting Mines to the Canal
Treffry had a mine called Fowey Consols near Pontsmill. It was rich in copper. He built a narrow gauge tramway there. This tramway used an inclined plane to move minerals from the mine to Pontsmill.
This first line was 1,127 feet long and worked by itself. It had a short tunnel under a road. A second, longer inclined plane was also built. It was 2,640 feet long and included an 840-foot tunnel. This line had two tracks and was powered by a large water wheel. Water for the wheel came from a four-mile-long channel.
The incline started working in 1835. Pontsmill became a busy place for processing minerals. China clay was brought there by cart from the Hensbarrow area. Treffry also installed a powerful steam engine at Fowey Consols. This showed how much he used new industrial ideas.
Moving copper was hard work. Coal was needed for the engines, and the copper ore had to be shipped out. Both went to and from South Wales by sea, which was a tough journey around Land's End. In 1835, Treffry announced he wanted to connect Par and Newquay by tramway. Newquay had a small harbour on the north coast, which was better for shipping to South Wales.
Par Consols Tramway
Treffry used the same idea of inclined plane tramways for the Par Consols mine. This mine was on high ground northwest of Par Harbour. The tramway was 870 feet long and very steep. Most of the traffic went downhill. But coal had to be brought uphill to the mine. There was no water for a water wheel, so Treffry had to use a steam engine to pull things up. This tramway opened in 1841.
Building Towards Colcerrow
Even though the route to Newquay was difficult, Treffry started building. The first part was a line from Pontsmill to Colcerrow Quarry, about two miles away. The first section was another steep incline, called Carmears Incline. It was about 950 yards long, followed by a flatter section.
This line opened in 1841. The incline used a cable system powered by a large water wheel. The wheel was 30 feet wide and very powerful. It could lift 30 tons up the incline in 10 minutes. Many new water channels were built to bring water to the wheel. Later, water was also brought over the Treffry Viaduct. The track used T-shaped rails on stone blocks and was a single line.
Treffry built this line on his own land or with agreements. He did not need a special law from Parliament. Even though steam trains were becoming popular, Treffry chose horses. Horses were cheaper to operate. He also preferred water wheels over steam engines when water was available. This was because coal was expensive in Cornwall. Minerals brought to Pontsmill were transferred to canal barges. Then they went to Par Harbour for shipping.
Reaching Molinnis and the Great Viaduct
The short line to Colcerrow was just the beginning. The tramway was extended to Molinnis, near Bugle. The ground here was flatter, but the line needed to cross to the west side of the valley. So, a huge bridge, the Treffry Viaduct, was built.
It was 648 feet long with ten arches and stood 98 feet high. It was the first large granite bridge in Cornwall. Building started in 1839. Besides carrying the tramway, it also carried a water channel to the Carmears waterwheel.
The viaduct cost £6,708 to build. James Meadows Rendel was the engineer, and William Pease managed the project. A temporary tramway was built to help construct the viaduct.
The Molinnis station, near the Bugle Inn, gave access to many mines. These mines produced china clay, china stone, and tin. This part of Treffry's tramway opened in early 1844. In 1855, the line from Pontsmill to Bugle was extended to Par Harbour. This meant goods no longer needed to be transferred at Pontsmill.
Connecting to Newquay
While Treffry focused on the southern end, work began in 1844 on a line from Newquay Harbour. This line went to East Wheal Rose, an important lead mine south of St Newlyn East. Work also started on connecting to St Dennis and Hendra, about 10 miles east of Newquay. This section was meant to link up with the Molinnis line.
A special law was passed in 1844 for the "Treffry Estate Railway, or Newquay Railway." This was likely because the Newquay line involved more public work. Another law in 1857 allowed the tramway owners to keep running the lines. It also said they could not use steam trains without government approval.
The line from Newquay Harbour to East Wheal Rose opened by February 1849. The line to St Dennis and Hendra Crazey opened in June 1849. There were china clay mines on Hendra Downs, high above St Dennis. The planned connection there was not made yet.
The Newquay line had three tunnels. One was on the steep slope to Newquay Harbour. Another was at Coswarth, which was more like a short bridge. The third was Toldish Tunnel, 500 yards long. The slope from Newquay Harbour was very steep and used a stationary engine with a wire rope.
The main line crossed the Trenance Valley on a wooden bridge. It was 98 feet high and 210 yards long. It had seventeen stone supports. Because it looked fragile, people called it "the Tolcarne Spider."
Later Extensions and Challenges
Treffry wanted to connect the two main sections of his tramway. This would create a system from coast to coast. But he became ill, and the market for minerals was slow. He died on January 29, 1850. His estate then faced many legal issues. His cousin, Edward Willcocks, managed the estate.
Under his management, the Hendra Downs incline was prepared by 1852. It connected the china clay mines on high ground to the St Dennis section. This incline was powered by a beam engine. Around 1855, a branch line was built from Colcerrow to serve smaller quarries at Cairns.
The Pontsmill tramway was extended to Par Harbour in 1855. This meant goods could go straight to ships without being transferred to the canal. The Cornwall Railway was also being built then. It opened in 1859, connecting southern Cornwall through Par. However, that line used a different track width, so direct connection was not possible at first.
Problems with Steam Trains
Treffry chose horses for his tramways because they were cheaper. He also used water wheels when possible, as coal was expensive. By 1860, it was clear that Treffry's lines were becoming outdated. People looked into using steam trains. But the Carmears incline was too steep for steam trains.
A railway inspector, Captain H. W. Tyler, wrote a report. He said the tracks were too light and weak. The bridges and tunnels were too low and narrow for steam engines. He concluded that the railway was "not fitted for locomotive engines of any description."
Changing Times and New Ownership
The Fowey Consols Mine eventually ran out of copper and closed around 1865. Copper mining in the Luxulyan Valley declined. Some tried to mine tin, but it was not successful. However, granite quarrying grew. New small quarries opened near Pontsmill. In 1870, a branch of the tramway was extended to serve two of these quarries.
Joseph Treffry's choice to use horses in 1844 made his tramways old-fashioned. By the 1870s, they were very inefficient. Modernization was needed, but the Treffry Estate did not have enough money.
In 1872, William Richardson Roebuck leased the tramways. He formed a company called the Cornwall Minerals Railway (CMR). In 1873, his company got permission from Parliament to buy the lines. They also planned to build a new railway to connect them and extend to Fowey. They would also improve the old tramway sections for steam trains.
The Cornwall Minerals Railway Takes Over
The Cornwall Minerals Railway (CMR) took over Treffry's lines and improved them. They quickly built the missing link between Hendra and Molinnis. They also built a new line to Fowey. Treffry's dream of a line from Newquay to Fowey came true on June 1, 1874, when the CMR opened the full line.
This was a huge project. It involved laying new tracks and building a new route through the Luxulyan Valley. This new route avoided the steep Carmears Incline. It followed a winding path through the valley, which was still challenging for steam trains.
The new line in the Luxulyan Valley bypassed the Treffry Viaduct. But Colcerrow Quarry still used the railway. Traffic from the quarry reversed at a junction and crossed the viaduct. Then it joined the new line at Luxulyan. Horses still pulled wagons on this old section. Even in 1933, the original stone-block track was still there. By 1959, the Colcerrow route was much shorter.
Passenger trains, which Treffry had not planned for, started running in 1876. The East Wheal Rose branch remained for minerals. Later, the Great Western Railway (GWR) took over the CMR in 1896. The GWR built a new line from Newquay to Perranporth and Chacewater, partly using the old route.
Eventually, the GWR became part of British Railways. The Fowey line and the Perranporth lines closed. Newquay and Par are still connected by a passenger railway today. Much of this line follows Treffry's original route. His Par Harbour still has rail connections. The Treffry Viaduct was bypassed by the CMR but remains a protected building. It stands as a monument to Treffry's important work.
See also
- Cornwall Heritage Trust
