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A real oddity in the Stephens cannon, this 2' 3 ¾'' narrow gauge mineral railway was opened in 1877 from the lead mines in the Stipperstones range of hills to the Great Western railway at Pontesbury in Shropshire. Traffic gradually declined and the line became moribund but Stephens became interested and, with others, took over and revived the line in 1923.
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| Initially reinvigorated by the takeover it was profiatable until the late thirties particularly carrying stone traffic for Shropshire County Council. However road repair cutbacks in WW2 destroyed its traffic base and only its lease to the County Council in 1947 enabled it to survive, albeit with no locomotives and an agricultural tractor for motive power. The line faded out in 1962. | |
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Further reading: Snailbeach District Railways. E S Tonks. IRS. 1974. |
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