Shropshire and Montgomeryshire Railway

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The Shropshire and Montgomeryshire Railway was a railway running from Shrewsbury, England to Llanymynech, Wales. It opened in 1907, taking over most of the former Potteries, Shrewsbury & North Wales Railway, and was one of the Colonel Stephens Railways. It was taken over by the War Department in 1941 and closed in 1960.

The terminus of the line in Shrewsbury was not at the main railway station there, but at a smaller Shrewsbury Abbey station, this being due to the owners of the main railway station refusing its use. The line became part of an army ordnance centre during World War II, and afterwards it became an oil depot. It closed finally in the early 1990s and a new road in the area has been named "Old Potts Way" as a reminder of what was known as the Potts Railway.

1 Stations
- 1.1 Main line
- 1.2 Criggion branch
2 Locomotives
- 2.1 1907-1941
- 2.2 1941-1960
3 Sources
4 External links

[edit] Stations

Not all these stations existed on the original PSNWR

[edit] Main line

Shrewsbury Abbey Gate
Shrewsbury West (1 mile)
West Meole Brace (1¾ miles)
Hookagate and Redhill (3 miles) - where the Potts Line crossed the main line from Shrewsbury to Welshpool
Edgebold (4 miles) formerly Hanwood Road
Cruckton (5¾ miles)
Shoot Hill (6¾ miles)
Ford and Crossgates (7¼ miles)
Shrawardine (9½ miles)
Nesscliffe and Pentre (11¾ miles)
Edgerley (12½ miles)
Kinnerley (13½ miles) - junction for Criggion branch and site of WW2 ordnance sidings
Wern Las (15 miles)
Maesbrook (16 miles)
Llanymynech (18 miles)

[edit] Criggion branch

Kinnerley
Chapel Lane
Melverley
Crew Green - wooden platform
Llandrinio Road - wooden platform
Criggion

[edit] Locomotives

[edit] 1907-1941

1 Gazelle 0-4-2WT Dodman, King's Lynn (preserved at the Colonel Stephens Railway Museum, Tenterden, Kent)
2 Hecate (1st) 0-4-2ST re-named Severn in 1916
3 Hesperus 0-6-0 ex-LSWR 282 Class "Ilfracombe Goods"
4 Morous 0-6-0ST Manning Wardle
Walton Park 0-6-0ST Hudswell Clarke
5 Pyramus (1st) 0-6-2T new from Hawthorn Leslie in 1911
6 Thisbe (1st) 0-6-2T new from Hawthorn Leslie in 1911
5 Pyramus (2nd) 0-6-0 ex-LSWR 282 Class "Ilfracombe Goods"
6 Thisbe (2nd) 0-6-0 ex-LSWR 282 Class "Ilfracombe Goods"
7 Hecate (2nd) 0-6-0T ex-LB&SCR A1 Class
8 Dido 0-6-0T ex-LB&SCR A1 Class
9 Daphne 0-6-0T ex-LB&SCR A1 Class
Un-named 0-6-0 ex-LNWR 17in Coal Engine
Un-named 0-6-0 ex-LNWR 17in Coal Engine
Un-named 0-6-0 ex-LNWR 17in Coal Engine

The Hawthorn Leslie locomotives were new. All others were second-hand.

[edit] 1941-1960

Locomotive stock in 1941 consisted of: Gazelle, Hesperus and the three LNWR 0-6-0s. These were replaced by various War Department locomotives, including ex-GWR 2301 Class 'Dean goods' 0-6-0s and Hunslet Austerity 0-6-0STs. From 1945, the Criggion branch was operated by a Sentinel steam locomotive (works no. 7026) owned by the British Quarrying Company.