Bishops Castle Railway
Encyclopedia
The Bishops Castle Railway was begun in 1861, planned as a line from Craven Arms
to Montgomery
, thus linking the Shrewsbury
to Hereford
line to the Oswestry
to Newtown, Powys line (later called the Cambrian Line
), linking Mid-Wales and Shrewsbury, with a branch line from Lydham
to Bishop's Castle
.
From the start, the railway was hampered by shortage of capital. Many investors were already involved in more established lines and did not want competition and distractions to dilute their returns. Although the company continued to build, possibly hoping to dispel doubts and generate interest, the line ultimately only reached Bishop's Castle and was sold in 1867.
for the construction of the line was obtained in 1861. In October 1865 the line was completed and opened using a borrowed locomotive pulling borrowed coaches.
Regular traffic started the following year, but only from Craven Arms to Bishops Castle. Usage never picked up sufficiently to finance the whole plan and the section of track planned to complete the link was never completed. The double junction at Lydham Heath was partly completed, but that half faced the 'wrong way' for Craven Arms. At Lydham, engines reversed direction to complete the journey to Bishop's Castle, uncoupling, running around their carriages and recoupling for the last few miles. The money ran out and the line was never profitable.
of property belonging to the company was held in Shrewsbury. A Receiver
was appointed to run the railway. The Bishop's Castle Railway Company remained in receivership for 69 years and 2 months until it closed.
Rural bus services started in 1900, consigning the Bishops Castle line further as a provincial oddity in the glorious story of steam trains and railway history. It grimly persevered and ran until 1935, supported by loyal locals, staff and its management.
where they were used by the Cammell Laird
shipyard in the construction of HMS Prince of Wales.
The easternmost stretch of line has been incorporated into the Onny Trail, forming a walk along the banks of the River Onny
and across the fields where passengers stepped down to pick mushrooms. The course of the line is clearly visible today, well demarcated and forms a broad grassy walkway through sheep pasture or woodland trackway.
, traders and townsfolk alike, yet still never made any money.
In July 1999 the museum moved to its present location but its development was badly affected by a fire in October 2000. Following an effort to salvage the building and artifacts, the museum reopened in Easter 2002.
Craven Arms
Craven Arms is a small town and civil parish in Shropshire, England, located on the A49 road and the Welsh Marches railway line, which connect it north and south to the larger towns of Shrewsbury and Ludlow respectively. The Heart of Wales railway line joins the Welsh Marches line at Craven Arms...
to Montgomery
Montgomery, Powys
The historic county town of Montgomery in Powys, Wales lies just three miles from the English border in the Welsh Marches. It is best known for its castle, Montgomery Castle, begun in 1223, and its parish church, begun in 1227. However its origins go back much further, as seen by the Celtic Iron...
, thus linking the Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
to Hereford
Hereford
Hereford is a cathedral city, civil parish and county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, southwest of Worcester, and northwest of Gloucester...
line to the Oswestry
Oswestry
Oswestry is a town and civil parish in Shropshire, England, close to the Welsh border. It is at the junction of the A5, A483, and A495 roads....
to Newtown, Powys line (later called the Cambrian Line
Cambrian Line
The Cambrian Line is a railway from Shrewsbury to Welshpool, Aberystwyth and Pwllheli. The railway runs first through the central part of Wales and then along the coast of Cardigan Bay....
), linking Mid-Wales and Shrewsbury, with a branch line from Lydham
Lydham
Lydham is a small village in Shropshire, England about 2 miles north of Bishops Castle.Lydham is the crossing point of the A488 and the A489.- History :...
to Bishop's Castle
Bishop's Castle
Bishop's Castle is a small market town in Shropshire, England, and formerly its smallest borough. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 1,630. Bishop's Castle is east of the Wales-England border, about north-west of Ludlow and about south-west of Shrewsbury. To the south is Clun...
.
From the start, the railway was hampered by shortage of capital. Many investors were already involved in more established lines and did not want competition and distractions to dilute their returns. Although the company continued to build, possibly hoping to dispel doubts and generate interest, the line ultimately only reached Bishop's Castle and was sold in 1867.
Opening
In 1860 a railway to link Bishop's Castle with Craven Arms was first mooted. The Act of ParliamentAct of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
for the construction of the line was obtained in 1861. In October 1865 the line was completed and opened using a borrowed locomotive pulling borrowed coaches.
Regular traffic started the following year, but only from Craven Arms to Bishops Castle. Usage never picked up sufficiently to finance the whole plan and the section of track planned to complete the link was never completed. The double junction at Lydham Heath was partly completed, but that half faced the 'wrong way' for Craven Arms. At Lydham, engines reversed direction to complete the journey to Bishop's Castle, uncoupling, running around their carriages and recoupling for the last few miles. The money ran out and the line was never profitable.
Receivership
In January 1867, a sale by auctionAuction
An auction is a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bid, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder...
of property belonging to the company was held in Shrewsbury. A Receiver
Receivership
In law, receivership is the situation in which an institution or enterprise is being held by a receiver, a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights." The receivership remedy is an equitable remedy that emerged in...
was appointed to run the railway. The Bishop's Castle Railway Company remained in receivership for 69 years and 2 months until it closed.
Rural bus services started in 1900, consigning the Bishops Castle line further as a provincial oddity in the glorious story of steam trains and railway history. It grimly persevered and ran until 1935, supported by loyal locals, staff and its management.
Closure
Operations were formally suspended on Saturday, April 26, 1935. The final demolition train left the line at Stretford Bridge Junction on Sunday 21 February 1937. Most of the rails went as scrap metal to BirkenheadBirkenhead
Birkenhead is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. It is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite the city of Liverpool...
where they were used by the Cammell Laird
Cammell Laird
Cammell Laird, one of the most famous names in British shipbuilding during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, came about following the merger of Laird, Son & Co. of Birkenhead and Johnson Cammell & Co. of Sheffield at the turn of the twentieth century.- Founding of the business :The Company...
shipyard in the construction of HMS Prince of Wales.
The easternmost stretch of line has been incorporated into the Onny Trail, forming a walk along the banks of the River Onny
River Onny
The River Onny is a river in Shropshire, England. It is a major tributary of the River Teme.The river has its sources in the Shropshire Hills at White Grit, located in Mid and South-west Shropshire. It has two branches, the East Onny and West Onny, which converge at Eaton, to the east of Lydham...
and across the fields where passengers stepped down to pick mushrooms. The course of the line is clearly visible today, well demarcated and forms a broad grassy walkway through sheep pasture or woodland trackway.
Route
The route joined the main Shrewsbury to Hereford line at Craven Arms and wound for ten and a half miles along the beautiful Onny valley. It played a vital role in the lives of the cattle market, the gas worksGasworks
A gasworks or gas house is a factory for the manufacture of gas. The use of natural gas has made many redundant in the developed world, however they are often still used for storage.- Early gasworks :...
, traders and townsfolk alike, yet still never made any money.
Bishop's Castle Railway & Transport Museum
The Bishop's Castle Railway & Transport Museum was set up in Bishops Castle in 1989 to preserve remaining artifacts from the railway. The museum is staffed by volunteers from the Bishop's Castle Railway Society.In July 1999 the museum moved to its present location but its development was badly affected by a fire in October 2000. Following an effort to salvage the building and artifacts, the museum reopened in Easter 2002.
Stations
- Stretford Bridge
- Horderley
- PlowdenPlowden, ShropshirePlowden is a hamlet in the parish of Lydbury North, Shropshire, England. It is in the valley of the River Onny and lies 3 miles east of Bishop's Castle....
- EatonEaton, ShropshireEaton could refer to several places in Shropshire, England:* Eaton Constantine, near The Wrekin* Eaton-under-Heywood, by Wenlock Edge* Eaton-upon-Tern* Eaton Mascott* Eaton, Bishop's Castle , a hamlet on the A489 road near Bishop's Castle...
- Lydham HeathLydhamLydham is a small village in Shropshire, England about 2 miles north of Bishops Castle.Lydham is the crossing point of the A488 and the A489.- History :...
- Bishops Castle
Locomotives
- Bee, 0-4-0ST, ex-Benjamin Piercy (contractor), built by Brotherhoods of ChippenhamChippenhamChippenham may be:* Chippenham, Wiltshire* Chippenham * Chippenham, Cambridgeshire-See also:* Virginia State Route 150, also known as Chippenham Parkway, USA* Cippenham, Berkshire, UK...
in 1865 - Plowden, 0-6-0, ex-St. Helens Railway, builder unknown
- Perseverance, 0-4-2T, ex-Great Western RailwayGreat Western RailwayThe Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
no.227, built as 0-4-0T by Isaac Dodds and SonDodds, Isaac and SonIsaac Dodds and Son was a locomotive manufacturer based in the Holmes district of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England.Isaac Dodds took over part of the works of Samuel Walker and Company in Rotherham sometime while he was Superintendent of the Sheffield and Rotherham Railway. It is likely,...
in 1854 - Progress, 2-4-0, ex-Somerset and Dorset Joint RailwaySomerset and Dorset Joint RailwayThe Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway – almost always referred to as "the S&D" – was an English railway line connecting Bath in north east Somerset and Bournemouth now in south east Dorset but then in Hampshire...
, built by George EnglandGeorge EnglandGeorge England and Co. was an early English manufacturer of steam locomotives founded by the engineer George England of Newcastle upon Tyne...
in 1861 - Bishops Castle, 2-4-0, ex-Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway, built by George England in 1861
- No.1, 0-4-2T, ex-Great Western RailwayGreat Western RailwayThe Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
no.567, built at Wolverhampton railway worksWolverhampton railway worksWolverhampton railway works was in the city of Wolverhampton in the county of Staffordshire, England. It was almost due north of the city centre, and is commemorated with a small display of level crossing gates and a plaque...
in 1869 - Carlisle, 0-6-0, ex-Thomas Nelson (contractor) of Carlisle, built as 0-6-0ST by Kitson & Co.Kitson & Co.Kitson and Company was a locomotive manufacturer based in Hunslet, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.-Early history:The company started as James Kitson at the Airedale Foundry, off Pearson Street, Hunslet in 1835 with Charles Todd as a partner...
in 1868
Sources
- Minor Railways of England and their Locomotives by George Woodcock, published by Goose and Son, Norwich, England, 1970
