The Groups Involved
The CSLPS
The Cornish Steam
Locomotive Preservation Society has been active in preserving and keeping in
working order a number of railway locomotives and other items for over
twenty-five years. Originating in the St. Austell area the society first ran a
small demonstration line in the china clay country known as the Bugle Steam
Railway, based at a disused clay dry near the village of Bugle. Having to move,
as the site was required for other purposes, the CSLPS transferred to the
fledgling Bodmin and Wenford Railway in 1987. The society’s stock list includes
the steam locos No 19 from Devonport Dockyard and Alfred from Par Harbour,
also a steam crane once used for track repairs on the Cornish main line and a
variety of goods wagons associated with the china clay industry. The society is
volunteer-run and can call on a wealth of technical resource and experience.
Poltair Community School
The school is
sited in St. Austell, a town that at one time owed its prosperity to the china
clay industry. There are many links with the industry both past and current and
many pupils will have family members who have earned their living from china
clay at some time.
The GCSE
engineering course is a fairly recent development and the intention is to
stimulate pupils interest in engineering by linking the theoretical with the
practical. Pupils will study the process to be used in the repairs, the
materials, the tools, design methods, standards, the practical use of tools,
safety requirements and the entire scope of the engineering and project planning
process. It is hoped that at least some of the pupils will take an active part
in the process by assisting with the dismantling and minor overhaul of
components.
Young Archaeologists Club, Cornwall
Branch
Linked to the Cornwall Heritage
Trust the club fosters and guides young people who have an interest in
archaeology. The mid-Cornwall area still has a considerable resource of
industrial archaeology remains from the mineral extraction industries that once
thrived in this part of the Duchy. Appreciation and retention of those remaining
items is essential and the club makes an important contribution to this end.
Project Scope
Our intention is
to make the locomotive a part of a display focusing on the role that the
county’s railway network played in transporting china clay from the dries to the
harbours.
The school group
will investigate and assess the engineering techniques used, produce technical
drawings of some components, explore the use of different materials and the
design process. The traditional skills associated with boiler repairs; tube
expanding and beading, hot riveting and caulking, stay driving and heading will
all be required and the Poltair School group will be able to witness these.
The Cornwall
Young Archaeologists Club will carry out research into the role of rail
transport in developing the clay industry and also the development of Par
Harbour. They will use the English China Clay Co.’s archives, stored at the
Wheal Martyn China Clay Museum as an information resource and also visit the
harbour and other sites. It is also hoped to interview existing and past
employees and making contact with these will be a good learning exercise.
During the course
of the project details will be posted on the society’s web site and members will
make a video record of proceedings. On completion, a record of the repairs, the
research with illustrations and diagrams will be created and made available to
those interested. In addition display boards with enlarged illustrations and
text will be provided to allow the creation of a focal point around the
locomotive after the work has been completed.
The locomotive
will be used and displayed at the Bodmin General station of the Bodmin and
Wenford Railway and also be available for display elsewhere if required.
The society
wishes to thank the Exeter office of the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Heritage
Railway Association and local organisations such as the Wheal Martyn China Clay
Museum, the Cornwall Heritage Trust and the China Clay Historical Society for
support and advice.
Completion date
for the project was October 2007.
The restoration
is being carried out at the workshops of the Bodmin & Wenford Railway, General
Station, Bodmin.
Links to:- Bodmin
& Wenford Railway - Cornwall's only standard gauge steam railway
CSLPS main
website - part of BodminAndWenfordRailway.co.uk
Wheal Martyn China Clay
Country Park
The Heritage
Lottery Fund (HLF) enables communities to celebrate, look after and learn more
about our diverse heritage. From our great museums and historic buildings to
local parks and beauty spots or recording and celebrating traditions, customs
and history, HLF grants open up our nation’s heritage for everyone to enjoy. We
have supported more than 15,000 projects, allocating over £3 billion across the
UK. This includes £295.4m to projects in the South West |
