Looking south at the junction that forms the start of the single track Heart of Wales Line from the footbridge at Craven Arms station in rural Shropshire. Trains on this line bear right on a scenic but slow journey to the south-west Wales town of Llanelli. The lines heading straight on carry services on the Welsh Marches Line between Cardiff, Newport and Hereford to the south and Shrewsbury Crewe and Manchester to the north.
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The small town in Shropshire owes its existence and unusual name to the railway. The rail junction with the Heart of Wales Line immediately south of the station (this photograph is looking north) was named after a nearby inn the <i>Craven Arms</i>, which was named after Lord Craven, who held the marno house of Stokesay Castle about a mile to the south. The station itself was named for the rail junction. The railway brought trade and population to what had been a tiny village called Newton, and expanded it so much that it eventually took the name of the station.
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Photo by <a href="mailto:cmckenna@sucs.org?subject=rail-photo at railfaneurope.net">Chris McKenna</a> 17/12/2005.<br>
Larger, higher quality copies of most of my pictures are available, please email if you want a copy. If you wish to use this, or any other of my photographs, under a different license see <a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Thryduulf/Relicensing">my relicensing policy</a>.

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