The history of East Shropshire has had a global impact, with Ironbridge and Coalbrookdale acknowledged as the ‘Cradle of the Industrial Revolution’. In this book, local industrial history expert Neil Clarke examines through photographs the history of the railways in this area, which both came from the Industrial Revolution and enabled its growth, through the rapid expansion of the nineteenth century and the Grouping and the Beeching Axe of the twentieth century to the present day.

Everything, from the first wagonways (early railways) to individual branch lines of the area, is examined using both old photographs and drawings and modern photographs to show the development of railways in the area. This area of Shropshire has changed beyond all recognition, as the harsh lines of industry have been replaced with greenery, yet the remnants of its industrial past can still be seen, especially through its railways.