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{| class=" wikitable floatright"|-|[[File:BSicon_exCONTglocal.png|25px]] 1912 proposed extensions<br/>[[File:BSicon DSTlocal.png|25px]] RNAD Ditton Priors<br/>[[File:BSicon_HSTlocal.png|25px]] Ditton Priors<br/>[[File:BSicon_ABZrflocal.png|25px]] Abdon Clee Quarry Railway<br>[[File:BSicon_HSTlocal.png|25px]] Burwarton<br/>[[File:BSicon_eABZg+llocal.png|25px]] Proposed Kinlet & Billingsley extn.<br/>[[File:BSicon_HSTlocal.png|25px]] Stottesdon<br/>[[File:BSicon_HSTlocal.png|25px]] Cleobury Town and Shed<br/>[[File:BSicon_ABZrglocal.png|25px]] [[Tenbury Branch]] to [[Bewdley]]<br/>[[File:BSicon BHFlocal.png|25px]] Cleobury Mortimer<br>[[File:BSicon_STRlocal.png|25px]] [[Tenbury Branch]] to Tenbury<br/>|-|}The Cleobury Mortimer and Ditton Priors Light Railway (CPCM&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 12&frac12; miles via Cleobury Town, Stottesdon and Burwarton to Ditton Priors.

At opening ==Construction==The CM&DPLR was built under the Railway had two Manning Wardle 0-6-0 saddle tanks, numbers 1734 Burwarton and 1735 CleoburyLight Railways Act of 1896. The railway An order under the Act was absorbed into the GWR granted in May 1922, following which the locomotives were re-numbered as GWR 28 and 29; they were later rebuilt as pannier tanks at Swindon 1901 with construction eventually beginning late in 19301906. They remained as the regular engines The line opened for passenger traffic on the line21 November 1908, although other small GWR tank engines would appear on for the first six months the line from time speed was limited to 20mph rather than the 25mph permitted as a light railway while the track bed was allowed to timeconsolidate<ref>[[Bibliography#Other References|Price (1995)]] pp.7-11.</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>Price (1995) pp.39-40. </ref>

GWR 28 ==Decline and 29 closure==Passenger numbers were recoded never great and declined steadily after the First World War. As early as being the 1920s some stations had effectively become request stops, and by the 1930s traffic had reduced to two ‘mixed’ trains per day. Passenger services ceased altogether in September 1938. However in 1941 the Royal Navy opened a Royal Naval Armaments Depot (RNAD) at [[Kidderminster Shed]] in 1943the end of line at RNAD Ditton Priors, close to Brown Clee Hill. The line therefore remained open for both freight and military traffic, and locomotives using the line were fitted with spark arrestors.

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 CPCM&DPLR rolling stock. The ‘special’ travelled as far as Cleobury North Sidings, becoming the only passenger bogie-stock ever on the line.

Ownership of the line passed from BR to the Admiralty in May 1957, the occasional haulage by now being provided by the Ruston & Hornsby 0-4-0 diesel shunters. Navy use of the line continued until 1960, when the railway finally closed (some Admiralty equipment was moved from the Depot by rail thereafter).

The line was considered as a possible candidate for preservation in the [[Severn Valley Railway Timeline 1965-1969#1965 | early days]] of the [[Severn Valley Railway Society]], but was deemed unsuitable because of its remoteness and the relatively light axle load limits. ==Rolling Stock=====Locomotives===At opening the Railway had two Manning Wardle 0-6-0 saddle tanks, works 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. During operation they were kept at a small [[Shed and Depot Codes|shed at Cleobury Town]],<ref name=Barfield>[[Bibliography|Barfield (1994)]] pp. 81-89.</ref> but were recorded as being at [[Kidderminster Shed]] between 1940 and 1945<ref>[[Bibliography|Turley (2005)]] p. 117.</ref>. 28 was placed into store at Kidderminster in 1949. 29, which acquired the nickname "the Gadget", was fitted with a spark arrester cowl in case working to the Admiralty Depot at Ditton Priors was required, and was then retained at Kidderminster for occasional shunting turns, her former duties having been taken over by Kidderminster-based GWR 2021 class locomotives<ref name=Barfield/>, at least four of which (2034, 2051, 2101 and 2144) were also fitted with spark arrestors for this purpose. The Admiralty Depot only used diesel locomotives. A Planet diesel locomotive is believed to have been used by the RNAD but its dates of arrival and departure are not known. Later, three 'flameproof' 165hp [[Whyte notation|0-4-0]] diesel locomotives were supplied to RNAD Ditton Priors by Ruston and Hornsby of Lincoln in June 1952 (313390), March 1953 (319286) and May 1955.<ref>[https://chasewaterstuff.wordpress.com/2010/11/06/some-early-lines-cleobury-mortimer-and-ditton-priors-light-railway/ Some Early Lines – Cleobury Mortimer and Ditton Priors Light Railway, 6 November 2010 (a blog)] (Retrieved 18 September 2018)</ref> Locomotives 313390 (DP35) and 319286 are similar to the Ruston 165DMs present on the SVR, and survive in preservation. ===Coaching stock===Six-wheeled stock was prohibited from the CM&DPLR. The original coaching stock comprised four ex-North London Railway four-wheel coaches, formerly LNRW numbers 1033, 1034. 1041 and 1043. Following grouping in 1922 these were replaced by GWR four-wheeled gas-lit coaches, two with four compartments and two longer 3-compartment brake coaches.<ref>Burton, Anthony and Scott-Morgan, John,'The Light Railways of Britain and Ireland', Moorland Press, 1985</ref><ref>Price (1995), pp. 35-36.</ref>

*[[The Severn Valley Railway under GWR/BR ownership#Map of the Route and Nearby Railways | Map of the Severn Valley Railway and Nearby Railways]] ==References==<references/>*Leslie Oppitz (2004), Lost Railways of Shropshire

==RecerencesLinks==Leslie Oppitz (2004)*[http://railway-photography.smugmug.com/GWRSteam-1/1923GWR-Absorbed-locos-/Cleobury-Mortimer-Ditton-Priors-Light-Railway/i-FHRb68B Photo of No 29 after rebuilding]*[https://chasewaterstuff.wordpress.com/2010/11/06/some-early-lines-cleobury-mortimer-and-ditton-priors-light-railway/cleobury-town-station/ Muckley, A., Lost Railways of ShropshireAn MOD Ruston & Hornsby diesel shunter passes through Cleobury Town Station on 26 March 1965]*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleobury_Mortimer_and_Ditton_Priors_Light_Railway Cleobury Mortimer and Ditton Priors Light Railway on Wikipedia]*[http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/N13901190 Minutes, correspondence, miscellaneous papers, stock and share records, letter books 1901-22, The National Archives]