Our first stop was at Blisland. We visited the shop/post office/community centre which offered internet access. I had museum enquiries so was pleased to have checked and responded. I think promptness is needed. Of course I could deal with the personal mails as well.
And then we drove to Liskeard. We might have stopped in town had we found anywhere convenient for a twenty minute stop, but we were heading for the railway station and that’s where we ended up. The station offers toilets, refreshments etc. so is not a bad place to wait.
Liskeard is really two railway stations at right angles. The main line from Paddington to Penzance runs east to west through it – a main line with trains to all sorts of places. Whilst we were there a Manchester bound train was announced. It may be a main line, but it has quaint features, like this signal.
This signal is controlled from a traditional box sited alongside the main line.
You might notice a traditional (and very friendly) signal man leaning out of his box – and there’s the signal again.
But it doesn’t really control the main line it controls entry to the stock transfer line giving access, with a reverse, to the other platform which is a terminus with a single track heading north.
The railways have learned to make the most of lines in tourist areas. This line is marketed as the Looe Valley Line and the mini stations en route are well signposted and well maintained.
This line to Looe starts out in an amazing way with a strange route engineered by Joseph Thomas. It must have been about the last thing he did.
But here comes the train.
Can you call a single carriage a train?
It proved adequate – comfortably filled. I chose seats facing backwards on the left side. This was the enthusiast’s choice. I wanted to experience that link between Liskeard and the Looe and Caradon Railway.
The L and C was a mineral line from quarries up on the moors down to the harbour at Looe. Brunel’s Cornwall Railway passed over it on a high and mighty viaduct. The link line starts by heading north, away from Looe and goes down a very steep (railway terms) hill which sees it turn to the east, and then the south, and then the west and then back north again, under the viaduct.
My picture of the viaduct was taken from the train – I was looking towards the back of the train.
At Coombe we run parallel with the Looe and Caradon for a while, before joining it. Then the driver walks through the train and we head of south to Looe. We are now on the Looe line and that’s the Liskeard loop heading uphill.
Our train was a non-stop – so next stop is Looe.
Can I just curse air conditioning here? You can’t open any windows, so photos have to be through the less than 100% clean double glazed units. That’s it for photos until Looe.