Up Wrexham & Shropshire train, comprising a Class 67 with two coaches and a Driving Van Trailer, about to take the Bescot line at Wolverhampton on 24th October 2008.
The Wrexham & Shropshire was an Open Access Operator which operated from April 2008 to January 2011 running a service between Wrexham and London Marylebone. Although the services passed through Wolverhampton, most services were prohibited from loading and unloading passengers, so the trains towards London ran non-stop through Wolverhampton and then took the 'Old Road' through Bescot, stopping at Tame Bridge Parkway. I think the route continued through Aston, Stechford, Coventry, Leamington Spa and thence to Marylebone. The first time I saw the service, there were two 'Class 67' top-and-tailing the short train but when re-furbished Driving Van Trailers became available, the formation changed to that shown in the heading photograph. Throughout the short life of the railway, it attracted very high passenger satisfaction ratings but insufficient passengers to avoid losses which the owners considered unsustainable. Although I saw the trains on a number of occasions, I never managed to travel with them.
However, much of the strategy of Wrexham & Shropshire was reborn in the Chiltern Mainline Experience, which I managed to sample on 23rd July 2013, as I described briefly in the post A Busy Week. So, once again, you can catch a 'Class 67 to Marylebone'.
I've removed a link to the Chiltern Mainline Experience which is no longer active, and it's been suggested that you instead refer to Chiltern Railways: 03) Where do Mainline trains stop?.
External Websites
Wrexham & Shropshire (Wikipedia).
Chiltern Mainline (Wikipedia).
[Chiltern link amended: 12/05/2022]
