The Shrewsbury and Wellington Joint Railway (S&WJR) was operated by the
London North Western Railway
The London and North Western Railway (LNWR, L&NWR) was a British railway company between 1846 in rail transport, 1846 and 1922 in rail transport, 1922. In the late 19th century, the L&NWR was the largest joint stock company in the United Kingdo ...
and the
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament on 31 August 1835 and ran ...
. Its line ran from
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury ( , also ) is a market town, civil parish, and the county town of Shropshire, England, on the River Severn, north-west of London; at the 2021 census, it had a population of 76,782. The town's name can be pronounced as either 'Sh ...
(
Abbey Foregate station, not to be confused with
Abbey station, also in Shrewsbury) to
Wellington
Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...
. Abbey Foregate also acted as a junction, with chords to
Shrewsbury station and to the direct line to Wales.
Construction
Construction, between 1846 and 1849, was a joint effort between the
Shropshire Union Railways (SUR) and the
Shrewsbury and Birmingham Railway
The Shrewsbury and Birmingham Railway was authorised in 1846. It agreed to joint construction with others of the costly Wolverhampton to Birmingham section, the so-called Stour Valley Line. This work was dominated by the hostile London and North W ...
(S&BR). The line was long.
Opening
The line opened on 1 June 1849, simultaneously with the SUR line from and the first section of the S&BR, which was between Wellington and (the latter was extended to
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton () is a city, metropolitan borough and administrative centre in the West Midlands, England. The population size has increased by 5.7%, from around 249,500 in 2011 to 263,700 in 2021. People from the city are called "Wulfrunian ...
on 12 November that year). The three companies met at Stafford Junction, Wellington.
Ownership and leasing
Upon completion of the SUR line, that company was leased to the
London and North Western Railway
The London and North Western Railway (LNWR, L&NWR) was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. In the late 19th century, the L&NWR was the largest joint stock company in the United Kingdom.
In 1923, it became a constituent of the Lo ...
(LNWR), and so passed to the
London, Midland and Scottish Railway
The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMSIt has been argued that the initials LMSR should be used to be consistent with LNER, GWR and SR. The London, Midland and Scottish Railway's corporate image used LMS, and this is what is generally u ...
(LMS) on 1 January 1923; in the meantime, the S&BR was absorbed by the
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament on 31 August 1835 and ran ...
(GWR) on 1 September 1854,
and so from 1 January 1923 the S&WJR was joint GWR/LMS property.
Stations
Of the five stations of the joint line (
Abbey Foregate
The Abbey Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, Shrewsbury (commonly known as Shrewsbury Abbey) is an ancient foundation in Shrewsbury, the county town of Shropshire, England.
The Abbey was founded in 1083 as a Benedictine monastery by the Nor ...
,
Upton Magna
Upton Magna is a village and civil parish in Shropshire, England. (''Magna'' is Latin, meaning "great". Therefore, the translation of Upton Magna is "Great Upton".) Nearby are the villages of Uffington, Rodington and Withington, as well as the wo ...
,
Walcot,
Admaston and
Wellington
Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...
) only Wellington is still open.
References
British joint railway companies
Great Western Railway constituents
London and North Western Railway
Railway lines opened in 1849
1849 establishments in England
British companies established in 1849
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