Four Crosses railway station

Last updated

Four Crosses
The old Four Crosses Creamery building - geograph.org.uk - 579841.jpg
The former creamery at Four Crosses, which once sent milk trains to London, has now been converted into flats.
General information
Location Four Crosses, Powys
Wales
Coordinates 52°45′31″N3°04′53″W / 52.7586°N 3.0813°W / 52.7586; -3.0813 Coordinates: 52°45′31″N3°04′53″W / 52.7586°N 3.0813°W / 52.7586; -3.0813
Grid reference SJ271184
Platforms2
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original company Oswestry and Newtown Railway
Pre-grouping Cambrian Railways
Post-grouping Great Western Railway
Key dates
1 May 1860Opened [1]
18 January 1965Closed [1]
The Dairy Crest Four Crosses distribution centre now occupies the former mainline of the Cambrian Railways south for the station Distribution Centre, Four Crosses - geograph.org.uk - 833135.jpg
The Dairy Crest Four Crosses distribution centre now occupies the former mainline of the Cambrian Railways south for the station

Four Crosses railway station was a station on the former Cambrian Railways between Oswestry and Welshpool.

History

Opened in 1860 as part of the Oswestry and Newtown Railway (O&NR), it served the village of Four Crosses in Powys, Wales.

The O&NR line south of Llanymynech to Newtown (Powys) was single track, with passing loops at each intermediate station. Four Crosses was the main crossing point for passenger trains from Oswestry to Newtown, and so was re-configured by the Great Western Railway in 1925, when a private sidings was also laid to the nearby creamery, giving milk trains direct access. The GWR improved the up platform, installed longer passing loops of 1,116 feet (340 m) in length, and reconfigured the 1896 signal box to cope with additional traffic. [2]

In 1963, the former CR mainline was vested to the London Midland Region of British Railways, who decided to keep the parallel former Shrewsbury and Hereford Railway open. The line from Welshpool to Oswestry was hence closed in 1965, including Four Crosses station.

The station was immortalised in 1964 in the song "Slow Train" by Flanders and Swann. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A483 road</span> Road in England and Wales

The A483, officially described as the Swansea to Manchester Trunk Road, although now ending in Chester, is a major road in the United Kingdom. It runs from Swansea in Wales to Chester in England via Llandovery, Llandrindod Wells, Oswestry and Wrexham, a distance of around 153 miles (246 km).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Welshpool</span> Town in Wales

Welshpool is a market town and community in Wales, historically in the county of Montgomeryshire, but now administered as part of the unitary authority of Powys. The town is four miles from the Wales–England border and low-lying on the River Severn; its Welsh language name Y Trallwng means "the marshy or sinking land". The community includes Cloddiau and Pool Quay.

The Cambrian Railways owned 230 miles (370 km) of track over a large area of mid Wales. The system was an amalgamation of a number of railways that were incorporated in 1864, 1865 and 1904. The Cambrian connected with two larger railways with connections to the northwest of England via the London and North Western Railway, and the Great Western Railway for connections between London and Wales. The Cambrian Railways amalgamated with the Great Western Railway on 1 January 1922 as a result of the Railways Act 1921. The name is continued today in the route known as the Cambrian Line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Llanymynech</span> Village straddling the England-Wales border

Llanymynech is a village straddling the border between Montgomeryshire/Powys, Wales, and Shropshire, England, about 9 miles (14 km) north of the Welsh town of Welshpool. The name is Welsh for "Church of the Monks". The village is on the banks of the River Vyrnwy, and the Montgomery Canal passes through it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rail transport in Shropshire</span> Overview of rail transport in Shropshire, England

The English county of Shropshire has a fairly large railway network, with 19 National Rail stations on various national lines; there are also a small number of heritage and freight lines, including the famous heritage Severn Valley Railway running along its eastern border with Worcestershire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newtown railway station (Wales)</span> Railway station in Powys, Wales

Newtown railway station is a railway station serving Newtown, Powys, Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Welshpool railway station</span> Railway station in Powys, Wales

Welshpool railway station on the Cambrian Line in Powys, mid-Wales, serves the town of Welshpool.

The Llanidloes and Newtown Railway (L&NR) was a railway company between Llanidloes and Newtown in Montgomeryshire, Wales. It was promoted locally when plans for trunk railways passing through the locality were cancelled; local people saw that a railway connection was essential to the flannel industry in the district. The 17-mile (27 km) line opened in 1859, and at first was isolated from any other railway, but from 1861 it became connected to Oswestry by an allied railway company, and other companies also connected to it. From 1864 the company was incorporated into the new Cambrian Railways company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abermule railway station</span> Disused railway station in Abermule, Powys

Abermule railway station served the village of Abermule in Wales. Served by the Oswestry and Newtown railway, it was situated on the English border. Until 1956 it was the junction for the short branch to Kerry, which had a passenger service until 1931 but was largely built for the local timber traffic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tanat Valley Light Railway</span>

The Tanat Valley Light Railway (TVLR) was a 15-mile (24 km) long standard gauge light railway. It ran westwards from Llanyblodwel in Shropshire, about 5 miles or 8 km south-west of Oswestry. It crossed the Wales–England border and continued up the Tanat valley, terminating at Llangynog in Powys. It opened in 1904, providing access to a fairly remote area, and transport facilities for slate production and agriculture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arddleen railway station</span> Disused railway station in Arddlin, Powys

Arddleen railway station served the village of Arddlin in Powys, Wales, sited on the former Cambrian Railways between Oswestry and Welshpool. Served by the Oswestry and Newtown railway, it was situated near the English border.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oswestry railway station</span> Former railway station in England

Oswestry railway station is a Grade II listed heritage railway station in Oswestry, Shropshire, England. It was closed when passenger services were withdrawn in 1966. The station building today is used as commercial premises although the Cambrian Railways Society are restoring it.

The Oswestry and Newtown Railway was a British railway company that built a line between Oswestry in Shropshire and Newtown Montgomeryshire, now Powys. The line opened in stages in 1860 and 1861. It was conceived to open up the area to rail transport, when local opinion formed the view that the trunk railway companies would not do so. Subscription money for the construction proved very difficult to generate. It was the action of a contractor partnership, Davies and Savin, in agreeing to accept shares as the majority of their payment for construction work, that saved the company from failure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Llanfyllin Branch</span>

The Llanfyllin Branch was a railway line extension of the Oswestry and Newtown Railway to access the limestone resources within the Llanfyllin area; it opened in 1863.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Llanfyllin railway station</span> Former railway station in Wales

Llanfyllin railway station is the former terminal station of the Llanfyllin Branch of Cambrian Railways, which served the town of Llanfyllin in Powys, Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Llanymynech railway station</span> Former railway station in England

Llanymynech railway station was an important junction station on the Cambrian Railways mainline from Welshpool, Powys to Oswestry, Shropshire, serving the village of Llanymynech which is partly situated in Shropshire, England and partly in Powys, Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Llangurig railway station</span>

Llangurig railway station was intended to serve the village and rural locale of Llangurig in the Welsh county of Powys. The station, which was on the Llangurig branch, was built and operated by the Manchester and Milford Railway (M&MR). It was to be located in a shallow rock cutting just above the village.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montgomery railway station</span> Former railway station in Powys, Wales

Montgomery railway station served the town of Montgomery, Powys, Wales between 1861 and 1965.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buttington railway station</span> Former railway station in Powys, Wales

Buttington railway station was a station in Buttington, Powys, Wales. The station was opened in November 1860, several months after the line that served it. A second line - the jointly operated Shrewsbury and Welshpool Railway reached the station in January 1862. It was substantially rebuilt in 1893 by the Cambrian Railway, when the route west to Welshpool was doubled.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forden railway station</span> Former railway station in Powys, Wales

Forden railway station was a station in Forden, Powys, Wales. The station was opened on 10 June 1861 by the Oswestry and Newtown Railway on the section of line between Welshpool and Newtown. The station originally had a single platform on the western side of line, but in 1897 a passing loop was installed here along with signal box and second platform. After the 1923 Grouping, the Great Western Railway took over operation of the line and two year later they doubled the section eastwards to Welshpool to add additional capacity on what had become a busy main line. Service levels were modest throughout this period, with the 1922 timetable having five eastbound and four westbound trains calling Mon-Sat and no Sunday service.

References

  1. 1 2 "Station Name: Four Crosses". Disused Stations. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
  2. "Llanymynech sgnal box". CambrianRailways.com. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  3. "Site of Four Crosses creamery". historypoints.org. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
Preceding station Disused railways Following station
Llanymymnech
Line and station closed
  Great Western Railway
Oswestry and Newtown Railway
  Arddleen
Line and station closed