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The ‘Wyre Forest Line’ formed a connection between the SVR at [[Bewdley]] and the Shrewsbury and Hereford Railway (S&HR) at [[Wyre Forest Line#Woofferton | Woofferton]]. The route encompassed two railways, the Tenbury Railway and the Tenbury & Bewdley Railway. ==Map=={| class="wikitablefloatright"
[[File:WyreForestRailcarColourFollowing the completion of the Tenbury & Bewdley Railway in 1864, the GWR took over the working of traffic over the Tenbury Railway section on behalf of the joint companies, with the LNWR also having running powers. As part of this process, the GWR telegraph system was extended to Woofferton; also the LNWR agreed to a turntable being installed at Tenbury to be paid for by the GWR.jpg|thumb|300px|right|An exThis turntable was moved from Bewdley and re-erected in the goods yard at Tenbury. (Some confusion has occurred in the past, as there was a small wagon turntable at Woofferton in its early days.) The completed line ran north from the GWR railcar runs through the Wyre Forest station at Bewdley on a typical branch single line servicetrack alongside the Severn Valley Line for a distance of about a mile before diverging to the west to cross the river Severn at [[Dowles Bridge]](the viaduct referred to by Capt. Tyler), the remains of which are visible from trains on the SVR. The abutments where the line passed over what is now the B4194 remain in-situ. The line continued to Woofferton via Wyre Forest, Cleobury Mortimer, Neen Sollars, Newnham Bridge, Tenbury (later renamed Tenbury Wells) and Easton Court.
Following the completion of the Tenbury & Bewdley Railway in 1864, the GWR took over the working of traffic over the Tenbury Railway section on behalf The route acquired a number of the joint companies, with the LNWR also having running powersnames. As part of this process, the GWR telegraph system was extended to Woofferton; also the LNWR agreed to a turntable being installed A platform sign at Woofferton station referred to be paid for by the GWR. 'The completed line ran north from the GWR station Bewdley Branch', while passengers at Bewdley on a single line track alongside could take 'The Tenbury Branch'. Informally the Severn Valley route was often referred to as 'The Wyre Forest Line' or 'The Tenbury Line for a distance of about a mile before diverging to the west to cross the river Severn at '. The [[Dowles BridgeEngineer's Line References]] (the viaduct referred to by Capt. Tyler)were TBY for 'Tenbury & Bewdley' and WTW for 'Woofferton and Tenbury Wells', while the remains of which are visible from trains on 1905 Ordnance Survey map describes it as the SVR. The abutments where the line passed over what is now the B4194 remain in'GW&L&NW Joint Railway -situ. The line continued to Woofferton via Wyre Forest, Cleobury Mortimer, Neen Sollars, Newnham Bridge, & Tenbury (later renamed ' and the 'GWR - Tenbury Wells) and Easton Court& Bewdley Branch' [http://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/print.cfm#zoom=15&lat=52.3167&lon=-2. 5987&layers=171]
The route acquired a number One purpose of the Tenbury & Bewdley Railway was for freight traffic to gain access to the expanding markets of namesthe West Midlands. A platform sign However at Woofferton station referred the time of opening, this journey would require traveling to the SVR'The Bewdley Branch's southern terminus at [[Hartlebury]], while passengers with a reversal to reach the West Midlands via [[Kidderminster]]. This was hampered by a lack of siding space at Hartlebury and resulted in frequent delays, leading to construction of the '[[Kidderminster Loop Line]]' from Bewdley could take to Kidderminster. After the GWR built 'The Tenbury BranchLoop'. Informally , the route was often referred majority of services from Stourbridge and Kidderminster to as 'The Bewdley continued on the Wyre Forest Line' or 'The Tenbury Line'.
One purpose In January 1869, ownership of the Tenbury & Bewdley Railway was for freight traffic to gain access transferred jointly to the expanding markets of the West MidlandsLNWR and GWR. However at the time of opening, this journey would require traveling It nominally remained an independent company until nationalisation in January 1948. The Tenbury & Bewdley Railway ceased to the SVRs southern terminus at Hartlebury, with exist as a reversal separate company when ownership was transferred to reach the West Midlands via KidderminsterGWR in February 1870. This was hampered by a lack of siding space at Hartlebury and resulted in frequent delays, leading to construction of 'The Loop' from Bewdley to Kidderminster. After Both the GWR built 'The Loop', and the majority Tenbury Railway became part of services from Stourbridge and Kidderminster to Bewdley continued on the Wyre Forest LineBritish Railways' Western Region after nationalisation.
In 1908 <gallery>File:Tenbury breakfast.jpg | Invitation to a breakfast to celebrate the opening of the [[Cleobury Mortimer and Ditton Priors Light Railway]] openedlineFile:WyreForestRailcarColour. This connected with jpg | A colourised image of an ex-GWR railcar running through the Wyre Forest on a typical branch line service.File:Tenbury & Bewdley Railway at Cleobury Mortimer and ran as a spur for 12½ miles to Ditton Priorsline rambles poster. jpg | Poster advertising rambles from stations along the Tenbury Branch in 1957</gallery>
The station became unstaffed after September 1954, A whist drive in aid of the War Seal Foundation was held on 2 November 1917 raising £12/13/0. It was promoted by the Station Master WA Lloyd and closed with the line from Tenbury Wells to Woofferton July 1961F Thomas as Honorary Secretary.<ref>GWR Magazine January 1918</ref>
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[[File:Dowles Bridge.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Bridge piers of the Wyre Forest Line in the River Severn]]
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[[File:BSicon_HST.svg|25px]] [[Wyre Forest Line#Cleobury Mortimer | Cleobury Mortimer]]
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[[File:BSicon_ABZlf.svg|25px]] <small>[[Cleobury Mortimer and Ditton Priors Light Railway|Cleobury Mortimer & Ditton Priors Light R'way]]</small>
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[[File:BSicon_HST.svg|25px]] [[Wyre Forest Line#Wyre Forest | Wyre Forest]]
[[File:BSicon_WBRÜCKE.svg|25px]] [[Dowles Bridge]]
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[[File:BSicon_ABZrg.svg|25px]] <small>[[Bewdley North signal box|Bewdley Jct North]] (Severn Valley Line from to [[Bridgnorth]])</small>
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[[File:BSicon_BHF.svg|25px]] [[Bewdley]]
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|}The ‘Wyre Forest Line’ formed a connection between the SVR at [[Bewdley]] and the Shrewsbury and Hereford Railway (S&HR) at [[Wyre Forest Line#Woofferton | Woofferton]]. The route encompassed two railways, the Tenbury Railway and the Tenbury & Bewdley Railway.
==Early history of the Tenbury Railway==
==Early history of the Tenbury & Bewdley Railway==
Construction of the Tenbury & Bewdley Railway was authorised by an Act of Parliament in which received Royal Assent on 3 July 1860. Construction took place between began on 3 January 1861 and 1864, with the line opening in on 13 August of that year1864. Prior to opening, the report of the Board of Trade Inspector, Capt. Tyler, stated:
:''The line is a continuation of the branch line from Woofferton to Tenbury. It is 15 miles long to the West Midland section of the GWR at Bewdley. The line is single and worked by the train staff system. The ruling gradient is 1-17 and the sharpest curve is 12 chains radius. Permanent way is double headed rail in lengths of 21ft and 24ft, 75lbs to the yard in weight. Chairs are cast iron, 25lbs in weight secured by iron spikes to transverse sleepers. Sleepers are half round timber measuring 9ft by 10ins by 5ins. There are 10 bridges over and 18 under, variously treated in brick, iron and timber, the largest span being 60ft.''
==The completed line==
In January 1869, ownership of 1908 the Tenbury [[Cleobury Mortimer and Ditton Priors Light Railway was transferred jointly to ]] opened. This connected with the LNWR and GWR. It nominally remained an independent company until nationalisation in January 1948. The Tenbury & Bewdley Railway ceased to exist at Cleobury Mortimer and ran as a separate company when ownership was transferred spur for 12½ miles to the GWR in February 1870. Both the GWR and the Tenbury Railway became part of British Railways Western Region after nationalisationDitton Priors.
==A Shropshire Lad==The Wyre Forest Line closed line makes a brief reference in various stagesA.E. Houseman's ''A Shropshire Lad'': :As through the wild green hills of Wyre:The old Tenbury Railway (Woofferton to Tenbury) was first to close in July 1961, after which only one passenger train ran from Kidderminster to Tenbury each day. Passenger services ceased , changing sky and shire,:And far behind, a year later fading crest,:Low in the forsaken west:Sank the high-reared head of Clee,:My hand lay empty on 1 August 1962my knee<ref>[https://www. The daily Stourbridge housman- Tenbury goods service ended in January 1964, with all traffic ceasing in April 1965society.co. At that time, the line between Bewdley and Cleobury Mortimer was considered uk/as a possible candidate for preservation in -through-the [[Severn Valley Railway Timeline 1965-1969#1965 | early days]] wild-green-hills-of the Severn Valley Railway Society-wyre/ Houseman, A. However continued use of Bewdley Station by BR meant this was not possibleE. Much , ''As through the wild green hills of the line was demolished shortly thereafterWyre'', A Shropshire Lad XXXVII, with Dowles Bridge being dismantled in March 1966The Housman Society website] (Retrieved 14 October 2018)</ref>.
==Stations==
===Woofferton===
[[File:Woofferton station (disused) - geograph.org.uk - 316919.jpg |thumb|300px|right|Woofferton Station, now closed (Wikimedia Commons)]]
Woofferton was initially a station on the Shrewsbury and Hereford Railway (S&HR), later becoming a junction station with the Wyre Forest Line from [[Bewdley]]. The station name boards carried the name “Woofferton Junction” <Ref Name = "MS2007">Branch Lines around Cleobury Mortimer, Mitchell and Smith (2007)</ref>, although [[The Severn Valley Railway under GWR/BR ownership#Timetable extracts | timetables]] and tickets used the shortened name.
The station had two main line platforms, connected by a footbridge situated between the station building (nearest in the first photo above) and goods shed. It also had a bay platform used by the branch line trains and accessed via two diamond crossings over the main line. There were also a number of sidings. The signal box (SB in the OS Map of 1888-1913) stood in the junction of the S&HR line to the north and the “Bewdley Branch” to the east. [[SVR staff in 1922#Wyre Forest Line (Bewdley to Woofferton)|GWR staff records for 1922]] show the station had a staff of 16.
<gallery>
File:Woofferton_OS.JPG | OS Map of Woofferton
===Easton Court===
Easton Court was a small single-platform station. It opened with the Tenbury Railway in 1861, but closed in October 1962 1862 due to lack of use. It reopened in April 1865, 8 months after the though through connection between Woofferton and Bewdley was established.
Easton Court itself is a gentry house and landscaped park in the civil parish of Little Hereford. For a time the station name board also referred to “Little Hereford”, although this was not used on timetables.<ref group="note">The GWR Magazine of May 1914 records the retirement of Abraham Tantrum, born April 1842, who "recalls the opening of the Tenbury line from Woofferton and being entertained by Lady Northwick at Easton Court and Tenbury." [http://www.users.totalise.co.uk/~fortroyal/NoakeGuide/346.html Noake's Worcestershire (p346)] notes "among the gentry in the neighbourhood are Lord Northwick, Burford House; Mrs. Bailey, Easton Court"</ref>
[[SVR staff in 1922#Wyre Forest Line (Bewdley to Woofferton)|GWR staff records for 1922]] show the station had a staff of 3. John Morgan, having retired from the post of Chief Goods Clerk at Tenbury Wells after 50 years service with the GWR/LMS Joint Railway and settled at Easton Court, returned to work in 1941 at that station as a Grade 1 Porter. He was still there in August 1946 after reaching his 78th birthday.<ref>GWR Magazine September 1946</ref> The station became unstaffed after September 1954, and closed with the line from Tenbury Wells to Woofferton July 1961.
===Tenbury Wells===
Tenbury station, renamed Tenbury Wells in 1912, was named after the spa town, but was in fact situated in nearby parish of Burford.
The station was initially the terminus of the Tenbury Railway from Woofferton, opened in August 1861, becoming the end-on junction of two separate railways when the Tenbury & Bewdley Railway opened in 1864. Despite the Wyre Forest Line thereafter being worked throughout by the GWR, the line was still worked in two halves. Although there were through services between Bewdley and Woofferton, some local services ran only between Tenbury Wells and Woofferton, while some services from Bewdley terminated at Tenbury Wells rather than running through. At the Bewdley end, many trains continued to [[Kidderminster]].
The station had two platforms, a number of sidings and in its early years, a turntable, which had been removed from Bewdley and was still visible depicted on the OS Map of 1888-1913. It had two signal boxes until the 1920s1928, when the LNWR-built West signal box closedwas replaced by a ground frame.<ref>Great Western Railway Magazine, August 1928</ref> [[SVR staff in 1922#Wyre Forest Line (Bewdley to Woofferton)|GWR staff records for 1922]] show the station had a staff of 18. In 1930 a [[Country Lorry Service and Cartage Service|Country Lorry Service]] was introduced.<ref>GWR Magazine August 1930</ref> It had much agricultural traffic, it was quoted as receiving up to 10,000 hop pockets from South Wales and the Black Country.<ref name=GWR39>GWR magazine, September 1939</ref> In 1960, the loop capacity, for the purpose of crossing trains, was 25 wagons, plus engine and brake van.<ref name="WTT1960">Sectional Appendix to the Working Time Tables and Books of Rules and Regulations, Birmingham Traffic District, October 1960</ref>
<gallery>
===Newnham Bridge===
Newnham Bridge opened with the Tenbury and Bewdley Railway in 1864. The station had a siding which could act as a passing loop, but only a single platform for passengers. A signal box was originally provided, but later replaced by three ground frames. In 1913 a 'loop mileage siding' was authorised.<ref>GWR Magazine November 1913</ref> The [[The Severn Valley Railway under GWR/BR ownership# Timetable extracts | GWR Working Timetables]] included the following operating instruction: ''When necessary, a train (not conveying passengers) may be placed in the sidings at Foley Park and Newnham Bridge for another train to pass in the same or opposite direction''. The 1960 list of Loops and Refuge Sidings makes no mention of this, so presumably the practice at both locations had ceased by then.<ref>Sectional Appendix to the Working Time Tables and Books of Rules and Regulations, Birmingham Traffic District, October 1960</ref> A cart weighbridge was added in 1924 due to the "increasing number of motor-driven lorries in use".<ref>Great Western Railway Magazine, January 1925</ref> The siding capacity was authorised to be increased from 40 to 92 wagons in 1929 and a spur was to be provided to allow goods trains to be shunted clear of the running line.<ref>Great Western Railway Magazine November 1929</ref> In 1931 an intermediate token instrument was installed.<ref>Great Western Railway Magazine, January 1931</ref> Additional goods accommodation followed.<ref>Great Western Railway Magazine, January 1933</ref>
The layout of the station was also unusual in that the main station building was situated at rail level. From there, passengers had to use a barrow crossing to reach the platform via the loop and running line. Despite these arrangements, Newnham Bridge could be a busy station, particularly when fruit was in season, and was quoted as one of the centres of fruit growing in Worcestershire, particularly cherries, damsons and apples.<ref name=GWR39/> [[SVR staff in 1922#Wyre Forest Line (Bewdley to Woofferton)|GWR staff records for 1922]] show the station had a staff of 4. <gallery>File:Newnham Station down platform and shelter (geograph 4329083).jpg | Newnham Bridge railway station 30 January 2015, John Winder (Wikimedia Commons)</gallery>
===Neen Sollars===
Neen Sollars station began with a single platform. A second staggered platform, linked by a board crossing, was added in 1878, together with a signal box. The lengthening of the crossing loop was authorised in 1923 for "the elimination of many costly delays".<ref>Great Western Railway Magazine, November 1923</ref> The station served a small village and was little used; only 2,539 passenger tickets were issued in 1933. [[SVR staff in 1922#Wyre Forest Line (Bewdley to Woofferton)|GWR staff records for 1922]] show the station had a staff of 3. The 1878 platform was taken out of use and the signal box closed in August 1954; the station then became an unmanned stop in July 1961. Passenger services on the line ceased the following year.
A picture of the station may be found on [https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishswissernie/5820208959/in/album-72157626810295113/ Ernie's Railway Archive].
[[File:Cleobury Mortimer station (remnants) geograph-3149868-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg| thumb|300px|right|Cleobury Mortimer Station, now closed (Wikimedia Commons)]]
Cleobury Mortimer was a crossing station with two platforms, a goods yard and goods shed and a cattle pen. The OS Map of 1888-1913 shows the layout before the building of the [[Cleobury Mortimer and Ditton Priors Light Railway]] which opened in 1908 and can be seen branching away to the north-west on the later 1937-1961 series map. At that time a 65 lever frame replaced the original 27 lever frame in the signal box. In 1911 'Re-classification of service conditions have seen improvements at Cleobury Mortimer signal box.'<ref>GWR Magazine December 1913</ref> South-west of the goods yard was a private siding which served nearby Bayton Colliery between 1913 and 1923.In 1913 steelwork was ordered for a new bridge from EC and J Keay of Corporation Street, Birmingham.<ref>GWR Magazine April 1913</ref>
In 1960, the loop capacity, for the purpose of crossing trains, was 43 wagons, plus engine and brake van.<ref name="WTT1960" />
<gallery>
File: Cleobury_1888_OS.JPG | Cleobury Mortimer, OS Map 1888-1913 series
File: Cleobury_1937_OS.JPG | Cleobury Mortimer, OS Map 1937-1961 series
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Charles Cox became an early Station Master in the late 1860s.<ref>GWR Magazine March 1905</ref> RP Nason, a clerk, was one of the railway employees killed in the Great War.<GWR Magazine August 1918</ref> [[SVR staff in 1922#Wyre Forest Line (Bewdley to Woofferton)|GWR staff records for 1922]] show the station had a staff of 15, including four porters at stations on the Ditton Priors branch.
===Wyre Forest===
Wyre Forest was a single-platform station which opened on 1 June 1869, five years after the line on which it stood. It also had a small goods siding. Set in the forest after which it was named, goods traffic from the late 19th century included timber from the local area. In 1896 the station was also used to deliver the pipes which connected Welsh reservoirs for the local section of the [[Elan Valley Aqueduct]]. [[SVR staff in 1922#Wyre Forest Line (Bewdley to Woofferton)|GWR staff records for 1922]] show the station had a staff of 2, the station master and a gatewoman. <gallery>File:Wyre Forest station.jpg|Railcar at Wyre Forest in 1960</gallery> ==Accidents==On Saturday 24 January 1959 the 7.58 am autotrain, departing Tenbury Wells for Ludlow propelled by 0-4-2T No 1445, collided with the buffer stops in Tenbury Yard. In the darkness the train crew did not notice that the turnout points from the Up platform to the West Midlandsmain running line were frozen in the wrong position by ice, and the signalman was unable to alert them in time. The only passenger aboard was shaken but unhurt; he continued his journey by bus after receiving a refund of his train fare<ref>[[Bibliography#Books|Beddoes & Smith (1995)]] p. 179.</ref>.
==Closure==
[[File:Tenbury line closure poster.jpg|thumb|300px|right|1964 Poster advertising the closure of the line (passenger services had ended in 1962)]]
In November 1960 British Railways published a proposal to close the entire line between Woofferton and Bewdley.<ref>[[Bibliography#Books|Magner (1997)]] p. 16.</ref> The West Midland Transport Users Consultative Committee met in March 1961 to discuss the closure. Many representations were made on the hardships that closure would cause, particularly for school children who made use of the line. A compromise was reached whereby the old Tenbury Railway (Woofferton to Tenbury Wells including Easton Court station) would close with effect from Monday 31 July 1961, but one passenger train each way would continue between Kidderminster and Tenbury Wells for a trial period of one year.<ref>[[Bibliography#Books|Beddoes & Smith (1995)]] pp. 190, 195.</ref> The last through passenger service between Bewdley and Woofferton was the 7.50 pm return working to Kidderminster on 28 July 1961.<ref>[[Bibliography#Books|Beddoes & Smith (1995)]] p. 190.</ref> The 'special', which was hauled by GWR 2-6-2T No 6144, can be seen at the beginning of this film by 'Cam' Camwell on [http://player.bfi.org.uk/film/watch-camwell-personal-film-no-54-special-last-train-kidderminster-to-woofferton-junction-1961/ BFIPlayer]. The steam hauled "school children's train" service duly began on Monday 31 July 1961, notwithstanding that this was the school holiday period. It left Tenbury Wells at 7.55 am with the return working leaving Kidderminster at 4.10 pm. On the same day Wyre Forest station became unstaffed and was closed to goods services. Over the next year BR allowed the service to run as 'mixed' if required, and also advertised cheap day excursions to Birmingham. However the one year trial was not deemed a success and BR successfully proposed a full closure from 1 August 1962. The last steam-hauled service to return to Tenbury Wells ran on 31 July 1962 and comprised two coaches hauled by ex-GWR 0-6-0PT No 3619.<ref>[[Bibliography#Books|Beddoes & Smith (1995)]] pp. 192-193, 195.</ref> Following the end of passenger services, Wyre Forest station closed completely on 1 August 1962. However the daily Stourbridge - Tenbury goods service continued, serving the remaining stations at Cleobury Mortimer, Newnham Bridge, Neen Sollars and Tenbury Wells. At the end of that month, the Daily Telegraph reported that Tenbury Wells still had 12 staff serving no passengers and only one goods train per day. Staff numbers soon reduced, with the signal box being closed on 28 April 1963. The following day electric token working between Cleobury and Tenbury was replaced by a single wooden staff for 'one engine in steam'.<ref name=BS196>[[Bibliography#Books|Beddoes & Smith (1995)]] p. 196.</ref> The next significant closure resulted from the end of the daily goods service on Saturday 4 January 1964. The remaining stations were closed from 6 January, as seen in the closure notice. An infrequent goods service continued to the [[Cleobury Mortimer and Ditton Priors Light Railway|Admiralty depot at RNAD Ditton Priors]], using locos from [[Kidderminster Shed]] until its closure on 10 August 1964, and subsequently from Stourbridge shed. In the meantime the line between Tenbury and Newnham Bridge was used to store up to 1,000 condemned wagons.<ref name=SourcesBS196/> By early 1965 the Admiralty had announced the closure of Ditton Priors and only a few goods services still ran 'as required'. The last of that traffic ended from Good Friday 16 April 1965. Electric token working between [[Bewdley North signal box]] and Cleobury Mortimer was withdrawn on 8 May 1965 along with the wooden staff to Tenbury Wells. The branch was then worked as a siding while dismantling progressively took place, ending with the demolition of Dowles Bridge in March 1966. ==Preservation proposals==In 1961 a Mr Harmon from Southampton, other businessmen, Mr H G Hipkins as secretary of the Midlands Area of the Railway Development Association and some railway enthusiasts proposed to run the line as a private enterprise. They were supported by [[Sir Gerald Nabarro]] and Jasper More, MPs for Kidderminster and Ludlow respectively. Dr. Richard Beeching, chairman of the British Transport Commission, quickly rejected the proposal on the advice of the General Manager of BR's Western Region, as a full freight service was to continue on the Tenbury & Bewdley Railway section.<ref>Birmingham Daily Post, 5 and 16 August 1961, via British Newspaper Archive</ref> At the Coopers Arms public meeting in Kidderminster on [[Severn Valley Railway Timeline 1965-1969#1965|6 July 1965]] which formed the Severn Valley Railway in preservation, the meeting considered it unfeasible to use the section between Bewdley and Cleobury Mortimer as BR were still using Bewdley station at that time, and so could not grant access<ref>[[Bibliography#Books|Beddoes & Smith (1995)]] pp. 196-198.</ref>. ==Use by the present day SVR==Immediately north of Bewdley, approximately 450 yards of the former line remains in use by the SVR as a siding, ending at the [[Foot crossing off Northwood Lane]]. On occasional Gala days a DMU shuttle service has been arranged to allow the public to ride on this short section of track. Continuing northwards, the trackbed remains in place although no track is laid. Shortly before Dowles Bridge, the level of the Tenbury and Bewdley railway falls below that of the Severn Valley Railway. A retaining wall was built between the two lines, now referred to as the [[Tenbury Wall]]. ==See also==[[Tenbury Branch]] ==Notes==<references group="note"/> ==References==
The Tenbury & Bewdley Railway, Keith Beddoes and William H Smith (1995)<br>
The Severn Valley Railway, John Marshall (1989)<br>
<references />
==See alsoLinks==[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NuF2rQkW-E Video of a railcar on the Wyre Forest Line on YouTube] [[Tenbury BranchCategory: Featured articles]]
