Devon Great Consols Railway · AditNow Community

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Tamarmole
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Newbie Topic Starter

15 years ago

This month sees the 150th anniversary of the opening of the standard gauge Devon Great Consols Railway.

Interestingly the Tamar Valley AONB as part of the Tamar Valley Mining Heritage Project has been working on reopening the railway as a footpath. It has taken them longer in the 21st century to turn the existing trackbed into a footpath than it did to build the railway in the first place. Progress??

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Peter Burgess
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15 years ago

Possibly because they don't have the proceeds of an exceptionally profitable copper mine to fund the work?

Tamarmole
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Newbie Topic Starter

15 years ago

About £4m - £6m (depending on who you listen to) has been spent on the Tamar Valley Mining Heritage Project. The DGC railway was a key part of this, linking DGC with Morwellham creating " a linear park".

Peter Burgess
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Newbie

15 years ago

I remember attempting to follow the line in the mid 70s. What is it like after so many years of being abandoned? Turning recently close railway lines into paths isn't too difficult with all the drainage and so in in working order. But this line was last used about 1900 - is that right?

Actually, it was only the bit north of the main road I followed. Looking at the aerial photo of the area, it seems there isn't much left on quite a bit of the route.

derrickman
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Newbie

15 years ago

talking of indeterminate sums of money being spent on no-one quite knows what, what is happening at Morwellham?

been reading the local press coverage of this, seems it is now in administration. Much controversy on this subject in the comments which follow.

I have to agree with the chap who posted that it was a real money-spinner with the right approach, but that's not the case now. I did go there once and the impression it made on me, was like some steam railways; a well-meant project with a lot of potential, but lacking sufficiently dynamic management and consequently over-extended and trying to do too much at once and not really achieving it as a result.

''the stopes soared beyond the range of our caplamps' - David Bick...... How times change .... oh, I don't know, I've still got a lamp like that.

Tamarmole
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie Topic Starter

15 years ago

"derrickman" wrote:
talking of indeterminate sums of money being spent on no-one quite knows what, what is happening at Morwellham?

been reading the local press coverage of this, seems it is now in administration. Much controversy on this subject in the comments which follow.

I have to agree with the chap who posted that it was a real money-spinner with the right approach, but that's not the case now. I did go there once and the impression it made on me, was like some steam railways; a well-meant project with a lot of potential, but lacking sufficiently dynamic management and consequently over-extended and trying to do too much at once and not really achieving it as a result.

That's a fair assesment.

The passion had gone out of the place. The organisation became top heavy with "managers" the majority of whom had no interest in industrial heritage. I (and one or two others) was considered eccentric because my interest extended beyond my job description.

ttxela
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Newbie

15 years ago

I hope it survives in some form, it's an impressive place with those raised rails the wharfs etc. Having the run of it for the weekend and wandering round in the evening was quite special.

Young Summer would love it too.

Tamarmole
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Newbie Topic Starter

15 years ago

The hope is to reopen at Easter although that will require someone to take over the site. At the moment we are on care & M, the vast majority of staff have been laid off. Myself and a collegue have been retained on the mine to keep it ticking over - I must say it is much eaier to run without members of the public.