Editing Liskeard and Looe Union Canal (section)

==The canal after the railway==
The railway did not take over the canal alignment: it crossed the canal by bridge in five places, three below Sandplace and two above, although the railway seems to have obliterated the canal in the northern extremity. Sandplace continued to be a significant wharf for the canal, due to the activities of John Buller, but it appears that the canal above that point, although not actually displaced by the railway construction, was positively allowed to decline. Although the canal was still officially open, the Liskeard Water Company negotiated the takeover of the Crylla Leat and its water supply from May 1861, subsequently agreeing to pay £5 per year for its perpetual use. With no water supply to the top of the canal, water was channeled through a culvert under the railway to keep the section below Sandplace navigable. The canal was still maintained, as £179 was spent on repairs between 1862 and 1867, but it is fairly certain that this only affected the lower section. The upper section may have been used by the tenants of the Morval Estate for the transport of agricultural produce, for which no tolls were chargeable, but residents at Duloe complained in 1867 that the canal could no longer be used since the railway had been built.{{sfn|Messenger|2001|p=23}} A note in the accounts for 1862 states: "1861: LLUC's canal replaced by railway and steam introduced on the LCR."{{sfn|Messenger|2001|p=160}}

Decline of navigability continued steadily, and only small boats could make any passage at all. Between 1901 and 1909, the annual gross dues averaged 35 shillings (£1.75), mainly derived from tolls of 3 pence (1.25p) for small boats of about 1.5 tons carrying sand and seaweed, which was used to improve the land. Two of the original 16-ton boats were still operational, and were charged 1s 9d (8.75p) for the journey to Sandplace.{{sfn|Messenger|2001|p=24}}

The [[Great Western Railway]] purchased the Canal company in 1909, in order to acquire the railway line,{{sfn|Messenger|2001|p=81}} passenger traffic, and especially tourism, having taken over as the dominant traffic.{{sfn|MacDermot|1931}} The Liskeard and Caradon Railway closed in 1917{{sfn|MacDermot|1931}} but the Liskeard and Looe Railway still operates, with passenger trains on the line being marketed under the brand name "The [[Looe Valley Line]]".{{sfn|Messenger|2001|p=153}}