Western Main Lines: Shrewsbury to Newtown is the latest photographic album book in the Middleton Press's ever-expanding series to build up the Ultimate rail Encyclopaedia of British railways.

It includes the Minsterley, Snailbeach and Kerry branch lines, taking in stations and halts also at Welshpool, Abermule, Breidden (Middletown), Buttington, Forden, Fronfraith, Goetre, Montgomery, Plas-y-Coed, Pontesbury, Westbury, Yockleton, Hanwood and Hookagate.

Almost all of them have now disappeared, The Minsterley branch closed to passengers in February 1951 and the Kerry branch closed in May 1956.
The Snailbeach District Railway was mainly created to transport lead ore to sidings on the Minsterley branch. Transport finally ceased in 1959 but a revival scheme has begun this year.

From the splendid Tudor Gothic style station at Shrewsbury, it follows the main and branch lines through to Newtown including the once busy intersection at Buttington where you could change for the old line to Oswestry and Whitchurch. There are also pictures from the 1921 Abermule rail crash.

This book includes sample timetables for the various lines from as early as 1869 and is another excellent addition to this evolving complete picture of the railways at their height.

"WESTERN MAIN LINES: SHREWSBURY TO NEWTOWN", by VIC MITCHELL & KEITH SMITH, published in hardback by Middleton Press, 96 pages, priced £14.95.