Shropshire Routes to Roots | Transport and communication

5. No station for Oswestry

Where has it all gone?

The last passenger train out of Oswestry to the south ran on 17th January 1965. The Welshpool to Llanfyllin branch closed to passengers the same day.

The Last passenger train out of Oswestry to the North ran on Saturday 3rd November 1966. This was the Oswestry to Gobowen shuttle train known as "The Flyer."

Colour image of Cambrian Station 2004 [Opens in new window: image size 40kb]

The Cambrian Station Building 2004
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[Reproduced with kind permission of Nic Elvey]

The Oswestry Cambrian station building, now standing semi-derelict opposite the Aldi supermarket, was the very grand headquarters of the Cambrian Railways network handling of all their rail traffic.

There was an architecturally similar building standing to the south of the headquarters. This was on the island platform and housed the engineering offices. It was demolished many years ago.

The area around the Gobowen Road Railway Works has changed a great deal since the 1950s, the lattice work footbridge and the railway works both remain to this day, with the works now a retail outlet. The signal gantry has gone as have the platforms and the trains, but some of the track remains.

The GWR took over Cambrian Railways following the national amalgamation in 1922 and closed the GWR station on Gobowen Road in 1924. The station was demolished many years later and no trace of it remains today. The Somerfield's Supermarket and the bus station now ocupy part of the site.

View a photograph taken in the 1950s showing Cambrian Railways Royal Trains engine numbers 7827 and 7828 (opens in a new window) and named crew.

Description [Opens in new window: image size 25kb]

Manor class 7810 occupies the centre road at Oswestry. The locomotive has the road to return to the engine sheds.
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[Reproduced with kind permission of The Cambrian Railways Society]

The 1948 nationalisation of the railways saw the start of the decline of the Cambrian Railways and the infamous Dr Beeching secured the final demise.

Return to the past

Oswestry no longer has a main line railway station and has reverted to the situation as it was before 1848: i.e. travel the 2 miles or so to the main line at Gobowen.

Colour image of Gobowen Station 2004 [Opens in new window: image size 39kb]

Gobowen Station 2004
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[Reproduced with kind permission of Nic Elvey]

Colour image of Gobowen Station 2004 [Opens in new window: image size 32kb]

Gobowen Station 2004
Larger image, in a new window [32kb]
[Reproduced with kind permission of Nic Elvey]

Colour image of Gobowen Station 2004 [Opens in new window: image size 35kb]

Gobowen Station 2004
Larger image, in a new window [35kb]
[Reproduced with kind permission of Nic Elvey]

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Page created February 2004 and last updated 1 August 2007

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