The Struggle for the Cornwall Railway:
Fated Decisions

The Cornwall Railway was unlucky in many ways. Although the possibility of a railway through the county to Falmouth was first considered in 1833, the connection to London was not achieved until 1859. The difficult topography was an engineering challenge but it was disagreements about the route that delayed progress through Parliament. This is an insight into the heated political debates with most of the leading engineers of the day taking part, along with Cornwall’s gentry, landowners and business interests. Once construction started, financial difficulties delayed progress so that the line took thirteen years to complete.

It was an arduous struggle and this account, often told in the participants’ own words, tells of the setbacks, failures but ultimate triumph of the Cornwall Railway.

ISBN 978 0 906294 74 1
240 pages, 68 illustrations. Soft back. £16.50

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Reviews:

This is an especially well-researched study for the serious railway enthusiast, but also for those with an interest in the changes wrought in Cornwall during the Victorian period.
Old Cornwall Spring 2013

Well researched ... it is important in tackling its theme at length.
Journal of the Railway & Canal Historical Society, March 2013