Shipston-on-Stour branch

[1] The line started life as part of the horse-drawn Stratford and Moreton Tramway that ran between Moreton-in-Marsh and Stratford-Upon-Avon, with a branch to Shipston-on-Stour, which opened on 11 April 1836.

The Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway (OW&WR) arrived at Moreton-in-Marsh in 1853, and they took over the tramway on a lease.

The OW&WR upgraded the line to carry main-line wagons, but because the original authorising legislation prohibited the use of steam, it remained horse powered.

[2] The line was single track throughout, without any passing loops, and so it was operated on the 'One Engine in Steam' principle, with only one train allowed on the branch at any one time.

The branch had sharp curves and was steeply graded, and so had stiff speed restrictions, with passenger trains taking 45 minutes to run the 9 miles from Moreton to Shipston.

Map from the 1930s of the Stratford and Moreton Tramway; the southern section in use as a railway, and the northern section by this stage abandoned.
Shipston on Stour station, 26 April 1960, shortly before final closure