The Pasty and serpentine Railway
There is a famous Pasty Factory within the village also this area is the only place in the country where serpentine is mined. Since the Serpentine is a specialised item it would not be moved in quantities and would not rate the expense of a main line construction to take it away to the rest of the country.
Also the Pasty factory wanted to expand its trade and being a lovely tasty easily packaged wholesome food in its own right, and far better being eaten on the same day its made, needs two be taken to a larger customer base quickly
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The Lizard point is fully eight to nine miles from Helston the biggest market town a long way by road so it was thought best to rail them straight down to a cove not to far away. Then to have them put aboard a local boat and taken around the headland to Falmouth the biggest Natural port this end of England.
For this some flat beds for the bigger Pasties and the local fast ferry boat was put to use.
So why not include the Serpentine on this journey for the small but heavy loads a small hopper set would go down once a day until the barge for the local granite was fully loaded along with a small load of the precious serpintine with its holds full would catch the next tide.
These flat bottomed barges were only used in the summer as the sea,s get rough around the point means that smaller loads were often taken in the winter as the smaller deep keel boats would have to come in and go out on the same tides obviously carrying smaller quantities ment the toll charged was smaller meant the railway was in danger during winter of being shut down.
A local villager and the diesal driver who took the hopper wagons down suggested that since the local foot path's were badly damaged, and the bus companies were messing with the time tables and cutting services because of the new Culdrose airfield and prefered taking the matloe's into helston for there nightly foray rather than travel out to the point to take a handful of locals to work or the pub.
Why don't we start a passenger service also ole Farmer Nanpusket had a couple of steam locomotives down on his farm brought from Gweek railway when it closed he was using them to generate leakytricity on his farm until last winter now he is on that new fangled thing the grid he dont need em.
Also old fishermen Trawlawny who runs the life boat house can drive an engine his dad used to drive the engine on the Helston railway and taught him well.
So why not get a proper passenger service going tractor up the locomotives clean em up and go search out a couple of passenger trucks, farmer trevaskus got an ex Helston railway coach he keeps is broody hens in we can nab that one
So track was laid along foot path's hedges were knocked down a small wharf was built and a station bang in the centre of the village was built, So it was the most southerly Railway was born.
Sorry it was a bit long winded but its nice to know why it exists I didn't know the full facts until this evening
Amazing over a couple jars what you can glean from the locals under the influence. dizzysteamer
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