Railway Artefacts & Memorabilia 

File under construction, more will be posted 2009

The railway first came to Padstow in 1899 by way of branch of the South Western Railway. The track was laid between Exeter and Padstow via Oakhampton, Halwill Junction, Launceston, Wadebridge , with many small halts.

The line was built as a single track with passing loops at the larger stations, this system of passing loops and key sections made for very slow progress between Padstow and Exeter the journey could take 2-3 hours.

The construction of this line meant that one could travel to Waterloo without changing in a time of about 7 hours.

This branch line was originally built to service the fishing industry and meant for the first time that fish could be transported to Billingsgate Market to arrive fresh each day. As a spin off Padstow became a desirable holiday venue which it remains so today long after the demise of the railway in in the mid 20th Century. Another commodity trade  also made use of the facility, that was the shipping of china clay from the port.

The Hotel Metropole was built in the early 20th century to cater for the visiting clientele and hosted many famous people, including the Prince of Wales.

Today long after the rail track was lifted the track has become the Camel Trail a well loved cycle way where one can enjoy the freedom from road traffic & enjoy the wild life and wooded valleys between Padstow and Bodmin.