Proving so successful for both companies to transport coal from the South Wales Valleys to industrial Northwest England, and finished goods in the opposite direction, it was doubled tracked by 1862.
Having been turned down by Nantwich, a station was built in the township of Crewe which formed part of the ancient parish of Barthomley, on the junction of a turnpike road linking the Trent and Mersey and the Shropshire Union canals.
Built to standard gauge and engineered by Thomas Brassey, the line was to cover 50.5 miles (81.3 km), following an approximate route of the valley of the River Wye.
At its northern end, the S&HR connected with the GWR's railways: However, the major financial gain for both companies was the transport of coal from the South Wales Valleys to industrial Northwest England.
[2] The line's success showed other operators the importance of access to Crewe, with the GWR sponsored Oswestry, Ellesmere and Whitchurch Railway (OE&WR) proposed in 1860.
Opened in October 1872, little consideration was given to route or revenue, resulting in consistently low traffic volumes and a lifelong record of annual losses.
[2] During World War II, Prees Heath was developed into a Royal Air Force airfield as RAF Tilstock, still with its own railway depot, barracks and hospital facilities.
Despite this, the relatively rural and resultantly dark run of the combined S&HR and C&SR meant that the flow of coal to the industrial Northwest continued virtually unabated.
[2] After the war, the newly nationalised British Railways suffered competition from new road transport competitors, assisted in their efforts by the Ministry of Defence selling off cheaply former military trucks and coaches.