Category Archives: Great Western Railway

The Culm Valley Light Railway (CVLR)

The featured image for this article is locomotive 2-4-0T No. 1300 on a short train of 4-wheeled carriages at Uffculme, circa 1882, © Public Domain. [1: p7]

The Culm Valley Light Railway: the railway junction at the West end of the line is Tiverton Junction on the GWR main line from Bristol to Exeter. [1: p4]

The Culm Valley Light Railway was a standard gauge branch railway that operated in the English county of Devon. It was just under 7 1⁄2 miles (12.1 km) from Tiverton Junction station on the Bristol to Exeter line, through the Culm valley to Hemyock via Uffculme and Culmstock. [2]

The line followed the River Culm through the Blackdown Hills. The main stations were at Uffculme and Culmstock, with later additions of Coldharbour Halt (1929) and Whitehall Halt (1933).

Some excellent photographs of this line can be found on the Cornwall Railway Society page ‘The Hemyock Branch‘, [40] and a series of images taken on a cycle along the old railway route can be found on a page on the Exeter & Teign Valley Railway website. [54]

The Culm Valley project was one of the earliest successful applications to build a ‘light railway’ as defined in the Railways Regulation Act of 1868. This stipulated the limitation of loads to eight tons on an axle and of speed to 25 mph It was considered, however, that a maximum speed of 16 mph would be adequate for the nature of traffic the line would carry and it was hoped to build the line for a little under £30,000. The Act received the Royal Assent on 15th May 1873. The Culm Valley was the first major line engineered by Arthur Pain who went on to construct several other light railways, notably the Southwold and the Axminster & Lyme Regis. [3]

It was intended as a very low-cost scheme, but by the time it opened in 1876 it had cost more than twice the originally anticipated budget and taken five times the expected time to complete. Contract completion was originally expected by the end of 1873. However, construction actually began in 1874, and the line did not open until 29th May 1876 — a total build time of two and a half years. [2]

Once construction started in early 1874, a new completion date was set as December 1874. Labour was cheap and abundant and an added boost was given to the lines prospects by the decision of the [Bristol & Exeter Railway (B&ER)] to extend mixed gauge westward from Taunton, which would allow the transfer of rolling stock to and from the main line at Tiverton Junction.

However, by the end of 1874, “only 2 miles 2 chains had been completed which started a series of delays that increased the construction costs and put back the opening date. At this time the Bristol and Exeter Railway had entered into negotiations for union with the Great Western Railway; as a result, the GWR took over its former partner on 1st January 1876 and with it the responsibility of working the branch. The line eventually opened £20,000 over budget on 29th May 1876 with a train composed of Bristol and Exeter stock and hauled by a locomotive specially built for the branch in the Bristol and Exeter workshops at Bristol. There were intermediate stops at Uffculme and Culmstock.” [3]

The B&ER had agreed to operate the branch for 50% of the total revenue income and the GWR took on that commitment. “The mixed gauge had reached Exeter in 1874 and the first regular working of a ‘narrow gauge’ goods train west of Taunton began in March 1876, just in time to give the Culm Valley through freight facilitates from the outset. Two standard gauge 0-6-0T locomotives were built for the Culm Valley Railway, they were operated on the line until 1881 when they were replaced by two 2-4-0T locomotives which came from the South Devon Railway.” [3]

Initially there was much local support for the line but the Great Western didn’t have the same enthusiasm for its partnership with the Culm Valley as its predecessor. As a result of the significant over expenditure during construction the line suffered a burden of significant interest payments. The 50% of revenue reserved for the company was insufficient and financial difficulties became so severe that the GWR had to take control of the line in April 1880, only a few short years after the line opened.

The line struggled financially for decades until United Dairies opened a creamery at Hemyock in 1916, which became the primary source of freight and kept the line alive.

“In 1922, there were four trains a day and those during the middle of the day were usually of mixed stock with two passenger coaches and five or six wagons.” [3]

Passenger services were lightly patronised throughout the history of the line. The GWR sought to increase those numbers by providing two additional stopping places on the line — Coldharbour (1929) and Whitehall (1933) Halts. No GWR railcars allocated to be used on the line. The GWR argued that no modern passenger vehicles or diesel rail cars could be used on the line because of the restrictions imposed by the curves on the line. [6]

Passenger services officially ended on 9th September 1963. General freight stopped in 1965, though milk trains for the Hemyock dairy continued. The line closed completely on 31st October 1975 after the closure of the dairy.

Locomotives

2-4-0T No. 1300 on a short train of 4-wheeled carriages at Uffculme, circa 1882, © Public Domain. [1: p7]

As we have already noted, when the line was built, two standard-gauge 0-6-0ST locomotives (Nos. 114 and 115, later GWR Nos. 1376 and 1377) were built specifically for the route and operated it starting in 1876. In 1881, the GWR replaced the original engines with two 2-4-0T tank engines (Nos. 1298 and 1300) that had originated as South Devon Railway machines. For much of its 20th century passenger life the line was operated by Charles Collett’s GWR 1400 Class 0-4-2T engines (such as No. 1442, nicknamed ‘Tivvy Bumper’, [4] and No. 1451). These light, agile engines were ideally suited for the line’s sharp curves, 15 mph speed limit, and push-pull autocoach operations. [5]

This image is embedded here from the Friends of the National Railway Museum website. It shows an 0-4-2T 14xx Class Locomotive No. 1442 in charge of the ‘Tivvy Bumper’ at Tiverton Junction Station in 1961, (c) Mike Peart. [4]

No. 1384 waiting to depart Hemyock, circa 1905, © Public Domain. [1: p7]

Crombleholme, Stuckey & Whetmath describe the era of steam power like this:

“One of the prime attractions of the CVLR has always been the variety and intrinsic charm of its locomotives and rolling stock. The first engines were two diminutive 0-6-0 side-tanks (Nos. 1376 and 1377 in the GWR list) which were specially built for the purpose at the Bristol works of the B&ER in 1874 and 1875 respectively. They had 12 x 18 inch inside cylinders and 3 ft. 6 in. coupled wheels, but, despite their short wheelbase, the sharp curves of the C.V. did not take kindly to the six-coupled wheels and by 1881 they were trans-ferred elsewhere; 1376 ended its days at Oswestry in 1934 and No. 1377 at Weymouth in 1927.

“The little B&ER 0-6-0s were followed by two ex-South Devon 2-4-0 tanks, domeless but with an imperious whistle. They were built at Newton Abbot for the broad gauge in 1878 with 4 ft. 11 in, coupled wheels, 3 ft. leading wheels and inside cylinders 11 x 17 in., but were reassembled for standard gauge work at Swindon in the year of their manufacture, and numbered 1298 and 1300. 1298 served the Culm Valley until 1926, and 1300 worked the branch for a further eight years until 1934. Their sister, 1299, was a crane engine and saw heavy service at Swindon for about fifty years. The Ince Forge Company made the boilers for these locomotives. No. 1298 was scrapped in 1928; 1300 was withdrawn in September 1934 and cut up in November 1936.

“Another locomotive with a chequered career which served on the CVLR was 2-4-0 No. 1384. Originally Watlington & Princes Risborough Railway No. 2, she was built by Sharp Stewart & Co. (Works No. 2578) in February 1876. Following the GWR take-over of the Watlington branch, 1384 was transferred to Cornwall for work on the construction of the Bodmin Road to Bodmin branch in 1886. No. 1384 next appears on loan to the Lambourn Valley Light Railway for its opening on 4th April 1898, where it remained until that Company’s own engines were delivered. In 1899, 1384 underwent a rebuild at Swindon, reappearing with a belpaire boiler and a fat polished brass dome on the back ring, and was soon despatched to yet another pioneer job in the Mendips on the Wrington Vale Light [Railway]. From thence she went to the Culm Valley and for the next ten years the single-road engine shed at Hemyock was her home. Swindon did not like 1384s eccentric, spindly appearance and non-standard specification, and she eventually passed to the ownership of the Weston, Clevedon & Portishead Light Railway, where she was christened “Hesperus” (a typical mythological fancy of Colonel Stephens), lived to an eventful old age, and finally succumbed to the scrapman’s torch in 1937.

“A later servant of the Culm Valley was “Lady Margaret”, No. 1308, also a 2-4-0T and also built originally for a minor railway, the Liskeard & Looe, in 1902. The manufacturer was Andrew Barclay Sons & Co. (Works No. 956) and the engine became GWR property when the GWR absorbed the Liskeard & Caradon and Liskeard & Looe Railways in 1909. In common with the mixed motive power acquired by Paddington from her satellites the “Lady Margaret” was employed on various odd jobs in England, and later on the Tanat Valley and Kerry branches in Wales. In May 1929, she was rebuilt at Swindon with a new top-feed boiler, and then allocated to Exeter for the Culm Valley duties, and although her stay was brief she left behind quite a considerable reputation as a capable and free-steaming little engine. “Lady Margaret” outlived the Great Western itself and was cut up at Oswestry by British Railways in 1948.

“Prior to “Lady Margaret” the ex-Cambrian Railway 2-4-0T No. 1192 sojourned on this pretty branch for a short time. In 1932, after “Lady Margaret” the 48xx (later 14xx) 0-4-2Ts designed by C. B. Collett made their debut on the branch on which they performed until the end of passenger services. Nos. 1449, 1451, 1468 and 1471 were among the regular work-horses. One of the non-motor fitted engines, No. 5812, was sent to the CVLR when first built in 1933 and remained for several years before gravitating eastwards to Taunton, where it was used on the Chard branch. These small 0-4-2Ts proved capable and gallant toilers when handling the heaviest of the CVLR’s sometimes heavy milk traffic. The maximum loading for the 14xx class was 140 tons down, 180 tons back.” [1: p16-18]

Following the withdrawal of passenger services in September 1963 and general freight in 1965, 204 hp diesel shunters took over the remaining goods traffic. These locomotives were BR Class 03 0-6-0 shunters D2133 and D2134 and Class 04 0-6-0 shunter D2280 (this locomotive was later used on the Weymouth Street Tramway). [7] During the final months of operation supplying the Hemyock dairy (which continued until 31st October 1975), heavier BR Class 22 and Class 25 diesel locomotives handled the milk tank trains before the line’s permanent closure.

Class 22s (North British Type 2) – These locomotives worked the daily afternoon trip from Exeter, bringing empty 3,000-gallon milk tankers up the valley to Hemyock and hauling the full tankers back to Exeter St Davids. From there, the tanks were forwarded to London bottling plants. [8]

BR Class 25 (Sulzer Type 2) – Following the complete withdrawal of the Class 22 fleet at the start of 1972, British Railways introduced the ubiquitous Class 25 diesel-electrics to handle the branch’s light duties. [9]

Rolling Stock

Crombleholme, Stuckey & Whetmath provide a single paragraph of notes about the rolling stock on the branch:

“The passenger rolling-stock used was four-wheeled until the 1930s. After the 1945 war the line became a home for a number of old clerestory-roofed coaches. In 1951, two ex-Barry Railway brake/third bogie coaches were adapted for service on the branch. At this time they were converted from electric to gas lighting as the slow speeds necessary prevent a dynamo from functioning adequately. These vehicles, W263W and W268W, were 58ft. 8in. x 9ft. 3 in. and weighed 26 tons. Five second class compartments were provided as well as the guard’s and luggage compartments. The Barry coaches were withdrawn and at least one scrapped during the Winter 1962/63, and replaced by two ex-L.N.E.R. four compartment brake/second coaches. These were W87245E and W87270E, measuring 52 ft 2 in. x 8 ft 11 in. over body (9 ft. 3 in. overall width).” [1: p18]

Crombleholme, Stuckey & Whetmath tell us that, “Passenger and goods traffic was initially handled in separate trains but by the early years of the twentieth century mixed trains became usual. Improved motive power then made possible faster times despite liberal allowances for shunting, and there were improvements in the much-criticised connections with the main line. The following special restrictions were in force: the axle loading must not exceed 13 tons 18 cwt.; ordinary 8-wheel passenger stock and all 6-wheel (except milk tanks) prohibited. Long timber must not be accepted for transit at Uffculme, Culmstock and Hemyock.” [1: p21]

Crombleholme, Stuckey & Whetmath continue: “New local industries provided additional sources of revenue, including Fox’s textile factory behind Coldharbour Halt and a red-brick slaughterhouse at Uffculme, outside which in the 1930s there was usually a row of refrigerated meat vans. When Hemyock shed was in use, the first train was ‘up’, but after the branch engines were allocated to Tiverton Junction, a sub-shed of Exeter, the first train of the day was in the ‘down’ direction, a freight with an empty coach. At Hemyock shed, the early turn fireman booked on in time to raise steam whilst the late-turn fireman was responsible for the disposal of the engine. As a result one mid-day train was operated by two drivers, the early turn fireman having booked off and the late turn man was not on duty.” [1: p21]

Hemyock Milk Depot and Creamery

“The milk depot and creamery at Hemyock was opened by the Culm Valley Dairy Company in 1886, and for many years the chief product was butter. In 1916, the Wilts United Dairies Ltd. acquired the premises and, after a short period during which cheese was manufactured, the major output until 1920 was condensed milk. In 1920, a spray drier was installed and [as of 1964] spray-dried skimmed milk and whole milk, and spray-dried ice cream [were] prepared at Hemyock, in addition to the bulk milk supply for the London market. Cream [was] made for despatch to Chard for use in butter-making. … Milk [was] collected from an area about 15 miles across, extending from the Blackdown Hills to the north, to the main road from IIminster to Exeter in the south. The volume of milk despatched daily [was] up to 30,000 gallons, depending on the time of the year and the extent to which it [was] being used in manufacturing processes. [As of 1964] the Wilts United Dairies [had] no … intention of changing from rail to road for transport, and they [were] assured that the rail service [would] continue for some time.” [1: p23]

Following the eventual shutdown of the dairy factory operations in 1975, the historic site fell into disuse. The station and creamery buildings, once the industrial heart of the Culm Valley, have largely been cleared or earmarked for local housing developments.

The Route of the Line

Crombleholme, Stuckey & Whetmath tell us that, “The Culm Valley has the distinction of being one of the slowest lines on British Railways; its mixed trains took up to 58 minutes for the [7.5 mile] journey, yet the Lilliputian majesty of their progress up and down the valley was recorded in the working timetable to the nearest half-minute. It started life as a rural and local jack-of-all trades, passengers for or from distant parts finding discouraging intervals at Tiverton Junction and Taunton.” [1: p10]

We start our journey along the line from the outer-face of the down island platform. Prior to the reordering of the station to allow better arrangements for through traffic in 1932, a run-round loop was provided. Before that “it was necessary for the engine to propel its into a gravity siding and retire up the branch whilst the stock ran back into the platform. [Prior to the reordering of the station], there was a separate frame on the platform for the branch line signalling but [after 1932] this [was] controlled from the main-line box.” [1: p10]

General view of Tiverton Junction, circa 1905, before quadrupling of the main line. No. 1384 sits at the platform on a Culm Valley train. [1: p11]

Tiverton Junction originally opened as Tiverton Road in 1844. It closed on 11th May 1986, and was replaced the next day by Tiverton Parkway Railway Station located about two miles away.

Tiverton Junction Station in 1888 as it appeared on the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1888, published in 1889. The Culm Valley Light Railway leaves the station at its northern end and curves away to the East. The Tiverton Branch leaves the station at its southern end and heads away to the West. [10]

Tiverton Junction Station fifteen years later, in 1903. This is an extract from the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1903, published in 1904. Very little has changed since 1888. [11]

An extract from the 1:10,000 Ordnance Survey (revised) of 1967 to 1971, published 1971. This is considerably less detailed than the two earlier plans, so comparison cannot be made. We do know that earlier in the 20th century major refurbishment of the station occurred when changes to the wider rail infrastructure were undertaken. [12]

A modern satellite image of approximately the same area shown on the OS map extracts above. The railway still runs through the site of the railway station but the station has been replaced by Tiverton Parkway a couple of miles away along the line. the dominant modern feature in the immediate vicinity of the old station site is the M5 motorway!. [17]

David Glasspool tells us that, “In 1930, the GWR announced a series of major upgrades, network-wide, which included station rebuilds, engine shed renewals, and widening main lines. The company took advantage of a series of cheap loans offered by the government, which aimed to tackle unemployment. … five stations between Norton Fitzwarren and Exminster, viz., Weillington, Tiverton Junction, Cullompton, Stoke Canon, and Exminster, [were] to be improved and converted into 4-line stations and the 1¾ miles of line between Sampford Peverell and Tiverton Junction quadrupled. This [was] a continuation of the scheme of quadrupling of the seven miles of line between Cogload Junction and Norton Fitzwarren and the reconstruction of Taunton Station.” [13][14]

It seems from local newspaper reports of the time, reconstruction work at Tiverton Junction commenced in about January 1932:

The Devon and Exeter Daily Gazette, Thursday 14th January 1932 reported on a, Big GWR Scheme: Transformation of Tiverton Junction Station Two Years’ Work – “The Great Western Railway Company are embarking on a big scheme at Tiverton Junction station, which will probably take two years to complete and during that time give employment to 200 men. When it is finished there will be a complete transformation at the station and its environments as they exist today. … The layout provides for new platforms and station buildings, new goods shed, cattle pens, and engine sheds, extension of the shunting yard, reconstruction of the bridge which carries the lines over the main road, and the straightening out and widening of the road. The main lines will be doubled, stopping trains taking the platform lines and expresses, the middle through lines. Accommodation for the public will be particularly extended on the up side. … Already gangs of men have removed thousands of tons of earth on the south east side, the whole of the gardens having been taken away and the soil tipped on the up side for the prospective line widening.” [13][15] It is worth noting that although this article suggests a 2-year time frame, work was effectively completed by the Autumn of 1932. [13]
The Western Times, Friday, 30th September 1932 – reported that, “For some time past extensive alterations have been undertaken by the GWR to their station at Tiverton Junction, and on Sunday next, 2nd October, the last big item of work will be carried out. This will bring into use a new down platform and down platform line, 1,200 feet in length, and provide four lines through the station. The station has been completely rebuilt, new offices, and waiting rooms provided, a new signal box erected, as well as a large goods shed and locomotive shed. … The most hazardous task connected with the alterations was the building of a heavy bridge over the roadway to carry the four running lines, and this was successfully accomplished, despite the fact that full passenger and goods services were maintained. … With the completion of the work at Tiverton Junction the Company’s quadrupling scheme between Exeter and Taunton will be fully realised, and further facilities provided for the operation of passenger and goods train services.” [13][16]

The view Northeast from Tiverton Junction Station, the Culm Valley Light Railway can just be seen curving to the right beyond the train entering the station on the right, (c) Roger Joanes and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [17]

The view Southwest through Tiverton Junction Station, (c) Roger Joanes and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [17]

The bridge which carries the main line at what was Tiverton Junction Railway Station over Willand Road. This view looks Southeast along the road. [Google Streetview, July 2026]

The same location and bridge, seen this time from the Southeast. [Google Streetview, July 2026]

“At the end of the platform the branch curve[d] sharply eastwards and the train [was] immediately faced with a short, but steep climb on a gradient of 1 in 66. In the days of the early 2-4-0 tanks, trains frequently stalled on this section and had to run ignominiously back to the junction and make a fresh start. After 3 or 4 abortive attempts they needed to replenish their small water tanks before setting off once again.” [1: p10]

The first length of the line out of Tiverton Junction Station in 1888 as it appeared on the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1888, published in 1889. The line turned sharply Southeast and was in a deep cutting. The gradient on the line was 1 in 66. It passed under an accommodation bridge at the end of the curve. [10]

“At the summit [was] a stop board for all up trains. The line [ran] through a deep cutting [and] under a concrete occupation bridge of recent construction.” [1: p10] The concrete bridge sat at the East end of the curve out of the station.

A similar area shown on modern satellite imagery with the route of the branch line marked in green. [17]

Just to the right of the map extract and satellite image above the line passed under two road bridges. It is shown here passing under what were the A38 and A373 roads. [18]

A similar area on modern satellite imagery. The two roads which bridged the old railway are shown on this image as South View Road and Silver Street. The modern alphanumeric designation of the two roads being B3440 and B3181 respectively. [17]

The location of the old bridge on South View Road which was once the A38. The camera is facing Southwest. The walls shown either side of the carriageway are what remains of the bridge which spanned the railway. [Google Streetview, August 2026]

The location of the bridge on Silver Street, seen from the North. [Google Streetview, August 2026]

The view from Foxglove Chase along the line of the old railway. [Google Streetview, August 2026]

The view back along the line of the old railway from the modern estate road Willand Moor Road [Google Streetview, August 2026]

The railway then turned back towards the Northeast. The line crosses between one 25″ OS Map Sheet and the next to the South, before returning back across the map sheet boundary. [19]

The same area in the 21st century. [17]

“The line now drops down into the Culm Valley and runs alongside the winding river. Soon, the first level crossing, with a farm lane is encountered.

Quick’s Farm was to the North of the old railway. [18]

The modern satellite imagery shows that the buildings at Quickes Farm cover a much larger area in the 21st century, with some being built over the line of the old railway. The line remains marked by the field boundaries. [17]

Selgar’s Corn Mill sat to the South of the line with the mill pond in very close proximity to the railway. An S-bend in the railway alignment took it to the North of the mill. At Selgars Mill, the branch-line took to closely following the River Culm. [18]

Approximately the same area as shown on the map extract above, [17]

The railway ran along the Northbank of the River Culm passing to the South of Langlands Farm before bridging the river. The bridge can be seen in the immediate top-right of this extract from the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1888, published in 1889. [18]

A similar area to that covered in the map extract immediately above. [17]

After bridging the river (bottom left) the line bridged a series of short lengths of one arm of the river which were no longer the main channel of that arm of the river, while remaining of the south bank of the man-made length of the river which acted as an outflow from Worsted Mill Coldharbour Mill), which the line passed to the South. [18]

Approximately the same length of the line plotted on modern satellite imagery. [17]

After crossing and re-crossing the river several times the line curves sharply to arrive at Coldharbour Halt (opened in 1929). There was a short siding at this location. The platform [was] backed by a post and wire fence, [and had] a small wooden shelter, and the name-board [was] delightfully entwined with wild roses! The siding behind the halt was, by 1964, no longer used having seen no traffic for some years. [1: p10]

Coldharbour Halt in 1950, with the Mill behind it, (c) J. L. Smith. [21]

Seen from the North, this is the location where a level-crossing took the line over the road South out of Coldharbour. The gates on the left of the road protect a public footpath/cycleway that follows the line of the old railway towards Uffculme. [Google Streetview, August 2026]

The line ran parallel to one arm of the River Culm, effectively on an island between the two arms of the river! At Worsted Mill (Coldharbour Mill) there was a short siding serving the mill. Not shown on this map extract which was surveyed in 1888, was a much later Halt. Coldharbour Halt was opened in 1929. [20]

Hand-drawn map of the Coldharbour Halt and the siding that served the mill. [1: p24]

Beyond Coldharbour it was only a short distance to Uffculme Railway Station (top right of this image) which was on the Southeast side of the village, between it and the river. [20]

This next satellite image covers the same length of the line as the two map extracts immediately above. The location of Uffculme Railway Station is at the top-right of this satellite image and the map extract immediately above. [17]

Uffculme Railway Path was provided with an information board in 2022 by Uffculme Local History Group. [22]

The board outlines some of the history of the Culm Valley Light Railway with a series of Track Facts and also tells the story of how the Uffculme section of the track bed was saved for the benefit of the community after the Culm Valley Light Railway finally closed in 1975.

A closer view of the map shown on the display board above. The railway from Coldharbour to Uffculme Railway Station is illustrated. [23]

The start of the path. [Google Streetview, August 2026]

At the East end of the 21st century path walkers reach the site of Uffculme Railway Station.

Crombleholme, Stuckey & Whetmath describe this length of the line like this: “From Coldharbour the track skirts Uffculme, situated on the valley slopes, for half a mile to arrive, after a series of alarmingly abrupt right and left hand curves, at Uffculme station. On the right a private siding leads to a grain mill. Guarding the level crossing is the only stop signal on the branch east of Tiverton Junction. It is however rarely operated. Until 1932, there was a goods shed but it was removed during the general alterations of that period, and any traffic is dealt with in a small corrugated building on the platform. The station building is of red brick, as at all stations on the line, of simple and compact design with all the usual offices. Uffculme is one of the busiest points on the branch, handling up to 100 tons of freight daily, and once again there are roses around the name-board, and well-tended gardens. The little station is prettily overshadowed by the spire of the town’s 13th century church.” [1: p12]

Uffculme Railway Station in 1887 as shown on the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1887, published in 1889. [20]

Uffculme Railway Station as shown on the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1903, published in 1904. [24]

A closer view of the station site on 21st century satellite imagery. [17]

Uffculme Railway Station as recorded by Crumbleholme, Stuckey & Whetmath in 1964. Note that the siding recorded on railmaponline.com but not on the two OS Map extracts is shown in this hand-drawn map. Uffculme station had a single platform with a loop, and a goods yard was opposite the passenger platform with had two sidings accessed from the loop. One of these served a loading dock with cattle pens. Across a level-crossing to the West of the station was a siding serving grain mills. [1: p24]

A colourised black & white photograph which looks Northwest across the level-crossing along Bridge Street in Uffculme the grain mills were off scene to the left and the railway station buildings were off the image to the right. This image is in the John Alsop Collection, (c) Public Domain. [27]

Looking Northwest through the location of the level-crossing in the 1970s and in 2021. [28][Google Streetview, June 2021]

After Uffculme Railway Station closed to passenger services in September 1963, the station remained open for goods until 8th May 1967. [27]

Some excellent photographs of the site can be found on the Disused Stations Website. [27]

A postcard photograph showing Uffculme Railway Station. It is taken looking East from Bridge Street just on the Northwest side of the level-crossing. This photograph was taken by Gregory Crease in the late 19th century or early 20th century, (c) Public Domain. [26]

The grain warehouse on Bridge Street, Uffculme is at the rear of the left side of this photograph. The short green line between the garage building and the car shows the line of the old railway which ran alongside the grain warehouse. [Google Streetview, August 2026]

Turning through 180°, this image shows that the approximate line of the railway into what was Uffculme Railway Station has been redeveloped. This view is equivalent to the monochrome image of the station site above. [Google Streetview, August 2026]

Locomotive No. 1300 idling at Uffculme Railway Station. The building to the left of the image was Uffculme Gas Works. This image (Courtesy of the Hemyock History Group) was shared on the Discovering Devon, Somerset and Beyond Facebook Page on 29th May 2026, (c) Public Domain. [37]

An early mixed train at Uffculme Railway Station. This image (Courtesy of the Hemyock History Group) was shared on the Discovering Devon, Somerset and Beyond Facebook Page on 29th May 2026, (c) Public Domain. [38]

This relatively poor quality image shows a train heading for Hemyock. The photograph is undated and unattributed but appears to come from the very early years of the 20th century or earlier. The locomotive appears to be a 2-4-0T, possibly No. 1300, (c) Public Domain. [28]

This aerial image was shared by Ben Waerdo on the Disused Stations Facebook Group on 14th January 2024. The North point is to the bottom-right. The grain mill is at the top of the image The railway runs beside the mill, across the road and into Uffculme Railway Station. The railway bridge over the river is in the bottom left quadrant of the image. [29]

This is the first length of the old railway to the East of Uffculme Railway Station. The Bridge over the River Culm can be see at the bottom left of the image. This is again, and extract from the 25″ 1887 Ordnance Survey, published in 1889. [25]

Approximately the same area as it appears on modern satellite imagery with the line of the railway shown by a superimposed green line. [17]

The view East from Mill Street in 2009. The River Culm is in the foreground and the railway ran relatively close to the far bank of the river, curving away to the East. The green line gives an approximation to the line of the old railway. The bridge was about 100 metres off to the right of this photograph. [Google Streetview, March 2009]

Crombleholme, Stuckey & Whetmath tell us that: “Beyond Uffculme the railway continues to follow the winding river, climbing on a ruling gradient of 1 in 68.” [1: p13]

The old railway ran to the North side of Yondercott Farm buildings. [25]

This extract from railmaponline.com’s satellite imagery covers a very similar area to the map extract above. [17]

Yondercott Farm seen from the South with the railway running beyond. [41]

The railway crossed Ratash Lane at Five Fords Crossing. [25]

Again, this satellite image covers a very similar length of the old railway to that shown on the map extract immediately above. [17]

This next extract from the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1887, published in 1889, takes the line as far as the East edge of the map sheet. [25]

Again, this satellite image covers a very similar length of the old railway to that shown on the map extract immediately above. [17]

The next map sheet in the 25″ series was surveyed in 1888 and published in 1889. the river and railway return to running immediately adjacent to each other. The line crossed the River Culm once agin. The bridge can be seen at the right of this map extract. [30]

Once again, this extract from railmaponline’s satellite imagery covers approximately the same length of line as the map extract above. The undergrowth and the trees surrounding the river and the old railway’s route mean that nothing is visible from Silver Street. [17]

Now on the North side of the River Culm the line follows the contours as it heads for Culmstock. [30]

A similar length of the railway is superimposed on this satellite image. [17]

Just as with the map extract above, the location of Culmctock Railway Station appears at the centre of this satellite image. [17]

Writing in 1964, Crombleholme, Stuckey & Whetmath said that, “On arrival at Culmstock there is a further set of crossing gates for the train crew to open: Culmstock was reduced to halt status in 1960 and the staff with-drawn. Until 1932 there was a wooden goods shed but this was re-moved during the general branch layout alterations. A small corrugated iron hut on the platform, built to replace the goods shed, served as waiting room. The fifth mile-post is situated in the goods yard.” [1: p13] The map extract below records the presence of the 5-mile post.

This enlarged extract from the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1888, published in 1889, can be compared with the hand-drawn station layout below. [30]

This extract from railmaponline’s satellite imagery similarly focuses on Culmstock Railway Station. [17]

Crombleholme, Stuckey & Whetmath’s hand-drawn station layout omits one of the two sidings at the east end of the Goods Yard. This station layout applied until the 1930s, when rationalisation took place. [1: p24]

Culmstock Railway Station before 1910 (c) John Alsop Collection. [31]

Culmstock Railway Station circa 1911 (c) John Alsop Collection. [31]

Culmstock Railway Station circa 1934, prior to rationalisation. Note the original goods shed on the right of this image, (c) John Alsop Collection. [31]

Present day was 1964. The station site was rationalised in the 1930s, providing a passing loop and a single siding which also served the cattle dock. Note the small corrugated goods shed to the East of the main station building. [1: p24]

More photographs of Culmstock Station can be found on the Disused Stations website. [31]

Culmstock Bridge seen from the West. The line of the old railway is off this image to the left, (c) Chris Kinnersley, 2023. [Google Maps, October 2026]

Looking North through Culmstock Village from Culmstock Bridge. The old railway’s level-crossing was immediately to the North of the bridge parapet walls. [Google Streetview, June 2026]

Looking East from the B3391 in Culmstock village. The pub carpark sits on what was the station yard and the house with the red-tiled roof straddles the line of the old railway. [Google Streetview, June 2026]

Culmstock village, seen from the East in the years after the station had been reordered. The pub on the right was then called ‘The Railway Hotel’, in the 21st century it is now ‘The Culm Valley Inn’. [42]

Immediately beyond Culmstock Railway Station the line became rural once again. From Culmstock it was 1½ miles to Whitehall Halt. …

The old railway continued East towards Hemyock. [30]

This satellite image covers approximately the same length of the old railway as the map extract above. [17]

This next map extract takes us to the right side of the 25″ Ordnance Survey map sheet. [30]

A similar length of the line on modern satellite imagery. [17]

A similar length of the line, once again. [17]

This next map extract takes us as far as Whithall. [32]

Av similar length of the bline to that shown on the map extract immediately above. Note the siding shown at Whitehall. This is hard to make out on the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1888, above but, as the enlarged extract below shows, the Corn Mill was served by a siding at least as early as 1888. The Halt was to appear considerably later. [17]

An enlarged extract from the 25″ Ordnance Survey, showing the Corn Mill and its siding at Whitehall in 1888. [32]

The Halt at Whitehall (although a but out of focus in this image, was built and opened in 1933, having been built as part of the alterations that were taking place at Hemyock and Culmstock in 1932. [1: p25]

This extract from the 1:2500 Ordnance Survey of 1963, published in 1964, shows the Halt still in position to the East side of the level-crossing. The siding is still in place, although the Corn Mill is now called ‘Mill House’. [33]

“Whitehall Halt, a product of the 1932 changes, [was] permeated with the aroma of nearby piggeries. It was an optimistic attempt to entice traffic from the neighbouring farms. A short path [led] from the level crossing past a small wooden shelter to the halt platform. [In 1964,] there [was] a disused gatekeeper’s hut on the up side. A deserted siding serve[d] a disused mill. At Whitehall and at Coldharbour the guard used to deliver the London papers, collecting the money due weekly from a tobacco tin located in the eaves of the shelter.” [1: p13]

The Halt was in use from 1933 to 1963. It opened on 27th February 1933. It had a siding, although there were no freight facilities. Great Western Railway tickets showed it as Whitehall Crossing Halt. The station closed on 9 September 1963. Some of the platform still survives. [34][35: p455][36]

Nick Catford tells us that, “A section of the platform is extant, both crossing gate posts survive and on the west side of the crossing the end of the gate also survives and now supports a new gate. The house on the site of the goods yard is called Whitehall Halt.” [36]

A visit to the Disused Stations website will be worthwhile – there are a number of pictures of the halt, one while in use, one straight after closure and a few taken in the 21st century, [36]

Looking North across the line of the old railway the green line shows the alignment of the railway. As noted above some elements of the crossing gates remain. [Google Streetview, June 2026]

Looking West along the line of the old railway – note the crossing gatepost on the right of the photograph. The green line represents the line of the old railway. [Google Streetview, June 2026]

Looking East through the location of the Halt – a length of the old platform facing can be seen ahead. The crossing-gate and gatepost remain. The green line represents the line of the old railway. [Google Streetview, June 2026]

Immediately to the East of the Halt, the line crossed the Mill Race on a single-span steel girder bridge. [39]

The first bridge over the Mill Race to the East of Whitehall Halt can be seen on the left of the map extract immediately below.

The line passed through/alongside a small wood and the gradient stiffened to 1 in 76.

This extract from the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1888, published in 1889 shows the length of the line from Whitehall Halt to the 7-mile post. A second crossing of the Mill race [32]

The two bridges can be seen more easily on this enlarged extract. [32]

The same length of the line as far as the 7-mile post. [17]

A short distance beyond the 7 mile post, the East side of the OS Map sheet picks up a location of a footbridge and sluice-gate, [32]

Approximately the same length of the line as in the map extract above. [17]

The compact little town or village of Hemyock could be seen on the right, about a mile South of Hemyock Railway Station itself. Which was in the village/hamlet of Millhayes.

This next map extract takes us the the end of the line. Hemyock Station was actually in Millhayes which was a distance to the North of Hemyock village. This extract from the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1888, published in 1889, shows the railway station and the siding to its North which extended across the local road to the site of the Mill. [43]

This railmaponline satellite image takes the line to its terminus. Not that two sidings appear to cross the road to the East of the Railway Station. [17]

By the 1960s, Crombleholme, Stuckey & Whetmath could write that, “the line passe[d] Hemyock West ground frame, where the run-round loop commence[d], to arrive at the terminus, sited at the north of and about a mile from the town centre. Two sidings cross[ed] the road to enter the Wilts United Dairies’ milk depot: the extension of the cattle dock siding serve[d] the boiler house, but [had] not been used since oil fuel was introduced; the other track serves the milk loading platform. The single-storied, red-brick station buildings are similar to, but larger than, those at Uffculme and Culmstock. The waiting room was an afterthought, constructed from concrete blocks. The East ground frame was formerly called the Signal Box although, in fact, it never controlled any signals. In 1932, the layout at the terminus was radically changed, the engine shed was closed, and the goods shed demolished, being replaced by a corrugated iron structure. The river [was] too close to allow a run-round loop opposite the platform face and the engine had to shunt its coach back into the yard for this purpose, past the backs of the anglers who were allowed to fish from the river bank.” [1: p13-14]

This enlarged extract (from 1888) shows the station site and the siding to the Mill which crossed the road at the East end of the station site. [43]

By the time of the Ordnance Survey of 1903, published in 1905, the only significant alterations take place to the East of Station Road. The Mill building has been enlarged and an additional siding has been constructed. [44]

By the time of this survey of 1963, published in 1964 (Scale: 1: 2500) things have changed considerably. The railway station was remodelled in 1932 and 1933. Over the 20th century, the Mil buildings were replaced by a significant dairy operation. [45]

Crombleholme, Stuckey & Whetmath provide drawing of the station before and after reconstruction, ……..

Hemyock Railway Station before and after reconstruction. Comparison of the two station layouts with the OS map extracts above, will show some discrepancies. The earlier layout fails to record the siding extending across Station Road. These drawings are only schematic in nature but the second layout does seem to have ignored the extended station approach which included a run-round loop. Details to the East of Station Road are sparce. [1: p25]

A satellite image of the site of the milk factory and Station Road which shows the alignment of the erstwhile sidings on the site. [17]

Looking Northeast along Station Road from the bridge over the River Culm – two green lines are superimposed on the photograph. The line nearest to the camera leads from the station platform off the left side of the image to the factory boiler room of to the right of the picture. The line beyond the car links the station goods yard to the loading facilities in the milk factory site. [Google Streetview, June 2026]

The camera is looking from Station Road along the line of the rails, marked by the green line, through the old station which ran directly alongside the River Culm. The footbridge parapets are on the left side of the image. [Google Streetview, June 2026]

Turning through 180°, with the bridge over the River Culm on the right of this image, the rails through the station crossed the road and ran ahead on what is now a grassed area. This was at one time the line used to take coal to the dairy’s boilers. [Google Streetview, June 2026]

Looking West from the more northerly level-crossing on Station Road into the station goods yard. The green line represents the line running East from the goods yard across the road into the factory which would one have been behind the camera. [Google Streetview, June 2026]

Looking East towards the milk factory loading area – all of the area has been redeveloped for housing. [Google Streetview, June 2026]

The Opening of the Culm Valley Light Railway in May 1876 (Courtesy of the Hemyock History Group). This image was shared on the Discovering Devon, Somerset and Beyond Facebook Page on 29th May 2026, (c) Public Domain. [47]

An elevated view of the station in the 1950s. The track on the extreme bottom-left crossed Station Road to deliver coal to the factory and to collect milk powder. The other track on the left only ran a few more feet into buffers. The track on the right also crossed the road and was used for milk collection. [48]

Hemyock Railway Station at Millhayes seen from the bridge carrying Station Road across the River Culm in 1963, (c) John Thord and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [49]

An elevated view of the remains of Hemyock Station in 1975. The Station building has been demolished. The building seen on the right was once a cafe. The kissing gate in the foreground and the tracks have now long gone. [50]

Further excellent photographs of Hemyock Railway Station can be found on the Shepton & District Model Railway Society webpage [51] and on the Disused Stations webpage for Hemyock Station. [52]

Hemyock Dairy at Millhayes was a milk-processing and dairy facility which later evolved into the St. Ivel spreads factory. Milk traffic and processing kept the branch line active long after passenger services ended, with milk trains operating until the dairy finally closed on 31st October 1975.

In 1884, the Culm Valley Dairy Company was established in Hemyock to produce butter using mechanical methods to compete with cheap foreign imports. In 1890, the factory moved to larger premises next to Hemyock Station on the Culm Valley Light Railway, which helped transport milk, cheese, and butter across England. in 1915, United Dairies (later Wilts United Dairies) acquired the facility.

Following its time as a dairy, the facility became a St. Ivel plant where well-known butter-spreads like St. Ivel Gold and Utterly Butterly were produced before production shifted to the North of England. Closure occurred in the late 1990s. The buildings were demolished in 2000. Portions of the old factory and garage buildings were later acquired by the local parish council for community use, while other parts of the industrial footprint and former station/car park areas have transitioned into housing (the Hollingarth estate) and local development. [46]

An aerial image showing the St. Ivel factory and the old station site. Hemyock Railway Station was in the area with parked cars to the bottom-right of this image. The factory is centre-top. Two sidings crossed the road and entered the factory. One was between the factory’s oil tanks and the river. The other was to the left, near the shed on the station site. This image was shared on the Discovering Devon, Somerset and Beyond Facebook Page on 4th August 2026, (c) Public Domain. [53]

References

R. Crumbleholme, D. Stuckey and C. F. D. Whetmath; The Culm Valley Light Railway; West Country Handbooks No. 5; Branch Line Handbooks, West Country Publications, The Narrow Gauge & Light Railway Society, 1964.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culm_Valley_Light_Railway, accessed on 27th October 2026.
http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/c/culmstock/index.shtml, accessed on 28th October 2026.
https://www.nrmfriends.org.uk/post/the-tivvy-bumper-brought-in-from-the-cold, accessed on 28th October 2026.
https://chasewaterstuff.wordpress.com/2011/11/22/some-early-lines-culm-valley-light-railway, accessed on 28th October 2026.
R. C. Riley; The Culm Valley Branch; in Railway World Vol. 23 No. 270; November 1962.
https://www.cornwallrailwaysociety.org.uk/weymouth-street-tramway.html, accessed on 28th October 2026.
https://expressdairytales.uk/ed-milk-trains, accessed on 28th October 2026.
https://www.scalefour.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5760, accessed on 28th October 2026.
https://maps.nls.uk/view/136634048, accessed on 28th October 2026.
https://maps.nls.uk/view/106000658, accessed on 28th October 2026.
https://maps.nls.uk/view/189240156, accessed on 28th October 2026.
https://kentrail.uk/tiverton_junction_2.htm, accessed on 28th October 2026.
Taunton Courier, Wednesday 30th July 1930.
The Devon and Exeter Daily Gazette, Thursday 14th January 1932.
The Western Times, Friday, 30th September 1932.
https://www.railmaponline.com/uk-and-irish-railways.html, accessed on 29th October 2026.
https://maps.nls.uk/view/106000661, accessed on 29th October 2026.
https://maps.nls.uk/view/106000685, accessed on 29th October 2026.
https://maps.nls.uk/view-full/106000667, accessed on 29th October 2026.
http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/c/coldharbour_halt/index.shtml, accessed on 29th October 2026.
https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/abandoned-uffculme-railway-been-brought-7438744, accessed on 29th October 2026.
https://www.uffculmehistory.com/railway, accessed on 29th October 2026.
https://maps.nls.uk/view/106000670, accessed on 29th October 2026.
https://maps.nls.uk/view/106000643, accessed on 29th October 2026.
https://www.devonheritage.org/Places/Uffcullme/ThedisusedstationatUffculme-Link.htm, accessed on 30th October 2026.
http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/u/uffculme/index.shtml, accessed on 30th October 2026.
https://www.blackdownarchives.org.uk/category/villages/uffculme/page/4, accessed on 31st October 2026.
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10160064941403321&set=pcb.25486484834272200, accessed on 31st October 2026.
https://maps.nls.uk/view/106000721, accessed on 31st October 2026.
http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/c/culmstock/index.shtml, accessed on 31st October 2026.
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M. E. Quick; Railway passenger stations in England, Scotland and Wales – a Chronology; Railway and Canal Historical Society, Richmond, 2002.
http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/w/whitehall_halt/index.shtml, accessed on 2nd November 2026.
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Didcot Railway Station Through the Years.

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The featured image for this article is a photograph of the engine shed at Didcot Railway Centre taken in 2003. [My photograph, May 2003]

We start this article with a couple of photographs from the late 1920s/early 1930s showing express services from Paddington to Didcot.

A Paddington to Didcot train in the capable hands of 4-6-0 locomotive ‘Star’ Class No. 4016, ‘Knight of the Golden Fleece’, in 1928. This image was carried in the Great Western Railway Magazine, Volume XL No. 6 of June 1928, p231. The photograph was taken by M. W. Earley, © Public Domain. [4]

Another Paddington to Didcot train in behind 4-6-0 locomotive ‘Saint Martin’ of their 2900 ‘Saint’ Class, in 1928. This image was carried in the Great Western Railway Magazine, Volume XL No. 11 of November 1928, p429. The photograph was taken by M. W. Earley, © Public Domain. [5]

Didcot Railway Station in 1898, as it appears on the 25″ Ordnance Survey published in 1899. Note the small number of buildings opposite the station across Station Road. Didcot itself, just intrudes into the bottom-left of this map extract. [12]

Embed from Getty Images

Didcot Junction, Oxfordshire, 1904. View looking from the east at a signal box towards the junction station, with an engine approaching and a line of carriages to the left. The Branch Junction to Oxford and the erection of Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s covered station was completed in 1844, Artist Henry Taunt. (Photo from English Heritage/Heritage Images/Getty Images), Public Domain. [2]

Didcot Railway Station sat at the point where the line to Oxford diverged from the London-Bristol main line. It was an important interchange. The railway reached Didcot in 1839 and the station opened in 1844. It was rebuilt after fire in 1855. The timber island platforms in this view date from that rebuilding. The two-storey brick booking office in the image below was a later addition, dating from the early years of the 20th century. The booking office was rebuilt in the 1980s when the station was renamed Didcot Parkway. Only in the latter half of the 20th century has the town itself grown to match the importance of its railway station.

Didcot Railway Station as shown on the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1910, published in 1912. The carriage shed appears to have been removed although the sidings are still present. The provender store top-right has become a complex of three significant buildings. [13]

Didcot Railway Station, seen from the air in 1928. This is an excellent study of the station. The original locomotive depot which is seen beyond the station has changed significantly. It underwent a complete rebuild just a few years after this photograph was taken, in 1932. It was closed in 1965 and eventually it was sold to the Great Western Society to be redeveloped as their Didcot Railway Centre. The London-Bristol line runs right to left across the photograph – top-right to bottom-left. The East to North avoiding line is in the background beyond the depot. Trains from London to Oxford can pass through the station and then sweep round to the North immediately beyond the station of they can take the avoiding line. Trains from the Swindon direction can turn North at Foxhall Junction before reaching the station, but if scheduled to call at Didcot they would need to reverse to gain the Oxford line. Various 0-6-0s, 2-6-0s and 4-4-0s can be seen in the image. One 4-4-0 has left several coaches in the down platform and is running round its train, (c) Historic England (1928) EPW024646. [1]

This extract from another aerial image, this time facing South and looking across the site of Didcot Railway Station. The station buildings are in the top-right quadrant of the image (c) Historic England (1928) EPW024648. [8]

The first of these two images is a view looking west from the west end of Didcot Station around 1970 The down main line is furthest left. The bridge in the distance is Foxhall Road. The building in the middle distance on the right side of the main line is the old broad gauge/standard gauge goods transfer shed. In the heyday of Brunel’s broad gauge goods to and from the GWR system had to be laboriously transferred between GWR wagons and those of the standard-gauge. That building was preserved by relocating it on the Great Western Society’s Didcot Railway Centre site, where it has been recreated (apparently in a shortened form) as Burlescombe Shed (second photo), complete with mixed gauge track. The view in the first photo has changed in almost every way possible since I took it: transfer shed relocated, provender store (right of transfer shed) demolished, power station closed and demolished, main lines overhead electrified, bridge rebuilt. It all seemed so permanent at the time! These two photographs were shared by Vaughan Snook on the 19th Century Railway Enthusiasts’ Facebook Group in March 2026 © Vaughan Snook. [3]

This extract comes from the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1932, published in 1933. The new engine shed is in place. The number of sidings has increased again. The old engine shed has not yet been removed and the coaling stage has yet to be built. [14]

In 1932, a large four-road engine shed (210ft x 67ft) was built which could accommodate sixteen to twenty-four locomotives. In addition to the shed, a new lifting shop, with 50-ton hoist, has been provided, together with a large coaling stage with an overhead 74,250-gallon water-tank (44ft x 36ft). There was also new boiler-washing apparatus and plant for calcinating sand.

Following on the standardisation of locomotives, The GWR also sought to streamline and improve its maintenance facilities. It provided a number of new locomotive depots incorporating arrangements for enabling repairs and maintenance to be efficiently carried out. One of these was at Didcot, where the old locomotive depot was swept away and an entirely new depot provided on the triangle between the western main line and the line to Oxford and the North.

932: The New Engine Shed at Didcot. This unattributed image was carried in the Great Western Railway Magazine, Volume XL IV No. 10 of October 1932, p371. © Public Domain. [5]

A plan of the engine shed, coaling stage and carriage sidings at Didcot in 1933. Great Western Railway Development Works – Supplement to THE RAILWAY GAZETTE – 8th December 1933. [10]

1932: three images showing the interior of the New Engine Shed and Stores at Didcot. These unattributed images were carried in the Great Western Railway Magazine, Volume XL IV No. 10 of October 1932, p370. © Public Domain. [6]

A general view of the locomotive facilities at Didcot, featuring the new coaling stage on the left of the image. [10]

The 1932-built locomotive shed also included offices, stores and enginemen’s rooms, arranged along the south-west side of the building. They are commodious, well-lighted and warmed, and washing facilities are provided for enginemen, chargemen, fitters, mechanics, cleaners and shedmen. All the enginemen’s notices, instructions and roster sheets are contained in glass cases by which means they are kept flat, clean and easily discernible, and are posted up in a lobby between the stores and the offices. [10]

Various locomotive on shed in the 21st century. More can be found here. [11]

Photographs of the Coaling Stage at Didcot in May 2003. [My photographs, May 2003]

1932-1985

Little changed at Didcot in the years after WW2. The whole site remained virtually unchanged during the nationalised ownership of British Railways, but for the engine shed taking on the new code of 81E. The standard allocation of locomotives remained much the same as before nationalisation, with Halls, Dukedogs and Panniers making up the bulk of the depot’s fleet.

The gradual replacement of steam by diesel traction resulted in the closure of the locomotive facilities in June 1965.

In 1967, the Great Western Society took over the 1932 engine shed and surrounding infrastructure to establish a living railway museum – Didcot Railway Centre.

Didcot Parkway

Didcot Railway Station was renamed ‘Didcot Parkway’ in 1985. “A new main building for the station was built along with a new 600-space car park on the site of the former provender store to the west of the station for Park and Ride use. These were opened on 29th July 1985 by David Mitchell MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport, and on that date the station was renamed Didcot Parkway.” [9]

More recently, in 2018, a multi-storey car park was opened, costing £20 million and increasing the number of spaces by 65% to 1800. The car park also has a sheltered footbridge. In 2021, a new cycle storage hub was constructed, providing 600 covered spaces, LED lighting, CCTV cameras and a bike repair station. The project cost £1m, and was completed by a partnership of GWR, DfT and Network Rail. The station was served by some ‘Cross Country’ services until 2003, when Virgin ‘Cross Country’ ceased to call at the station, with all services using the Didcot East curve to and from the Oxford line. As at December 2018, one late night ‘Cross Country’ service from Reading to Birmingham New Street passed through Didcot Parkway to allow drivers to retain route knowledge. Passenger services on the West Curve ceased for a time after Thames Trains’ Oxford to Bristol Temple Meads service was withdrawn in 2003 but was reinstated on Saturdays in 2024. [9]

A 21st century satellite image showing the modern station at Didcot – Didcot Parkway and the Southern end of the Didcot Railway Centre. The avoiding line can be seen running from the bottom-right to the top-middle. The carriages sit on sidings alongside the line for Oxford which leaves the main line to the West of the station. [Google Maps, September 2026]

Didcot Parkway Railway Station, seen from the Southwest. [Google Streetview, April 2015]

References

https://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/en/image/EPW024646, 9th September 2026.
https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/961476136, accessed on 11th September 2026
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1614960195255335/posts/26251905641134115, accessed on 11th September 2026.
https://www.greatwesterntrust.org.uk/PDFViewer/web/viewer.html?file=%2fFilename.ashx%3ftableName%3dta_journals%26columnName%3dfilename%26recordId%3d469%26page%3d12%26end%3d13, accessed on 11th September 2026.
https://www.greatwesterntrust.org.uk/PDFViewer/web/viewer.html?file=%2fFilename.ashx%3ftableName%3dta_journals%26columnName%3dfilename%26recordId%3d474%26page%3d12%26end%3d12, accessed on 11th September 2026.
https://www.greatwesterntrust.org.uk/PDFViewer/web/viewer.html?file=%2fFilename.ashx%3ftableName%3dta_journals%26columnName%3dfilename%26recordId%3d547%26page%3d8%26end%3d8, accessed on 11th September 2026.
https://www.greatwesterntrust.org.uk/PDFViewer/web/viewer.html?file=%2fFilename.ashx%3ftableName%3dta_journals%26columnName%3dfilename%26recordId%3d547%26page%3d7%26end%3d7, accessed on 11th September 2026.
https://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/image/epw024648, accessed on 11th September 2026.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Didcot_Parkway_railway_station, accessed on 11th September 2026.
https://didcotrailwaycentre.org.uk/article.php/310/the-1932-engine-shed-when-new, accessed on 11th September 2026.
https://didcotrailwaycentre.org.uk/article.php/17/1932-engine-shed, accessed on 11th September 2026.
https://maps.nls.uk/view/104196166, accessed on 11th September 2026.
https://maps.nls.uk/view/104196163, accessed on 11th September 2026.
https://maps.nls.uk/view/104196160, accessed on 11th September 2026.

The Railways of Herefordshire and the Southern Marches

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This is the second book written by Heather Hurley which focuses on railway history. The first concentrated or the early tramways/tramroads of the Wye valley. [2] A short review of that earlier book can be found here. [3]

In this latest publication, Heather Hurley provides a social history of the lines which served the area between Ludlow in the North and Chepstow in the South – the area shown in the map below.

Given the essentially rural nature of the Southern Marches, it is sometimes easy to forget the industries which existed in the area and the manifest need, in the 19th century, for the railway connections which developed over time.

This book is an obvious successor to Hurley’s earlier study of the Tramways in the Wye valley. It is “written by a local historian, not a railway enthusiast, who has delved through the archives of 18 railway companies: two were abandoned from the start, four remained open, with another partly restored as a heritage line. Apart from the documentary research, a great deal of fieldwork was undertaken [by Hurley] in the counties of Herefordshire, Gloucestershire, Monmouthshire, Brecknockshire and Radnorshire, in order to provide important visual information.” [1: pix]

Hurley’s account, “follows the challenges, disappointments, financial gains and losses throughout a period of railway mania and beyond. The account has been thoroughly researched, drawing on Acts of Parliament and tables of tolls, company minutes and accounts, plans and maps, newspapers, journals and books, with contemporary and modern photographs to illustrate the railways, trains and people involved, the enormous task of construction, opening celebrations, and the history of each line until its fate was decided.” [1: pix]

The different individual railways have been well recorded in many publications, but this is the first book to give an overview of the relatively haphazard development of the railway network in the southern marches. It highlights the incredible social significance of the developing rail network during the 19th century and chronicles their impact on the industries, local economies and growing population during the nineteenth century.

Hurley does not claim to be a railway historian, but she has collated, “A richly detailed and illustrated account of the railways formed between 1845 and 1900 across Herefordshire, Gloucestershire, Monmouthshire, Brecknockshire and Radnorshire. Unpicking an often haphazard network, the book traces the lines and infrastructure, the stations, bridges and tunnels, the investors, engineers and navvies, and the charismatic steam locomotives that criss-crossed the region up until the 1960s.” [1: back cover]

Preliminary chapters look at:

the history of the Welsh Marches, their industries and communications. The earlier tramways in the area are dealt with in Hurley’s earlier book. [2] Although reference is made in this book to both the Leominster Canal of 1791 and the earlier long-distance tramways.
the arrival of steam powered railways, including: locomotives, wagons and coaching stock; and the work and life of the navvies that built the lines.

Succinct chapters deal with the development, acts of parliament and incorporation, construction, life, eventual demise of most of the railway companies and lines covered, and present day remains (mainly buildings, bridges and sections of the line):

The South Wales Railway and The Monmouth & Hereford Railway.
The Newport, Abergavenny & Hereford Railway.
The Shrewsbury & Hereford Railway.
The Hereford, Ross & Gloucester Railway.
The Worcester & Hereford Railway.
The Coleford, Monmouth, Usk & Pontypool Railway and The Coleford Railway.
The Leominster & Kingston Railway and The Kingston & Eardisley Railway.
The Hereford, Hay & Brecon Railway.
The Ross & Monmouth Railway.
The Wye Valley Railway.
The Mitcheldean Road & Forest of Dean Junction Railway.
The Newent Railway and the Ross & Ledbury Railway.
The Golden Valley Railway.
The Severn & Wye Railway.

Clearly there is insufficient space in a volume of this nature for detailed descriptions and historical investigations, nonetheless this book is an excellent introduction to the railways of the Southern Marches and a good starting point for any reader wanting to study any of these railways.

It is a well-written and well illustrated social history of the railways of the Southern Marches.

I noticed only a couple of minor points worth questioning in the whole volume:

The Worcester Mile is mentioned [1: p53] as providing a direct route from South to North from Barrs Court Station. I believe that the Worcester Mile ran South to North from Barton Station. [4]
Colonel Rich [1: p156] is noted as ‘the chief Great Western Railway engineer’. In fact, Colonel Frederick Henry Rich (8th March 1824 – 22nd August 1904) was a British soldier, who served with the Royal Engineers and was initially seconded to the Board of Trade as an Inspector of Railways in 1861. He continued in this role after his retirement from the Royal Engineers, serving as Chief Inspecting Officer of the Railway Inspectorate between 1885 and 1889. It was normal for the Board of Trade to inspect newly constructed railways prior to their opening for public use. [5]

References

Heather Hurley; The Railways of Herefordshire and the Southern Marches; Logaston Press, Eardisley, 2026.
Heather Hurley; Horse-drawn Tramways of the Wye Valley; Logaston Press, Eardisley, 2022.
https://rogerfarnworth.com/2023/01/02/horse-drawn-tramways-of-the-wye-valley.
https://htt.herefordshire.gov.uk/her-search/monuments-search/search/Monument?ID=30846, accessed on 27th July 2026.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Henry_Rich, accessed on 27th July 2026.

A short-lived LNWR Interest in the Wenlock Railway and the Ultimate Takeover by the GWR

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This is little more than a mildly interesting aside. Or perhaps an addendum to the short series about the Line between Wellington and Craven Arms. ….

The small companies that built the different lengths of the railway line between Wellington and Craven Arms struggled to manage their assets without support from the Great Western Railway. The GWR first began to operate the services on the line in the period after each section was opened, before gradually absorbing the companies that owned the different sections of the line.

“Small railway companies reliant on a dominant partner often found that continued independence was not worthwhile.” [1][6]

The Wenlock Railway experienced problems completing their railway through to Marsh Farm Junction/Carven Arms. It was an agreement with the GWR that made completion possible.

“In 1865 the GWR agreed to make an annual payment of £5,000 to the Wenlock Railway as a commuted payment for working the line between Wenlock and Presthope, and this cash inflow enabled the Wenlock Railway to resume construction. By the end of September 1867 the line on to Marsh Farm was thought to be ready, but Colonel Rich for the Board of Trade condemned the rail chairs of 21 lb. and 22 lb., saying they were too light and had to be replaced by 30 lb. chairs. This decision meant that the whole of the track between Presthope and Marsh Farm Junction had to be taken up and relaid at an extra cost of £2,244. On 9th December 1867 Colonel Rich approved of the line, and the entire line from Buildwas to Marsh Farm Junction was opened to passenger traffic on 16th December 1867.” [1][2: p57 & 252][3: p304][4: p112][5: p34]

“The relationship between the Wenlock companies and the GWR was not smooth; the small companies resented the large proportion of income – 42.5% – that the GWR was retaining for working the line, and there were many detailed issues that became contentious. In 1861 the London and North Western Railway had opened its Coalport branch line, and the possibility arose of connecting the Wenlock lines to it, by-passing the GWR. In 1872 plans were prepared for a line from Lightmoor to the LNWR line near Madeley Court; incidentally the line would also link in furnaces at Stirchley, Hinkshay and Blists Hill.” [1]

There were some sound reasons for the line being considered. Had construction taken place the LNWR would have succeeded in gaining access to the full line through Much Wenlock to Craven Arms. The Coalbrookdale Company was, at first, supportive of the scheme. Its support was critical to the viability of the proposal.

The title and introduction to the Act of 21st July 1873. [7][8]

The Act allowed for the construction of two lengths of railway:

The first was four furlongs three chains and fifty decimals of a chain in length, commencing in the parish of Madeley by a junction with the Great Western Railway (Lightmoor to Coalbrookdale Branch) near Lightmoor, and terminating in the said parish of Madeley in a pasture field called Near Moors, numbered 201 on the tithe map of the said parish; [8]
The second was seven furlongs three chains and fifty-four decimals of a chain in length, commencing in the said parish of Madeley by a junction with the said intended railway No. 1 in a pasture field called Near Moors, numbered 201 on the tithe map of the said parish, and terminating in the parish of Stirchley by a junction with the Coalport Branch of the London and North Western Railway. [8]

The “Much Wenlock and Severn Junction (Lightmoor Extensions) Act, got the Royal Assent on 21st July 1873. … The Wenlock companies had relied on the Coalbrookdale Company subscribing a substantial sum to the construction, but now that Company said that the downturn in the Shropshire iron trade meant that they could not do so. There was now no possibility of making the new line.” [1][2: p65-66]

“The Wellington and Severn Junction Railway had long been leased to the Great Western Railway, so that the smaller Company was simply a financial entity. In July 1892 it agreed terms with the GWR and was absorbed by it.” [1][6]

“This left the [other] Wenlock companies in an uneasy relationship with the GWR. In December 1887 the GWR made new proposals for the payments it would make for working the line, but the smaller companies stalled. In fact, the working agreement with the GWR expired at the end of June 1893, but by the end of December 1893 agreement had still not been reached, and the GWR stated that it was not prepared to continue to work the line on the present terms. The GWR offered terms for purchasing the companies, but these were refused. In frustration the GWR threatened to cease working the line. The Wenlock Companies [ultimately had to accept] the GWR terms; the takeover was effective from October 1896.” [1][2: p53]

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wellington_to_Craven_Arms_Railway#cite_ref-jones65_43-0, accessed on 19th September 2024.
Ken Jones; The Wenlock Branch. Oakwood Press, 1998.
Ernest F Carter; An Historical Geography of the Railways of the British Isles; Cassell, London, 1959.
Rex Christiansen; A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain: volume 13: Thames and Severn; David and Charles (Publishers) Limited, Newton Abbot, 1981.
E T MacDermot, History of the Great Western Railway Volume 2: Great Western Railway, London, 1931.
John M. Tolson; In the Tracks of the Iron Masters; in The Railway Magazine, London, July and August 1964.
https://vlex.co.uk/vid/much-wenlock-and-severn-808157633, accessed on 19th September 2024.
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/Vict/36-37/183/pdfs/ukla_18730183_en.pdf, accessed on 19th September 2024.

The Cornwall Minerals Railway – Part 2 – Par, its Harbour and St. Blazey Engine Shed

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A first article about the Cornwall Minerals Railway can be found here:

https://rogerfarnworth.com/2020/05/17/the-cornwall-minerals-railway-part-1. [32]

In this second article we look at Par and its harbour, include some information about Treffry’s Tramway which transported goods to and from the Port and take note of St. Blazey Loco Shed. …

“Par Harbour was built in 1829 by a local entrepreneur Joseph Thomas Treffry who was known as the “King of Mid Cornwall”. [1: p13]

“The first ships used the port at Par in 1833 and it was finished in 1840. The breakwater enclosed 36 acres (15 hectares) of harbour and was capable of taking up to about 50 vessels of 200 tons each. The port is tidal so the vessels would sit on the bottom at low tide. Cornish granite was exported from Par in the early days for such famous landmarks as Waterloo Bridge in London, Chatham Docks, Gibraltar Docks & Glasgow Docks.” [33] As the china clay industry grew during the 19th century this became the main export through the port.

The first map below comes from the Ordnance Survey 1st series of the very early 19th century.

Par Harbour, OS First series, early 19th century. [5]

Old map of Par Harbour shared on the St. Blazey and Par Old Photos and Postcards Facebook Page on 18th June 2019. [6]

Coal needed to be imported from Wales to power Treffry’s mines, and copper, lead, and granite needed to be exported all over the country. Treffry, as a leading industrialist of the time, “had an urgent need for a harbour to serve his mines and quarries and the narrow streets of Fowey hampered the process when cargos could only be transported from the mines by mules and wagons. After he had completed his safe haven, up to fifty small sailing vessels of the time could be accommodated in the harbour, while larger ships lay at anchor in St Austell bay where their cargoes were loaded from barges. Other industries and businesses developed inside the port area such as ship repair, rope works, sail making, timber and coal merchants and brickworks.” [1: p13]

Hugh Howes notes that the new harbour “was a vital outlet for minerals particularly the expanding china clay industry and a rival to Fowey, Pentwan and Charlestown. [Teffry’s] Fowey Consols Mine was reaching its peak production in the late 1830s at 15,000 tons. The output at Par Consols Mine peaked a little later at nearly 8,500 tons. They were producing profitable amounts of copper at that time. … He had brought industrial success firstly with the copper mines in Tywardreath and St. Blazey, then with the granite workings at Luxulyan, and finally with china clay extraction to serve the fast developing ceramics industry in the Potteries.” [27: p48-49]

Canal and tramways in the Luxulyan Valley in 1835, © Copyright Afterbrunel and included here under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Licence. [7]

The Par Canal was built by Treffry to transport his minerals from Pontsmill to Par Harbour and was operational from 1833 [8][33], 1842 [1: p21] or 1844 [10], depending on which source you rely on. A number of tramway inclines were associated with it. One from Fowey Consols Mine to a location to the South of Pontsmill was in use by 1835. A second, was built a little to the South of the first, both seem to have served Fowey Consols Mine. A third tramway inclined plane was built between Par Consols Mine and Par Harbour. That inclined plane was working by 1841. [8] The Canal was closed in 1873. [10]

The Treffry Tramway was built in stages. The first length headed North from Pontsmill to Colcerrow Quarry and included an incline to lift the line out of Pontsmill. This line was extended to Molinnis near Bugle. To get there a large viaduct was needed, to cross the valley of the River Par (the Luxulyan Valley). The Teffry Viaduct, was 648 feet in length with ten arches, and was 98 feet high. It was the first large granite viaduct in Cornwall. This section of Treffry’s tramway opened in early 1844. [8]

Tramways in the Luxulyan Valley in 1855, © Copyright Afterbrunel and included here under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Licence. [7]

Construction of the Tramway continued from it’s planned Northern terminus at Newquay. There were delays as a result of Treffry’s death in 1850 but his work was eventually continued by his cousin who had the Hedra Incline operational by 1857 at the latest, possibly as much as five years earlier. [7]

Treffry’s Tramways by 1857, © Copyright Afterbrunel and included here under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Licence. [7]

The Fowey Consols Mine was geologically exhausted by 1865. It closed, as did the connecting tramway inclines. Copper extraction in the area was in steep decline, tin ore extraction proved commercially unsuccessful, but granite quarrying “enjoyed an upsurge, and new quarries opened on a small scale at Rock Mill Quarry and Orchard Quarry, above Pontsmill on the south-west side of the river. In 1870 a branch of the tramway was extended from near Pontsmill to serve the two quarries. The line was on the north-east side of the river, and it had two branches for the quarries; each of them crossed the river, and the Orchard Quarry line had an incline to reach the site. The tramway on the incline may have been narrow gauge and was probably gravity operated.” [7][12][14]

Joseph Treffry’s decision in 1844 to use horse-power meant that by the 1870s his tramways were becoming inefficient. Modernisation was essential but the Teffry Estate’s finances precluded that work being undertaken solely by the estate. [7]

In 1872 William Richardson Roebuck leased the tramways. He formed a limited company, the Cornwall Minerals Railway Limited and obtained “parliamentary authority on 21st July 1873 to acquire the lines, form a new railway to connect them, and to make an extension to Fowey, and to improve the original tramway sections so as to make them suitable for operation by steam locomotive.” [7][11][6][15]

“The Cornwall Minerals Railway (CMR) took over Treffry’s lines and improved them. They quickly built the link between Hendra and Molinnis, and their new line to Fowey, and Treffry’s vision of a through line from Newquay to Fowey was realised when on 1 June 1874 the CMR opened the line throughout.” [7] The line required a “new route up the Luxulyan Valley so as to avoid the rope-worked Carmears Incline.” [7]

“The new line in the Luxulyan Valley by-passed the Treffry Viaduct, but Colcerrow Quarry continued to be rail served. Traffic from the quarry reversed at the junction with the old main line at the Par end of the viaduct, and then crossed it, joining the new line at Luxulyan. This operation was horse worked, and the track was still the original Treffry stone-block type in 1933.” [7][17] By 1959 the Colcerrow route at Luxulyan had been shortened to a stub siding. [7][16: p21]

Passenger operation commenced in 1876. The GWR leased the lines from the CMR in 1877, and purchased them in 1896. “The East Wheal Rose branch remained a mineral section until the Great Western Railway (GWR) … built its line from Newquay to Perranporth and Chacewater, partly taking over the line of route.” [7]

The Treffry Tramways and the Par Canal warrant separate articles in this series which will be written in due course. …..

These next set of extracts from the Ordnance Survey belong together but cross the boundary between two OS Map sheets and come from the 1881 survey which was published in 1888. Treffry’s harbour is shown, as is the canal he built. The rail track shown running alongside the canal follows the route of the Treffry Tramway.

As well as the Treffry Tramway and the, already closed, Par Canal, there is a railway shown running roughly North to South on the first two map extracts. This was the Cornwall Railway, the railway company which built the majestic Royal Albert Bridge over the River Tamar. Because of the difficult terrain it traversed, it had a large number of viaducts, built as timber trestles because of the shortage of money. It was a 7 ft 1⁄4 in (2,140 mm) broad gauge railway from Plymouth in Devon to Falmouth in Cornwall, built in the second half of the nineteenth century. It was constantly beset with shortage of capital for the construction, and was eventually forced to sell its line to the Great Western Railway (GWR) in 1889, a little after the date of the 1881 Survey. [9]

On this map extract from the 1881 survey, the line of the Treffry Tramway is to the East of the Par Inn. It is followed closely, to its East, by the Par Canal and then by the River Par. Also visible is the Par Engine Shed which later became known as the St. Blazey Engine Shed. The engine shed is prominent on this map extract, it was built for the eighteen 0-6-0T locomotives that were built by Sharp Stewart in 1873 and 1874. These locos were intended to operate in pairs, back to back and each road in the engine shed was designed to accommodate one pair of locomotives. Traffic never warranted the paired use of these locomotives and only nine were put to use. What happened to the other nine locomotives is covered in the first article in this short series, (cf. [32]) [2][18][31]

St. Blazey Station and Engine Shed seen from the North in 1930. This image is an extract from EPW033131, the roundhouse is in the middle distance close to the centre of the image, © Historic England. [40]

Stephen Austin, in a May 2003 article in Steam Days, describes the workshops and depot this:

“At Par, the Cornwall Minerals Railway set up a new headquarters and engineering depot on a piece of flat ground between the river and the original valley side where once ships moored in front of the Sloop Inn.

It was fortunate that the Cornwall Railway line, at the south end of this site, was elevated on a viaduct, for its five arches now spanned the canal, the Cornwall Mineral Railways main line to Fowey, a branch into Par Harbour, the river, and a public road. At the north end the new line swung across the river on a sharp reverse curve to join the 1855 causeway. On this length from Par Bridge to Middleway Bridge the original railway between the river and canal was abandoned, and is today a public footpath where some of the sleeper blocks may still be seen.

The railway depot, finished by the end of 1873, had two main buildings. One was a wagon repair shed and the other contained a Signal & Telegraph repair shop, smithy, boiler room, water tank, a two-storey office suite, machine shop, and locomotive repair shop. Adjoining the latter was a locomotive running shed constructed in what was then a frequently-used layout – a segment of a circle-covering tracks which radiated from a turntable in the centre of the circle. This shed, which became known locally as ‘the roundhouse’, contained nine tracks, each with its own gable-ended roof, of which the middle three extended through the back wall into the repair shop.

The buildings at the depot were handsome, elegantly-proportioned brick structures. The whole workshop group cost £16,000 and was a huge development for the time and place of its construction, exceeding the Cornwall Railway Works at nearby Lostwithiel. … The reason for the nine roads in the running shed was that it was to accommodate the whole of the company’s locomotive fleet. They ordered eighteen 0-6-0Ts from Sharp Stewart & Company of Manchester. The design was attributed to Francis Trevithick, formerly of the L&NWR and a descendant of the great Richard Trevithick, and was conventional except that the cab had no back. The intention was to run the locomotives in pairs, coupled back to back, with one crew. This was because Robert Fairlie had recently created a sensation with his double-ended locomotive mounted on two power bogies, able to do the work of two smaller engines without the expense of two engine crews; the Cornwall Mineral Railways’ idea was to obtain this last benefit without having to pay royalties to Robert Fairlie.

The prospect of a driver having to leap from one footplate to another whenever a control needed adjusting is an alarming one, but in practice it was seldom, if ever, put to the test. Far from needing two locomotives to a train, one was ample, and half of the new fleet of locomotives was never used at all. The staple traffic on which the hopes of the firm were raised iron-ore from the Perran Iron Lode never appeared. All that was offered was stone, and the then-modest output of china-clay, and within a year it was clear that the railway was a financial failure.” [31: p279-280]

St. Blazey Shed in early BR days. This image was shared by Colin Bangs on the St. Blazey Roundhouse Facebook Group on 30th April 2024 © Unknown. [35]

All nine roads appear in this image which was shared on 24th August 2015 on the Old Cornwall in Pictures Facebook Page, © Unknown. [38]

This image of the roundhouse in use in the early 1969s was shared on the Didcot Railway Centre Facebook Page on 28th April 2016, © possibly HMRS or Colour Rail as the image is reproduced in Stephen Austin’s article with that attributation. [39] [31: p285]

On this extract from the 1881 Survey, the Cornwall Railway at Porth is shown to have connecting lines to Par’s dockyard area. [2]

This extract from the 1881 Survey is included for the sake of completeness. It shows the Par Canal, being crossed by two footbridges, the most southerly of which also appears on the next map extract. [3]

This extract from the 1881 6″ Ordnance Survey shows the tramway serving the quayside. Much of the harbour area was mud flats at low tide with just a narrow channel of water remaining. [3]

The next images show the area as recorded for the 25″ Ordnance Survey in 1905/1906 and published in 1907.

This extract from the 25″ Survey of 1905/1906 published in 1907, shows the Northern half of the area immediately around Par Harbour. St. Blazey Engine Shed is in the top-left quadrant. [19]

The view looking South in 1922 from St. Blazey Railway Station. The curve running away to the left is the link to what was the Cornwall Railway at Par Station. The wagon works are just to the right of centre. At the top of the image with the locomotive shed beyond and to the right. The down to Par Harbour runs ahead of the camera to the left of the wagon works; that to Fowey leaves the image bottom-left. The image is greatly enhanced by the two movements taking place. Immediately to the left of the wagon works what appears to be a saddle tank heads a train of, mixed empty and loaded general fright wagons and loaded and sheeted china clay wagons. To the right of the works, a pannier tank heads a train of china clay wagons within the sidings. Presumably the various wagons and brake vans in front of the wagon works are awaiting servicing or return to use on the railway, © Public Domain. [31: p281]

This next extract from the 25″ Survey of 1905/1906 published in 1907, shows the Southern half of the area immediately around Par Harbour. [20]

The next few images show a number of the areas in greater detail. All these extracts come from the 25″ OS mapping published in 1907.

The GWR Loop between St. Blazey Railway Station and Par Railway Station. [25]

St. Blazey Engine Shed and Par Green with the GWR Par Loop visible at the top of the map extract. [24]

The area North of the Quay including the Fowey branch on its causeway. [23]

The immediate area around the Quay. [22]

The area between Pembroke Mine and Porth on the North side of the mainline. [21]

Par Harbour, as it appears on the 1943 Admiralty Chart. [4]

Par Docks saw significant developments in the late 1940s. The image below is an aerial image of Par taken in 1950 for English China Clay.

An aerial image of Par Docks taken on 20th April 1950, shared under a Creative Commons Licence (Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.5)). [26]

Railway Bylines has at least two articles about Par Harbour. The first, a 10 page article about the history of the Harbour, appeared in Railway Bylines Volume 2 No. 5 of August/September 1997. The second, an article entitled ‘Cornish Cream’ with text and photography by Tom Heavyside, was included in Railway Bylines Volume 9 No. 12 of November 2004. [28] It focussed on the diminutive locomotives which served the port’s railways. … Alfred and Judy were still at Par in 1977 when Tom Heavyside visited. Judy was no longer in working order. Alfred was ‘in steam’ on Wednesday 15th June. Alfred was stood-down in August 1977 with its duties being undertaken by a tractor with the occasional use of a BR ’08’ shunter from St. Blazey depot as and when required. Both Alfred and Judy were subsequently removed from the site and saved for posterity.

Tom Heavyside comments: “Fortunately, Alfred and Judy we both saved for posterity. Initially, Alfred went to the Cornish Steam Locomotive Society depot at Bugle and Judy to the Wheal Martyn China Clay Museum near St.Austell. However, in 1987 Alfred moved to the Bodmin & Wenford Railway and in the autumn of 2002 Judy also moved to the Bodmin & Wenford. Fittingly, Alfred became something of a celebrity, not only at Bodmin but elsewhere; I well remember e it making a guest appearance at the Exeter Rail Fair in April/May 1994 when it mingled with a number of much larger steam locomotives including a couple of Bulleid Pacifics and a GWR King.” [28: p590]

Wikipedia tells us that: “Alfred and Judy are two 0-4-0 saddle tank steam locomotives. They were built by W. G. Bagnall for use at Par Docks in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The unusually low design was required to cope with extremely tight curves and a very low bridge under the Cornish Main Line. The locomotives are both preserved in operational condition on the nearby Bodmin and Wenford Railway and inspired the Reverend Wilbert Awdry to include them in The Railway Series of children’s books as Bill and Ben.” [29]

The bridge under the Cornish Mainline served the china clay works. It had a maximum headroom of 8ft. Operating curves in the Port were as tight as 70ft radius. The locomotives used in the Port needed to meet these stringent restrictions. A series of different locomotives were used over the years. One of those locomotives was ‘Toby’, a low-profile Sentinel, which served the Port throughout much of the first half of the 20th century. By September 1937, demands on the older locomotives were such that a new locomotive was required to work alongside Toby.

W. G. Bagnall & Co. built a suitable locomotive which was delivered to Par in 1937. That locomotive was to be given the name ‘Judy’ in 1955. The locomotive was delivered at a cost of £1200 carrying the works number 2572. “By 1952, ‘Toby’ required replacement and an upturn in traffic meant an order was placed for another locomotive. In 1954, Alfred was delivered (named after the manager of the harbour Alfred Truscott). Whilst nominally the same, Alfred had some differences to Judy with different bunker style, tank and handrail alterations (such as a tank filler that opened in the opposite direction) and a different purchase price – this time £7500.” [30]

Par Docks in the 2020s. [Google Earth, January 2025]

Par Docks, Clay Dries in use in April 2003, © Tony Atkin and licenced for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [36]

Par Docks, Clay Dries in 2013, © Chris Gunn and licenced for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [37]

The Imerys Blueprint for Cornwall, published in 2003, provided information about the history of china clay production in Cornwall. It included information about the amount of china clay that was shipped out of Par Docks between 1858 and 2002:

1858 – 15,154 tons of china clay

1885 – 86,325 tons of china clay

1987 – 700,000 tons of china clay

2002 – 313,425 tons of china clay, 134,810 tons of aggregates.

Incidentally, the blueprint also noted: the sale of the harbour by the Teffry Estates to English China Clay (ECC) in 1964; the construction of dryers at the site in the 1950s and 1960s; and the closure of the port in 2007.

After closure the port was used as a Milling Centre and a Grade Dryer with all bins clay shipment being handled by Fowey Docks.

Stephen Austin notes the use of the locomotive shed over the years from the 1980s to the new millennium as follows:

“St Blazey depot, much diminished as it was, was still very much alive. It maintained a dedicated fleet of china-clay wagons introduced in 1954, and from 1970 a fixed cover for these wagons was designed and fitted in the Wagon Works, producing the distinctive ‘Clay Hood’. The staff was proud of their self-sufficiency, and when the Clay Hoods were replaced by the Type CDA hopper wagons in 1987 the fitters, on their own initiative, rebuilt the example which now stands as gate-guardian at the Wagon Works. Other freight business disappeared, and the Newquay line was reduced to a long siding on which a railcar shuttled desultorily, but following the break-up of British Rail in 1993 there was renewed optimism.

The depot was taken over by a company named English, Welsh & Scottish Railway Company … and St Blazey was that company’s only depot in Cornwall. It stabled and serviced the TPO coaches of the mail services which were tripped empty from and to Plymouth and Penzance every day, and wagons carrying cement to Blue Circle at Moorswater and products from Fitzgerald Lighting Ltd at Bodmin were staged through the yard. In 1995 some of the locomotives allocated in Cornwall were given names of local association. Among them was No. 37674 St Blaise Church 1445-1995, named after the nearby parish church and unveiled in the yard. In 1998 St Blazey began operating the new locomotives imported by EWSR (Class 66) on the china-clay trains.

On 11th August 1999, in its 125th anniversary year, St Blazey hosted perhaps the biggest assembly of preserved coaches ever gathered on the national network, and excursions brought people down to view the total eclipse of the sun. On 26th February 2000 diesel locomotive No 67008 arrived to begin the depot’s association with the Class 67 diesel then the fastest true self-contained locomotives running anywhere in the world, and worthy successors to those little Sharp Stewart tank engines. …

… The new millennium brought more uncertainty to St Blazey’s future. The last train conveying Fitzgerald Lighting’s wagons, the last consignment of any West Country manufacturer’s goods to be sent out by railway, left the yard on 25th July 2001. The remaining customers, the cement, china-clay, and the mails, made it clear that if the railway did not satisfy them on price and speed they would take to the roads. The only hope [lay] in the fact that … after 128 years of service, St Blazey is still very much a going concern.

Notwithstanding the unique nature of St Blazey Works, it received no attention at all from the enthusiasts in the fields of railways, architecture, or history, nor from the ‘official’ bodies paid to safeguard these things. The roundhouse building was divided up and rented by local traders, and the yard was a dump for rubbish and wrecked cars. However, even the tracks into the building remained intact, and apart from the demolition of the coaling stage nothing else was done until the summer of 2001 when the ownership changed hands, and plans were announced for new building on the site. Thus the original character of the Works, and the practicality of returning it to railway use, will finally be extinguished.” [31: p284, 286]

The news in 2024/2025 is that the anticipated removal of the St. Blazey roundhouse did not occur. St. Blazey Engine Shed has recently been restored as the base for MPower Kernow CIC (MPower), a new Cornish social enterprise company. [34]

In April 2023, World of Railways reported that “the ongoing restoration of the turntable and the creation of a servicing facility for steam locomotives is expected to provide many and varied training opportunities for a broad cross section of the community and MPower is already working with local education and training organisations to provide hands-on experience in a range of skills, from woodwork to plumbing, electrics, construction and engineering.” [34]

Future articles?

It is, finally, worth noting that the Cornwall Minerals Railway had a total of 46 miles of track with “a main line from Fowey to Newquay … and branches from Bugle to Carbis, St Dennis Junction to Melangoose Mill and Newquay to East Wheal Rose. These connected clay works, quarries, mines and harbours (Newquay, Par and Fowey) in the area with the headquarters and works being sited at St Blazey (part of which is still in use).” [1: p21]

“Other clay lines were built in later years, Bugle to Carbean Siding in 1893 and Trenance Junction (just West of St Austell on the main line), to Bojes Sidings in 1520 Two narrow gauge lines were also in use at various times. The Gothers Tramway of … from Pochin’s siding near St Dennis Junction to a clay works a Gothers opened in 1884 and closed in 1931.” [1: p22]

These lines will hopefully be covered in future articles.

References

Pit to Port; The Cornish Steam Locomotive Preservation Society, 2009.
https://maps.nls.uk/view/101438942, accessed on 20th January 2023.
https://maps.nls.uk/view/101438954, accessed on 20th January 2023.
Admiralty Chart Misc. 645, corrected 15th April 1943; https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/274499586563?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=F5J0o5CiRha&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=afQhrar7TGK&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY; accessed on 20th January 2023.
http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/maps/series, accessed on 20th January 2023.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid0Py845Q675ooziPmV7A5PJqJVKMkFTs9xPnmrFARWQPpX7arVtvHGEMqosiKtEtXWl&id=171605006288707, accessed on 20th January 2023.
https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lux_valley_1835.gif#mw-jump-to-license, accessed on 20th January 2023.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treffry_Tramways, accessed on 20th January 2023.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornwall_Railway, accessed on 21st January 2023.
https://www.cornwall-calling.co.uk/mines/tramways/par-canal.htm, accessed on 21st January 2023.
John Vaughan; The Newquay Branch and its Branches; Haynes/Oxford Publishing Company, Sparkford, 1991.
Martin Bodman; Inclined Planes in the South West; Twelveheads Press, Chacewater, 2012.
E T MacDermot; History of the Great Western Railway, Vol II; the Great Western Railway, London, 1931.
Cornwall Archaeological Unit; The Luxulyan Valley Project: an Archaeological and Historical Survey; Cornwall County Council, Truro, 1988.
E F Carter; An Historical Geography of the Railways of the British Isles; Cassell, London, 1959.
Maurice Dart; Images of Cornish Railways; Halsgrove House, Wellington, Somerset, 2007.
D S Barrie and “Precursor”; Railway Relics in West Cornwall; Railway Magazine, December 1933.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Blazey_engine_shed, accessed on 21st January 2023.
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16.0&lat=50.35131&lon=-4.70645&layers=168&b=1, accessed on 1st March 2023.
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16.0&lat=50.34419&lon=-4.70495&layers=168&b=1, accessed on 1st March 2023.
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=17.0&lat=50.34387&lon=-4.71396&layers=168&b=1, accessed on 1st March 2023.
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=17.0&lat=50.34528&lon=-4.70401&layers=168&b=1, accessed on 1st March 2023.
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=17.0&lat=50.34883&lon=-4.70290&layers=168&b=1, accessed on 1st March 2023.
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=17.0&lat=50.35257&lon=-4.70492&layers=168&b=1, accessed on 1st March.
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=17.0&lat=50.35595&lon=-4.70647&layers=168&b=1, accessed on 1st March 2023.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Par_Docks#/media/File:Par_Docks_ECC_Aerial_Photograph.jpg, accessed on 1st March 2023.
Hugh Howes; The Struggle for the Cornwall Railway – Fated Decisions; Twelveheads Press, Truro, 2012.
Tom Heavyside; Cornish Cream; in Railway Bylines Volume 9 No. 12, November 2004, p586-590.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bagnall_0-4-0ST_%22Alfred%22_and_%22Judy%22, accessed on 8th March 2024.
https://rapidotrains.co.uk/port-of-par-bagnall-tanks, accessed on 8th March 2024.
Stephen Austin; St. Blazey: At the Heart of West Country History; in Steam Days, May 2003, p278-286.
https://rogerfarnworth.com/202y0/05/17/the-cornwall-minerals-railway-part-1.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Par_Docks, accessed on 24th January 2025.
https://www.world-of-railways.co.uk/news/st-blazeys-restored-turntable-set-for-scotsman-visit, accessed on 24th January 2025.
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/15WHnYinBM, accessed on 24th January 2025.
https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/104676, accessed on 24th January 2025.
https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/3824704, accessed on 24th January 2025.
https://www.facebook.com/share/14r1jXREEN, accessed on 25th January 2025.
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18VjPfoZGu, accessed on 25th January 2025.
https://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/image/EPW033131, accessed on 25th January 2025.

GWR Steam Motor Road Vehicles

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The Railway Magazine of December 1905 included a photograph of a road vehicle powered by steam. The picture in The Railway Magazine is the featured image for this short article.

The Railway Magazine entitled this image, “Great Western Railway Enterprise.” It shows a steam motor wagon and trailer which was used for collecting and delivering goods at Henwick. [1: p480]

It seems as though the editor of The Railway Magazine removed the background from a photograph to prepare it for the magazine. The original photograph is shown immediately below.

An archive image from the GW Trust archive of road motors at Didcot. It is clear that this is the original image from which The Railway Magazine took their illustration. [2]

An article about GWR Steam Road Motors was included in Going Loco, May 2022. [2]

The two photographs show the same vehicle, No. U 308, built by the Yorkshire Patent Steam Wagon Co of Leeds in 1905. “The novel double-ended transverse-mounted boiler was used to avoid problems on steep hills. With a horizontal boiler mounted fore and aft, skill is required to keep the inner firebox crown covered with water when descending a steep hill.” [2]

The same photo can be found on the Leeds Engine Builders webpage. [3]

The novel double-ended transverse-mounted boiler was used to avoid problems of tilting when climbing hills. Internally it resembled a locomotive or Fairlie boiler with a central firebox and multiple fire-tubes to each end. In the Yorkshire though, a second bank of fire-tubes above returned to a central smokebox and a single chimney. [9]

More typical of the steam road motors was this vehicle which Hattons identify as “a Sentinel Dropside Short-wheelbase Steam Wagon which Corgi have produced in GWR Livery in 1:50 scale.” [4] This is actually Corgi CC20204 – Foden C-Type Dropside Wagon. [10]

A model of a Foden K Steam Road Motor Lorry. [5]

The full size version of the Foden K Steam Road Motor Lorry. [6]

Series Two Foden Steam Traction Lorry – Okehampton 1929, © Public Domain. [7]

References

The Railway Magazine, London, December 1905.
https://didcotrailwaycentre.org.uk/article.php/514/going-loco-may-2022, accessed on 10th October 2024.
https://www.leedsengine.info/leeds/gallery.asp?section=/leeds/images/Yorkshire%20PSWCo, accessed on 10th October 2024.
https://www.hattons.co.uk/213735/corgi_cc20204_sentinel_dropside_steam_wagon_with_sack_load_in_gwr_livery/stockdetail, accessed on 10th October 2024.
https://www.constructionscalemodels.com/en/foden-k-steam-wagon-south-eastern-finecast-sefte10, accessed on 10th October 2024.
https://fortepan.hu/hu/photos/?id=228651, accessed on 10th October 2024.
https://www.ebay.ph/itm/235633691321, accessed on 10th October 2024.
https://www.steampicturelibrary.com/gwr-road-vehicles/road-motor-vehicles/gwr-4-ton-thornycroft-lorry-1929-536382.html, accessed on 10th October 2024.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yorkshire_Patent_Steam_Wagon_Co.#:~:text=The%20Yorkshire%20Patent%20Steam%20Wagon%20Co.&text=Their%20designs%20had%20a%20novel,was%20finally%20dissolved%20in%201993, accessed o. 10th October 2024.
https://www.chezbois.com/corgi/modern_corgi/Model_97124.htm, accessed on 15th February 2025.

The Wenlock Branch from Harton Road Station to Marsh Farm Junction and Craven Arms

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This article follows on from seven other articles which covered the Wellington to Severn Junction Railway and this line from Buildwas to Harton Road Station. The first three articles can be found by clicking on these links:

Wellington to Horsehay [8]

Horsehay to Lightmoor Junction [9]

Lightmoor Junction to Buildwas [10]

The most recent articles cover this line between Buildwas and Harton Road Station and can be found on these links:

Buildwas to Much Wenlock [11]

Much Wenlock to Presthope [12]

Presthope to Longville-in-the-Dale [13]

Longville Railway Station to Harton Road Railway Station [14]

We noted in the last three articles that from the commencement of the building of the line between Buildwas and Much Wenlock, the directors hoped that the line could be extended to Craven Arms via Presthope on Wenlock Edge (linking with the limestone quarries/works at that location).

The directors of the Wellington & Severn Junction Railway were, however, fully occupied with the line from Wellington to Buildwas. Another company was set up to build the ‘Wenlock & Craven Arms and Coalbrookdale Extension Railway‘. The bill went through the parliamentary process unopposed and authorised the ‘Wenlock Railway Company‘ to construct the line. Work started on 23rd October 1861.

By 5th December 1864, the line was open from Much Wenlock to Presthope. (That length is covered in the last but one online article listed above.) At this time, because it was a freight-only line, the Board of Trade saw no need for an inspection of the line. It had already been agreed at a meeting held on 4th December 1863 not to proceed with the line from Presthope to Craven Arms for the time being. It was to be three years after the line reached Presthope before the connection to the Shrewsbury & Hereford Railway close to Craven Arms was completed. It was finally opened on 16th December 1867.

Harton Road Station to Craven Arms

Harton Road Station to Marsh Farm Junction as shown on the Ordnance Survey Landranger Series mapping. [20]

We start our onward journey at Harton Road Station which is now a private dwelling. The station building and platform were on the North side of the line. There was a loop to the West of the passenger facilities which could act as an unloading/loading point for goods or even, possibly, as a passing loop if required.

Harton Road station building and platform. [6]

An enlarged extract from the 6″ Ordnance Survey of 1882 9published 1883. [15]

An extract from the precontract plans held at the Shrewsbury Archive shows the original road alignment at this location, lined in red, before the advent of the railway and its necessary diversion to accommodate the railway. These precontract plans were orientated in respect to the North point so as to get the greatest possible length of the proposed railway onto each sheet, © Shropshire Archives Ref. No. 6008/26 copyright reserved, used by kind permission. [5][My photograph of the plan, 5th August 2022]

Ken Jones deals with much of the length towards Marsh Farm Junction by telling us that, “Shortly after leaving Harton Road there [was] a long straight stretch across Henley Common, this was once part of the common field system attached to the small hamlet of Henley. Across the common and into a tree-lined deep cutting; as the train weaves in and out of the trees and cuttings between Harton Road and Marsh Farm Junction brief glimpses can be seen of a tower rising well above the trees to the left of the line; this is the well known Shropshire landmark Flounders Folly, a mid-19th century folly. After negotiating its stone staircase tourists would be rewarded with commanding views of the surrounding Shropshire and Border countryside.” [1: p109]

After leaving Harton Road Station trains for Craven Arms ran West towards Marsh Farm Junction across Henley Common. This extract comes from the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1901. [16]

A very similar area as it appears on the railmaponline.com satellite imagery. [3]

Just a short distance West along the line from Harton Road Station and looking West on 12th April 2016, © Richard Webb and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [7]

Looking back towards Harton Road Station from a couple of hundred metres East along the route of the old railway where a public footpath crosses the line of the Wenlock Branch. The chimney of the station building can just be seen beyond the barn in the distance. [My photograph, 13th August 2024]

Some distance further West along the line of the old railway and looking West. [My photograph, 13th August 2024]

Looking West from the point a second footpath crosses the old railway. [My photograph, 13th August 2024]

At the location of the tree in the centre of the image above a permanent fence crosses the line. This is the view West from that fence line. [My photograph, 13th August 2024]

From this point on, the line crosses private land and for some distance the formation has been ploughed into the fields. After some distance, to the South side of the line there is a large Solar Farm. The access track to the solar farm runs West from the farm towards the A49.

Continuing West the line crossed a farm access track and stream in close proximity. An enlarged extract from this 25″ Ordnance Survey is shown below. [17]

A similar length of the line as shown on railmaponline.com satellite imagery. Note the solar farm at the bottom left of this image. East of the solar farm the route of the old railway runs over private land. West of the solar farm its access track follows the route of the old railway. [3]

The old line crossing a stream and an access track! This enlarged extract shows an area about the third point in from the right side of the Ordnance Survey above. [17]

The same location as shown on the pre-contract drawings, © Shropshire Archives Ref. No. 6008/26 copyright reserved, used by kind permission. [5][My photograph of the plan, 5th August 2022]

The remaining length of the line to Marsh Farm Junction. 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1901. [18]

A similar area to that shown on the 25″ OS map extract above, as it appears on the railmaponline.com satellite imagery. [3]

The access track to the solar farm follows the old railway line seen from close to its western end. [My photograph, 13th August 2024]

Looking West towards the bridge carrying Henley Lane over the Wenlock Branch. [My photograph, 13th August 2024]

The route of the old line continues to be marked by the lines of trees, nearing March Farm Junction. [Google Maps, August 2024]

The view East from Henley Lane Bridge, back along the old line towards Harton Road Station. [My photograph, 13th August 2024]

Looking West from Henley Lane Bridge along the old line to Marsh Farm Junction. [My photograph, 13th August 2024]

Looking East towards Henley Lane Bridge. [My photograph, 13th August 2024]

Henley Lane Bridge as shown on the pre-contract drawings, © Shropshire Archives Ref. No. 6008/26 copyright reserved, used by kind permission. [5][My photograph of the plan, 5th August 2022]

The next length of the line which crossed the main Shrewsbury to Hereford road as shown on the pre-contract drawings, © Shropshire Archives Ref. No. 6008/26 copyright reserved, used by kind permission. [5][My photograph of the plan, 5th August 2022]

Looking West towards the A49 along the line. [My photograph, 13th August 2024]

The approach to the Shrewsbury to Hereford main line at what was Marsh Farm Junction. The Wenlock Branch is again marked by the line of trees which enters top right. The line brushed the Shrewsbury to Hereford road as it approached Marsh Farm Junction. [Google Maps, August 2024]

The view South along the A49 close to Marsh Farm at the point where the Wenlock Branch bridged the road. An abutment remains on the East side of the road. The Shrewsbury to Hereford main line is just off to the right, © Jeremy Bolwell and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY-SA 2.0) [23]

The view North along the A49 showing the same abutment. [Google Streetview, June 2024]

The length of the line between the Shrewsbury to Hereford road an the junction with the Shrewsbury to Hereford main line, as shown on the pre-contract drawings, © Shropshire Archives Ref. No. 6008/26 copyright reserved, used by kind permission. [5][My photograph of the plan, 5th August 2022]

Marsh Farm Junction as shown on the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1901. [19]

A modern satellite image showing the main line over the length of the junction and to the South. [Google Maps, August 2024]

The next length of the main line as shown on the 25″ OD map of 1901. [21]

The next length of the main line as it appears on modern satellite imagery. [Google Maps, August 2024]

The first significant structure South of March Farm Junction. This girder bridge carries the main line over the road between the A49 and Bushmoor. This photo shows the West elevation of the structure with the A49 beyond. [My photograph, 13th August 2024]

The view North from Gates Lane Bridge. [My photograph, 13th August 2024]

The view South from Gates Lane Bridge. [My photograph, 13th August 2024]

Gates Lane crossing the Shrewsbury to Hereford main line. [Google Streetview, May 2024]

The next length of the main line running past Wistanstow. [22]

Not long after joining the main line branch trains stopped at Wistanstow Halt, the village being to the West of the Halt.

In 1901, there is no sign of Wistanstow Halt. The Halt opened in 1934 and closed in 1956. [26]

The bridge over the main line on the minor road between the A49 and Wistanstow, seen from the West. The Halt was on the Northside of the bridge on the length of track visible to the left of this image. [Google Streetview, September 2021]

This is the only picture of the halt that I have been able to find. It is unattributed in John Hodge’s second volume about the North & West Route. [27: p66]

Just South of Wistanstow the line crosses the A489 very close to its junction with the A49. [Google Maps, August 2024]

The same location as it appeared on the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1901. [28]

The A489 passes under the line from Shrewsbury to Hereford close to Craven Arms. [Google Streetview, May 2024]

Before entering Craven Arms station, on the right was Stretford Bridge Junction, for the Bishop’s Castle Railway. In the early 1930s the Wenlock branch train could be brought to a stand here, whilst a Bishop’s Castle Railway mixed train was allowed to pass, with its former GWR ‘517’ class engine and its chain-braked ex-LNWR four-wheeled coaching stock, an open-planked wagon, a cattle truck and a Bishop’s Castle brake van.

Within a very short distance the line crosses the River Onny, ran on through what was once the junction for the Bishop’s Castle Railway (Stretfordbridge Junction and under and [29]

The same area on Google Maps. Earthworks associated with the Bishop’s Castle Railway are visible at the West side of the line. [Google Maps, August 2024]

The view from the West along the minor road which crosses the railway at the bottom of the extract from Google Maps above. {Google Streetview. May 2024]

After passing Stretford Junction, the line crossed Watling Street, the old roman road at an oblique angle.

The railway crosses Watling Street. The 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1901. [30]

The railway crosses Watling Street. [Google Maps, August 2024]

Long Lane Crossing. 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1901. [31]

Long Lane Crossing in 2024. [Google Maps, August 2024]

The crossing-keeper’s cottage at Long Lane Crossing just North of Craven Arms Railway Station in 1979, © John Mann Collection, used by kind permission of Nick Catford. [33]

Long Lane Crossing seen from the West [Google Streetview, June 2024]

After passing Stretford Junction, Watling Street and Long Lane Crossing, to the right was the carriage and engine shed, and to the left the goods shed and yard.

Looking North from the footbridge at Craven Arms. The crossover which allows access to the Heart of Wales Line is seen in the centre of the view. The much reduced station yard is on the left and Long Lane Crossing is in the distance before the line can be seen curving to the East, © John Lucas and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence, (CC BY-SA 2.0). [24]

The train pulled in on the down platform at Craven Arms, and after taking water the engine ran round the two coaches, and backed into the bay at the north end of the platform, this also being used by the Bishop’s Castle trains.

Craven Arms and Stokesay Station in 1901 as shown on the 25″ Ordnance Survey. [32]

Craven Arms Railway Station. [Google Maps, August 2024]

The bay and the down platform road are marked on this enlarged extract from the 25″Ordnance Survey. [32]

The view North from the station footbridge at Craven Arms Station in June 1979. Much of the station track work had been removed by 1979. The platform on the left is the down platform with the bay to its left, © John Mann Collection, used by kind permission of Nick Catford. [33]

**Craven Arms & Stokesay Station in August 1949: ex-LNW**R 1P 2-4-2T No.46727 used for local work sits in the goods yard. View Southwest, towards Hereford, Knighton and the Central Wales Line, © Copyright Ben Brooksbank and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence, (CC BY-SA 2.0). [35]

The bay platform used by Much Wenlock and Bishop’s Castle trains in 1910. A goods train can be seen travelling South on the main line, © John Mann collection, used by kind permission of Nick Catford. [33]

Craven Arms station looking north from the up platform c. 1950s. The bay platform is on the left beyond the footbridge, protected by a short section of ridge-and-furrow canopy at its south end. Note the lengthy running-in board, © John Mann collection, used by kind permission of Nick Catford. [33]

Craven Arms owes its existence to the coming of the Shrewsbury and Hereford Railway in 1852. It is truly a railway town created out of the hamlet of Newton. The S&H line passed through the Onny Valley, its route taking it past Shropshire’s famous beauty spot Stokesay Castle, and past a coaching inn named after the Lord of Manor the Earl of Craven, prompting the S&H to give the station the name of Craven Arms. The station was opened for traffic on 20th April, 1852. The parish name of Stokesay was added to the station’s name a little later.

The importance of Craven Arms as a railway centre was given added impetus by the opening of the Knighton Railway in 1861. Although only a branch it was in reality to be the embryo of the LNWR’s march upon Swansea. Various small companies were involved in the construction of the line between Craven Arms and Swansea, these later being absorbed into the LNWR or operated jointly by the LNWR and GWR.

On 1st July, 1862 Craven Arms station came under the joint ownership of the LNWR, GWR and West Midland Railway. The station consisted of up and down main line platforms, with booking office, general and ladies waiting room, together with refreshment rooms on the down side. Also on the downside was the station master’s house. The up side consisted of general and ladies’ waiting rooms only. The north and south end bays were on the down side. The North [1: p109] end bay was utilised by the Bishop’s Castle and Wenlock branch trains. [1: p114]

An aerial photograph from the South of Craven Arms and Stokesay Railway Station in 1948. Found on eBay on 12th August 2024. [25]

Craven Arms in the 21st century is much reduced. [34]

This brings us to the end of our journey from Wellington to Craven Arms along the Wenlock Branch.

References

Ken Jones; The Wenlock Branch; The Oakwood Press, Usk, Monmouthshire, 1998.
The photographs of the pre-contract drawings for the line were taken by myself and show extracts from the construction plans held in the Shropshire Archive. There is a standard charge of £10 per visit for taking photographs of their records.
https://railmaponline.com/UKIEMap.php, 2nd July 2024
Adrian Knowles; The Wellington, Much Wenlock & Craven Arms Railway; Lightmoor Press, Lydney, Gloucestershire, 2022.
The photographs of the pre-contract drawings for the line were taken by myself and show extracts from the construction plans held in the Shropshire Archive. There is a standard charge of £10 per visit for taking photographs of their records.
https://housesforsaletorent.co.uk/houses/to-rent/shropshire/harton.html, accessed on 17th July 2024.
https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/5209903, accessed on 17th July 2024.
https://rogerfarnworth.com/2022/07/07/the-railways-of-telford-the-wellington-to-severn-junction-railway-wsjr-part-1-wellington-to-horsehay
https://rogerfarnworth.com/2022/07/12/the-railways-of-telford-the-wellington-to-severn-junction-railway-wsjr-part-2-horsehay-to-lightmoor-junction
https://rogerfarnworth.com/2022/07/18/the-railways-of-telford-the-wellington-to-severn-junction-railway-wsjr-part-3-lightmoor-junction-to-buildwas
https://rogerfarnworth.com/2023/10/19/the-railways-of-east-shropshire-and-telford-the-much-wenlock-and-severn-junction-railway-buildwas-to-much-wenlock
https://rogerfarnworth.com/2024/01/13/the-wenlock-branch-from-much-wenlock-to-presthope/
https://rogerfarnworth.com/2024/06/27/the-wenlock-branch-from-presthope-to-craven-arms/
https://rogerfarnworth.com/2024/07/25/the-wenlock-branch-from-longville-in-the-dale-to-marsh-farm-junction-and-craven-arms/
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16.0&lat=52.49958&lon=-2.76636&layers=257&b=1&o=100, accessed on 25th July 2024.
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16.0&lat=52.49768&lon=-2.77032&layers=168&b=1&o=100, accessed on 25th July 2024.
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16.0&lat=52.49402&lon=-2.79190&layers=168&b=1&o=100, accessed on 25th July 2024.
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16.0&lat=52.49025&lon=-2.81301&layers=168&b=1&o=100, accessed on 26th July 2024.
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16.0&lat=52.48445&lon=-2.81728&layers=168&b=1&o=100, accessed on 14th August 2024.
https://www.geograph.org.uk/showmap.php?gridref=SO4386, accessed on 12th August 2024.
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16.0&lat=52.47950&lon=-2.82157&layers=168&b=1&o=100, accessed on 14th August 2024.
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=15.0&lat=52.47054&lon=-2.82915&layers=168&b=1&o=100, accessed on 12th August 2024.
https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/6466763, accessed of 12th August 2024.
https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/4787720, accessed on 12th August 2024.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/195647213680?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=xRk1_MAMSum&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=afQhrar7TGK&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY, accessed on 12th August 2024.
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16.0&lat=52.46474&lon=-2.83404&layers=168&b=1&o=100, accessed on 14th August 2024.
John Hodge; The North and West Route, Volume 2 – Shrewsbury and Hereford; Wild Swan Publications, Didcot, 2008.
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=18.0&lat=52.45831&lon=-2.83692&layers=168&b=1&o=100, accessed on 14th August 2024.
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https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2211737, accessed on 29th September 2024.

The Wenlock Branch from Longville-in-the-Dale to Harton Road Station

1 Reply

This article follows on from six other articles which covered the Wellington to Severn Junction Railway and this line from Buildwas to Longville-in-the-Dale. The first three articles can be found on these links:

https://rogerfarnworth.com/2022/07/07/the-railways-of-telford-the-wellington-to-severn-junction-railway-wsjr-part-1-wellington-to-horsehay

https://rogerfarnworth.com/2022/07/12/the-railways-of-telford-the-wellington-to-severn-junction-railway-wsjr-part-2-horsehay-to-lightmoor-junction

https://rogerfarnworth.com/2022/07/18/the-railways-of-telford-the-wellington-to-severn-junction-railway-wsjr-part-3-lightmoor-junction-to-buildwas

The most recent articles cover this line between Buildwas and Longville and can be found on these links:

The Railways of East Shropshire (and Telford) – the Much Wenlock and Severn Junction Railway, Buildwas to Much Wenlock.

The Wenlock Branch from Much Wenlock to Presthope

The Wenlock Branch from Presthope to Longville

As we noted in the last two articles, from the commencement of the building of the line between Buildwas and Much Wenlock, the directors hoped that the line could be extended to Craven Arms via Presthope on Wenlock Edge (linking with the limestone quarries/works at that location).

Longville in the Dale to Harton Road Station

We begin this article at Longville Railway Station and travel towards Craven Arms, we complete this part of the journey at Harton Road Station.

Longville Station had a single platform with a red and yellow brick booking office and waiting room. Ken Jones tells us that it “served a few cottages, a farm, an Inn, and the nearby Lutwyche Hall, the home of the Benson family, who did so much to promote the building of the line between Much Wenlock and Craven Arms. The station also served the villages of Cardington, Holdgate, Shipton and Stanton Long. The platform was on the up side, and the station buildings consisted of a general waiting room, ladies’ waiting room of brick and goods warehouse lock-up. There were two sidings, and a horse landing for two horse boxes, and a cattle landing for two wagons. There was no signal box, Longville being an intermediate station on the Presthope to Rushbury staff section. There were east and west ground frames, access to both being obtained by a key on the Presthope-Rushbury staff.” [1: p105]

Two photographs of Longville Station when still in use. The second is probably closer to closure than the first, when Longville was only used as a goods terminus. These two photographs were shared on the Memories of Shropshire Facebook Group by Ronnie Honeywell on 5th July 2014 and are used here by kind permission. [11]

The view from the road bridge at the Southwestern end of Longville station in 1991, © David Harris. This photograph was shared by David Harris on the Disused Stations Facebook Group on 8th March 2022 and is included here by kind permission. [10]

This view, looking Southwest from the platform at Longville station shows the arched bridge which carries the B4371 over the old railway, © David Harris. This photograph was shared by David Harris on the Disused Stations Facebook Group on 8th March 2022 and is included here by kind permission. [10]

The road bridge at the Southwest end of the station site shows up well in this photograph taken from the location of the old platform at Longville station. The bridge comprises a brick arch with stone spandrels and parapets. This photograph was taken by Colin Pickett and shared by him on the Memories of Shropshire Facebook Group on 19th July 2019. It is shared here by kind permission. [11]

Looking East along the B4371 across the road bridge at the Southern end of the Longville station site. [Google Streetview, August 2023]

Longville railway station building in 2012, seen from the road bridge which once spanned the old railway. It closed to passengers in 1951 and finally in 1963. It was a private house when this image was taken.
View northeast towards Presthope and Buildwas. The local settlement is “Longville-in-the-Dale” but the station name was shorter, © Copyright Nigel Thompson and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [15]

The length of the Wenlock Branch from Longville Station to the next road over-bridge, as it appears on the 1901 25″ Ordnance Survey. Initially, close to Longville the railway was in cutting. By the time the next bridge was reached, the road had to be lifted to cross the line. [5]

The next length of the line on the 25″ Ordnance Survey. The formation of the railway was either level with its surroundings or on a slight embankment for much of the way to the next station at Rushbury. [6]

The same length of the line as shown on the two map extracts above. This image comes from the satellite imagery of railmaponline.com and represents the route of the line as it runs through the 21st century landscape around Wenlock Edge. The Farm marked with a blue flag is Wenlock Edge Farm which has a farm shop. Very kindly, the owners allowed me to park in the shop car park and generously phoned land owners in the area to get permission for me to walk the line to Rushbury Station. The footpath from Wenlock Edge Farm to the line of the old railway can be made out crossing the fields to the South of the farm. [3]

The first significant location to the Southwest of Longville Station is shown here. The girder bridge which carries a minor road over the Wenlock Branch is at the centre of this extract from the Ordnance Survey Explorer series map No. 217, under the green diamond. © Crown copyright. Access to the track bed between Longville Station as this location was not possible. The area around the bridge could only be viewed from road level. [9]

The road approach from the South to the girder bridge over the old railway. [Google Streetview, August 2021]

Looking back along the line of the old railway in 2024. Access to the land beneath the bridge was not feasible. [My photograph, 1st June 2024]

Looking forward, to the Southwest, along the line of the old railway in 2024. Beyond the distant hedge the boundaries of what was railway land are still delineated by hedges and trees. [My photograph, 1st June 2024]

After passing under the minor road the line ran Southwest towards Coates Crossing.

I was able to access the line from Northeast of Coates Crossing (via a footpath from Wenlock Edge Farm) to Rushbury Station with permission from local landowners. From here to Rushbury Station the original railway boundaries are predominantly fenced and gated with significant hedgerows and trees.

Looking Northeast along the line of the Wenlock Branch toward the minor road bridge above. [My photograph, 3rd July 2024]

Looking Southwest along the line of the old railway towards Rushbury Station, for a distance of around 100 metres the route of the line is not protected by hedging. [My photograph, 3rd July 2024]

A couple of hundred metres to the Southwest, another view looking Southwest along the line of the old railway. [My photograph, 3rd July 2024]

This extract from the 25″ Ordinance Survey, together with the extract immediately below, cover the length of the line to Rushbury Station. [7]

Rushbury Station appears in the bottom-left of this extract from the 25″Ordnance Survey. [8]

This next railmaponline.com satellite image covers the same length of the line as the two map extracts above. Wenlock Edge Farm appears in the top-right, Rushbury Station in the bottom-left. [3]

Approaching, and looking towards, the location of Coates Crossing which is about 200 metres ahead. [My photograph, 3rd July 2024]

Coates Crossing’s keeper’s cottage was from its construction “occupied by the Rushbury station master, and it was the duty of the station master’s wife to operate the crossing gates as and when a farm cart from the nearby Coates Farm required to go into the fields under Coates Wood. Later, after the abolition of the Rushbury SM’s post, it became the duty of the Longville station master’s wife.” [1: p105]

An enlarged extract from the 25″ Ordnance Survey shows Coates Crossing. [7]

The location of Coates Crossing. The building shown is larger than the original crossing-keepers cottage which for a good while doubled up as the Rushbury Stationmaster’s house. [Google Maps, July 2024]

250 metres or so to the Southwest of the location of Coates Crossing, looking Southwest. [My photograph, 3rd July 2024]

Just under halfway from Coates Crossing to Rushbury Station the old formation becomes overgrown and is being used by the landowner for muck storage. [My photograph, 3rd July 2024]

Beyond the piles of muck a gate is closed across the line of the old railway. Access along the line required turning to the last and walking through the field immediately alongside the line until it was possible to get back onto the line 100metres or so ahead. [My photograph, 3rd July 2024]

Having regained the line of the old railway it is noticeable that the route is not as heavily used in the 21st century as the length already covered. [My photograph, 3rd July 2024]

The ‘green lane’ continues. [My photograph, 3rd July 2024]

Much closer now to the site of Rushbury Station a gate marks a change in ownership. [My photograph, 3rd July 2024]

The modern complex of buildings on the Rushbury station site appears on the horizon, flanked by various fir trees. [My photograph, 3rd July 2024]

The occasional railway sleeper can be seen. This photo was taken towards the Eastern end of the Rushbury Station site. [My photograph, 3rd July 2024]

The modern track diverts away from the line of the old railway once within the boundaries of the station site. The trees to the left run alongside the route taken by the line through the station. The roof of the old station building can just be made out at the centre-top of this image. The concrete post and railings are what remains of the cattle loading pens. [My photograph, 3rd July 2024]

Rushbury Station: the remains of the cattle loading pens. [My photograph, 3rd July 2024]

The site of the old station, viewed from the North. [My photograph, 3rd July 2024]

The road approach to Rushbury Station, seen from the Northeast. [My photograph, 3rd July 2024]

About the length just walked and about Rushbury and its station, Ken Jones writes: “The line has now levelled out into Ape Dale, and soon enters Rushbury station with its avenue of fir trees on either side, the station in every respect being similar to that of Longville. … The station served the villages of Rushbury and Munslow. The signal box was at the north end of the platform, the box containing the locking frame only, the electric train staff instruments being situated in the booking office. The station was not a crossing place. The station buildings consisted of a booking office, general and ladies’ waiting room, and a lamp room. The staff were just the station master and a signalman, the latter being required to assist with station duties.” [1: p105]

A further ground frame was situated at the Northeast end of the station, “and gave access to two sidings, a horse landing and cattle pens. In the station yard there was a cart weighbridge. At the Craven Arms end of the platform there was a water column.” [1: p105]

An enlarged extract from the 25″ Ordnance Survey showing Rushbury Station at the turn of the 20th century. The village was less than a kilometre to the North of the Station. [8]

Another extract from the precontract plans held at the Shrewsbury Archive. These precontract plans were orientated in respect to the North point so as to get the greatest possible length of the proposed railway onto each sheet, © Shropshire Archives Ref. No. 6008/26 copyright reserved, used by kind permission. [16][My photograph of the plan, 5th August 2022]

The view looking Southwest through Rushbury Station in the years after the closure of this length of the Wenlock Branch, with the road bridge marking the limit of the station site. By the time this photo was taken the rails had been lifted. Colin Middleton shared this newspaper cutting on the Memories of Shropshire Facebook Group on 30th September 2021. The station building remains as a private dwelling. The modern equivalent of this view could only be obtained by intruding on private space. [12]

Jigsaw painting by Don Breckon of Rushbury Station when the passenger service was still operating. Locomotive No. 4406, a 2-6-2T Small Prairie, is just arriving at the station with a two-coach train for Craven Arms. [26]

The view from the road bridge at the Southwest end of the station site, looking Northeast towards Longville. The station building is not the only part of the site which remains. Look carefully between the station building and the small signal cabin and you will be able to see the cattle pen which sat on the cattle dock. The cattle pen can still be seen on site in the 21st century. This image was shared on the Memories of Shropshire Facebook Group on 18th June 2020. It is used here with his kind permission. The modern equivalent of this view is shown below. [13]

In the 21st century, the view from the road bridge onto the station site is blocked by trees. [My photograph, 3rd July 2024]

Looking Southeast across the road bridge. [My photograph, 3rd July 2024]

Looking Northwest across the road bridge. [My photograph, 3rd July 2024]

The view Southwest along the formation of the old railway. [My photograph, 3rd July 2024]

Rushbury Station can be seen in the right half of this aerial image which looks Eastward across the station site. The Wenlock Branch runs from centre-top to bottom-right. Rushbury village is shown in the left half of the photo. A short distance West of the station another overbridge can be seen crossing the old railway. Kevin McLean shared this image, alongside other aerial images of the area around Rushbury, on the Memories of Shropshire Facebook Group on 12th September 2015. [14]

The 25″ Ordnance Survey again. This extract covers the length of the Wenlock Branch immediately to the Southwest of Rushbury Station. [17]

This next extract takes the Wenlock Branch as far as the gates of Eaton Manor. The railway crossed the Ticklerton to Eaton Manor road by means of a bridge. [18]

This satellite image from railmaponline.com shows the same length of the old railway as the two map extracts above. The location of Rushbury Station is top-right and that of the bridge near Eaton Manor, bottom-left. [3]

Looking East along the line of the branch from the accommodation bridge which spanned the line about 300 metres West of Rushbury Station. [My photograph, 17th July 2024]

The road approach to the over-bridge from the North. [My photograph, 17th July 2024]

The view from the South across the over-bridge. [My photograph, 17th July 2024]

The view to the West from the same bridge. [17th July 2024]

The view from the trackbed to the East of the overbridge. [My photograph, 17th July 2024]

The view from the trackbed to the West of the overbridge. [My photograph, 17th July 2024]

Another extract from the precontract plans held at the Shrewsbury Archive. This extract shows the location of the bridge in the images immediately above. These precontract plans were orientated in respect to the North point so as to get the greatest possible length of the proposed railway onto each sheet, © Shropshire Archives Ref. No. 6008/26 copyright reserved, used by kind permission. [16][My photograph of the plan, 5th August 2022]

Around 100 metres West of the over-bridge, a view West along the trackbed. [My photograph, 17th July 2024]

A further 200 metres to the West, the track bed is gated, presumably at a change in land ownership. [My photograph, 17th July 2024]

The length of the railway formation beyond the gate in the last image has seen greater use as a farm access road. [My photograph, 17th July 2024]

A further 200 metres to the West of the last image. [My photograph, 17th July 2024]

A short distance further along the old railway the farm accessed road slips off the old railway embankment to the North. For a distance of around 300 metres the railway formation becomes overgrown and inaccessible. [My photograph, 17th July 2024]

A ‘cattle-creep’ just a short distance ahead provides access between fields on either side of the old railway. This view looks through the stone and brick-arched structure from the North. [My photograph, 17th July 2024]

The same structure viewed from the South. [My photograph, 17th July 2024]

At this point on the Wenlock Branch it was necessary to leave the line of the old railway. A short detour along a field boundary and then along Darby Lane led to another access point to the old railway line.

The diversion necessary from the line of the railway is shown on this satellite image as a red-dashed line. The route followed a farm track heading Northwest before joining Darby Lane as it converged on the boundary of railway land close to the bottom of this image. An open gateway permitted access back onto the line and it was then possible to walk back along the line to the Northeast. [19]

Looking back East along the old railway formation towards the cattle-creep/underpass. [My photograph, 17th July 2024]

Looking West at the same location. [My photograph, 17th July 2024]

200 metres further to the West looking West again. [My photograph, 17th July 2024]

Again looking West, close to the gate providing access to the old railway formation. [My photograph, 17th July 2024]

Just a short distance to the West of the picture above, the line of the railway is obstructed once more, requiring a return to Darby Lane. [My photograph, 17th July 2024]

The next field gate was open as well and was possible to look ahead, West, along the line towards a private dwelling built over the route of the old railway line. That building can be seen from above in the first satellite image below. [My photograph, 17th July 2024]

An enlarged extract from the 25″ Ordnance Survey showing the bridge near Eaton Manor. [18]

Approximately the same area as shown on the enlarged map extract above. The line of the old railway has been built over to the Northeast of the bridge location shown below. [Google Maps, July 2024]

The view from the southeast along the road from Eaton Manor in August 2021. The stone bridge abutments and pilasters remain but the bridge deck has been removed. [Google Streetview, August 2021]

The view from the Northwest. [Google Streetview, August 2021]

Another extract from the precontract plans held at the Shrewsbury Archive. This shows the original road alignment at this location before the advent of the railway and its necessary diversion to accommodate the railway. These precontract plans were orientated in respect to the North point so as to get the greatest possible length of the proposed railway onto each sheet, © Shropshire Archives Ref. No. 6008/26 copyright reserved, used by kind permission. [16][My photograph of the plan, 5th August 2022]

To the West of this location the line of the old railway is now in private hands. Access to the line is limited to that possible on public footpaths/roads which cross the line. A diversion to the South of the line was necessary to reach the first point of access.

The next length of line from close to Eaton Cottage to Hartonroad Station. An extract from the 25″ Ordnance Survey mapping of 1882/1883. [21]

The same area as that shown on the OS map extract above. [21]

The route of the old railway is again shown in green, the necessary diversion by a red-dashed line. At the East edge of this image there are a series of private properties built over the line of the old railway. These are shown immediately below.

At the West edge of this image the footpath marked by the red-dashed line crossed the line of the old railway. In both directions from the footpath the old line is now in private ownership. [20]

A series of four photographs look North from the public highway into the properties built over the line of the old railway. [My photographs, 17th July 2024]

A further 200 metres to the Southwest on the road to the hamlet of Harton, this photo shows an open field between the road and the treeline which marks the line of the Wenlock Branch. [My photograph, 17th July 2023]

Looking East at the point where the footpath crossed the old railway. [17th July 2024]

Using a telephoto lens, this is the line of the old railway heading West. [My photograph, 17th July 2024]

A view from the South through the location of the bridge carrying the Wenlock Branch over the road adjacent to Hartonroad Railway Station. [My photograph, 17th July 2024]

A view from the North through the location of the bridge carrying the Wenlock Branch over the road adjacent to Hartonroad Railway Station. [My photograph, 17th July 2024]

Writing of the length of the line between Rushbury and Harton Road stations, Ken Jones says: “On leaving [Rushbury] station the train passes under the roadway which formed part of the Roman road, with a steep rise from the station leading on to Roman Bank and over Wenlock Edge into the Corve Dale. Still passing under the densely wooded Edge Wood, to the left, and nestling under the wood, can be seen the small hamlet of Eaton-under-Heywood, and the embattled tower of the 12th century church of St Edith; the hamlet consists of one farm, the rectory and one cottage. Soon the train enters Harton Road station, the last on the branch. The station is as isolated as the hamlet of Eaton, all that can be seen from the train is a farm, and the station master’s house. Harton Road served the hamlets of Ticklerton, Halton, Soudley, Eaton, Westhope and Burwood, most of these (in 1922) each having a population of 50 people, Eaton and Burwood having only 40. The station consisted of the usual buildings: booking office, general and ladies’ waiting room and a lamp room. The staff consisted of the station master and one gate woman, she being employed at Wolverton Crossing, which was situated between Harton Road and Marsh Farm [Junction]. There was one double-ended siding which held 10 wagons, access to which was from either the east or west ground frames. The ground frames were controlled by the key on the Rushbury to Marsh Farm [Junction] staff. Also in the sidings was a cattle pen, which held one wagon and a horse landing for three horse boxes. One scene of activity that could be witnessed at the station was when the local estate farmers conveyed coal from the yard to the home of the local Lord of the Manor, as part of their statutory estate duty.” [1: p105 & 109]

An enlarged extract from the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1881/1882 centred on Hartonroad Station. The bridge location shown in the images above is at the right-hand side of this extract. [22]

An enlarged extract from the ESRI satellite imagery provided by the National Library of Scotland centred on the location of Hartonroad Station [22]

Looking from the Northeast towards the Wenlock Branch. The track to the right is the Hartonroad Station approach road. The tarmac road drops down to pass under a now demolished railway bridge. [Google Streetview, August 2023]

A short distance along the station approach, this view shows the original station building which is in private hands. This picture was posted on the Geograph website, © Copyright Nigel Thompson and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [23]

A better view of the station building and platform. [24]

Another extract from the precontract plans held at the Shrewsbury Archive shows the original road alignment at this location, lined in red, before the advent of the railway and its necessary diversion to accommodate the railway. These precontract plans were orientated in respect to the North point so as to get the greatest possible length of the proposed railway onto each sheet, © Shropshire Archives Ref. No. 6008/26 copyright reserved, used by kind permission. [16][My photograph of the plan, 5th August 2022]

References

Ken Jones; The Wenlock Branch; The Oakwood Press, Usk, Monmouthshire, 1998.
The photographs of the pre-contract drawings for the line were taken by myself and show extracts from the construction plans held in the Shropshire Archive. There is a standard charge of £10 per visit for taking photographs of their records.
https://railmaponline.com/UKIEMap.php, 2nd July 2024
Adrian Knowles; The Wellington, Much Wenlock & Craven Arms Railway; Lightmoor Press, Lydney, Gloucestershire, 2022.
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16.0&lat=52.53723&lon=-2.67934&layers=168&b=1&o=100, accessed on 2nd July 2024.
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16.0&lat=52.52989&lon=-2.68767&layers=168&b=1&o=100, accessed on 2nd July 2024.
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16.0&lat=52.52396&lon=-2.70003&layers=168&b=1&o=100, accessed on 2nd July 2024.
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16.0&lat=52.51967&lon=-2.71281&layers=168&b=1&o=100, accessed on 2nd July 2024.
OS Explorer No. 217, revised August 2018.
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/S5PDjUKFJmP7GhAd, accessed on 3rd July 2024.
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/29GLutDqQZ6MSK4F, accessed on 3rd July 2024.
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/vKmokDfTDtHmqD6W, accessed on 3rd July 2024.
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/JNoYPmh5bcKK3KjK, accessed on 3rd July 2024.
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/HhWT6tfX13QFEKn7, accessed on 3rd July 2024.
https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/4354492, accessed on 24th June 2024.
The photographs of the pre-contract drawings for the line were taken by myself and show extracts from the construction plans held in the Shropshire Archive. There is a standard charge of £10 per visit for taking photographs of their records.
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16.0&lat=52.51562&lon=-2.72436&layers=168&b=1&o=100, accessed on 9th July 2024.
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16.0&lat=52.50904&lon=-2.74275&layers=168&b=1&o=100, accessed on 9th July 2024.
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16.0&lat=52.51139&lon=-2.73946&layers=257&b=1&o=8, accessed on 17th July 2024.
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16.0&lat=52.50448&lon=-2.74994&layers=257&b=1&o=8, accessed on 17th July 2024.
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=15.0&lat=52.50294&lon=-2.75844&layers=257&b=1&o=100, accessed on 17th July 2024.
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=18.0&lat=52.49969&lon=-2.76300&layers=257&b=1&o=100, accessed on 17th July 2024.
https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/4354526, accessed on 17th July 2024.
https://housesforsaletorent.co.uk/houses/to-rent/shropshire/harton.html, accessed on 17th July 2024.
https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/5209903, accessed on 17th July 2024.
https://dabhandpuzzles.uk/product/calling-at-rushbury-jigsaw-1000-piece-used-2, accessed on 14th August 2024.

The Wenlock Branch from Presthope to Longville

1 Reply

This article follows on from five other articles which covered the Wellington to Severn Junction Railway and this line from Buildwas to Presthope. The first three articles can be found on these links:

https://rogerfarnworth.com/2022/07/07/the-railways-of-telford-the-wellington-to-severn-junction-railway-wsjr-part-1-wellington-to-horsehay

https://rogerfarnworth.com/2022/07/12/the-railways-of-telford-the-wellington-to-severn-junction-railway-wsjr-part-2-horsehay-to-lightmoor-junction

https://rogerfarnworth.com/2022/07/18/the-railways-of-telford-the-wellington-to-severn-junction-railway-wsjr-part-3-lightmoor-junction-to-buildwas

The most recent articles cover this line between Buildwas and Presthope and can be found on these links:

The Railways of East Shropshire (and Telford) – the Much Wenlock and Severn Junction Railway, Buildwas to Much Wenlock.

The Wenlock Branch from Much Wenlock to Presthope

Much Wenlock to Presthope and on towards Craven Arms

From the commencement of the building of the line between Buildwas and Much Wenlock, the directors hoped that the line could be extended to Craven Arms via Presthope on Wenlock Edge (linking with the limestone quarries/works at that location).

By 5th December 1864, the line was open from Much Wenlock to Presthope. (That length is covered in the last online article listed above.) At this time, because it was a freight-only line, the Board of Trade saw no need for an inspection of the line. It had already been agreed at a meeting held on 4th December 1863 not to proceed with the line from Presthope to Craven Arms for the time being. It was to be three years after the line reached Presthope before the connection to the Shrewsbury & Hereford Railway close to Craven Arms was completed. It was finally opened on 16th December 1867.

Presthope to Longville

We begin this article at Presthope Railway Station and travel towards Craven Arms, as far as the village of Longville in the Dale. …….

Ken Jones comments: “On arrival at Presthope station … its complete isolation is striking, the only sign of habitation being the station master’s house standing on a ridge above the station. Although isolated, its importance is magnified by the number of sidings (a mini-marshalling yard on a branch line), because of the extensive quarrying formerly carried out by the Lilleshall Company in this area. A siding [1.5] miles long ran from the station sidings into the Lilleshall quarries. Prior to World War I a special train left Presthope each day for the Lilleshall Company’s furnaces at Priors Lee. However, by the early 1920s the company had ceased quarrying operations in the Presthope.” [1: p97]

The limestone quarry on Moses Benson’s land was the prime reason for the railway reaching Presthope. It was “developed by the Lilleshall Company, the line being opened to this point in 1864 solely for mineral traffic.” [15: p134]

Knowles comments: “The Wenlock Railway Bill stipulated that ‘The Company at their own expense shall make a proper and convenient siding at Presthope at the eastern end of the proposed tunnel, and at their own expense maintain this siding for the exclusive use of Moses George Benson.’ … The Benson family owned the Lutwyche Estate which included much of the land south west of Much Wenlock over which the Craven Arms extension would pass. Extensive limestone quarrying was carried out in the area and the Bensons had accrued wealth by leasing land for limestone extraction. The new railway would facilitate transport of the stone, a benefit to Moses Benson who became a strong advocate of the railway. In 1862 he leased the site of the limestone quarry at Presthope to the Earl of Granville who was acting on behalf of the Lilleshall Company. … The Wenlock Railway duly installed a 50-yard siding which was soon extended right into the quarry by the Lilleshall Company, ready for the start of mineral traffic from Presthope over the Wenlock Railway in 1864.” [15: p53]

An extract from the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1901. This extract focuses on Presthope Station which sat just to the South of the B4371 accessed by a dedicated approach road. [4]

This next extract from the railmaponline.com satellite imagery shows Presthope Grange Campsite and Residential Park sitting over the route of the old Wenlock Branch on the site of Presthope Station. The branch from Presthope Station into what were Presthope quarries is illustrated leaving the main running line as it continues to climb toward the short tunnel close to the top of Wenlock Edge. [3]

A marginally better (closer) map extract from the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1901. Presthope Station was relatively remote from any centre of population. It’s main function was a junction station for the Lilleshall Company’s Mineral Railway. That branch line left the station site to the South of the main line heading for Craven Arms. Because of that status it had more than its fair share of facilities! The station buildings are at the centre of this map extract. A dedicated access road led from the B4371 to the station. The station Master’s House was alongside that road, with the signal box adjacent to it. [13]

This is a first extract, in this article, from the pre-contract plans of the Much Wenlock line which are held in the Shropshire Archives in Shrewsbury. It shows the full length of the station facilities at Presthope. These precontract plans were orientated in respect to the North point so as to get the greatest possible length of the proposed railway onto each sheet, © Shropshire Archives Ref. No. 6008/26 copyright reserved, used by kind permission. [34][My photograph of the plan, 5th August 2022]

The 18.00 hrs Craven Arms – Much Wenlock – Wellington train leaving Presthope Station on 21st April 1951, heading for Much Wenlock. This image was shared on the Telford Memories Facebook Group by Metsa Vaim EdOrg on 8th October 2019. [6]

The architect Joseph Fogarty prepared designs for all the station buildings on the branch. The Presthope Station building was a mirror image of his standard design of ‘permanent’ station building. This image is an electronically reversed extract from his standard drawings which are held in The British Rail Paddington Archive. The unreversed image can be found in Adrian Knowles book about the line. [15: p57]

Presthope Station after the removal of the passenger facilities. This photograph was taken by J. Langford in April 1962, the signal box and presumably the station master’s house remain. This image was shared on the Much Wenlock Memories Facebook Group by Judith Goodman on 9th February 2023. [7]

A view North across Presthope Grange Residential Park which sits on the site of Presthope Railway Station. [8]

This next extract from the 1901 25″ Ordnance Survey shows the tunnel under the B4371 and the top of Wenlock Edge, in its entirety. The Western Portal is just visible on the left of the map extract. It also shows the quarry branch leaving Presthope Station and running along the Southeast side of the Edge. The hamlet pf Presthope is evident on this extract: a row of cottages called Five Chimneys sat alongside the main road and the Plough Inn was accessed via a side road which crossed the Lilleshall Company line at a level crossing. [5]

Both the quarry branch and the main Much Wenlock to Craven Arms line can be seen on this next extract from the railmaponline.com satellite imagery. The tunnel at the high point of the Wenlock Branch passed under the B4371. The original side road leading down to The Plough Inn is now encompassed within a small industrial estate and the road has been diverted to the West [3]

The translucent image illustrates the changes in the immediate area very effectively. Five Chimneys are top-right, the original road alignment meets the B4371 close to them. It curved round to the West to the location of The Plough Inn which sat over what is now the new alignment of the minor road. Once the Lilleshall Company’s branch had been lifted it became possible to significantly improve the road alignment, which runs almost East to West across the lower half of the modern image. [14]

The Lilleshall Company Mineral Railway at Presthope

The limestone found on Wenlock Edge is a relatively hard and resistant rock, grey/blue in colour. Its thickness varies from around 35 metres to more than 135 metres. It “has been used from the earliest days as a building stone locally as can be seen in the remaining Priory Walls and the Corn Exchange in Wenlock Town. More significantly, the limestone was used for lime mortar, especially as can be seen in the Roman City of Viriconium, Wroxeter.” [16: p229-230] Historically it was also used as a fertiliser, as a flux in blast furnaces, as a road stone, as bricks and slabs and in the manufacture of artificial stone.

This versatility made the limestone from Wenlock Edge a valuable resource and so very attractive to the Lilleshall Company. It was its use in their industrial processes which made it so important.

As we have already noted, the first 50 yards of the Mineral Railway were built by the railway company under the provisions of the Wenlock Railway Bill. Knowles comments that, “this was then continued by the Lilleshall Company for almost a mile and a half, linking to a network of moveable tramways which extended into the far reaches of the quarry.” [15: p134-135]

Prior to the construction of the Wenlock Branch and the Lilleshall Company Mineral Railway there was a quarry close to what became the tunnel mouth of the extension towards Craven Arms. Associated with that limestone quarry we’re Limekilns which can be seen on the OS map extract above – a series of four circles on the South side of the main line close to the tunnel portal.

The Lilleshall Company worked their quarry until just before WW1. When no longer needed the mineral railway was closed and lifted. “Knowle Lime Works took over part of the site and reopened [the] older working almost adjacent to Presthope Tunnel.” [15: p135]

The 50 yard length of siding provided by the railway company was still in place and Knowle Lime Works provided their own tramway and wharf alongside the original siding for the transhipment of goods for onward transport.

This is an extract from the modern OS Explorer Map as reproduced in the Much Wenlock Neighbourhood Plan with the area of the Lilleshall Company quarries shaded lilac. [19]

The next three extracts from the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1883 show the length of the Lilleshall Company line from the Inn to their quarries.

Two extracts from the 25″ Ordnance Survey Sheet Shropshire L. 14 of 1883. [17]

This map extract comes from the Ordnance Survey Sheet immediately to the South of Shropshire L. 14, Shropshire LVII.2 of 1883. [18]

The quarry area and its internal tramways as recorded on the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1902. [20]

The two lines (Quarry Railway and Much Wenlock Branch) continued in Southwesterly directions across this next satellite image, the mineral railway is the more southerly of the two lines shown. The railmaponline.com satellite imagery shows the end of the quarry branch (in the bottom-left of the image), while the line to Craven Arms continues on the Northwest side of Wenlock Edge heading down a relatively gentle incline by following the line of the Edge. [3]

Looking Northeast towards Presthope along the line of the Mineral Railway. [Google Streetview, May 2011]

Looking Southwest into the site of the Lilleshall Company quarry. [Google Streetview, May 2011]

Presthope Tunnel and the line to the West

Ken Jones comments: “Leaving Presthope Station, to the left of the train was a large outcrop of limestone rock on which were three limekilns, this outcrop with its kilns forming a most dramatic entrance to the 207 yds-long Presthope tunnel driven through the limestone rock.” [1: p97]

Another extract from the precontract plans plans of the Much Wenlock line which are held in the Shropshire Archives in Shrewsbury. It shows the full length of the tunnel at Presthope, © Shropshire Archives Ref. No. 6008/26 copyright reserved, used by kind permission. [34][My photograph of the plan, 5th August 2022]

The Northeastern Portal of Presthope Tunnel. This image was shared on the ‘Shrewsbury from Where You Are Not’ Blog by Steve R. Bishop on 24th April 2019 – https://shrewsburyfromwhereyouarenot.blogspot.com/2019/04/presthope-tunnel.html. [9]

The B4371 looking Southwest across the line of the tunnel. [Google Streetview, August 2023]

An image from 1927 showing the Southwest portal of Presthope Tunnel. This is a much earlier view than the one immediately below. [10]

Looking Northeast along the line of the Wenlock Branch towards the disused railway tunnel at Presthope. The tunnel was constructed sometime between 1864-1867. This photograph was taken on 7th April 2023 by Mat Fascione and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY-SA 2.0 DEED). [11]

A view looking Northeast towards the Southwest portal of the Presthope tunnel. [My photograph, 24th May 2024]

A view looking Southwest along the line of the old railway from a point around 100 metres Southwest of the last image. [My photograph, 24th May 2024]

The minor road on the North side of Wenlock Edge just to the West of its junction with the B4371 and just to the North of the Southwest portal of the tunnel. [Google Streetview, July 2023]

The Wenlock Branch to the West of Presthope as it appears on the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1901. Presthope Tunnel can be seen at the top-right of the extract. The road which became the B4371 runs diagonally from the top-right to approximately the third point of the bottom of the image. The road shown to the North of the railway is a narrow lane in the 21st century. This map extract covers the top-right quarter of the railmaponline.com extract above. [21]

Ken Jones says: “On emergence from the tunnel the passenger is rewarded with a panoramic view of the beautiful Ape Dale with its irregular field patterns and isolated farms with the gently rising backcloth of the Stretton Hills in the distance. A sight never to be forgotten on a winter’s morning with the snowcapped hills dominating the Vale.” [1: p97]

The views which Ken Jones mentions above are, in the 21st century, hidden first by the embankment walls close to the tunnel mouth and then by the dense woodland which surrounds the old railway.

We were able to walk the length of the formation of the old railway between Presthope tunnel and Easthope Halt on 24th May 2024. The length walked is covered by the next three extracts from the 1901 25″ Ordnance Survey

This next extract from the 1901 25″ Ordnance Survey covers the bottom-left quarter of the railmaponline.com image above. [22]

A further length of the line as it appears on the 1901 25″ Ordnance Survey. Together with the extract below, the length of the line shown on the railmaponline.com extract below is covered. [23]

The next length of the line. Easthope Halt was sited just to the West of the lane which passed under the line in the bottom-left corner of this extract. [24]

The same length of the line as covered on the two map extracts immediately above. Easthope Halt was located tight into the bottom-left corner of this image, just to the West of the lane which passed under the railway. [3]

These next images come from our walk on 24th May 2024. They show the formation of the old railway at regular intervals. It is now primarily in use as a logging road by the National Trust. There is about 250 metres between each image.

Looking Southwest. at a point around 250 metres from the tunnel. [My photograph, 24th May 2024]

The first signs of logging activity, looking Southwest, 250 metres further along the line. [My photograph, 24th May 2024].

Looking back Northeast along the line of the old railway from a point just beyond the log pile in tha last image. The footpath coming up the hill to join the old railway route is the Shropshire Way. [My photograph, 24th May 2024]

Looking Southwest , a further 250 metres or so along the old line. [My photograph, 24th May 2024]

Looking Southwest, a further 250 metres or so along the old line. We have now reached the bridge over the lane which heralded a train’s approach to Easthope Halt. [My photograph, 24th May 2024]

The view South under the bridge which carried the old railway over the lane mentioned above. [Google Streetview, August 2021]

The view North under the bridge which carried the old railway over the lane mentioned above. [Google Streetview, August 2021]

The South parapet of the bridge over the narrow lane. [My photograph, 24th May 2024]

The North parapet of the bridge over the narrow lane. [My photograph, 24th May 2024]

The bridge location as shown on the precontract plans for the Wenlock branch. Easthope Halt was just to the Southwest of the bridge, in roughly the centre of this image. As already noted, the precontract plans were oriented so as to maximise the length of line shown on each sheet of the plans, © Shropshire Archives Ref. No. 6008/26 copyright reserved, used by kind permission. [34][My photograph of the plan, 5th August 2022]

The view Southwest along the old railway formation towards the location of Easthope Halt which was around 100 metres or so beyond the Fiat Doblo in the photo. [My photograph, 24th May 2024]

The view Northeast along the formation of the old railway across the bridge shown above towards Presthope tunnel. [Google Streetview, October 2020]

The view Southwest along the formation of the old railway through the site of Easthope Halt. The platform would have been to the left of the line on the inside of the curve. [My photograph, 24th May 2024]

Easthope Halt. This image was shared on the Much Wenlock History Facebook Group by Judith Goodman on 9th December 2020. It looks Northeast towards Presthope Tunnel. The Halt was opened on 4th April 1936 and closed on 31st December 1951. [12]

A similar view to the monochrome image immediately above, showing the location of Easthope Halt, looking back towards Presthope. [My photograph, 11th June 2024]

The site of Easthope Halt was just to the Southwest of under bridge in the top-right of this enlarged extract from the 1901 25″ Ordnance Survey. [25]

This series of four extracts from the 1901 25″ Ordnance Survey take us around 85% of the distance from Easthope Halt to Longville in the Dale Railway Station. [26][27][28][29]

The same length of the line as covered on the four map extracts immediately above as shown on railmaponline.com’s satellite imagery. [3]

Facing Southwest and perhaps 200 metres Southwest of the location of Easthope Halt. [My photograph, 11th June 2024]

Around 200 metres further to the Southwest, looking Southwest along the formation of the Wenlock Branch. [My photograph, 11th June 2024]

Walking Southwest from the location of Easthope Halt, the next significant structure is the bridge over the back road to Longville in the Dale. This view looks Southwest over the bridge. [My photograph, 11th June 2024]

The southeast parapet of the bridge. [My photograph, 11th June 2024]

The Northwest parapet. [My photograph, 11th June 2024]

The view from the Southeast, looking along the road under the bridge. [My photograph, 11th June 2024]

The view from the Northwest, looking along the road under the bridge. [My photograph, 11th June 2024]

The bridge location as shown on the precontract plans for the Wenlock branch, © Shropshire Archives Ref. No. 6008/26 copyright reserved, used by kind permission. [34][My photograph of the plan, 5th August 2022]

The view Southwest along the formation of the old railway from 100 metres or so to the Southwest of the bridge. [My photograph, 11th June 2024]

Some distance further Southwest. [My photograph, 11th June 2024]

The next visible structure on the route was a cattle-creep under the old railway. [My photograph, 11th June 2024]

The Southeast parapet of the small structure. One arm of the Shropshire Way leaves the old railway to follow a track South from this structure. [My photograph, 11th June 2024]

The view from the footpath of the Southeast elevation of the structure which consists of steel beams on masonry abutments. [My photograph, 11th June 2024]

The Northwest parapet of the same structure. [My photograph, 11th June 2024]

A short distance beyond the small structure a sign indicates that the boundary of National Trust owned land is approaching. [My photograph, 11th June 2024]

The public footpath heads away to the South. [My photograph, 11th June 2024]

Before reaching gates across the line which indicate the boundary of the private land, another structure carried the line over a farm access. [My photograph, 11th June 2024]

The access to the passage under the line from Southeast has been churned up. [My photograph, 11th June 2024]

At the location of the same structure, the view Northwest into the fields which have by this point replaced the woods on that side of the line. [My photograph, 11th June 2024]

The remaining four photographs in this sequence show the line as far as the gated section on the approach to Longville in the Dale.

The four photographs above complete the length of the old railway within National Trust owned land. Careful inspection of the route of the old line in the last of these photos shows gates across the old line as it approached the site of Longville Railway Station. [My photographs, 11th June 2024]

An extract from the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1901 centred on the railway station at Longville in the Dale. [30]

An enlarged version of the 25″ Ordnance Survey centred on Longville Railway Station. [30]

Longville Station as shown on the precontract plans for the Wenlock branch. The alignment of the road which was to become the B4371 was to be diverted as part of the construction work, © Shropshire Archives Ref. No. 6008/26 copyright reserved, used by kind permission. [34][My photograph of the plan, 5th August 2022]

Longville Station in the years prior to closure. This image was shared by Derek Sheedy in the comments made against Ian Stone’s post on the Much Wenlock Facebook Group on 30th January 2023. [35]

Longhope Railway Station in 1969 or thereabouts, seen from the road bridge at the Southwest end of the station. [33]

The station approach in the 21st century. The railway line and platform were at the far side of the building. [32]

Longville Railway Station in the 21stcentury landscape. [3]

References

Ken Jones; The Wenlock Branch; The Oakwood Press, Usk, Monmouthshire, 1998.
The photographs of the pre-contract drawings for the line were taken by myself and show extracts from the construction plans held in the Shropshire Archive. There is a standard charge of £10 per visit for taking photographs of their records.
https://railmaponline.com/UKIEMap.php, 14th October 2023.
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=15.9&lat=52.57594&lon=-2.61148&layers=168&b=1, accessed on 2nd January 2024.
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=15.9&lat=52.57503&lon=-2.61667&layers=168&b=1, accessed on 2nd January 2024.
https://scontent.fbhx4-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/72309512_205899980403678_7031472482779398144_n.jpg?_nc_cat=106&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=3ba11c&_nc_ohc=emwNw6dTtOEAX98lstF&_nc_oc=AQltLJN6CydIE1iwVeZIhsh7FebhgpjYSXj4bSzrDzZFN1GkxA9MgvTWDIpb8u77FAIVOOqJDbVO3NSZWciOhtxl&_nc_ht=scontent.fbhx4-2.fna&oh=00_AfBnQj18_fNuJPC8cc8S55O0uoHKcfFj4B4xt0r1e4TwTA&oe=65BB609F, accessed on 2nd January 2024.
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10219517828553747&set=a.10201009954868472, accessed on 13th January 2024.
https://fb.watch/pjIctGeJKI/, accessed on 2nd January 2024.
https://shrewsburyfromwhereyouarenot.blogspot.com/2019/04/presthope-tunnel.html, accessed on 2nd January 2024.
http://www.forgottenrelics.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/image12-13.jpg, accessed on 2nd January 2024.
https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/7528025, accessed on 2nd January 2024.
https://scontent.fbhx4-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/130806261_10215880699507794_568202711039527339_n.jpg?_nc_cat=100&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=dd63ad&_nc_ohc=B9oxO_7KUbkAX-jiszp&_nc_ht=scontent.fbhx4-2.fna&oh=00_AfDIDRthYH8opZV2yeseiXA7OQw3tO9k-f3ihDb0PPYjyA&oe=65BB61E2, accessed on 2nd January 2024.
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=17.9&lat=52.57478&lon=-2.61128&layers=168&b=1, accessed on 14th January 2024.
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=17.9&lat=52.57269&lon=-2.61846&layers=168&b=1, accessed on 14th January 2024.
Adrian Knowles; The Wellington, Much Wenlock & Craven Arms Railway; Lightmoor Press, Lydney, Gloucestershire, 2022.
https://etheses.bham.ac.uk/id/eprint/8836/1/Galloway18PhD.pdf, accessed on 15th January 2024.
https://maps.nls.uk/view/121151387, accessed on 20th March 2024.
https://maps.nls.uk/view/121151957, accessed on 20th March 2024.
https://shropshire.gov.uk/committee-services/documents/s3227/21%20much-wenlock-neighbourhood-plan-referendum-version-april-2014.pdf, p42, accessed on 20th March 2024.
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=17.0&lat=52.56679&lon=-2.62743&layers=168&b=1&o=100, accessed on 20th March 2024.
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=17.0&lat=52.57247&lon=-2.62270&layers=168&b=1&o=100, accessed on 20th March 2024.
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=17.0&lat=52.56923&lon=-2.62993&layers=168&b=1&o=100, accessed on 21st March 2024.
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=17.0&lat=52.56498&lon=-2.63906&layers=168&b=1&o=100, accessed on 21st March 2024.
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=17.0&lat=52.56043&lon=-2.64475&layers=168&b=1&o=100, accessed on 21st March 2024.
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=17.1&lat=52.55938&lon=-2.64670&layers=168&b=1&o=100, accessed on 24th June 2024.
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=15.9&lat=52.55842&lon=-2.64913&layers=168&b=1&o=100, accessed on 24th June 2024.
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=15.9&lat=52.55628&lon=-2.65233&layers=168&b=1&o=100, accessed on 24th June 2024.
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https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=15.9&lat=52.54138&lon=-2.67459&layers=168&b=1&o=100, accessed on 24th June 2024.
https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/4354492, accessed on 24th June 2024.
https://greatenglishwalk.wordpress.com/the-walk/cleehill-longville-in-the-dale, accessed on 24th June 2024.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/275818118280?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=yXJFhbJMSuC&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=afQhrar7TGK&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY, accessed on 24th June 2024.
The photographs of the pre-contract drawings for the line were taken by myself and show extracts from the construction plans held in the Shropshire Archive. There is a standard charge of £10 per visit for taking photographs of their records.
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/wSXm1vbeFXgDD6Cs, accessed on 27th June 2024

The Wenlock Branch from Much Wenlock to Presthope

3 Replies

The featured image shows Presthope Station with the 18.00 hrs Craven Arms – Much Wenlock – Wellington train is leaving on 21st April 1951, heading for Much Wenlock. [30]

This article follows on from four other articles which covered the Wellington to Severn Junction Railway and this line from Buildwas to Much Wenlock. The first three articles can be found on these links:

https://rogerfarnworth.com/2022/07/07/the-railways-of-telford-the-wellington-to-severn-junction-railway-wsjr-part-1-wellington-to-horsehay

https://rogerfarnworth.com/2022/07/12/the-railways-of-telford-the-wellington-to-severn-junction-railway-wsjr-part-2-horsehay-to-lightmoor-junction

https://rogerfarnworth.com/2022/07/18/the-railways-of-telford-the-wellington-to-severn-junction-railway-wsjr-part-3-lightmoor-junction-to-buildwas

The most recent article covers this line between Buildwas and Much Wenlock and can be found here:

The Railways of East Shropshire (and Telford) – the Much Wenlock and Severn Junction Railway, Buildwas to Much Wenlock.

Much Wenlock to Presthope and on to Craven Arms

By 5th December 1864, the line was open from Much Wenlock to Presthope. At this time, because it was a freight-only line, the Board of Trade saw no need for an inspection of the line. It had already been agreed at a meeting held on 4th December 1863 not to proceed with the line from Presthope to Craven Arms for the time being. It was to be three years after the line reached Presthope before the connection to the Shrewsbury & Hereford Railway close to Craven Arms was completed. It was finally opened on 16th December 1867.

Much Wenlock to Presthope

This article focusses on the length of the line which was completed in December 1864 – Much Wenlock to Presthope. Another article will follow the line to the West of Presthope.

We start at Much Wenlock Railway Station.

The forecourt of Much Wenlock station in the early 1960s. The building was designed by Joseph Fogerty © R.S. Carpenter. [1: p100]

The Wenlock Branch ran across the Northwest side of the town. The railway station was due North of the town centre and was accessed from a loop off Sheinton Road. Station Road leading up to the Station from close to the railway bridge. [4]

The 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1901 shows Much Wenlock Station with its platform on the Northwest side of the running line and a passing-loop to the Southeast. Partially off the left of the map extract is the town brewery. [5]

Much Wenlock Railway Station had a single platform adjacent to the main running line. A passing loop was provided opposing the platform, and beyond it there was a rockery garden, “large limestone boulders [were] interspersed with shrubs and alpine plants flanked by a row of rhododendron bushes. In the centre of the rockery was a fountain.” [1: p97]

Much Wenlock Railway Station in the very early 20th century. The passing-loop and the adjacent rockery garden are on the right of the image. The photograph looks Northeast through the station. [7]

The photographer is standing on the running line a few steps further to the Southwest. This photo was taken on 12th July 1969 by David Hillas and is used here under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY-SA 2.0 DEED). [8]

The length of the station site as shown on Railmaponline.com. The running line is shown in green with a single line indicating the location of the Goods Yard. [12]

Trains leaving for Craven Arms crossed Sheinton Road/Street Bridge and passed the goods shed and yard on the left and then the engine shed. When the line terminated at Much Wenlock, the goods facilities used until the final closure of the line were the temporary railway station.

A view Northwest along Sheinton Street taken outside number 19 Sheinton St. It is included here for the view of the railway bridge over the road and was taken in the first half of the 1960s. This image was shared on the Much Wenlock Memories Facebook Group by Lynne Steele on 10th April 2021. [10]

A view Southeast along Sheinton Street showing one of the carnival walks in Much Wenlock probably in the mid-60s. It is included here for the view of the railway bridge which span the road. This image was shared on the Much Wenlock Memories Facebook Group by Colin Onions on 2nd February 2015. [11]

Looking Northeast along the line of the old railway towards the passenger Station from the approximate location of the second abutment of the railway bridge. Just the one abutment remains, the other having been removed to facilitate a road realignment. The road from Buildwas (Sheinton Street) becomes New Road at this point with Sheinton Street heading away to the right of the image. [Google Streetview, August 2023]

This is the view when the camera is turned through 180°. The approximate line of the old railway is marked, in this case, by the red line. New Road and the route of the railway diverged and provided space for what became the Goods Yard and for a coal depot which, in the early 21st century is occupied by a builders merchant (Travis Perkins). [Google Streetview, August 2023]

Looking Southwest along Southfield Road. The hedge line on the left of this image is approximately on the line of the old railway. [Google Streetview, 2009]

Much Wenlock Goods Yard. Centre-left are the cattle pens and grain store. The grain store is attached to the good shed. On the right is the engine shed with the water tank. The water tank was fed by a reservoir further Southwest along the line – about halfway to the next halt, Westwood Halt, © Shropshire Museum Service [1: p101]

The goods yard, viewed from the Southwest the line in the foreground is the main running line which claims along the flank of Wenlock Edge. The good yard was, for a short time, the terminus of the line after the partial opening on 1st February 1862 © Pat Garland. [1: p101]

Trains began the climb towards Wenlock Edge. The pictures above show the climb had already begun alongside the goods yard. Neither the goods shed nor the engine shed remain in the 21st century.

This aerial view is taken looking North across Much Wenlock (EAW046197 © Heritage England). The station goods yard is prominent approximately at the centre of the image, with Sheinton Street and the railway bridge separating the yard from the passenger facilities in the top-right of the image, and the bridge carrying Bridge Road over the line at the bottom-left. [3]

This extract from an aerial image (EAW046196 © Heritage England) shows the full length of the station facilities at Much Wenlock. The passenger Station building is visible top-right, the goods yard and engine stabling facilities, bottom-left. Between the two Sheinton Street passed under the railway. [2]

New Road ran along the Southeast side of the Goods Yard. The Goods Shed and the Engine Shared appear on this additional extract from the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1901. A coal depot sat between the road and the sidings in the yard. The road bridge is at the top-right of the map extract. Bottom-left as the running line leaves the map extract it passes under Bridge Road. The bridge here was simply-supported cast iron beams on masonry abutments. [6]

Another extract from the same aerial image centres on the goods yard with the running line to the left and passing under the cast iron bridge carrying Bridge Road. New Road runs down the right side of the picture. [2]

A closer view of the cast iron bridge carrying Bridge Road over the railway. This is an enlargement from the same aerial image. [2]

Looking Southwest from Southfield Road. The main structure of the bridge is still evident in the early 21st century. [Google Streetview, 2009]

Looking Southeast at the other elevation of the cast-iron bridge. The partial infill is much closer to the soffit on this side of the bridge. [Google Streetview, 2009]

Looking North over the bridge parapet from Bridge Road. The old railway ran parallel to Southfield Road in the grass area at the centre of the image. [Google Streetview, 2009]

Looking West over the bridge parapet from Bridge Road. The old railway ran parallel to Southfield Road in the grass area at the centre of the image. [Google Streetview, 2009]

Southwest of Bridge Road, Southfield Road ran parallel to the old railway as it climbed along the Northwest side of the town. Victoria Road can be seen at the bottom of this image. [2]

The line continued in a southwesterly direction. Southfield Road ran alongside it. Victoria Road can be seen at the bottom of this image. It passed under the railway a short distance beyond the edge of the aerial image which is also the left edge of this extract. [2]

The next length of the railway appears on this extract from the 25″Ordnance Survey of 1901. Bridge Road bridge is top-right and the road to Shrewsbury runs East-West across the bottom half of the image. In 1901, this was known as ‘The Causeway’. It became the A458, Victoria Road. [14]

Approximately the same length of the railway as shown in the map extract above, but now on the satellite imagery from ralmaponline.com. The primrose yellow line shows the route of the A458, Victoria Road. [12]

Looking back Northeast towards Much Wenlock Railway Station from High Causeway. Southfield Road is on the left. The housing estate has been built over the Goods Yard. [Google Streetview, 2009]

Looking Southwest along the line of the old railway. Southfield Road is on the right. The railway

This and the next three OS map extracts cover the first part of the climb out of Much Wenlock the bridge over the A458 is at the top-right of this map extract. [15]

The bridge over what is now the A458 in the midst of its demolition at the end of the 1960s. This image looks Northeast along the railway formation towards Much Wenlock Station and Goods Yard. It was shared on the Much Wenlock History Facebook Group by Linda West on 2nd April 2020. [18]

The remaining abutment of the bridge which carried the Wenlock Branch over Victoria Road (A458), © Richard Webb and licenced for use under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY-SA 2.0 DEED). [20]

These two images are extracts from the pre-contract drawings of the Wenlock Branch. The girder bridge which spanned the road at this location was almost exactly 4 miles from Buildwas Junction and fell, in these drawings at the edges of two drawings. Both are reproduced here because they have something to contribute to local information. Perhaps of greatest significance for the railway was the fact that the bridge was constructed allowing for the possibility of providing an additional line, if traffic volumes made it worthwhile. These pre-contract plans were orientated in respect to the North point so as to get the greatest possible length of the proposed railway onto each sheet, © Shropshire Archives Ref. No. 6008/26 copyright reserved, used by kind permission. [9][My photograph of the plan, 5th August 2022]

The next length of the line continued in a Southwesterly direction. After passing under an accommodation bridge, it began to turn to the South. [13]

The reservoir which appears on this OS map extract on the East side of the line was used to provide water for the column at Much Wenlock Station. [1: p97] [16]

The reservoir which supplied the water column at Much Wenlock Station was around half a mile beyond the bridge over the A458. These pre-contract plans were orientated in respect to the North point so as to get the greatest possible length of the proposed railway onto each sheet, © Shropshire Archives Ref. No. 6008/26 copyright reserved, used by kind permission. [9][My photograph of the plan, 5th August 2022]

The reservoir as it appears in the 21st century. It has been extended and has varying levels over time suggesting that it may be used as a balancing pond to moderate the flow on the stream which follows the old railway line and which appears to now follow the old railways route in an improved channel to the Southwest of the reservoir. The track shown in this extract from Google Maps continues a short distance to the South before crossing both the stream and the old railway route.A footpath continues alongside the old line to the East. [Google Maps, 13th January 2024]

Curving round again towards the Southwest, the line passed Grange Cottages. [17]

This railmaponline.com satellite image covers the same length of line as the last four OS Map extracts. [12]

The first road overbridge to the West of Much Wenlock. This view looks Southwest along the line of the old railway. The bridge carries a track which leaves the B4371, Stretton Road in a southerly direction and provides access in the 21st century to the Cuan Wildlife Centre. [My photograph, 12th January 2024]

The view Northeast from the overbridge. The old railway route is now followed by a line of conifers on its North side. [My photograph, 12th January 2024]

The view Southwest over the parapet of the same bridge. The warehouse is built over the old railway line. [My photograph, 12th January 2024]

Looking Northeast again for a point beyond the warehouse in the last picture. The warehouse sits over the line of the old railway which continued Southwest to the left of the green palisade fencing on the left side of this image. The track in the centre of the image runs parallel to and to the South of the line of the railway. [My photograph, 12th January 2024]

Looking back Northeast along the route of the old railway. The gate towards the back of this photo straddles the centre-line. The gardens associated with Grange Cottages now extend across the line of the railway. [My photograph, 12th January 2024]

Looking Southwest along the line of the old railway from the fence line of Grange Cottages garden. The gate across the line of the old railway indicates that the next length is also in private hands. A public footpath runs to the left of the tree line

This next extract from the OS mapping of 1901 takes the line as far as the location of Westwood Halt which was at the location marked by the blue flag above. [21]

A closer view of the location of the Halt in 1925. The 25″ OS mapping indicates that the Halt was not built by 1925. [22]

The length of the old railway between Grange Cottages and Westwood Halt as shown on the satellite imagery from railmaponline.com. [12]

That length is in private hands with a significant length in use as a paddock for horses and a small holding.

Westwood Halt in around 1960 – seen from the East. The single platform sat on the North side of the line immediately to the East of Westwood Crossing. It was not until 7th December 1935 that the Halt opened. It closed to passenger traffic on 31st December 1951. This picture was shared on the Much Wenlock Memories Facebook Group by Judith Goodman on 8th December 2020. The photographer is not known and the image is used under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY-SA 4.0). [19]

Google Maps image of the site of Westwood Halt. [Google Maps, 12th January 2024]

Westwood Crossing seen from the North. The red line marks the approximate centre-line of the old railway. The Halt would have been off to the left of this image. [Google Streetview, 2009]

Looking Northwest from Westwood Crossing towards the B4371. [My photograph, 12th January 2024]

Looking Southeast from the location of Westwood Crossing. It is not possible to follow the route of the old railway to the West of this location as it is in private hands. To continue following the route requires a diversion along the footpath ahead, across one field to join another track and then heading back Northwest towards the olod line. [My photograph, 12th January 2024]

The line leaving Westwood Crossing and heading towards Presthope. [My photograph, 12th January 2024]

Westwood Crossing to the next overbridge, as shown on the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1901. [22]

Within a couple of hundred yards, trains passed Westwood Sidings. The sidings served Westwood Quarry. There were ground frames controlling access at each end of the siding. [23]

When the Wenlock Branch opened “limestone was being extracted [at Westwood Quarry] for use in the Madeley Wood Company’s furnaces. Horse-drawn tramways ran from the quarry on to a loading ramp above the sidings.” [1: p97]

The immediate vicinity of the line close to Westwood Quarry. A tramway track ran from the quarry to the old railway. A sharp 90° turn took horse-drawn trams alongside the old railway to a wharf/loading ramp alongside the siding, © Shropshire Archives Ref. No. 6008/26 copyright reserved, used by kind permission. [9][My photograph of the plan, 5th August 2022]

Westwood Sidings as they appear on the pre-contract drawings for the construction of the Wenlock Branch, the tramway serving the Quarry ran alongside the Wenlock Branch from East to West, © Shropshire Archives Ref. No. 6008/26 copyright reserved, used by kind permission. [9][My photograph of the plan, 5th August 2022]

This extract from the 1901 25″ Ordnance Survey shows the length of the old railway immediately to the West of Westwood Sidings. [25]

And a little further to the Southwest. [26]

The 25″Ordnance Survey of 1901 again. Close to Lea Farm the B4371 and the Wenlock Branch run close to each other. [27]

This extract from the pre-contract drawings covers the same length of the Wenlock Branch as the three OS map extracts above, © Shropshire Archives Ref. No. 6008/26 copyright reserved, used by kind permission. [9][My photograph of the plan, 5th August 2022]

The immediate vicinity of the old Westwood Sidings as shown on modern Ordnance Survey mapping (OS Explorer No. 217). The route of the old railway can easily be picked out entering top-right and running across the North side of Lower Farm, a public footpath follows the line as far as the location of Westwood Crossing. The route of the old line is then crossed by an unmetalled track (which, on the North side of the line, was once a horse-drawn tramway) before it encounters the bridge illustrated below which, in the 21st century, is crossed by a metalled track. Westwood Sidings sat between these two tracks. Continuing Southwest, the route of the old line encounters quarry workings which postdated the closure of the railway and which in the 21st century are now flooded. [24]

The length of the old line from Westwood Crossing to the Eastern edge of the flooded workings of Lea Quarry which straddle the old rail route. [12]

Looking back towards Westwood Crossing from the first overbridge to the West. [My photograph 12th January 2024]

The bridge viewed from the top of the cutting to the West of the bridge. [My photograph, 12th January 2024]

The view from the Southeast along the track over the bridge. Westwood Sidings were along the old railway to the left. A tramroad climbed the track in front of the camera towards Wenlock Edge and the B4371. Thetramway served Westwood Quarries which were between the railway and the B4371. [My photograph, 12th January 2024]

The old railway ran ahead towards Presthope in cutting towards the next overbridge. [My photograph, 12th January 2023]

The next accommodation bridge which spanned the line was just a little further to the West, beyond of the Westwood Sidings. This photograph looks South along the road over the bridge. [Google Streetview, August 2021]

The same bridge which This photograph looks South along the road over the bridge. [Google Streetview, August 2021]

Looking back towards Westwood Halt from the next overbridge. Heavy winter rain means that the cutting floor is flooded. Westwood Sidings were between the last overbridge and this one. [My photograph, 12th January 2024]

Each of the bridges on the old line are numbered. It is probably sometime since the stenciled numbers were renewed. Is this Bridge No. 16?

The view to the Southwest from the bridge. A small caravan site occupies the formation here. Immediately beyond the conifers ahead are the flooded workings of Lea Quarry. [My photograph, 12th January 2024]

Lea Quarry was only a short distance from the location of Westwood Quarry. Lea Quarry’s flooded workings appear in full on this extract from the railmaponline.com satellite imagery. The flooded workings to the North of the B4371 sit where once Lea Farm would have been found. It is not obvious when travelling along the road that it is effect on a causeway between two lakes! Edge Renewables was founded in 2011 and is active in the part of Lea Quarry to the North side of the road.[12]

Another extract from the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1901. This extract focuses on Presthope Station which sat just to the South of the B4371 accessed by a dedicated approach road. [28]

A view North across Presthope Grange Residential Park which sits on the site of Presthope Railway Station. [32]

References

Ken Jones; The Wenlock Branch; The Oakwood Press, Usk, Monmouthshire, 1998.
https://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/image/EAW046196, accessed on 1st November 2023
https://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/image/EAW046197, accessed on 1st November 2023.
https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/salop/vol10/pp399-447, accessed on 25th December 2023.
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=17.5&lat=52.59954&lon=-2.55716&layers=168&b=1, accessed on 25th December 2023.
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16.9&lat=52.59775&lon=-2.56049&layers=168&b=1, accessed on 25th December 2023.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Much_Wenlock_railway_station, accessed on 25th December 2023.
https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2268995, accessed on 25th December 2023.
The photographs of the pre-contract drawings for the line were taken by myself and show extracts from the construction plans held in the Shropshire Archive. There is a standard charge of £10 per visit for taking photographs of their records.
https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=871714362892537&set=pcb.1583276891885898, accessed on 13th October 2023.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Much_Wenlock_railway_station.jpg, accessed on 14th October 2023.
https://railmaponline.com/UKIEMap.php, 14th October 2023.
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16.5&lat=52.59360&lon=-2.57210&layers=168&b=1, accessed on 27th December 2023.
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16.5&lat=52.59611&lon=-2.56444&layers=168&b=1, accessed on 27th December 2023.
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16.5&lat=52.59513&lon=-2.56857&layers=168&b=1, accessed on 27th December 2023.
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https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16.5&lat=52.58847&lon=-2.57795&layers=168&b=1, accessed on 27th December 2023.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1532191000361509/permalink/2624088597838405/?app=fbl, accessed on 27th December 2023.
https://m.facebook.com/groups/1470137459866509/permalink/3158174324396139, accessed on 27th December 2023; and https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Westwood_halt.jpg, accessed on 28th December 2023.
https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/6220870, accessed on 27th December 2023.
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=15.5&lat=52.58777&lon=-2.58269&layers=168&b=1&marker=52.58420,-2.58663, accessed on 28th December 2023.
https://maps.nls.uk/view/121151366, accessed on 28th December 2023.
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16.2&lat=52.58321&lon=-2.59431&layers=168&b=1, accessed on 28th December 2023.
Ordnance Survey Explorer Map No. 217.
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16.4&lat=52.58031&lon=-2.59601&layers=168&b=1, accessed on 30th December 2023.
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https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=15.9&lat=52.57594&lon=-2.61148&layers=168&b=1, accessed on 2nd January 2024.
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https://scontent.fbhx4-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/72309512_205899980403678_7031472482779398144_n.jpg?_nc_cat=106&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=3ba11c&_nc_ohc=emwNw6dTtOEAX98lstF&_nc_oc=AQltLJN6CydIE1iwVeZIhsh7FebhgpjYSXj4bSzrDzZFN1GkxA9MgvTWDIpb8u77FAIVOOqJDbVO3NSZWciOhtxl&_nc_ht=scontent.fbhx4-2.fna&oh=00_AfBnQj18_fNuJPC8cc8S55O0uoHKcfFj4B4xt0r1e4TwTA&oe=65BB609F, accessed on 2nd January 2024.
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Category Archives: Great Western Railway

The Culm Valley Light Railway (CVLR)

The Route of the Line

References

Didcot Railway Station Through the Years.

1932-1985

Didcot Parkway

References

The Railways of Herefordshire and the Southern Marches

References

A short-lived LNWR Interest in the Wenlock Railway and the Ultimate Takeover by the GWR

References

The Cornwall Minerals Railway – Part 2 – Par, its Harbour and St. Blazey Engine Shed

GWR Steam Motor Road Vehicles

Further Reading

References

The Wenlock Branch from Harton Road Station to Marsh Farm Junction and Craven Arms

Harton Road Station to Craven Arms

References

The Wenlock Branch from Longville-in-the-Dale to Harton Road Station

Longville in the Dale to Harton Road Station

References

The Wenlock Branch from Presthope to Longville

Much Wenlock to Presthope and on towards Craven Arms

Presthope to Longville

References

The Wenlock Branch from Much Wenlock to Presthope

Much Wenlock to Presthope and on to Craven Arms

Much Wenlock to Presthope

References