A journey in the faaar west - Penzance to St Ives - 28th Jan 2025

[whole diary]

[grahame]

Once a train or bus service gets to a certain frequency, it becomes "turn up and go - don't worry about the timetable".  And so it was on Tuesday on the middle-of-the-day trip from Penzance to St Ives, changing at St Erth along the way.  Trains leave Penznce every half hour ... and I'm not exactly sure which we got on.  And connections at St Erth run every 30 minutes to St Ives.  The rail industry acknowledges this at St Erth by telling you that the "connection" really isn't - that the branch train won't wait, and explains there'll be another along in half an hour.

[broadgage]

RE^▸ (Religious Education) the first picture of saint Michaels mount, it is not widely known that a private railway, or at least a cable hauled tramway exists on the island. Not open to the public and not intended to carry passengers. It runs from the harbour to the kitchen door of the castle. Still in regular use for groceries, building materials, and refuse.
The winding machine that hauls the cable was originally worked by a gas engine, but now an electric motor is used.

The rolling stock resembles a steamer trunk, and a special articulated vehicle was built to carry scaffold poles, ladders and similar long items to facilitate building works.