Chairman’s Notes: August 2007

A milestone was reached on 7 May when we formally laid our first section of track at Trevarno, almost 120 years after the original opening ceremony – May 9 1887. this time we intend to make sure the track stays there. The ceremony was attended by the Mayor’s of Camborne and Helston. We were particularly pleased that the Mayor of Helston found time to attend as the busiest day of his year took place the following day – Helston Flora Day.

After a reading of the report of the original 1887 opening, both Mayors accompanied myself on a walk along the track bed to Truthall Halt where we were able to explain our plans for the future.

Since then we have laid more track to the north of Trevarno Bridge, and we intend to have sufficient laid to allow the delivery of the Park Royal DMU to Trevarno at the end of the month. Although we have plenty of sleepers, we have a shortage of rails – but we have been able to purchase enough for the DMU from the Bristol Harbour Docks company which are in very good condition for their age.

The good news is that we have now obtained a much better means of access. We have obtained permission to use an access track near the bridge near Lower Prospidnick. The access was originally built by the railway to allow local farmers access to their fields dissected by the railway line. Since closure the farm track had become over grown and muddy but our volunteers have cleared the mud and obtained some road ‘scrapings’ from Cormac. These scrapings have provided a firm surface which should be strong enough to take a low loader.

The access track comes up level to the former railway line. At this point the line has been used as a farm track and the ballast has been compressed over the years to form a very strong dry road surface which can be driven along. Our only problem was on the approach to Trevarno Bridge itself. Here the remains of several Cornish hedges had been dumped in the cutting forming a mound. Our volunteers, led by John Sumbler, Clif Walker and James Packman, hired two large dumper trucks and a JCB to shift the earth and recover the track bed. An estimated 2,000 tons of soil and granite was removed – much of which will be reused to construct the station platform at Trevarno. All credit to the tireless efforts of our volunteers who continued working through some atrocious heavy rain to complete this task.

The Helston Railway Company Plc share issue has raised around £16,000 and thanks to all our Members who applied. However we need to have issued at least £50,000 of shares before we can get our trading certificate – at least a quarter of the value of each share having been paid up. We will be launching a further share issue exclusively to our Members later this month, this time allowing applicants to pay in installments in order to reach the £50,000 target of issued shares.

A reminder for visitors to the railway

Access via Top Lodge gate is only allowed for volunteers working on the railway. Unless you have received express permission from Helston Railway Officers – and you are engaged in working on the railway – the only means of access is through Trevarno Gardens main entrance. Helston Railway Society Members are entitled to 25% discount on Trevarno’s entrance fee if they show their membership card at Trevarno’s booking office.