Archive: Cornwall’s industrial steam survivors in 1975

From the March 1975 issue of The Railway Magazine, this archive extract looks at industrial steam locomotives still present in Cornwall after the main-line railways of the county were fully dieselised in 1964. The article covers locations including Par Harbour, Falmouth Docks and Penlee Quarries.

Cornwall after dieselisation

WHEN the main-line railways of Cornwall were fully dieselised in 1964 much of the interest in that county was lost. It seems to be generally overlooked, and perhaps to some quite unknown, that in Cornwall more than ten years later it is possible to see at least six industrial steam locomotives, four of which find quite regular use, one is preserved by its owners and the other out of use because of a serious defect.

Probably the best known and certainly the easiest to see of all these locomotives is one often viewed from the windows of main-line trains passing Par Harbour. This harbour is an important transshipment point for china-clay coming from the many pits in that part of Cornwall. The Port of Par belongs to English China Clays Ltd., which owns two almost identical 0-4-0 saddle-tanks built by W. G. Bagnall Ltd., of Stafford. It is one of these—Alfred, works number 3058 and built in 1953—that is often to be observed from the main line. Every day, Mondays to Fridays, sees the locomotive in steam and marshalling box vans and open wagons within the port complex.

Par Harbour

The other locomotive—Judy, works number 2572 and built in 1937—is now to be found languishing in the back of the engine shed. Its most likely future use, it seems, will be to supply spare parts to enable Alfred to be kept in serviceable condition. Both the locomotives are unusual in appearance, having very low cabs and cut-down boiler mountings and chimneys to enable them to work right into the drying sheds with wagons of china-clay.

Falmouth Docks

Next steam location is Falmouth, a popular holiday resort and ship repair centre. At Falmouth Docks are to be found three 0-4-0 saddle-tanks owned and operated by the Falmouth Docks & Engineering Co. Ltd. Each is quite different. No. 3, built by R. & W. Hawthorn, Leslie & Co. Ltd. (works number 3597) at Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1926, is something of a hybrid, being made up of parts from 3597 and parts from an identical locomotive scrapped several years ago. No. 5 was built by Hudswell, Clarke & Co. Ltd. (works number 1632) at Leeds in 1929; and No. 6 by Peckett & Sons Ltd. (1530), at Bristol in 1919.

These locomotives are steamed and operated as far as possible in rotation, although the most dependable is No. 3—which also happens to be the smallest and least powerful of the trio. As at Port of Par the scheduled locomotive is steamed every weekday, changeover being on Monday, and its duties include general shunting work around the dockyard together with the transfer of oil-tank wagons from the exchange sidings at the old BR station to the local oil terminal within the docks area: this is fuel oil brought from Thames-side refineries by BR in 20-ton capacity Powell-Duffryn tank wagons for distribution by road throughout West Cornwall.

In addition, there is occasional china-clay traffic to be worked from these sidings to the wharves when the Ports of Fowey and Par are operating to full capacity. All this succeeds in keeping the restored locomotive fairly busy both morning and afternoon, though the work is interspersed by fairly long periods when it stands simmering outside the engine shed. Those out of service are kept in the shed, where all the necessary maintenance and repairs are carried out, all three locomotives at present being in full working order. A good view of the shunting can be obtained from the point high above the docks on Castle Drive.

Also at Falmouth are about ten steam cranes operated by both FD&E and by Silley, Cox & Co.—the owners of the ship repair business. These date from 1918 and 1926/7. Usually two or three are in use on the wharves; several are dumped and one has found a home mounted on a barge in the middle of the harbour. There is a varied collection of goods rolling stock which has been purchased over the years from BR and is kept in good condition by the wagon repairer. As well as an assortment of open wagons, there are a number of ‘box vans formerly belonging to pre-nationalisation railway companies, all painted grey but mostly still carrying their original works plates. The vans are used for the conveyance of grit-blast and the open wagons find all sorts of duties from the carriage of junk to stores, and, recently, gas bottles for ocean research vessels.

Penlee Quarries

The last steam locomotive to mention is almost thirty miles further west, at Penlee Quarries, Newlyn. Here is to be seen a 2 ft.-gauge 0-4-0 well-tank mounted on a concrete plinth just inside the main gate (on the seaward side of the Newlyn to Mousehole coast road). The locomotive was built by Orenstein & Koppel AG of Berlin, Germany, probably in 1900 but there is no record of the works number. Until August 1972 a 2 ft.-gauge tramway was operated to convey stone from the quarry to the quay at Newlyn. The line was worked by eight four-wheel diesel-mechanical locomotives supplied by Ruston & Hornsby Limited of Lincoln. Ships are now loaded by conveyors, which speeds-up the operation and reduces the manpower required. The engines and rolling stock are still at Penlee and some of these, including the Orenstein & Koppel locomotive, have been promised to a museum. When I first saw the O&K locomotive in 1966 it was painted red, but since then has appeared in yellow: being so close to the sea it is very susceptible to weathering and corrosion.

I would like to stress that all three of these locations are prohibited areas to the general public. There is no need to trespass in order to see and take photographs at Penlee, but at both the others permission must be sought in advance in writing—at Par Harbour from the Port Manager at the Docks Office, and at Falmouth from the Transport Manager of the Falmouth Docks & Engineering Co. Lastly I would like to express my appreciation and indebtedness to the authorities at all three locations for their friendliness and help on my various visits to their installations.

This article is available to subscribers of The Railway Magazine, along with every article from issues dating back to the 1800s! To subscribe, visit https://www.classicmagazines.co.uk/the-railway-magazine