I've uploaded the 1856 map of the R & C. It's not the highest quality but quite important. There is a bit of a dispute going on at the moment. Maurice Dart, who has written a number of books on the mineral railways, states in one of them that between 1847-1851 the railway was extended to South Francis and possibly even further west. It was taken up at an unknown date.
I've searched through all the R & C archives at the CRO and can find no record of it ever going beyond the Wheal Buller/Wheal Basset boundary, where the terminus is on the map so I don't know where he got his information from. I suppose the best way is to ask him. At least we now know where the Wheal Basset coal yards were. The Google Earth of the area is quite helpful. The path running north from the coal yard was the line of the railway as shown on the 1880 OS map although it turned east before reaching the road. the Basset stamps were at the western edge. You can see the remains of the Vanner House.

🔗Personal-Album-272-Image-029[linkphoto]Personal-Album-272-Image-029[/linkphoto][/link]

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I've since discussed this with MD and he says he may have got it wrong! I don't think there is much doubt that it didn't go further than the boundary of Wheal basset and Wheal Buller. Why they didn't take it to the Basset stamps remains a mystery.

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I presume you've got a copy of D.Barton's book on the R & C ? Not being my area I'm not familiar with it, just wondered if it said anything.

Graham

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I presume you've got a copy of D.Barton's book on the R & C ? Not being my area I'm not familiar with it, just wondered if it said anything.

Graham

Funny you should say that. When I asked Dart for his source for his statement he sent me a copy of two pages from the book. Nowhere did it did it justify Dart's conclusion. Barton just says, "that at some point the railway may have gone further west". I've read the book but haven't got a copy but the comprehensive archive of the railway was deposited in the CRO by Barton in 1977. The annual report for 1852 states that the planned extension from the Buller yards to the western extremity of Wheal Buller has been carried out. Rather disproves the case for it going to South Wheal Francis between 1847-51. Actually at some point the extension must have been taken up (possibly around the copper collapse in the mid 60s) because in the 1871 annual report it mentions that the Basset management had asked for the track to be relaid.

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The OS 25inch to Mile (1880) showing the extension to the Wheal Buller boundary. The railway is to the east. THe Basset Stamps to the west of the terminus with the tramway running s/w from them. This is the same as the 1856 map.

🔗Personal-Album-272-Image-037[linkphoto]Personal-Album-272-Image-037[/linkphoto][/link]

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