Snailbeach District Railways
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Snailbeach District Railways was a British narrow gauge railway in Shropshire. It was built to carry lead ore from mines in the Stiperstones to Pontesbury where the ore was transhipped to the Great Western Railway's Minsterley branch line. Coal from the Pontesford coal mines travelled in the opposite direction. The line ended at Snailbeach, the location of Shropshire's largest and richest lead mine, though there had been a plan to extend it further, which would have brought it closer to more lead mines.
The railway opened in 1877. It was taken over and re-equipped in 1923 by Colonel Stephens. It had an unusual gauge of 2'3¾" (705mm).
Stephens bought two new engines from the War Department Light Railways.
When the mines closed the line lost much of its traffic but was rescued by a new traffic flow of stone from Callow Hill Quarry. There was virtually no traffic on the upper part of the line but it remained open as the locomotive shed was at Snailbeach.
In 1947 all four Steam locomotives were unusable and the railway was moribund. The lower section was leased by Shropshire County Council who used it to transport road-building materials from Callow Hill Quarry to Pontesbury. When the last steam locomotive failed, loaded wagons were run from the quarry to Pontesbury by gravity, and then, when enough were ready, hauled back using a Fordson tractor straddling the rails. The railway closed for good in 1959, the last railway equipment being scrapped in 1961.
The quarry remained open but the railway was lifted and, between Callow Hill and the road bridge at Pontesbury, converted into a road. Shropshire County Council ran their lorries along this road and paid rent to the railway company. As lorries became larger the long single-track road became impractical and was closed
Callow Hill Quarry is still in use but now the quarry products are transported only a short distance along the route of the old railway to a public road leading to Minsterley.
The railway company was still in existence in 1984 when it was put up for sale (offers in the region of £25,000). The sale included the company records as well as the land. Income was expected from the lease to the county council (lasting until 1998) and from wayleaves for services laid along the old trackbed.
Some remnants of it can still be seen, notably in Snailbeach, where the engine shed has been restored and rails remain in place on the lines leading to the old mines.
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