The
Hayle Railway was an early
CornishCornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
railway, built to
standard gaugeThe standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
, and opened in 1837. The railway served the engineering works and copper quays at
HayleHayle is a small town, civil parish and cargo port in west Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated at the mouth of the Hayle River and is approximately seven miles northeast of Penzance...
with the copper mines of
RedruthRedruth is a town and civil parish traditionally in the Penwith Hundred in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It has a population of 12,352. Redruth lies approximately at the junction of the A393 and A3047 roads, on the route of the old London to Land's End trunk road , and is approximately west of...
and
CamborneCamborne is a town and civil parish in west Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is at the western edge of a conurbation comprising Camborne, Pool and Redruth....
carrying ore to the port and coal to the mines, before the construction of the Saltash Bridge and the direct rail route out of Cornwall.
The Hayle Railway ran east from Hayle harbour to Redruth Junction, and from there north to
PortreathPortreath is a civil parish, village and fishing port on the north coast of Cornwall, United Kingdom. The village is situated approximately three miles northwest of Redruth....
harbour and south to Tresavean and the Lanner mines. The seventeen mile long railway incorporated four cable-worked inclines (at Portreath, Angarrack, Penponds and Tresavean), three of which were later by-passed. The fourth was a significant structure at Portreath, housing a stationary steam winder that raised and lowered rolling stock to the harbourside. This worked into the 1930s; its remains can still be seen. Steam power was used from the start, giving the route an early advantage over the competing
Redruth and Chasewater RailwayThe Redruth and Chasewater Railway, otherwise called the Redruth and Chacewater Railway using modern spelling, was a very early industrial railway line in Cornwall, England, UK that opened in 1825 and closed in 1915...
.
Passenger services started in 1843 but the inclines meant that services over the route were limited, for reasons of safety. Passenger services were diverted in 1852 onto the new route that avoided the inclines.
In 1852 the
West Cornwall RailwayThe West Cornwall Railway was a railway company in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, formed in 1846 to operate the existing Hayle Railway between Hayle and Redruth and extend the railway to Penzance and Truro....
purchased the Hayle Railway, and incorporated much of the route into a new
TruroTruro Station serves the city of Truro, Cornwall, UK. It is the situated on the Cornish Main Line and is the junction for the Maritime Line to Falmouth. The station is operated by First Great Western....
to
PenzancePenzance railway station serves the town of Penzance, Cornwall, UK. The station is the western terminus of the Cornish Main Line from London Paddington station. The current journey time to or from London is about five hours....
line. However, this required new stations at
HayleHayle railway station serves the town of Hayle, Cornwall, United Kingdom. The station is operated by First Great Western and is on the Cornish Main Line north east of .-History:...
and
RedruthRedruth Station serves the town of Redruth, Cornwall, United Kingdom. The station is operated by First Great Western as is every other station in Cornwall.-First station:Located at ...
, and other sections of the line were also abandoned for more suitable routes. The West Cornwall Railway Company was unable to lay the
broad gaugeBroad-gauge railways use a track gauge greater than the standard gauge of .- List :For list see: List of broad gauges, by gauge and country- History :...
rails stipulated in its
Act of ParliamentAn Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
and so in 1866 leased the railway to a Joint Committee dominated by the
Great Western RailwayThe Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
.
Stations
- Redruth (terminus on different site from present station)
- Carn Brea
- Camborne
Camborne railway station serves the town of Camborne, Cornwall, United Kingdom. It has been in use since 1843 and is currently operated by First Great Western. Services are provided by First Great Western and CrossCountry.-History:...
- Penponds
- Hayle (terminus on different site from present station)