Looe branch freight

[6Gman]

What freight has used the Looe line (including Moorswater/ Cheesewring) over the years?

Given the difficulties of working the Liskeard - Coombe Jn section there were presumably strict limits on loadings, speed, brake power etc.

And were there freight services to Looe itself?

I have seen photographs of fish boxes on the platform at Looe but they could, of course, be moved by passenger train.

Thanks.

 

[Gloster]

There was a goods yard just south of the station that was closed on 4 November 1963: this was presumably for general goods traffic. Further south, alongside Buller Quay, there were sidings owned by the Harbour Commissioners and the china clay company: on 23 March 1954 it was decided to tarmac these over.

At Moorswater in 1911 there was also a coal depot, a granite works and a lime kiln in addition to the clay works. The granite works later became a county council siding.

Source: Cooke’s Diagrams, Section 11.

EDIT: Some updates. There may not have been a lime kiln at Moorswater, which lost its goods in December 1963. Sandplace had a loop siding until August 1950.

North of Sharp Tor traffic was ended before 1910 and everything north of Moorswater closed on 1 January 1917. Latterly there had only been a few trains a week of of granite.