Bodmin & Wenford Railway

• Steam locomotives
• 13 mile round trip through Cornish countryside
• Steam locomotive driver courses
• Souvenir shop and refreshments

The Bodmin & Wenford Railway is part of a network of railways that grew up around Bodmin from 1834, when the original Bodmin & Wadebridge Railway opened. The line ran from Wadebridge to Wenfordbridge, with a branch line to Bodmin, and was built to transport sand from the Camel Estuary. It was the first steam-worked railway in Cornwall, one of the earliest in the world and one of the first in Britain to carry passengers. Several years later, a station was built at Glynn Bridge, which is now Bodmin Parkway. Before long the Great Western Railway had taken over this new line and they built a link to Bodmin, the line on which the present steam services run. The Bodmin branch line opened from Bodmin Parkway to Bodmin in 1887 and a second line, from Bodmin to Boscarne Junction, opened a year later to connect with the original Bodmin & Wadebridge Railway.

The Bodmin & Wenford Railway is typical of a branch line in the 1950s, running both steam locomotives and diesel trains. It is the only standard gauge railway in Cornwall still operating steam engines. The main station is Bodmin General, where there are a souvenir shop and cafe in the restored station buildings. The engine sheds are also here. The trains run through some delightful countryside and there is a direct link with the Camel Trail at Boscarne Junction. This trail is a footpath and cycle track running along the old railway bed between Padstow and Wadebridge. Bodmin Parkway station is on the main London to Penzance line. It is close to Lanhydrock House, and there is a beautiful walk along the old carriage drive from the station. The trains operate on the Bodmin & Wenford Railway from March to December each year, on a daily basis from the end of May until the beginning of October.

Special Events include:- Murder Mysteries; Steam, Beer & Jazz, Dining Trains, Steaming thru the 40´s, Santa Specials and more. For full details of their programme and fares click onto their website

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Bodmin & Wenford Railway
General Station
Bodmin
Cornwall
PL31 1AQ

Tel: 01208 73666
Fax: 01208 77963

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