Linley Station
The stretch of line between Coalport and Bridgnorth was a very scenic section but it caused the Severn Valley Railway surveyors in the 1850s more problems than anywhere else.
This was not due to engineering difficulties but protracted negotiations with Thomas C. Whitmore of Apley Park, the estate opposite the railway to the east of the River Severn. His opposition to the Severn Valley Railway plans of 1852 had forced the company to promise to run the line through tunnels to prevent it '...utterly annihilating the privacy and seclusion of the said mansion, house, park and grounds...'. This was despite the fact his property was on the opposite side of the river to the proposed railway.
Raising extra capital for the construction of these tunnels helped postpone construction of the whole railway. Further negotiations with Whitmore in 1855 led to agreement for the tunnel plans to be abandoned but the price for this was high. Whitmore claimed £14,000 as compensation as well as a charge of £150 per acre for any land the railway company had to purchase from him. And in addition, he had the company agree to build a station at which at least two ordinary passenger trains in each direction every day could be stopped on request. Linley station was the result.
| Date opened: | 1.2.1862 |
| Location: | At Apley Forge which is at the end of a long track running through Apley Park |
| Company on opening: | Great Western Railway |
| Date closed to passengers: | 9.9.1963 |
| Date closed completely: | 9.9.1963 |
| Company on closing: | British Railways (London Midland Region) |
| Present state: | Station still extant and converted to a private residence. One nameboard still in place on the platform. |
| County: | Shropshire |
| OS Grid Ref: | SO705984 |
The Station first closed 1.1.1917 and then reopened 2.4.1917. The station was demoted to a Halt by this closure.
The present Severn Valley steam railway runs from Kidderminster to Bridgenorth, Linley was the next station, beyond Bridgenorth.