Reason for converting Par - Fowey to a private haul road

[trebor79]

Some idle pondering leads me to wonder what the rationale for closing the Par to Fowey line was. It was converted (and still operates as) a private haul road from the clay driers at Par to the export terminal at Fowey.

Seems a bizarre move given everything else remained on rail. All the structures still need maintaining and the conversion can't have been cheap either.

 

[Ashley Hill]

Whilst this doesn’t necessarily answer your question here is a link to the Cornwall Railway Society page on the line.

St Blazey to Fowey and Fowey Harbour

St Blazey to Fowey and Fowey Docks

www.cornwallrailwaysociety.org.uk

Not mentioned is that Pinnock tunnel featured in the BBC series The Hitchhikers Guide to Galaxy. It was used to portray the journey into the planet Magrathea.

 

[Sir Felix Pole]

BR did a deal with ECC ( as then was) to give up the line in return for a long term contract for rail haulage from the main loading points to Fowey via Lostwithiel. ECC found it more convenient to serve the smaller pits by lorry, but the main road into Fowey was (and still is) not suitable - converting the railway provided the solution.

The dryer at Par is about to close sadly. If you wanted to restore passenger services to Fowey reactivating this line would be more sensible than the Lostwithiel route. The main bus flow from Fowey is towards St. Austell.

 

[The Pelican]

The Cornwall Railway Society link above shows an extension added to the end of the tunnel to pump diesel fumes out, quite unusual on British railway tunnels, although present on some American and Canadian tunnels, both those shared with road traffic and those which are (diesel) rail only.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Some idle pondering leads me to wonder what the rationale for closing the Par to Fowey line was. It was converted (and still operates as) a private haul road from the clay driers at Par to the export terminal at Fowey.

What exactly is a "private haul road"? Not a term I've heard before!

 

[pokemonsuper9]

What exactly is a "private haul road"? Not a term I've heard before!

It refers to a road specifically designed and built to cater for heavy cargo (usually mine) traffic.

The "private" part is hopefully obvious!

 

[bramling]

Something I’ve been meaning to ask, on a related theme, as I’m not familiar with the current prospects for the China clay sector in Cornwall.

Is there the prospect of the haul road no longer being needed at some point? Presumably were that ever to be the case it stands a high likelihood the route would become a cycle path.

I’d imagine it would be quite popular with Fowey being something of a honeypot.

 

[Sir Felix Pole]

Something I’ve been meaning to ask, on a related theme, as I’m not familiar with the current prospects for the China clay sector in Cornwall.

Is there the prospect of the haul road no longer being needed at some point? Presumably were that ever to be the case it stands a high likelihood the route would become a cycle path.

I’d imagine it would be quite popular with Fowey being something of a honeypot.

The china clay industry is a shadow of its former self, but seems to have stabilised for now. Regretably it is foreign owned (IMREYS) which has cheaper deposits available in South America, so who knows? Sadly I think rail haulage is most likely to go first before road haulage.

Yes it would make a super cycle track - quite a stiff gradient (railway wise) on either side of the tunnel. Clay trains often required banking assistance in steam days.

 

[bramling]

The china clay industry is a shadow of its former self, but seems to have stabilised for now. Regretably it is foreign owned (IMREYS) which has cheaper deposits available in South America, so who knows? Sadly I think rail haulage is most likely to go first before road haulage.

Yes it would make a super cycle track - quite a stiff gradient (railway wise) on either side of the tunnel. Clay trains often required banking assistance in steam days.

Ok, thanks for the info. So essentially hanging on for the time being then by the sound of it.

I’ve done the tunnel 10k a few times, definitely quite a gradient, though nice downhill finish to Fowey!

 

[norbitonflyer]

It refers to a road specifically designed and built to cater for heavy cargo (usually mine) traffic.

Or forestry.

 

[Sun Chariot]

As and when the Par - Fowey ECC/Imerys private haul-road is no longer required, I'd be keen to see it considered as a second public highway to the touristy and (when my wife and I visited in 2024) congested rural roads which link Par with Fowey.

Pinnock Tunnel is, I appreciate, a limiting factor: single-lane, with traffic control at each end. Suitable for ad-hoc china-clay lorries; but inadequate for a regular stream of cars, caravans, motorhomes, etc...

 

[trebor79]

As and when the Par - Fowey ECC/Imerys private haul-road is no longer required, I'd be keen to see it considered as a second public highway to the touristy and (when my wife and I visited in 2024) congested rural roads which link Par with Fowey.

Pinnock Tunnel is, I appreciate, a limiting factor: single-lane, with traffic control at each end. Suitable for ad-hoc china-clay lorries; but inadequate for a regular stream of cars, caravans, motorhomes, etc...

Actually that wouldn't be a very good use of it. It would dump you at the old railway station area, and there's only a small car park there. You'd then have to drive all the way out of town up the the roundabout and turn left to get to the main car park. By that time you've driven halfway back to Par and used half the existing Par-Fowey route anyway.
Even getting across the creek from the haul road to town would cost a lot of money

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 15 Aug 2026 ==

BR did a deal with ECC ( as then was) to give up the line in return for a long term contract for rail haulage from the main loading points to Fowey via Lostwithiel. ECC found it more convenient to serve the smaller pits by lorry, but the main road into Fowey was (and still is) not suitable - converting the railway provided the solution.

The dryer at Par is about to close sadly. If you wanted to restore passenger services to Fowey reactivating this line would be more sensible than the Lostwithiel route. The main bus flow from Fowey is towards St. Austell.

Ah, I see that makes sense I guess. I think actually this may have been explained to me before.

Yes the clay industry seems to be shrinking massively. Only saw one clay ship in the for tight we were there, and it was only a little one. Only a few years ago you'd see several in a week.
We saw three cruise ships though. First time cruise ships have outnumbered clay on our annual visit.

 

[Sun Chariot]

Actually that wouldn't be a very good use of it. It would dump you at the old railway station area, and there's only a small car park there. You'd then have to drive all the way out of town up the the roundabout and turn left to get to the main car park. By that time you've driven halfway back to Par and used half the existing Par-Fowey route anyway.
Even getting across the creek from the haul road to town would cost a lot money.

My thinking was for Fowey-bound traffic not originating from Par itself (and my opinion based solely on my and wife's road meandering from Falmouth, Par Harbour branch, a fairly brief explore of Fowey, before continuing to Mevagissey - we both preferred it over Fowey).

 

[trebor79]

My thinking was for Fowey-bound traffic not originating from Par itself (and my opinion based solely on my and wife's road meandering from Falmouth, Par Harbour branch, a fairly brief explore of Fowey, before continuing to Megavissey - we both preferred it over Fowey).

There are only 2 routes into Fowey:
From that roundabout halfway to Par.
Over the Boddinick ferry.

As for Mehavissey, we took the ferry there last year and enjoyed the trip and seeing dolphins. We all agreed the only downside was that we ended up in Mehavissey .

 

[Sun Chariot]

As for Mehavissey, we took the ferry there last year and enjoyed the trip and seeing dolphins. We all agreed the only downside was that we ended up in Mehavissey .

It was jet-skis, rather than dolphins, beyond the harbour-wall, when we visited Mevagissey.

I'm still trying to recall the roads we took to Fowey:
- over the level crossing for rarely-used Par Harbour to St Blazey line,
- under the Par - Fowey ECC/Imerys road,
- then tortuous road to Fowey.
But I cannot recall how we got from the dual carriageway to the Par Harbour level crossing. Grey cells failing me...

 

[Sir Felix Pole]

It was jet-skis, rather than dolphins, beyond the harbour-wall, when we visited Mevagissey.

I'm still trying to recall the roads we took to Fowey:
- over the level crossing for rarely-used Par Harbour to St Bkazey line,
- under the Par - Fowey ECC/Imerys road,
- then tortuous road to Fowey.
But I cannot recall how we got from the dual carriageway to the Par Harbour level crossing. Grey cells failing me...

0ff the A30 at Cornwall Services and through Roche to St. Austell I guess. Roche has a new bypass now - it is quite a piece of engineering winding through the clay tips.

'Clay Country' has a fascinating history, especially the myriad of railways. It is very much like the Welsh Valleys with 'white gold' instead. It has sinilar level of deprivation as well, unfortunately.

 

[bramling]

0ff the A30 at Cornwall Services and through Roche to St. Austell I guess. Roche has a new bypass now - it is quite a piece of engineering winding through the clay tips.

'Clay Country' has a fascinating history, especially the myriad of railways. It is very much like the Welsh Valleys with 'white gold' instead. It has sinilar level of deprivation as well, unfortunately.

On the last point, whilst many see Cornwall as a picture-postcard tourist county, a visit to especially the part around Redruth/Camborne is quite eye-opening.

 

[trebor79]

On the last point, whilst many see Cornwall as a picture-postcard tourist county, a visit to especially the part around Redruth/Camborne is quite eye-opening.

Indeed. You don't have to go far from the tourist spots to see some very deprived areas.

Oh and for anyone holidaying there I cannot recommend highly enough a visit to PK Porthcurno. My wife and kids really didn't want to go but ended up raving about it. It's a really fantastic museum.

Anyway to bring slightly back in topic I can't ever see the Par to Fowey line opening again, but perhaps there's hope for Lostwithiel to Fowey.

 

[Rivercider]

Indeed. You don't have to go far from the tourist spots to see some very deprived areas.

Oh and for anyone holidaying there I cannot recommend highly enough a visit to PK Porthcurno. My wife and kids really didn't want to go but ended up raving about it. It's a really fantastic museum.

Anyway to bring slightly back in topic I can't ever see the Par to Fowey line opening again, but perhaps there's hope for Lostwithiel to Fowey.

Picking up on this, and the point made by bramling above, another good place to visit is the Wheal Martyn China Clay Museum. It is a little north west of St Austell, not far from the Eden Project.
Wheal Martyn shows some of the harsh realities of how china clay was produced, and includes quite a large amount of railway interest too as rail was important to get the clay to the coast for export, and import coal for the pumping and drying. It is possible to leave the car there and walk to St Austell following one of the Clay Trails, which follows the route of the Lansalson Branch (the last branch built by the GWR). Along the way are a number of overgrown railway relics, and hiding in the trees alongside is the remains of Carlyon Farm Dries, one of the largest clay dries in Cornwall. The bookshop at Wheal Martyn included a couple of interesting railway books, and also shipping from Fowey and Par.

Another railway connected place would be to walk around the Luxulyan Valley, and across the Treffry Aqueduct. In the valley below you can follow the route of the original tramroad and go down Carmears Incline, there are stone setts and bits of rail still in situ.

I will look out PK Porthcurno.

cheers

 

[Sir Felix Pole]

Rather good video of Fowey to Par by classic car during Fowey Regatta Week. St. Pinnock Tunnel is rather wet despite the heatwave,

Fowey to Par

 

[DelW]

What exactly is a "private haul road"? Not a term I've heard before!

It refers to a road specifically designed and built to cater for heavy cargo (usually mine) traffic.

Or forestry.

Also in civil engineering earthworks operations, temporary haul roads are used to link cut areas (excavation) to fill areas (deposition). These days usually used by off-highway dump trucks, which are bigger and heavier than road-going trucks.

 

[izvor]

Rather good video of Fowey to Par by classic car during Fowey Regatta Week. St. Pinnock Tunnel is rather wet despite the heatwave,

Fowey to Par

Thanks for posting this. In about 1968 me and a school friend decided we'd walk up the old line and through the tunnel, not realising it was this "private haul road". (ISTR that we'd just broken into the derelict station building at Fowey and found a load of old paperwork scattered around.) We walked all the way up to the tunnel, hoping/expecting that the road would veer off the old track bed and leave us the tunnel to walk through. Of course it didn't and we had to walk all the way back to Fowey. Don't remember any trucks, maybe it was Sunday. The video shows just how long that tunnel was/is.