The BODMIN & WADEBRIDGE RAILWAY
 

The Bodmin and Wadebridge Railway was a pioneer railway.  It was not the first in the Duchy of Cornwall, but it was the first to use steam power.  The local landowner, Sir William Molesworth of Pencarrow, was the driving force behind the railway.  In 1831 he engaged at his own expense Roger Hopkins, a civil engineer from Plymouth, to prepare a survey of a railway from Wadebridge to Wenford Bridge with branches to Bodmin and Ruthern Bridge.  The purpose of the line was to carry limey sea sand from Wadebridge up the valley of the River Camel where it was much in demand as manure.  The results of the survey, presented to a committee led by Sir William Molesworth on 6^th January 1832, showed that the costs would be £21,882 9s 4d for a single track standard gauge railway, an additional £1,200 being required for the rolling stock and an engine and £2,800 for buildings.

The choice for “standard gauge” (4ft 8½in) was unusual in this area.  Previous horse drawn railways had been 4ft  in the clay districts, and 4ft 6in on the Plymouth and Dartmoor Railway.

The inaugural run was on 30^th September 1834, 300 tickets were issued for the shareholders and invited guests, “Camel”, the first engine, was the power on this train, she pulled 17 wagons on this first run, “These vehicles were tastefully fitted up and decorated with flags, green branches, etc.”, as reported by the West Briton & Cornwall Advertiser

The railway saw mixed fortunes in the early years with many locomotive failures.  In 1846 the London & South Western Railway took over the line with the intention of keeping the Cornwall Railway and broad gauge out of Wadebridge and north Cornwall.  At the time the nearest point served by the LSWR was Dorchester 120 miles away!

China Clay traffic started on the line in 1862 a century later it provided the majority of traffic and its sole reason for continued operation. The LSWR supplied various locomotives for use on the line but reliability of the line and rolling stock was poor.

Bodmin Wharf - the term "station" was not used in the early days
Bodmin Town - Old Wharf. Replaced about 1895 by Bodmin Town Station. A downstairs room was used for receiving parcels & goods and upstairs room was the waiting room. There were no platforms in those days.  Sam Worth - The Wharfinger (Stationmaster) who is seen standing in the truck on the left, lived in one of he houses here with his wife.

A special train inspecting a new diversionary route

Bodmin Road  (now Parkway)

Bodmin General - the GWR town station

Bodmin General - note the number of staff!

Bodmin North
the LSWR / SR town station

1886 saw an agreement made between the LSWR, GWR and B&WR to reconstruct the line and to allow the GWR to operate over it.  The GWR opened its branch from Bodmin Road to Bodmin on 27^th May 1887 and then on to Boscarne in September 1888.  After 54 years the B&WR was at last connected to the main railway network.  Until the broad gauge was abolished there was a change of gauge at Bodmin Road.

The North Cornwall Railway opened the Delabole to Wadebridge section on 1^st June 1895 finally connecting the B & WR to its parent system.

Steam rail-motors were introduced in 1906.  GWR trains did not stop at the intermediate halts but ran through to Wadebridge. A steam railcar made a trial run on the Wenford line in 1912 but got stuck and had to be rescued by a Beattie Well Tank.

The last of the once extensive sand traffic ran in 1920s.  The Southern Railway absorbed the London & South Western Railway in 1923.  The Ruthern Bridge branch was closed in 1933 due to lack of use. 

The centenary of the line was celebrated in 1934 with an exhibition of relics and a commemorative train from Wadebridge to Bodmin and return headed by an “O2” class 0-4-4 tank, No. 216.

During the Second World War part of the line was upgraded and then used to allow trains from west Cornwall to use the SR route to Exeter to avoid the bombing in Plymouth.

After nationalisation in 1948 the line became part of the Southern Region of British Railways but was transferred, with all SR lines west of Exeter, to the Western Region in 1950 but reverted to Southern in 1958.

In 1949 the SR station became Bodmin North and the GWR station became Bodmin General.  In 1955 the WR produced a plan which included the withdrawal of passenger services on the  B & W section though retaining North and Wenford for freight traffic.

In 1963 the Southern lines were again transferred and in 1964 decay set in.  The North Cornwall line was closed in October 1966 and all passenger services between Bodmin Road, Bodmin General, Wadebridge and Padstow, and between Boscarne Junction and Bodmin North ceased in January 1967.

The line from Bodmin Road to Wadebridge and Boscarne to Wenford remained open for freight and a few excursions.  After 1978 the only traffic was clay from Wenford to Bodmin Road, the line closed in 1983.

Grogley Halt - the platform still remains

A typical train en route to Bodmin North seen at Dunmere Junction

An armoured train at Wadebridge
 during WW2

The De Lank Quarry sidings

At Wadebridge