Newquay and Cornwall Junction Railway
| Locale | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Dates of operation | 1869–1874 |
| Successor | Cornwall Minerals Railway |
| Track gauge | 7 ft (2,134 mm) |
| Length | 3.13 miles (5.04 km) |
| Headquarters | Par, Cornwall |
The Newquay and Cornwall Junction Railway was a 7 ft (2,134 mm) broad gauge railway intended to link the Cornwall Railway with the horse-worked Newquay Railway. It opened a short section to Nanpean in 1869, the remainder being built by the Cornwall Minerals Railway who took over the company in 1874. Its main traffic has always been china clay.
Joseph Treffry had opened a tramway to connect mines and pits in the Hendra and St Dennis area of Cornwall in 1849. His tramway was horse-operated and led to Pontsmill, where transshipment was necessary to a canal, also built by Treffry, for onward conveyance to Par Harbour. The practical limitations of his line were insignificant at first, but as time passed were seen to inhibit trade.
The Cornwall Railway opened in 1859, providing a broadly west-to-east line giving easier access to markets for the extracted minerals, but although the lines crossed at Par, there was at first no connection; moreover the Cornwall Railway was built on the broad gauge and Treffry's line on the standard gauge, then usually referred to as "narrow gauge". The Cornwall Railway opened a station at Burngullow in 1863 and this was used as a railhead for some china clay production, which was carted to the station.
On 4 July 1864 the Newquay and Cornwall Junction Railway was authorised by Act of Parliament to build a 5¼ mile line from Burngullow to connect with the St Dennis branch of Treffry's Newquay line. Burngullow is located about 2 miles (3 km) west of St Austell station, on the Cornwall Railway main line. The authorised capital was £36,000.
The Company was authorised to make agreements with the Treffry Estate Trustees to convert the Newquay tramway line to broad gauge and take it over, connecting Newquay to the Cornwall Railway. The Company would reach Hendra, "affording direct communication with Newquay, Par, Fowey and Falmouth". Access over the Treffry lines would involve a break of gauge.
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