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The Cleobury Mortimer and Ditton Priors Light Railway (CM&DPLR) opened in 1908. It connected with the [[Wyre Forest Line | Tenbury and Bewdley Railway]] at [[Wyre Forest Line#Cleobury Mortimer | Cleobury Mortimer]]. From there the line ran northwards for 12½ miles via Cleobury Town, Stottesdon and Burwarton to Ditton Priors.
==Rolling stock==At opening the Railway had two Manning Wardle 0-6-0 saddle tanks, numbers 1734 Burwarton and 1735 Cleobury. The railway was absorbed into the GWR in May 1922, following which the locomotives were re-numbered as GWR 28 and 29; they were later rebuilt as pannier tanks at Swindon in 1930. They remained as the regular engines on the line, although other small GWR tank engines would appear on the line from time to time. GWR 28 and 29 were recorded as being at [[Kidderminster Shed]] between 1940 and 1945<ref>[[Bibliography|Turley (2005)]] p. 117.</ref>.
==Early plans for expansion==The greatest use of the line was for the transport of stone from the granite quarries on Titterstone Clee and Brown Cleewhich proved profitable from the first years of opening. Passenger numbers were never great and declined steadily after An early scheme to bring coal traffic to the line was proposed under the First World War. As early as title of the 1920s some stations had effectively become request stopsStottesdon, Kinlet and Billingsley Railway; the two last named being [[Collieries served by the 1930s traffic had reduced to two ‘mixed’ trains per daySevern Valley Railway]]. Passenger services ceased altogether The Board was also interested in September 1938extending the railway northwards from Ditton Priors, with three possible schemes being considered in 1912. However in 1941 These were:*An 8 mile connection to the Royal Navy opened a Royal Naval Armaments Depot (RNAD) GWR’s Severn Valley branch at [[Bridgnorth]].*A continuation to join the end of line LNWR’s Coalport Branch at RNAD Ditton Priors, close Coalport.*A 6 mile continuation to Brown Clee Hilljoin the GWR’s Much Wenlock branch at Presthope. The line therefore remained open for both freight Ultimately the First World War brought an end to these plans and military traffic, and locomotives using none of the line were fitted with spark arrestorsschemes went ahead<ref>[[Bibliography#Other References|Price (1995)]] pp.39-40. </ref>
The line became part of BR(W) under nationalisation in 1948 and continued in very limited use, sometimes with just one train per week. On 21 May 1955 the Stephenson Railway Society organised a ‘special’ from Birmingham via Kidderminster and Bewdley to Ditton Priors. Dean Goods No 2516 (now preserved at Steam in Swindon) hauled this to Cleobury Mortimer, where 0-6-0PT No 2144 (with spark arrestor) took over using CM&DPLR rolling stock. The ‘special’ travelled as far as Cleobury North Sidings, becoming the only passenger bogie-stock ever on the line.
==References==
<references/>*Leslie Oppitz (2004), Lost Railways of Shropshire
==Links==
*[http://railway-photography.smugmug.com/GWRSteam-1/1923GWR-Absorbed-locos-/Cleobury-Mortimer-Ditton-Priors-Light-Railway/i-FHRb68B Photo of No 29 after rebuilding]