False starts in Parliament Cornwall Railway

1 false starts in parliament

1.1 crossing hamoaze
1.2 penryn
1.3 atmospheric system
1.4 1845 bill rejected

false starts in parliament

torpoint ferry in 1894 looking west; moorsom planned use conveying passenger trains; note gradients

on 29 may 1842 government announced packet traffic transferred southampton. traffic forecast cornwall railway had assumed income of £123,913 out of total income of £160,548. central route, by-passing south cornwall population centres, had lost 80% of potential income @ stroke. @ same time, bristol , exeter railway had reached exeter, , south devon railway connect plymouth planned. southerly route cornwall railway, reach plymouth, secure considerable intermediate traffic, , shorten route company need construct.

in august 1843 w tweedy, chairman of cornwall railway provisional committee , william h bond, secretary, approached great western railway (gwr) , found gwr favourable idea of connection between cornwall railway , south devon line (with gwr on friendly terms), if cornwall railway adopted southern route.

crossing hamoaze

map of plymouth , devonport 1854

moorsom s route steam ferry shown new passage branch (not built).

the south devon railway going build branch devonport, , cornwall railway start there

direct assistance refused, encouraged promote independent scheme, , in autumn of 1844 prospectus of cornwall railway produced. committee had firmly favoured southern route, many interested parties continued support northern alignment. indeed controversy dogged company years, extending supporters of northern route opposing cornwall railway bill in parliament. moorsom designed route constant sharp curves , exceptioanlly steep gradients, exposed him criticism respected railway engineers.

view down milne place towards ferry; moorsom s route have descended gradient

the line put forward 1845 session of parliament. captain moorsom again engineer. line run eldad in plymouth, intended western terminus of south devon railway, falmouth. eldad descend @ 1 in 30 (close present-day ferry road) reach steam chain ferry (described @ time floating bridge or steam bridge ) @ torpoint, or new passage , , run westwards, south of river lynher, climbing cross polbathick creek wooden drawbridge, st germans. few miles west of point, follow course of present-day route, more numerous , sharper curves , steeper gradients, via liskeard, near bodmin , lostwithiel, par , st austell near probus. point line have diverged (from present-day route) tresillian, crossing truro river 600 feet viaduct south of city, penryn, crossing penryn river north embankment , drawbridge enter falmouth.

the torpoint ferry had been in operation since @ least 1834, having been developed j m rendel. moorsom appears not have given thought practicalities of using crossing, have involved through trains being divided , each portion being propelled down steep gradient onto ferry boat; , each portion being hauled steep gradient , re-formed on other side.

the supporters of central route able point out practical difficulties; rendel himself gave evidence:

mr rendell [sic], engineer, deposed constructed present steam ferry boats or bridges @ hamoaze. these worked chains, extended either shore; , when wind , tide strong, chains formed species of arc, , platform [the deck of boat] not @ right angles landing place. considerable difficulty therefore arise in bringing rails of bridge in contact rails of landing place, [in order] trains might , safely run on , off bridge; besides that, difficulty arose great fall in tide, @ spring no less 18 feet. [he] of opinion train being stopped, divided, , placed upon steam bridge, , landed on opposite side of hamoaze, tackled together, , put in motion, great delay occasioned, independent of 7 or 8 minutes in crossing, of 8 twelve minutes on each side.

penryn

falmouth harbour showing successive route designs

the embankment across penryn creek ill thought through. there embankment (or viaduct) drawbridge pass ships penryn harbour; waterway tidal, of course, , sailing ships needed sea room beat channel, , needed @ top of tide. steep railway gradients necessary either side of crossing. evidence given obstruction moorsom s embankment made quite unacceptable, , several memorials had been submitted effect. in evidence @ lords committee, moorsom seemed know little of formal objections scheme.

the atmospheric system

moorsom planned use atmospheric system of traction. in system tube laid between rails, , wagon piston running in tube led train. no steam locomotive required; stationary steam engines @ intervals evacuated air tube. advantages seemed considerable: there no need convey weight of engine, , fuel , water, on train; more tractive power applied locomotives provide; , head-on collisions considered impossible. system had been operating, apparently successfully, on 1 ⁄4-mile (2,800 m) section of dublin , kingstown railway (d&kr) and, less successfully, on london , croydon railway. appeared particularly appropriate steeply graded lines cornwall railway, , planned use on south devon railway.

after inspection of dalkey section of d&kr, moorsom reported provisional committee:

i of opinion system applicable certainty , efficiency cornwall railway. sufficient power may obtained work trains, think traffic require, @ average speed of 30 miles hour passenger trains, , 15 20 miles hour goods, including stoppages in both cases, , special trains may despatched @ greater speed if necessary.

the capital cost including laying of tube , building engine houses apparently no more expensive locomotive line without them:

i inclined believe ... may find original or prime cost not exceed have along contemplated establishing locomotive line, £800,000. ... annual cost will, probably, reduced 20 per cent below have heretofore contemplated, , public have convenience of more frequent trains, again re-act in increase of traffic.

the newspaper report continues:

captain moorsom instructed survey line between falmouth , plymouth, distance of found 66 miles on line selected. using atmospheric traction on line, trains may run falmouth plymouth in 2½ hours, tamar being crossed without change of carriage means of steam-bridge.

the 1845 bill accordingly included intention use atmospheric system. however, parliamentary report on application of atmospheric system on railways in general inconclusive, , muddied waters.

the 1845 bill rejected

the result of 1845 bill submission preamble proved committee stage in house of lords rejected bill: meant desirability of line accepted, detail of moorsom s design considered unsafe.

cite error: there <ref group=note> tags on page, references not show without {{reflist|group=note}} template (see page).