New book gives inside track on Shropshire's London link
The inside track of Shropshire's magnificent but ultimately failed direct train link with London is told in a new book which gives an insight into what went wrong – and what could have gone right.
The Wrexham, Shropshire and Marylebone Railway ran a highly praised service but after three years it all came to grief when it ended in January 2011, with the service having lost £2.8 million in the previous year. Over 50 people lost their jobs.
Now members of the railway team are among those contributing to the full colour hardback book Wrexham & Shropshire – Open Access, the One That Got Away" by Richard Harper and Gordon Rushton.
And there is to be a book signing on August 16 and 17 at Oswestry railway station, from 10am to 4pm on both days, to coincide with the first steam-hauled trains at Oswestry since 1965. Former Wrexham & Shropshire staff are being invited to attend.
The book includes a section shining the spotlight on staff individually, from the stewards to the drivers and managers.
Among those offering their thoughts in the book are Mark Edlington, who was the company's operations manager, and lives at Morda, near Oswestry.
"While the Wrexham & Shropshire failed, it was worthy of having its exploits recorded and this book is really a record of what was attempted.
"But it's more than that.
"It explains about how open access railways work and why that one didn't work," he said.
"It isn't very often these days that people start a railway company from scratch.
"There are interesting things in the book about why it didn't work and maybe how it could have worked.
"For example, Virgin had a 'moderation of competition' which stopped Wrexham & Shropshire competing with them at all.
"I think people have realised more recently that it was not meant to be a complete protection from competition.
"It was meant to stop somebody damaging Virgin's main business and I don't think Wrexham & Shropshire would ever have done that.
"For example, the company could have been allowed to stop at Wolverhampton. Revenue from that might have made a difference."
Mark added: "It's quite newsworthy because there are plans for Virgin to have a direct rail service from Shrewsbury in December.
"It will be interesting to see how that works.
"In some ways it will be better as it will be faster, which is probably what most caused Wrexham & Shropshire to fail.
"Wrexham & Shropshire was unique in that it was like part of its community, and probably came closest to a railway that people would really want to have.
"That to me makes it the saddest thing. It's frustrating when you create something very good and see it closed down and all that goodness thrown away.
"I think that's probably the hardest thing about it all.
"The original company was a quality product and it's nice that the book is the same sort of standard.
"I wouldn't have been involved in it if it was not like that."
Apart from at the signing, the book is available from publishers Adlestrop Press at www.adlestropppress.co.uk
Meanwhile, Shropshire's direct rail link to London is on track to be delivered by December.
Thousands signed a Shropshire Star petition calling for a direct link, which would provide services between London Euston and Telford, Wellington and Shrewsbury. Currently people travelling to London have to change at Birmingham or Wolverhampton, or drive Stafford or Stoke.
Virgin Trains had struggled to find capacity on the line to give passengers the option of travelling down to London in the morning and back in the evening.
