Port Isaac

Port Isaac was a busy coastal port from the Middle Ages to the mid 19th century handling cargoes like stone, ores, limestone, salt, coal, timber, pottery, and heavy commodities. The railway ended the coastal trade by the start of the 20th century. Fishing and fish-processing was important and continues today. Tourism is increasingly important and the village is used as a backdrop to television productions including Poldark (1975–77) and Doc Martin (2004–present).

At the turn of the 20^th century the Great Western Railway (GWR) proposed to build several light railways in Cornwall including one from a junction on the London South Western Railway (LSWR) near Padstow to Tregurrian. I've assumed the LSWR panicked and built the Amble Valley Light Railway (AVLR) to Port Isaac before the GWR did.  the AVLR would have run six and a half miles from Wadebridge to Port Isaac via a bridge over the River Camel, into the Amble Valley, Trewornan (quay), Chapel Amble, St Endellion, and Trehatrock (gap). The AVLR serves the parishes of St. Endellion, St Kew, and St Minver with a combined population of 2,879 in 1901 growing to 3,911 in 1961 due to tourism. The terminus would be 4 chains (80 meters) south of the port as it's impractical to run down Middle Street or fund extensive demolitions. The AVLR would have been a Beaching cut.

Passenger traffic local traffic would have been light with tourist traffic being important till the early 1960s. If built the AVLR would have supplanted Port Isaac Road (above) which sold 4,500 tickets in 1928 and less than 2,000 in 1936. There are currently four local buses to/from Wadebridge and a through bus to/from Bodmin Road fitting well with a local/tourist split. Fitted freight fish was important with 150 tons a year of mackerel and shellfish being sent overnight to Billingsgate in 1897 balanced by inbound fish from Grimsby. Flowers and fruit were important traffic, with the early daffodils very important to the Cornish economy. Rabbit traffic was significant till the early 1950's. General goods, particularly coal. The AVLR passed 4 quarries, 2 shafts, & 1 pit all disused and might have revived quarrying for slaty quartz & mandelstone and mining for copper, lead, silver, manganese, & antimony.

Operation The AVLR is a single section with one train in steam. From Port Isaac to Trehatrock the grade would have been about 1:30 restricting passenger trains to 15 mph, goods trains to 10 mph and a maximum of 8 loaded wagons. Locos would face towards Wadebridge to keep their fire boxes covered with water . The AVLR has a mix of passenger, mixed, goods and mineral trains over time. When required extra goods and tourists trains would be run - summer Saturdays all passenger trains might comprise through coaches.

As the photos above and right show the local architecture is random stone some time whitewashed. The LSWR used corrugated iron to keep costs down.

Photos of the layout under construction