Philip
On Moderation
I can recall reading there was once an idea to convert the line of the Shropshire Union Canal south of Calveley into a railway, via a transhipment and junction with the Crewe and Chester railway at Calveley and then using the Chester Canal line to Nantwich and then the whole line of the Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal from Nantwich to Autherley in Wolverhampton. Those with good canal knowledge will know the B&LJ was built by Telford in the early days of the railway era and typical railway engineering techniques were used for this route, so conversion to railway wouldn't have been the challenge that it would have been for other canal routes! Would anyone happen to know when these plans were being thought of and would it have provided a potentially quicker route between Chester and Birmingham than the existing rail route does? For the record I am very glad this idea wasn't put into practise!
I also notice the London and Birmingham Railway follows the line of the Grand Junction Canal for much of the way between Long Buckby and Kings Langley, were there any plans at all to convert this section of the Grand Junction Canal to railway, before the existing London and Birmingham Railway was built?
I also notice the London and Birmingham Railway follows the line of the Grand Junction Canal for much of the way between Long Buckby and Kings Langley, were there any plans at all to convert this section of the Grand Junction Canal to railway, before the existing London and Birmingham Railway was built?
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