The Camel Trail, Cornwall: Beeching Act Case Study

The Camel Trail is an example of a railway line that was originally incredibly important to the towns that it served. At present, it’s a multi-purpose trail, which once was part of two old rail lines, running from Wadebridge to Wenfordbridge. The line opened in 1834 and helped to link the town of Bodmin (Population: 12,778 as of 2001). It was primarily used to transport minerals from the quarry at Wenfordbridge to the port at Wadebridge.

The line was also used to transport the sea sand from Wadebridge inland to improve the agricultural land. Passenger services also ran between Bodmin and Wadebridge. Despite the line was the first steam-powered railway in Cornwall, it was run on a tight budget from the start. Soon after its construction, it was bought by the London and South Western Railway in 1847. Their idea was to gain early access to Cornwall for their new network. However, this idea never got off the ground, and soon the branch line was left isolated. The line became more sustainable as the years went by.

China clay extraction of the Camel Trail was developed at Wenfordbridge which meant that the line had heavy use for a number of years. The passenger use, however, declined dramatically. When it came to Beeching reviewing the line, it appeared not viable to keep the line open to passengers. The line became a freight only line in 1967, and the line stayed open until 1978. However, Six years later, part of the line was reopened under a heritage society named ‘The Bodmin Railway Preservation Society’. Since then the line has grown in length and now runs from Bodmin Parkway to Boscarne Junction. The railway is now classified as a heritage railway and has become a very popular attraction for tourists in the area.

The Closure of the Camel Trail

By the time Beeching made his report, the Camel Trail was hardly making any money in both freight and passenger traffic. Some people in the area argue that these statistics were an unfair representation of the line’s profits. since the usage statistics were taken in the winter. In the summer, the line was used more frequently by tourists visiting the area, but there is no proof that this was the case. The line was closed to passengers in 1967, and continued to run freight traffic up until 1983. Although the line was soon taken up to make way for the multi-purpose trail that is now used by tourists for cycling and walking around the area.

Most of the branch lines in the South-West were closed in the 1960s. There were plans in the 1990s to reopen certain lines, for example, the line from Lostwithiel to Fowey. The railway lines in the South-West were a real asset to the quarrying and other industries in the area. Therefore when the lines in the South-West were removed meaning that the industries were left with only the roads to transport materials.

If you found this blog post interesting, I’ve written much more about the Beeching Act that might interest you.