Redruth and Chasewater Railway

Prior to the nineteenth century, much mineral extraction had taken place in the Cornish peninsula, but this had been limited by the non-existence of industrial methods; thus the depth to which shafts could be sunk, and at which water inundation overwhelmed the workings, and the cost of transporting extracted minerals to market, all proved limiting factors, and many mines were abandoned as exhausted using available methods.

As the industrial revolution gathered pace, steam engine power became available to overcome these limitations, and new seams were developed at greater depths, and in some cases abandoned mines were re-opened.

The focus, then, was on transporting copper and tin ore to a sea port for onward movement, and to bring in coal to fuel the increasing number of steam engines operating at the mines.

[4] Actual construction of the railway proceeded swiftly, being conducted by William Brunton, son of the Scottish inventor of the same name.

Considerable earthworks were necessary in places – crossing the Carnon Valley in particular – in order to avoid excessive gradients, and there was a 600 feet vertical interval between the summit of the line and the wharves at Devoran.

The track gauge was 4 ft (1,219 mm) this was commonly employed in South Wales, with which the engineering of the mines had close contact at that time, and edge rails were used: a considerable technical advance, and the first such use in Cornwall (The Poldice and other tramways had used plateways, in which the plates are flanged and the wagon wheels are plain; in an edge rail system, the flanges are on the wheels of the vehicles).

As parts of the line were completed, hauliers were allowed to use them forthwith, and this took place from 1824; it was not until 30 January 1826 that the line was considered substantially complete (although the Chacewater branch had not been started, and in fact was never built) and an official opening took place, when some of the proprietors travelled from Wheal Buller to Devoran (by gravity) and then back to Redruth (pulled by a horse).

In 1827 extensions were constructed and opened; from Wheal Buller junction to Redruth itself, serving the Pen-an-Drea mine and the town itself, and an additional 1 mile (1.6 km) from Devoran to Point Quay.

Renewal of rails became necessary in 1831 – this on a railway with no locomotive traction – and considerable difficulty was experienced with displacement of the stone blocks, causing gauge widening problems.

In the following year, a severe winter led to great difficulties with displacement of the stone blocks, and with embankment subsidence, costing considerable expenditure on repairs.

By the early 1850s, trade in general was more buoyant, and the company decided to apply for parliamentary authority to build a branch line to Wheal Busy (a little over 2 miles (3.2 km) long).

Although crude in appearance, the locomotives were successful operationally, being able to take 8 loaded wagons (50 tons gross) up to Wheal Fortune loop.

This was taken hard, although it was brought about by the considerable expenditure on one-off items (charged to current account) — the locomotives and rolling stock, the work on the Wheal Busy extension, and major repairs to the company's steam tug, kept at Devoran.

Catastrophe struck in the heavy winter of 1876–77 when the Great County Adit (a common drainage system formerly used by several deep mines) which had fallen into disrepair and become blocked, suddenly burst and caused the instant silting of Devoran Harbour, forcing vessels to discharge by tender.

Writing in 1831, Priestley said: The main line of this railway commences at the extensive tin works on the east side of the town of Redruth, whence it takes a south-easterly course round the mountain of Cam Marth; thence north-easterly by Carrarath to Twelve Heads, whence it takes a south-eastward course by Nangiles and Carnon Gate to Point Quay, situate on an estuary branching out of Carreg Road.

It served both Great Consols and United Mines, the two largest in the area, and traffic by the 1830s was well in excess of 60,000 tons annually with the company reporting profits approaching £3,000.

Copper ore transported down to ships for onward movement to South Wales was supplemented by coal carried in the other direction to serve the ever-deeper mines.

The railway workshops, like the offices, were located in Devoran, and Miner was substantially rebuilt here in 1869, but traffic began to decline as the copper mines closed and in 1879 a receiver was appointed.

Smelter was relegated to the status of reserve engine; but lack of maintenance meant that the line deteriorated and derailments were common.

A new firebox was ordered, it was slightly too big, and apparently the frames were forced apart to accommodate it, with subsequent wear on the rear springs and bearings.