Probably a little off topic, but why were passenger services withdrawn between Oswestry and Gobowen in the first place? I have a copy of the Beeching Report but unless I am missing something, the line is not listed in Section 1 and Oswestry station is not listed in Section 3 for passenger service withdrawal - unlike the neighbouring Whitchurch-Welshpool.
I am well aware that other lines not listed in the report subsequently closed, as well as visa versa. However Beeching usually gets the blame for Oswestry to Gobowen, probably because it was a mid 1960's closure, but it would appear to be no entirely accurate. So at what point was the decision taken to close it?
The fact that it closed just under 2 years after Whitchurch to Welshpool and other local lines (Ruabon to Barmouth) would suggest to me it was initially planned to keep it open but that it was British Rail who had a change of heart?
Was it (as I was once told) that BR didnt want the inconvenience of running a DMU from Shrewsbury or Chester to Oswestry in the morning and back again at night - which would seem to be a poor excuse to me if true or an even poorer/none existent reason.
I am well aware that other lines not listed in the report subsequently closed, as well as visa versa. However Beeching usually gets the blame for Oswestry to Gobowen, probably because it was a mid 1960's closure, but it would appear to be no entirely accurate. So at what point was the decision taken to close it?
The fact that it closed just under 2 years after Whitchurch to Welshpool and other local lines (Ruabon to Barmouth) would suggest to me it was initially planned to keep it open but that it was British Rail who had a change of heart?
Was it (as I was once told) that BR didnt want the inconvenience of running a DMU from Shrewsbury or Chester to Oswestry in the morning and back again at night - which would seem to be a poor excuse to me if true or an even poorer/none existent reason.