"The Market Town Line" This is my proposal for the Shrewsbury-Crewe section of the Welsh Marches line, which I would say is definitely a reasonable suggestion for TSW's next Transport for Wales route after Cardiff City Network releases this week. The length of the line is approximately 32 miles, which makes this route a similar length to Great Western Express (36 miles) and East Coastway (30 miles) and longer than Cardiff City Network (20 miles) which should make this route definitely doable for DTG and the developers. My Reasoning The main things I think would make this a really good route are: Variety of services and rolling stock - including 150s and 153s that operate all-stops services between Shrewsbury and Crewe, regional services using the 158s and new 197s, and the mighty Class 67 operating long-distance "Premier" services between Manchester and South Wales hauling 4 Mk4 coaches and a Driving Van Trailer. Mix of stations along the route - with Shrewsbury and Crewe being major regional hubs, town stations such as Nantwich and Whitchurch, and request stops serving small villages such as Yorton and Prees. Landmarks and scenery, which include Severn Bridge Junction signal box, picturesque English countryside, and the Crewe Heritage Centre. The Route Shrewsbury Departing Shrewsbury, you'll see the Severn Bridge Signal Box behind you, which is currently the world's largest mechanical signal box. To your left will be the Crewe Junction signal box, another large mechanical signal box, that will be controlling the complex layout of semaphore signals as you come out of Shrewsbury. To either side will be Shrewsbury Caslte and HMP Shrewsbury, two historic buildings. Yorton This quaint request stop in the Shropshire countryside serves the small parishes of Yorton and Clive. This station is slightly elevated compared to the surrounding countryside which offers views of rolling fields and a few small villages and farms dotted about nearby. Interestingly this station was one targeted by Dr Beeching for closure but was ultimately saved. Wem Wem station is centrally-located in the small market town of the same name that's been settled since before the Roman times. Recently, the station has been stripped down to just a bare few platforms, with a signal box and footbridge being torn down around 2015 - but the lack of station buildings gives a panoramic view of long, winding roads and the large Wem recreation field. Prees Another small request stop serving the parish of Prees, this station is arguably the most rural on the line being located almost a mile away from the nearby town of Prees. At the station are views of quaint English houses and rolling green countryside. Whitchurch (Shropshire) The second market town you will come to on the journey from Shrewsbury is Whitchurch, Shropshire's oldest town - not to be confused with Whitchurch (Cardiff) on the Cardiff City Network. The slow approach into Whitchurch station gives plenty of time to view the stark contrast between the market town to the left and rows of classic English housing to the right. You can also see quaint narrowboats on the short branch of the Llangollen Canal that extends into the town. Wrenbury Wrenbury marks the cross into Cheshire and with it brings views of large farm buildings, huge crop fields and countless equine arenas whilst you're admiring the classic station architecture. Nantwich Nantwich station is notable for the three level crossings located directly near the station. The third market town on the route will see your approach into Nantwich switch from the large number of horse pastures to the parks and sports grounds that dot the outside of the town which include a number of lakes, a crossing over the River Weaver, and plenty of opportunities to glimpse the town's historic architecture. The station itself is simple but one of the busiest on the route with almost 200,000 using it yearly. Crewe We finish our journey at Crewe, which is the largest station on the route being part of the West Coast Main Line. The approach into this major railway junction will give views of dozens of trains stabled at Crewe Cold Store sidings, Gresty Bridge Depot, and Basford Hall Sidings, as well as taking you past the Crewe Heritage Centre to see former BR intercity-branded coaches and a preserved APT (advanced passenger train). Including Crewe would have the opportunity to layer WCML South Avanti 390s and LNWR 350s, Glossop Northern Class 323s, and EMR 158s as well as other TFW services to Chester and Holyhead which would make the station feel bustling, busy and alive. Rolling Stock Class 150 and 153 The Class 150 and 153 would be the main stock on the route operating the all-stops services between Shrewsbury and Crewe. These two trains wouldn't be difficult to include as they've already been modelled and textured as part of the Cariff City Network. Class 197 The Class 197 DMU is one of the newest trains on the network entering service in late 2022, and now form the majority of Transport for Wales' long-distance services. On this route, they'd operate horuly services between Shrewsbury and Crewe occasionally run direct but most often call at Nantwich or both Nantwich and Whitchurch. Class 67 + Mk4 coaching stock The Class 67 is used for long-distance "premier" services between Manchester and Cardiff with rakes of 4 Mk4 coaches and a Driving Van Trailer at the rear. These trains typically operate on the same pattern as the 197s - either direct between Shrewsbury and Crewe, or calling at Nantwich and Whitchurch. The Class 67 comes in two variants - ex Virgin sets, being painted red and white and with red seating, and ex-Grand Central sets, painted black with black seating. Thank you for taking the time to read this!
Interesting but scenery wise it’s just about the dullest section of the Cardiff to Crewe route. A better option might be south to Hereford or even Shrewsbury to Chester, throwing in the Wrexham to Bidston line too.
I did consider Shrewsbury to Chester as it's my local line and has some really good stations and scenery but given that it's 84 miles would make it longer than ECML, WCML South and almost as long as SEHS so thought it might be a bit ambitious for the devs, Shrewsbury-Crewe I thought would be a good middle ground for length, mix of traffic and rolling stock etc
Support this, especially if ATS end up doing a good job on their upcoming Manchester Airport route, as this route and Manchester Airport would actually complement each other extremely well and make each other better through their timetables. The Manchester Airport desperately needs the TFW Class 197 to provide the additional layered services on Manchester Airport and the main line to bring it over the top, while the Class 323 and layers from WCML South would really bring life to Crewe on this route. It would just make both timetables much busier and increase their purchasing incentive by tying them to each other.
