A latecomer to the passenger facilities on the Helston branch, Truthall Halt was opened on 3 July 1905, at a location about north of Helston. It was located just above the contour and served the villages of Trannack and

Gwavas Gwavas is a residential council estate on the southern outskirts of the town of Newlyn in west Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated immediately west of Gwavas Road and takes its name from nearby Gwavas Farm. Cornwall Council online ...

, and also Truthall Manor. Truthall Halt was the first stop on the line from Helston and was a short platform with an iconic "

Pagoda A pagoda is an Asian tiered tower with multiple eaves common to Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Vietnam, and other parts of Asia. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most often Buddhist but sometimes Taoist, ...

" style shelter.

Description

Truthall Halt was constructed adjacent to a road overbridge and had pedestrian access down a short flight of shallow steps from the road; there was no vehicular access. It had a single platform 84 feet long on the down side of the line, though it was shortened later to about 50 feet.Cornwall Railway Stations, Mike Oakley, 2009, Dovecote Press, Wimborne Minster, The platform had stone edging and a cinder surface and infill held back by wooden slats retained by wooden posts and lengths of Barlow Rail, disposed of by the

West Cornwall Railway The West Cornwall Railway was a railway company in Cornwall, Great Britain, formed in 1846 to construct a railway between Penzance and Truro. It purchased the existing Hayle Railway, and improved its main line, and built new sections between Penz ...

and Great Western Railway. Great Western Railway

History

Truthall Halt was opened by the Great Western Railway in July 1905 after the line had been opened for a number of years. Truthall Halt opened as such but changed its name to Truthall Platform in July 1906 and closed with this name on 5 November 1962. The station has held three different names – Truthall Platform, Truthall Halt and Truthall Bridge Halt – although the last one was only referred to in ticketing. In 2016–17 the platform was rebuilt and re-opened in March 2017. On 9 February 2019, Truthall Halt and the Helston Railway won the

Heritage Railway Association Heritage Railway Association (HRA) is an umbrella organisation representing the majority of the heritage and tourist railways, railway museums, steam centres and railway preservation groups in the UK and Ireland. Groups and individuals involved ...

Annual Award for Small Groups for the work in restoring Truthall.

Restoration

The platform has been rebuilt by the Helston Railway as their third station along the line. The halt has been restored in its original two coach length with as many original features as possible including a replica of the GWR Pagoda shelter has been built new from photos and original drawings of the shelter. The station was formally opened on the 5th April 2018 by HRH the Duke of Gloucester. The restored station won the Cornish Buildings Group award in 2019 for its "considerable research and constructional ingenuity".

References

{{Railway stations in Cornwall Disused railway stations in Cornwall Former Great Western Railway stations Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1905 Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1962 Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 2017