~ Cymdeithas Rheilffyrdd Y Cambrian Cyf. - Prosiect y Cangen ~
NB. For the latest news from this project, please visit the main CRS news page .
What’s the branch project all about? In a nutshell the society’s aim of returning the railway from Llynclys Junction to Blodwell to operational condition.
With a history dating back to 1863, the line represents the last remaining stretch of the much-lamented former Tanat Valley Railway.
Having last seen regular freight traffic in 1988/9, the line from Gobowen through Oswestry to Llynclys Junction and onwards to Blodwell quarry was mothballed. In early July 2008 Shropshire County Council announced that it had exchanged contracts with Network Rail for the acquisition of the Gobowen - Blodwel railway line. Under the terms of the agreement, the Cambrian Railways Trust (CRT) will operate the line from Oswestry to Llynclys, where it will meet its existing operation from Llynclys South to Penygarreg Lane, on the edge of Pant, while the Cambrian Railways Society (CRS) will run the remaining stub of the former Tanat Valley Railway from Llynclys Junction to Blodwel via Porthywaen. Both local railway groups will deliver the project under the umbrella banner of 'Cambrian Heritage Railways'.
The re-opening of the railways will undoubtedly boost tourism in the area, bringing a hosts of benefits to local businesses, including shops, pubs and bead & breakfast establishments. Links will be improved to the Montgomery Canal, the Llanymynech Heritage Area, and other nearby attractions. The County Council also plans to construct a cycleway and footpath alongside parts of the railway track.
With the formal lease having been signed in April 2009 with landlord Shropshire County Council, it is hoped that this page will at least give an overview of the society’s restoration of the line.
...For the latest news from The Branch Project, visit the main CRS News page.
>>>...Outline maps & photographs...>>>
It is hoped the map and photographs below provide the reader with an outline of our railway. Captions can be found by moving one's mouse across the relevant thumbnail. For a more detailed description of the line, visit the Route Description page.
