Formerly known as the North and West Route, the Welsh Marches Line runs for 95 miles from Newport to Shrewsbury. It is a vital rail passenger link between Wales, Northern England (to Manchester via Crewe) and the Midlands. It also connects North Wales and South Wales. The route sweeps through delightful countryside on the borderlands of England and Wales. It is unique in that it has one of the longest sections of railway line on the network in the UK that still uses the steam age Absolute Block method of signalling to control the trains, operated by mechanical signals from 16 consecutive signal boxes, the most continuous number of signal boxes anywhere on a stretch of line in the UK. It also has the distinction of operating the largest working mechanical signal box in the world, Shrewsbury's Severn Bridge Junction, located just outside Shrewsbury station.
Although freight traffic has reduced considerably in recent years, steel, timber and aggregates continue to be important freight flows. The diminishing number of locomotive hauled freight trains, however, has been offset in the past few years by the introduction of locomotive hauled premier passenger services. Indeed, it is exceptional for being one of the few lines on the UK network to operate regular premier services with dedicated first-class carriages, including chef, from Swansea and Cardiff to Manchester.
The book is a stunningly illustrated contemporary portrait of the Welsh Marches line in its entirety, featuring 260 colour images, describing in detail its trains, signalling, stations, route geography, and its brief history where relevant. In particular, it is a study of one of the few remaining outposts of surviving mechanical signalling on the UK rail network, with detailed descriptions and images of all the signal boxes operating on the line which were visited by the author. In addition, the book explores the magnificent scenery the line crosses dominated by rural farmland, rolling hills and areas of outstanding natural beauty. The combination of unspoiled rural and natural countryside, coupled with steam-age signal boxes and extant semaphore signals, gives a timeless feel to the line.
