The Cornish Branchliner

Step aboard for an unforgettable diesel-hauled rail adventure that spans the very heart of Britain’s railway heritage and some of its most spectacular scenery. Our journey begins at Crewe, one of the nation’s most historic railway junctions, before heading south along the iconic West Coast Main Line, gathering passengers en-route as we pass through the Midlands and beyond.

From the bustle of Birmingham New Street, we press south over classic main line territory, including the celebrated descent of the Lickey Incline, before continuing into the rolling landscapes of Worcestershire and Gloucestershire.

As our train heads towards the South-West, anticipation builds for the dramatic coastal running that lies ahead.

Our tour commences at the busy railway junction of Crewe, famous for its origins as a railway town and extensive works. We will travel southwards along the West Coast Main Line and call at Stafford before heading towards the West Midlands. A stop to pick up further passengers will be made at Tame Bridge Parkway, which offers convenient parking for Wolverhampton and Walsall passengers. Calling next at Birmingham New Street, we will now head southwards, including the descent of the Lickey Bank, through Bromsgrove and on to Worcestershire Parkway, where we pause to pick up passengers from the Worcester area. Further south, we call at Cheltenham and Cam & Dursley before heading towards Bristol. Pick up stops will be made at Bristol Parkway and Bristol Temple Mead, and then we head across the Somerset Levels through Bridgwater towards Exeter. We now have the eagerly awaited run along the famous Dawlish Sea Wall to look forward to as we sweep along the shoreline of the Atlantic Ocean on this special section of track, often affected by bad weather and high waves. Heading inland at Teignmouth, we will follow the Teign estuary to Newton Abbot before we commence one of many very steep climbs over the south Devon Banks. Dainton Bank leads to Totnes, followed by the equally challenging climb over Rattery Bank on the edge of Dartmoor before we eventually reach the naval city of Plymouth. Famed for its naval dockyards, the city has a rich maritime history linked to the Mayflower carrying Pilgrims to America in 1620. Devonport is also a large naval base with early links to famous explorers like Sir Francis Drake and Captain Cook.

After a pause at Plymouth, we will now leave Devon and enter Cornwall by way of our passage over Isambard Kingdom Brunel's impressive Royal Albert Bridge over the Tamar. Now in Cornwall, our route will follow the main line through Liskeard and Lostwithiel to the junction of the Fowey branch. Our special train will leave the main line and closely follow the river Fowey through to Carne Point. This is now a freight only line and it’s quite rare for a passenger train to run down the branch. We pass the little harbour at Golant and reach the present end of the line at Carne Point, which is a working port that has served the China Clay industry since the line opened in 1869. The attractive Fowey harbour is a mile further along, but the town no longer has a station, although there was a recent proposal to reopen the branch once again to passenger traffic. 

Once we have reached the docks, we will retrace our outward route back to Plymouth and then call to set down passengers at our earlier pick-up points back to Crewe.

On Board Catering