WPW061714 WALES (1939). View of the Severn Valley Gas Co. works at Welshpool, also showing railway station with trains and Smithfield market. Oblique aerial photograph, 5"x4" BW glass plate.

The eastern end of the 2' 6" gauge Welshpool and LLanfair Light Railway, that by the time of the picture had been freight only since 1931 and eventually closed in 1956. Re-opened as one of the 'Little Trains of Wales' it now ends the other side of Welshpool at Raven Square as the route through town has been 'lost'. Clearly the planners did not see the benefits the reopened railway could bring the town with this distinctive feature of street running.

Turntable, remote from the engine shed, with GWR clearstory coach standing in the platform behind it. The coach looks as if it has recently been repainted as it roof is still white. White lead paint used for such finishing soon oxidised and collected a layer of dirty from steam engines to become grey like it neighbour.

Sawmill

Children out for an 'airing' in their baby carriages.

Rather large and neatly arranged allotment gardens, subdivided by hedges. These must sure get the prize as the neatest, most up market, allotments seen on Britain from Above!!

Oil or tar wagons - at least one of which has a rectangular tank.

A wagon full of timber (probably two bolster wagons or a long bogie wagon) and a Shell oil tanker (probably empty) returning east. The timber wagons might have been loaded by the crane next to the tidy heaps of timber in the round, to be seen in the yard to the lower left.

Gas works

'Welshpool' private owner coal wagon.

A line of horse boxes. These might be being used as prized cattle wagons.

Extensive livestock market.

A Dean Goods on an up freight train.

Is this Earl or Countess? The Welshpool & Llanfair Railway only had two locomotives.