Cambrian Heritage Railways | |
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Locale | Llynclys, Shropshire, England |
Terminus | Llynclys South |
Commercial operations | |
Name | Cambrian Railways |
Original gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
Preserved operations | |
Operated by | Cambrian Heritage Railways |
Stations | 1 (Oswestry section) 2 (Llynclys section) |
Length | 62 chains / 0.77 miles / 1.24 km |
Preserved gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
Commercial history | |
Opened | 1860 |
Closed | 1965 |
Preservation history | |
2004 | Restoration and Relaying of track begin |
2005 | First trains run on newly restored (Llynclys section) of track |
2011 | First train service along restored (Oswestry section) of track |
2012 | Penygarreg Lane halt (on Llynclys section) opens to the public, officially |
The Cambrian Heritage Railways are a heritage railway company, trust and society based at both Llynclys and in Oswestry in its newly restored railway station, Shropshire, England.
Formed after the 2009 merger of the Cambrian Railways Society and the Cambrian Railways Trust, it aims to reinstate the infrastructure required to operate trains from Gobowen to Llynclys Junction (for Pant), and to Blodwel.
Cambrian Heritage Railways also operates the Cambrian Railways Museum in the Oswestry railway station's former goods depot. Displays include photographs, signs, lamps, signal box fittings, and artefacts related to the history of the Cambrian Heritage Railways.
The Cambrian Railways was formed through the merger of a series of regional railway companies on the England/Wales border. Following LNWR sponsored connection with the LNWR station at Gobowen, it enabled CR and LNWR trains to run from the northwest and North Wales into Mid Wales, and beyond. This enabled the LNWR to have an alternative route to the GWR mainline, enabling it to run trains between the coal and steel industries of South Wales, into the industrialised Midlands and Northwest England.
Merged into the GWR on grouping, it closed its old Oswestry station and ran all services from the former CR/LNWR station. Initially on nationalisation in 1946 it became part of the Western Region of British Railways, but in 1963 moved to the London Midland Region. This brought about a sharp decline in services, with the final DMU powered passenger service running in 1968. Occasional quarry trains ran until 1988 to Blodwel, after which the track was left in place but abandoned by Network Rail.