It had cost about £1.5 million to construct, but its financial performance was extremely poor, and economies resulted in near-suspension of maintenance, leading to dangerous conditions.

The line rapidly became very run down as a result of low revenues and poor maintenance, and was closed at the instigation of the Board of Trade for safety reasons in June 1880.

Earlier aspirations to form a direct railway route from London through Shrewsbury to a North Wales harbour, enabling a direct packet boat route to Dublin, had been superseded by the Chester and Holyhead Railway, and the development of Holyhead as a ferry port.

The old idea of reaching a Welsh ferryport for Dublin remained, and a route involving a two-mile tunnel had been thought about.

[4][1] No doubt reflecting on the impossibility of raising subscription capital for a railway with only one potential customer, France now extended the vision, and the scope of his proposed railway network, to include limekilns at Nantmawr and granite quarries at Criggion, and a branch to Great Ness.

The Potteries district around Stoke-on-Trent was the NSR's home, and a long line westward through Shrewsbury into north west Wales appeared attractive.

The Shrewsbury and North Wales Railway would, it seemed, make an ideal partner in this venture that might stretch from Market Drayton.

[2][1][6] The alliance was agreed and progressed through Parliament, gaining authorisation in the Potteries, Shrewsbury and North Wales Act 1866 (29 & 30 Vict.

c. cci) on 16 July, and the result was the Potteries, Shrewsbury and North Wales Railway, commonly abbreviated to "the Potts".

Auctioneers were appointed, but the sale of locomotives and other assets produced poor returns and the railway ceased operation from 21 December 1866.

The double track section of the line was singled, probably during this closure period, and cash generated from the sale of rails was used to buy wagons that were urgently necessary for traffic purposes.

Despite stringent cost saving measures, the line made only the smallest of profits, on capital expenditure of £1.5 million.

[11] As Perkins delicately puts it, "the stern pressure of liabilities caused a corresponding scarcity of funds for working", and maintenance of track and structures was hardly carried out.

The Criggion quarry train ran weekly, and occasional ordinary goods traffic served the intermediate stations.

[24] In 1941 the entire line except the Criggion branch was requisitioned by the War Department and established to serve an ammunition store.

The War Department usage continued, until in 1959 that came to an end, and in December 1959 the Criggion stone traffic ceased to operate as well.

The former Tanat Valley line had closed to passengers on 15 January 1951, and from December 1960 goods operation west of Blodwell Junction ceased.

[26] During the Potteries, Shrewsbury and North Wales Railway period, passenger train operation ceased during the suspension 1866 – 1868, and from 1880.

According to Woodcock[28] one of them, named Black Tom, was a 0-4-2 tender locomotive built by Bury, Curtis, and Kennedy in 1848 and acquired from the London and North Western Railway in 1866.