East Cornwall Mineral Railway
| Locale | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Dates of operation | 1872–1894 |
| Successor | Plymouth, Devonport and South Western Junction Railway |
| Track gauge | 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) |
| Length | 8 miles |
| Headquarters | Calstock Quay |
Coordinates: 50°30′11″N 4°18′58″W / 50.503°N 4.316°W
The East Cornwall Mineral Railway was a 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) railway line, opened in 1872 to connect mines and quarries in the Callington and Gunnislake areas in east Cornwall with shipping at Calstock on the River Tamar. The line included a rope-worked incline to descend to the quay at Calstock.
Following the opening of a main line railway at nearby Bere Alston, a connecting line from there to Calstock was opened, and the existing line converted to standard gauge, opening throughout as a passenger line in 1908. When rural lines in the area were closed in the 1960s, a short section of the original ECMR line was retained to keep open a connection from Plymouth to Gunnislake, and that section remains open at the present day.
In the middle decades of the nineteenth century, mineral extraction in the Callington and Gunnislake area of East Cornwall reached a peak. The trade was limited by the difficulties of conveying the products to market; this was done by pack horse to , where there was a quay on the tidal River Tamar for onward coast-wise shipping transport. The chief mineral was copper ore, with some tin and arsenic also; timber and coal was brought in to serve the mines. Although the Tamar was tidal at Calstock, the passage to the sea was difficult, involving poling the ship past shoal stretches.
A railway connection was considered to be the solution, and a Tamar, Kit Hill and Callington Railway Company Limited was formed in 1864. The Company was to build a standard gauge line from Callington to Kelly Quay at Calstock, with an inclined plane to descend to the quayside there. The Company applied for Parliamentary authority and obtained it on 29 July 1864. Construction was soon under way, and the following year a broad gauge Saltash and Callington Railway, and in 1866 the Kit Hill company obtained authority to build on the broad gauge instead, so as to connect with the Saltash company. However a financial crash took place in that year, and although much work had been done on the Kit Hill line, nothing further was done on either route.
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