Coalport branch line
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TheCoalport branch linewas astandard gaugeLondon and North Western Railwaybranch line inShropshire,England, which ran between Hadley Junction nearOakengateson theStafford to Shrewsbury lineand a terminus atCoalport East railway stationon the north bank of theRiver SevernatCoalport.
Commercial history
[edit]The 8-mile (13 km) branch line opened on 17 June 1861. Passenger services were little used, with the line's existence being mainly supported by freight traffic.[1]There were sidings at locations including Blists Hill Ironworks and theCoalport Chinafactory of John Rose and Co.[2]
The line was closed to passengers in 1952 and to regular freight on 5 December 1960,[3]the line to Stirchley finally closed to even sporadic traffic on 6 July 1964.
Preservation
[edit]On 9 April 1980 the2 ft(610 mm) gaugeTelford Town Tramwaywas opened by theReverend W. Awdryon the trackbed of the Coalport branch alongside Randlay Pool inTelford Town Park.[4][5]The tramway only lasted a few years before it closed in the mid-1980s. The tram has since been preserved by theTelford Steam Railwayrunning on its own circular track by Horsehay Pool.
The interchange siding at Blists Hill now forms part of theIronbridge Gorge Museum Trust’sBlists Hill Victorian Townsite.
Four miles of the former trackbed now form part of the Silkin Way,[6]a cycling and walking route managed byTelford and Wrekin Council.[7]It runs south of the former Malins Lee railway station to just north of the former Coalport East railway station.
References
[edit]- ^Oppitz, Leslie (2013).Lost Railways of Shropshire.Newbury: Countryside Books. p. 125.ISBN978-1-85306-866-9.
- ^Coalport Branch ELRs on Railwaycodes.org.uk
- ^Cooke, B.W.C., ed. (January 1961). "Coalport Freight Line Closed". Notes and News.The Railway Magazine.Vol. 107, no. 717. Westminster: Tothill Press. p. 64.
- ^"Video on the opening of the tramway (starts at 13:30 in)".Vimeo.Retrieved13 December2015.
- ^"Video with the opening of Telford Town Tramway alone without the intertitle".Telford Our New Town.Retrieved13 December2015.
- ^Oppitz, Leslie (2013).Lost Railways of Shropshire.Newbury: Countryside Books. p. 126.ISBN978-1-85306-866-9.
- ^Telford and Wrekin Council guideRetrieved 11 January 2017
External links
[edit]- [1]and[2]Geograph 1963 photos of Coalport East
- Geograph 1964 photo
- Geograph photo of Madeley Market Station
- Madeley local history with photo
- LNWR Society history
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