Oh! Dr BEEching, Market Drayton Station Traditional Geocache
Shropshire_Seekers: Cache has gone due to work done so far, more work scheduled over next few months and no safe place to move cache to, I have therefore taken the decision to Archive this cache for now and may replace at some point in the future.
Thanks to all who have visited.
Oh! Dr BEEching, Market Drayton Station
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This is a series of small cache and dash caches along the GWR’s Wellington to Drayton line, the Railway was completed in 1867, but fell victim to Dr Beeching’s axe in 1964 just 3 years short of its centenary.
Following World War II, despite its poor condition, the railway system was well used, it was nationalised in 1948 and until 1952 the number of fare-paying passengers and freight were sufficient to cover the costs of operating the network. But by 1961 due to the development of the road network and rising car ownership the railways usage had diminished and run up an annual operating loss of £86.9m.
Beeching's proposals were drastic and unpopular, although they also included modernisation plans for many the better-used routes and were intended to arrest the government's seemingly endless spending of public money on those routes losing money, and resulted in over 2,000 miles of railway network and countless stations being lost, this line being one of them.
This line started at its junction just west of Wellington Station, opposite what is now Orleton Park School, then out past slightly the end Bratton Road near The Gate pub, across the end of long lane and then following the route of the A442 and A53.
Remains of bridges, embankments and Stations can still be seen, at numerous places along its route.
Its first station was opposite what is now Dairy Crest Creamery in Crudgington, although during WW2 a halt was added at Longden for RAF Bratton, after Crudgington the line then carried onto Rowton Halt (also added during WW2), Ellerdine Halt, Peplow Station, Hodnet Station, Wollerton Halt, Tern Hill station and then the station in Market Drayton (on the site of where Morrisons now stands) the line then carried on to Nantwich and Crewe or another line going to Newcastle Staffs.
“Oh! Dr. Beeching, what have you done?
There once were lots of trains to catch, but soon there will be none!
I'll have to buy a bike, 'cause I can't afford a car.
Oh! Dr. Beeching! What a naughty man you are!"
This cache has been placed on the site of the Station, although no signs are visable now of its existence, the nearest clue is the bridge on the main road into town just the other side of the few houses close to the cache, please beware of shopping muggles to retrieve this one.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Fghpx? vg pbafvfgf bs Abegu naq Fbhgu, Fuva - Xarr uvtu.