Oswestry breakthrough as council buys line

A MAJOR breakthrough in the longrunning saga of plans to reopen the mothballed Oswestry branch came in December – when Shropshire County Council agreed in principle to buy the line from Network Rail.

The deal, following months of negotiations, includes the seven miles of line from Gobowen Junction to Llanyblodwel for an as-yet-undisclosed sum.

At a closed meeting, the county council’s cabinet decided in principle to go ahead with the purchase, subject to the detailed contract being drawn up.

In January, the county council will invite the two rival groups bidding to reopen the line, the Cambrian Railways Society and the Cambrian Railways Trust, to state their case as to why they should be chosen as the operator.

The trust has had a base in Oswestry goods yard for more than 30 yards and recently began restoring the freight-only Nantmawr branch to running order.

The Trust, meanwhile, has laid nearly a mile of new line south of Llynclys Junction on the former Cambrian Railways route to Welshpool, and began running public DMU trips in the summer of 2005.

Trust chairman Ken Ryder aims to recall his Western Region 4-6-0 No 7821 Ditcheat Manor, a veteran of Oswestry shed, from the Great Central Railway to run on the line.

SOURCE HERITAGE RAILWAY MAGAZINE