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Shrewsbury

Shrewsbury Station in 1962 (Wikimedia Commons)
Railways south of Shrewsbury (Ordnance Survey 1888-1913)
Next stations pre-closure
Towards the north Towards Hartlebury and Kidderminster
The Severn Valley line terminated at Shrewsbury. Berrington (4¼ miles)

Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, situated on the River Severn.

Shrewsbury station, formerly known as 'Shrewsbury General', is a major junction between various GWR and LNWR routes, and was the northern terminus of the Severn Valley Railway, which connected it to Bridgnorth, Bewdley and Hartlebury[1].

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Severn Valley Branch

Shrewsbury was the northernmost station on the Severn Valley Branch until the end of passenger services between Bewdley and Shrewsbury and closure of the line north of Alveley Colliery in 1963. The Branch diverged from the Shrewsbury-Hereford line at Sutton Bridge Junction, which still exists today as the junction for the former Cambrian Railways line to Aberystwyth and Pwllheli [2]. Severn Valley line services generally used the now-closed bay platforms 1 and 2 at Shrewsbury station.

Shrewsbury Abbey oil terminal

The Potteries, Shrewsbury & North Wales Railway opened in 1866 with a small terminus station in Shrewsbury at Abbey Foregate. The railway, which was later re-opened by Col Stevens in 1911 as the Shropshire & Montgomeryshire Railway (S&MR), crossed over the Severn Valley branch via a bridge which was situated around ¼ mile south of Sutton Bridge Junction, just past the end of the carriage shed which lay alongside the branch.

When the S&MR closed in 1960, the bridge was removed and BR built a short spur from the Severn Valley branch which served a new oil depot at the Shrewsbury Abbey station. Access to the spur was controlled by a ground frame which was unlocked by the section token, with trains of up to ten tanks being propelled to and from the terminal. The short stub of the Severn Valley branch providing this connection was the last part of the railway to remain in use, eventually closing in July 1988[3][2].

Shrewsbury Shed

Locomotives for services from the northern end of the Severn Valley Branch were provided by Shrewsbury Shed which was located in Coleham Yard, between the station and Sutton Bridge Junction to the east of the railway. A brief chronology of the Shed is as follows:[4]

  • The original 1856 Shrewsbury and Hereford Railway (S&H) locomotive servicing depot was a single-road straight shed.
  • As part of the joint purchase of the S&H, the GWR and LNWR agreed to build a new six-road shed on the same site to an LNWR design, with the original S&H shed becoming a wagon repair depot.
  • In 1877 the LNWR added their own 10-road shed at the south of the Yard
  • In 1883 the GWR built a new roundhouse to the rear/east of the existing former joint facilities, and added their own coaling stage.
  • In 1932 the GWR demolished the old S&H shed and built a new steel-framed three road straight shed on the site.
  • The depot closed to all steam locomotives in March 1967.

The buildings in the Yard to the east of the line have all been demolished and the area redeveloped. However in 2008 a small TMD was built to the west of the line on the site of the former extensive joint GWR/LNWR goods yard. Access is controlled by Sutton Bridge Junction Signal Box.

  • OS Map of 1927 showing Coleham Yard

  • Shrewsbury MPD in 1949, ex-GWR shed (left) and ex-LNWR (right)

See also

References

  1. ↑ Wikipedia - Shrewsbury Railway Station
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 David J. Parker, "Under the Semaphores at Shrewsbury, 1987-1994". Blurb Books.
  3. ↑ Marshall (1989) p. 112.
  4. ↑ Shrewsbury TMD on Wikipedia]

Links

Stations and halts
Present day stations and halts
Former stations and halts
Severn Valley branch
Loop line
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Welcome to the Severn Valley Railway Wiki

From this week's featured article
"76738" is a London and North Western Railway Company 10-ton Goods Van, although it carries a fictitious number as its true identity is unknown. After restoration it saw limited use in the SVRSevern Valley Railway's demonstration goods train, but due to its age and wooden underframe it is now in static use as a sales coach at Bridgnorth. (Full article...)
Schematic Map of the SVRSevern Valley Railway
BridgnorthEardingtonHampton LoadeCountry Park HaltHighleyThe Engine HouseArleyVictoria BridgeNorthwood HaltWyre Forest LineBewdleyStourport BranchBewdley TunnelConnection to Network RailKidderminsterMaps#Schematic maps of the pre-closure SVRMapandlinks.png
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larger interactive version

For 101 years between 1862 and 1963, the Severn Valley Railway formed part of the national railway network, running for 40 miles between Hartlebury and Shrewsbury. Established as a separate company, it was mainly operated by the Great Western Railway (GWRGreat Western Railway) and later by British Railways (BRBritish Rail or British Railways).

The present day Severn Valley Railway (SVRSevern Valley Railway) was established in 1965 to preserve part of the line as a heritage railway. Today it has six stations and two halts and runs for 16 miles along the Severn Valley between Bridgnorth in Shropshire and Kidderminster in Worcestershire, following the course of the River Severn for much of its route. Operations involve a mixture of steam and heritage diesel-hauled services.

This unofficial website is a project aimed to collect information and record events relating to the SVRSevern Valley Railway, both past and present.

For timetables, fare information, and news about special events, please visit the SVR Official Website. Other news and information of interest to members, shareholders and enthusiasts can be found on SVRLive.

In April 2023 the SVRSevern Valley Railway announced the launch of a Survival Fund to enable it to overcome the current financial crisis and implement longer-term plans for its future. Information and details of how to donate may be found on the SVRSevern Valley Railway's Survival Fund page.

Categories of article

History of the Severn Valley Railway

Current events on the SVRSevern Valley Railway

Information about the SVRSevern Valley Railway

Miscellaneous


Query Corner

Unsurprisingly, there are a large number of questions about the SVRSevern Valley Railway, both in pre-preservation days and for a number of historical items since then. Take a visit down to Query Corner to see if you have a recollection relating to some long forgotten event, or know of a reliable source (maybe an early edition of the SVR News?) that might have the information we need!

In addition are a number of stub articles requiring further input.

Adding to this Wiki

This site, or "wiki", is a collaborative effort, and anyone who has any knowledge relating to the SVRSevern Valley Railway should feel free to contribute. Once you have created a user account and logged in, you can modify any page by clicking the "Edit" button in the top right hand corner. For some tips on how to format pages, and some guidelines on how to make this wiki accessible can be found on Tips for contributing to the SVR Wiki.

Alternatively, if you don't feel confident editing this Wiki (although there is no reason you shouldn't!!), each article also has a "Discussion" page, which can be accessed by clicking the relevant button in the top left hand corner. This allows you to make additions, suggestions, or corrections to a page without making any change to the article itself.


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