Madeley Branch of the GWR

Image: © Richard Law Taken: 25 Aug 2024

Almost completely disused now, although it most recently carried coal trains (and later, biomass/woodchip) to the now-demolished Ironbridge Power Station from 1932 until about 2015 when the station was decommissioned. Steam and diesel units haul the occasional train on this line for enthusiasts, but otherwise it's only still here because there's a possibility, albeit fairly remote, that the line may reopen when the power station site has been redeveloped for houses. We shall see if that actually comes to fruition. In the meantime, I found a loose piece in one of the fences bordering the line and squeezed through to take a couple of cheeky photos. It was also noticeable that there were several lengths of electrical cable lying scattered nearby, none of them with any copper core in them; the local scallies having 'recycled' the copper for scrap.

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