Hayle Railway

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The Hayle Railway was an early metal railway in west Cornwall built to move copper and tin ore from mines around Redruth, Camborne and nearby areas to the harbours at Hayle and Portreath. It opened in 1837 (to Pool and Portreath) and started carrying passengers on its main line in 1843.

The line ran from Redruth to Hayle, with a branch to Portreath from Pool. It was standard gauge and mostly a single line, but it used four rope-worked inclines to climb steep hills. Locomotives were used on most of the route, though horse power was used at the western end in the early days. The main line connected with mines and harbours, and there were also sidings at various mines and factories.

The Hayle Railway carried ore, coal for pumps and machinery, timber and other goods, and it gradually carried passengers as well. Passenger trains began in 1843, and by 1844 there were three passenger services each way daily. The passenger service also led to some hazardous moments, including accidents on the inclines and when wagons detached from trains.

In 1846, the West Cornwall Railway obtained an Act to purchase the Hayle Railway and adopt much of its route. The new owners made improvements to avoid the Angarrack incline by changing the main route and building a higher viaduct at Penponds. They relocated Hayle and Redruth stations and prepared the line to be part of a through route from Penzance to Redruth.

The Hayle Railway network was closed in February 1852 for conversion and reopened in March 1852 as part of the new Penzance–Redruth line. The old Angarrack and Penponds alignments were abandoned, but the Tresavean and Portreath branches continued to operate under the new owner. The West Cornwall Railway opened its main line east of Redruth in August 1852, completing a through route and giving Cornwall a through railway link to the rest of the country.