Bodmin & Wenford Railway
Today's Bodmin & Wenford Railway is just part of a network of railways that grew up around the town of Bodmin. The story starts with one of the very first railways in the world - the Bodmin & Wadebridge Railway
The Bodmin & Wadebridge Railway was built following a study commissioned in 1831 by local landowner Sir William Molesworth of Pencarrow at a cost of £35,000. The line from Wadebridge to Wenfordbridge, with a branch to Bodmin, was intended to carry sand from the Camel estuary to inland farms for use as fertiliser.
Reporting the opening of the Bodmin & Wadebridge Railway in 1834, the "West Briton" stated: "A more grand and imposing sight was never, perhaps, witnessed in the county". It was the first steam-worked railway in Cornwall, and one of the first in Britain to carry passengers.
In the 1840s, England's railway network expanded towards Bodmin. The London & South Western Railway purchased the Bodmin & Wadebridge Railway in 1846 and intended to connect it to the rest of the system by a new line through North Cornwall
Particularly at wartime, the line formed part of a diversion route for main line traffic around Plymouth. Larger locomotives were allowed on the line for this reason. In 1944, Field Marshal Montgomery and General Eisenhower arrived at Bodmin by train when visiting the barracks.
Steam-hauled passenger services ended on the line in 1963, although Southern Railway "N" class locomotives worked clay trains over the line until 1964, en-route from Boscarne Junction to Fowey docks. D6309 worked the last passenger train on the evening of Saturday 28 January 1967 and the line was officially closed for passengers from January 30th. The line to Wenfordbridge remained open for china clay traffic until September 1983 when a need to invest in new track forced closure of the line.
VISITORS INFORMATION:
Parking
Free parking is available on the forecourt at Bodmin General for mobility impaired passengers.
Trains
Facilities for wheelchair bound visitors are available on most daytime trains, with purpose built accommodation for passengers and carers, and a ramp to ease boarding from the platform.
Fares
Generous discounts are available to disabled passengers on our daytime trains, amounting to 50% off the fare (for both adults and children).
By car
From Exeter take the A30 west via Okehampton & Launceston to Bodmin
From Torbay, Plymouth take the A38 west to Bodmin
From south east Cornwall including Looe take the A38 west to Bodmin
From west Cornwall take the A30 east
From north Cornwall take the A39 to Wadebridge then the A389 to Bodmin
Then follow the brown tourist signs to the
By Bus
Western Greyhound bus services stop outside Bodmin General Station. Show your bus ticket to Bodmin at the Railway station and get 20% discount on your train fare
By train
To Bodmin Parkway station which is on the main line through Cornwall.
By Foot or Bicycle
From Padstow or Wadebridge use the Camel Trail to Boscarne Junction. From Lanhydrock use the old carriage drive to Bodmin Parkway
Pet dogs are carried free on all "standard" service trains.
Address:
Bodmin & Wenford Railway,
General Station,
BODMIN,
Cornwall,
PL31 1AQ