Wyre Forest Line
The ‘Wyre Forest Line’ formed a connection between the SVR at Bewdley and the Shrewsbury and Hereford Railway (S&HR) at Woofferton. The route encompassed two railways, the Tenbury Railway and the Tenbury & Bewdley Railway.
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Early history of the Tenbury Railway
The Tenbury Railway was opened in August 1861 and formed a short branch line connecting Tenbury to the S&HR at Woofferton, a distance of just over 5 miles. Although the Tenbury Railway was a separate company, the line was worked by the S&HR when first opened.
In July 1862, the S&HR (including the Tenbury Railway) was jointly leased by the LNWR, the GWR and the West Midland Railway (WMR). Working of traffic on the Tenbury Railway was taken over by the LNWR on behalf of the joint companies.
Early history of the Tenbury & Bewdley Railway
Construction of the Tenbury & Bewdley Railway was authorised by an Act of Parliament in 1860. Construction took place between 1861 and 1864, with the line opening in August of that year. 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.
- There is a viaduct over the Severn of 3 openings each of 70ft carried by wrought iron lattice girders on masonry piers and abutments. All the bridges and viaducts have been carefully and substantially constructed but there has been slight movement in places in brickwork and should be watched, but should not give any rise for apprehension. In some of the smaller bridges the permanent way is carried on wooden cross beams which is an inferior system and must be watched and will require more careful maintenance than the larger bridges.
The West Midlands Railway, which was to have operated the Tenbury and Bewdley Railway, was absorbed into the GWR a few days before the line opened, and thus the line was worked from opening by the GWR.
The completed line
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 of the joint companies, with the LNWR also having running powers. The completed line ran north from the GWR station at Bewdley on a single line track 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. A turntable was installed at Woofferton.
The route acquired a number of names. A platform sign at Woofferton station referred to 'The Bewdley Branch', while passengers at Bewdley could take 'The Tenbury Branch'. Informally the route was often referred to as 'The Wyre Forest Line' or 'The Tenbury Line'.
One purpose of the Tenbury & Bewdley Railway was for freight traffic to gain access to the expanding markets of the West Midlands. However at the time of opening, this journey would require traveling to the SVRs southern terminus at Hartlebury, 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 Loop' from Bewdley to Kidderminster. After the GWR built 'The Loop', the majority of services from Stourbridge and Kidderminster to Bewdley continued on the Wyre Forest Line.
In January 1869, ownership of the Tenbury Railway was transferred jointly to the LNWR and GWR. It nominally remained an independent company until nationalisation in January 1948. The Tenbury & Bewdley Railway ceased to exist as a separate company the ownership was transferred to the GWR in February 1870. Both the GWR and the Tenbury Railway became part of British Railways Western Region after nationalisation.
The Wyre Forest Line closed in various stages. 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 a year later on 1 August 1962. The daily Stourbridge - Tenbury goods service ended in January 1964, with all traffic ceasing in April 1965. Much of the line was demolished shortly after closure, with Dowles Bridge being dismantled in March 1966.
Sources
The Tenbury & Bewdley Railway, Keith Beddoes and William H Smith (1995)