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Shropshire and Montgomeryshire Railway

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Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Shropshire and Montgomeryshire Railway, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 30 November 202515 sources
Shropshire and Montgomeryshire Light Railway
Company typeLight railway
IndustryRailway transport
Founded1911
FounderHolman Fred Stephens
Defunct1941 (taken over by War Department)
FateTaken over by War Department; closed in 1960
Headquarters
Shrewsbury
,
England, United Kingdom
Area served
Shropshire, England and Montgomeryshire, Wales
Key people
Holman Fred Stephens (Colonel Stephens)
ProductsPassenger and freight railway services

The Shropshire and Montgomeryshire Light Railway connected Shrewsbury, England with Llanymynech, Wales, including a spur line to Criggion. Championed by Holman Fred Stephens, commonly referred to as Colonel Stephens, it made use of the abandoned track infrastructure of the Potteries, Shrewsbury and North Wales Railway, which had ceased operations in 1880. The S&MLR commenced service in 1911. Operating through areas with low population density, the railway faced persistent financial difficulties, leading to the termination of passenger services in 1933 and continuation solely of limited freight operations.

During World War II, control was transferred to the War Department in 1941, which undertook substantial enhancements to the line to facilitate access to Central Ammunition Depot Nesscliffe. The railway was ultimately closed in 1960.

Original railway

Richard Samuel France, who owned limestone quarries in Powys, advocated for a rail link to transport his quarry products. This initiative resulted in the establishment of the Potteries, Shrewsbury and North Wales Railway, which extended 28 miles from Shrewsbury to Llanymynech, Nantmawr, and Criggion. Known colloquially as the Potts Line, it opened in 1866 but was never financially viable. Due to monetary shortages, maintenance was neglected, causing safety concerns that led to its closure in 1880. An effort to rebuild the line under The Shropshire Railways was launched in 1888; however, shareholders transferred their interests in 1890 without successfully restarting service. The appointment of an official receiver in 1891 marked the end of railway operations.[1][2]

Resurgence: Shropshire and Montgomeryshire Railway

Apart from the Nantmawr branch, the Potts network remained inactive after 1880. In 1907, H. F. Stephens—who managed several lightly profitable light railways—attempted to reactivate it as a light railway. He obtained the Shropshire and Montgomeryshire Light Railway Order 1909 on 17 January 1908, granting permission to operate all assets of Shropshire Railways except for Nantmawr under the newly formed Shropshire and Montgomeryshire Light Railway company. Multiple local authorities contributed loans with terms extending up to 40 years; meanwhile, land ownership stayed with Shropshire Railways.[3][4][5][6]

The line officially reopened on 13 April 1911 during an event for invited guests; public services began the following day.[7][8][5][6][4]

Within its initial six months, the railway posted an operating profit of £404 but earned less than £1 net after paying debenture interest.[9]

The Criggion branch started handling goods and mineral traffic on 21 February 1912 and introduced passenger services by August that year.[9][5][10][6]

Period of decline

In the early 1920s, Stephens deployed two pairs of railcars running back-to-back—a Ford set and a Wolseley-Siddeley set—in an effort to lower operating expenses. These experiments were unsuccessful and both sets were soon withdrawn.[11]

Passenger trains beyond Melverley were discontinued in October 1932 due to structural concerns with a bridge spanning the River Severn. Since Melverley lacked a run-round loop, trains arriving from Kinnerley pushed a single coach forward on outbound journeys.[11]

All regular passenger services ended on 6 November 1933 except for occasional excursion trains. The Criggion quarry continued weekly freight runs alongside sporadic goods traffic serving stations along the route.[12]

It appears that Shropshire Railways Company retained ownership of the former Potts infrastructure, suggesting that S&MLR functioned as a lessee. The Nantmawr branch’s rental income was collected by Shropshire Railways from Cambrian Railways and later from Great Western Railway.[6] Neither railway was included in the 1923 "Grouping" mandated by the Railways Act 1921.

Military use

In 1941, the War Department took control of the entire railway line, with the exception of the Criggion branch, to utilize it for ammunition storage purposes. Significant track upgrades were undertaken, army steam locomotives were introduced, and a fresh connection with the main line was created at Hookagate.[13][14][6]

Starting from 1 June 1941, all train operations on the route—both military and civilian—were managed by the War Department.[15]

The Criggion branch remained outside military jurisdiction and continued its daily service transporting granite from the Breidden quarries. By 1945, structural concerns emerged regarding Melverley viaduct; initially, wagons were pushed across by a vertical-boilered Sentinel locomotive and then retrieved by S&MLR engines. Subsequently, the Sentinel locomotive was authorized to cross at a slow walking speed to reach Kinnerley.[15]

After being handed back to civilian authorities in 1947 and subsequently nationalized in 1948,Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content military usage persisted until 1959. The transport of stone from Criggion ceased in December of that year. The last scheduled service ran on 26 February 1960, with the line officially closing on 29 February. Despite this closure, Abbey goods yard at Shrewsbury remained in operation.[15]

The Nantmawr branch continued under British Railways' management, receiving service from Oswestry via Blodwell Junction.[14]

Main line

  • ; ceased operations on 6 November 1933
  • ; ceased operations on 6 November 1933
  • ; ceased operations on 6 November 1933
  • Red Hill; renamed Hookagate on 1 April 1921; renamed again in 1927; closed on 6 November 1933
  • ; renamed Edgebold on 1 April 1921; closed on 6 November 1933
  • ; inaugurated July 1913; closed on 6 November 1933
  • ; inaugurated November 1921; closed on 6 November 1933
  • ; closed on 6 November 1933
  • ; closed on 6 November 1933
  • Nesscliff; renamed on 1 June 1913; closed on 6 November 1933
  • ; opened June 1927; closed on 6 November 1933
  • ; closed on 6 November 1933
  • ; opened December 1919; closed on 6 November 1933
  • ; closed on 6 November 1933
  • Junction; closed on 6 November 1933

Criggion branch

  • Kinnerley Junction
  • ; opened August 1920; closed on 6 November 1933
  • ; closed on 6 November 1933
  • Crewe Green; renamed in 1920; ceased operations October 1932
  • ; ceased operations October 1932
  • ; ceased operations October 1932

External links

  1. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named tonks11
  2. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named tonks28
  3. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named grant506
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named tonks37
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named turner24
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named baughan200
  7. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named tonks45
  8. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named tonks47
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named tonks49
  10. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named klapper1
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Tonks, page 51
  12. ↑ Tonks, page 53
  13. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named tonks75
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named turner46
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named tonks77

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