Whilst visiting the 'Welshpool and Llanfair Railway' we learned that trains were going to be running that evening on the 'Cambrian Heritage Railways' line between Oswestry and Weston Wharf where passengers could leave the train to visit the Stonehouse Brewery for a craft beer and a BBQ meal. As we knew very little about this railway and had nothing else planned we called into Oswestry station where we were greeted by two friendly volunteers who told us a little about the line and showed us some of the museum exhibits, they also confirmed that we were in time to catch a train to Weston Wharf. Having bought our tickets we ventured out onto the rain soaked platform to watch a recently acquired Pacer DMU arrive, the railway kindly allowed me to place a camera in the driving cab and the driver told us about his involvement with the railway along with outlining some of the obstacles to be overcome before the railway could extend passenger workings. This is a railway in the early stages of its development with an exciting future ahead that will attract visitors to the town and surrounding area, benefiting local cafes, shops, pubs and guest houses. As my knowledge of the railway is limited I have relied heavily on the Wikipedia entry about the railway for information.
Located in Shropshire, England, the 'Cambrian Heritage Railways' is a heritage railway company, trust and society based at both Llynclys and the newly restored Oswestry railway station. In 1864, the Cambrian Railways was formed through the merger of a series of regional railway companies on the England/Wales border. The LNWR sponsored a connection with its station at Gobowen enabling Cambrian Railways and LNWR trains to run from the Northwest and North Wales into Mid Wales and beyond. This gave the LNWR an alternative route to the GWR mainline for its trains between the coal and steel industries of South Wales and the industrialised Midlands and Northwest England. Merged into the GWR on grouping all services were concentrated on the CR/LNWR station, after nationalisation in 1946 it became part of the Western Region of British Railways, in 1963 it moved to the London Midland Region. This was followed by a sharp decline in services, with the final DMU passenger service running in 1968. Occasional quarry trains continued to run to Blodwel until 1988, after which the track was left in place but abandoned by Network Rail.
In 1972, a group of enthusiasts established the Cambrian Railways Society (CRS), which obtained a lease from BR for the former Oswestry goods yard and Oswestry South Signal-box. The CRS established a museum in the former goods shed and acquired either directly, or through members, a number of steam and diesel locomotives plus associated rolling stock. In 1997, BR agreed to allow CRS to run trains under a Light Railway Order to Middleton Road, over a track length of about 300 metres (980ft). The CRS then purchased the freehold of Weston Wharf goods yard and shed with the help of the Heritage Lottery Fund. After quarry trains finished in 1988, the CRS obtained a further agreement from BR to run occasional works/inspection trains (i.e. non-passenger carrying, non-revenue earning) over the line to Blodwel.

To read the rest of this article please click on the following link - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambria...

To visit or to book your own Cambrian Heritage Railways adventure, please click on this link - https://cambrianrailways.com/

Rail Gauge - Standard Gauge 4ft 8 1/2 ins.