Looe Valley Line
| Looe Valley Line | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Overview | |
| Type | Heavy rail |
| System | National Rail |
| Status | Open |
| Locale | Cornwall |
| Termini |
Liskeard 50°26′49″N 4°28′03″W / 50.4469°N 4.4675°W Looe 50°21′34″N 4°27′22″W / 50.3594°N 4.4562°W |
| Stations | 6 |
| Operation | |
| Opened | 1860–1901 |
| Owner | Network Rail |
| Operator(s) |
Great Western Railway (passenger) Colas Rail (freight) |
| Character | Community railway |
| Rolling stock |
Class 150 Class 153 |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 8 3⁄4 miles (14 km) |
| Number of tracks | 1 |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
| Loading gauge | RA4 / W6A |
| Operating speed | 25 mph (40 km/h) |
The Looe Valley Line is an 8 3⁄4 miles (14 km) community railway from Liskeard to Looe in Cornwall, United Kingdom, that follows the valley of the East Looe River for much of its course. It is operated by Great Western Railway.
The Looe Valley Line was opened as the Liskeard and Looe Railway on 27 December 1860 from a station at Moorswater, a little west of Liskeard, to the quayside at Looe, replacing the earlier Liskeard and Looe Union Canal. At Moorswater it connected with the Liskeard and Caradon Railway which conveyed granite from quarries on Bodmin Moor.
Passenger services commenced on 11 September 1879, but the Moorswater terminus was inconvenient as it was remote from Liskeard and a long way from the Cornwall Railway station on the south side of the town. On 15 May 1901 the railway opened a curving link line from Coombe Junction, a little south of Moorswater, to the now Great Western Railway station at Liskeard. The section from Coombe Junction to Moorswater was closed to passenger traffic on the same day but passenger numbers tripled. The new connecting line had to climb a considerable vertical interval to reach the Cornish Main Line which passed above Moorswater on a 147 feet (45m) high viaduct. The Liskeard and Looe Railway was taken over by the Great Western Railway in 1909 and the attractive seaside resort of Looe became heavily promoted as a holiday destination in railway's publicity.
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