Par-Luxulyan Railway (United Kingdom)

Bugle Railway Station SX017594
Luxulyan Station SX047581
Ponts Mill SX073559
Par Station SX076542

J. T.Treffry owned the rich Fowey Consols Mine, which was worked by 6 steam engines and 17 waterwheels. Treffry linked his mine to his new port at Par by a canal. By 1847 J T Treffry had built a canal from Par to Ponts Mill. Treffry built the Par Canal by canalising 2.25 miles of the river and digging a new river channel slightly to the east. There was an entrance lock to the canal at the harbour, and then two more between there and its terminus at Ponts Mill, north of St Blazey.
He then built a tramroad from Ponts Mill (the canal head) to Molinnis near Bugle. Work began in 1835 with an inclined plane from the canal basin at Ponts Mill, past the Carmears Rocks, to the level of the top of the valley, then a level run through Luxulyan and on to its terminus at the Bugle Inn near Mollinis.
This required a high-level crossing of the river, for which they built the great Treffry Viaduct, 650 feet long and 100 feet high. It was built of stone from the Carbeans and Colcerrow quarries, and the lines from the quarries to the viaduct were the first parts of the railway to be operational. The railway was completed in 1844.
The viaduct carried both rails and a water channel to bring more water for the Fowey Consols. On its way down, the water was used to power the Carmears incline, by means of a waterwheel, 34 feet in diameter. This enabled the railway to work loads up the incline, against gravity.
This tramroad was extended alongside the canal down to Par in 1855, and replaced the canal. In turn the tramway was replaced by the Cornwall Minerals Railway in 1874, enabling the development of china-clay and china-stone works at the foot of the valley.

The Canal.

Par Canal ran for 1 mile 7 furlong with 3 locks from a tramroad at Pontsmill to Par harbour, in St Austell Bay, Cornwall.
1847 Opened for the carriage of tin, lead ore and china clay transhipped in containers onto boats from a tramway.
1873 Closed. The extension of the railway from Ponts Mill to Par Port used the towpath of the canal.
The Par Canal was also constructed by Treffry to take copper ore from the base of the Fowey Consols inclined plane railway to the port he constructed at Par.
Joseph Austen (later Joseph Treffry)started construction of a harbour in 1829 near the mouth of the river; and the harbour was completed in 1840. A 450 feet breakwater encloses 35 acres of water but it has always been tidal with only 16 feet depth of water so cannot handle the large ocean-going ships seen at Fowey.
In 1858 15,154 tons of china clay were shipped out. By 1885 86,325 tons were being handled at Par, but Fowey now had a railway line and handled 114,403. In 1987 the Fowey handled 700,000 tons.
To start the railway and canal were used mainly to service Austen's mines and quarries above St Blazey. Treffry built the Par Canal to serve the harbour by canalising 2.25 miles of the river and digging a new river channel slightly to the east. There was an entrance lock to the canal at the harbour, and then two more between there and its terminus at Ponts Mill, north of St Blazey.
The railway then used inclined planes to carry tramways to Fowey Consols mine and Colcerrow quarry


REf. Cornwall Calling

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