Our dedicated team of volunteers are currently working hard to achieve the long held ambition of reaching Doseley. This expansion will make the railway feel much more significant with steep gradients and bridges, giving our passengers a lengthy ride through the countryside.
THE ROUTEAfter leaving Horsehay & Dawley station, the trackbed bends to the left and meets the Barrow Crossing footpath. After this the trackbed straightens out as we head towards Doseley Halt. Compared to the rest of our line, this section of track is raised up on an embankment giving our passengers views across the beautiful Shropshire countryside.
One of the fantastic features of this stretch is the Cheshire Cheese Bridge, which provides great photo opportunities for those below. We then reach Doseley Halt itself which is located next to the road crossing. This will give our passengers a three mile round trip across the railway, doubling our current operations. The opening of the extension to Lawley doubled the number of passengers using the railway. It is hoped that this will happen again once the extension to Doseley is complete. |
THE CHESHIRE CHEESE BRIDGE |
FORMER LEVEL CROSSING |
REMNANTSWhile many of the original features of the Halt have been long since removed, there are some historic elements that survived. The original platform of Doseley Halt is still present in its original location . Although it has been reclaimed by nature you can make out its distinctive shape and imagine services arriving there once more.
The rails from Doseley level crossing are still present in the road, in a slightly altered location to where they were originally laid. While we aren't able to reuse the rail, it helps you picture how the route continues from here towards Lightmoor. The Cheshire Cheese Bridge was built in 1858 for the Wellington & Severn Junction Railway to take the goods traffic from the Coalbrookdale Company. It remains in good condition and is ready to be used once more. |
RELAYING TRACKThe route to Doseley was originally relayed in the early 2000's in order to facilitate the extension to Lawley. This was done to remove the excess soil from our Lawley site and to clear Heath Hill tunnel. The soil was used to helped build up the embankment near the Halt and reduce the gradient on both sides.
This track was only laid for works trains and wasn't suitable for passenger services, leading to its removal once work had completed. While the rail may have been removed, the trackbed remains in a good condition with a base layer of ballast present and a lack of vegetation. Before the current track relay could begin, the drainage system on the trackbed had to be renewed. An outside contractor was brought in to install new high quality drainage along the trackbed from Horsehay & Dawley station to the Barrow Crossing which will address the historic issue of flooding on this part of the line. This investment was made to help us lay the extension to a very high quality which should reduce the amount of maintenance needed in the future. After this was completed the trackbed was professionally levelled to adjust the camber round the bend. This has allowed our volunteer team to start installing the first permanent track panels south of Horsehay & Dawley, with the initial goal of reaching the Barrow Crossing. Much of the required material is already stored onsite, however there is still a significant financial investment required in order for us to complete this phase of the project. |
WORKS RELAY TO DOSELEY |
THE CORONATION WALKAlongside the project to relay the running line to Doseley Halt, is the construction of the Coronation Walk. The aim of this project is to give back to the community by providing a public footpath adjacent to the Doseley trackbed so that the public can continue to safely enjoy a walk from the Cheshire Cheese Bridge up to the Barrow Crossing.
Work has begun on the construction of the footpath with a volunteer team clearing the majority of the foliage on the route. This was a significant task due to current access to the path being limited, with the majority of the work taking place using hand tools. The next step is to install the path base and create clear access at either end. We hope to decorate the path with commemorative benches so visitors can sit and listen to the trains running past down to Doseley. |
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