The Minsterley branch line was a standard gauge

Standard gauge

The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...

 railway line that ran from Cruckmeole

Cruckmeole

Cruckmeole is a small village in Shropshire, England. It is located on the A488, near to Hanwood.The Rea Brook, historically called the Meole Brook, flows through the village.-External links:...

 Junction, where the Shrewsbury

Shrewsbury

Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...

 to Welshpool

Welshpool

Welshpool is a town in Powys, Wales, or ancient county Montgomeryshire, from the Wales-England border. The town is low-lying on the River Severn; the Welsh language name Y Trallwng literally meaning 'the marshy or sinking land'...

 line (the Cambrian Line

Cambrian Line

The Cambrian Line is a railway from Shrewsbury to Welshpool, Aberystwyth and Pwllheli. The railway runs first through the central part of Wales and then along the coast of Cardigan Bay....

) runs, near Hanwood

Hanwood

Hanwood is a large village in Shropshire, England.It is located SW of Shrewsbury town centre, on the A488 road. The A5 is only a mile away. The Cambrian Line runs through the village but there is no longer a station here...

, to the villages of Pontesbury

Pontesbury

Pontesbury is a large village and civil parish in Shropshire and is approximately eight miles southwest of the county town of Shrewsbury. The village of Minsterley is just over a mile further southwest. The A488 road runs through the village, on its way from Shrewsbury to Bishop's Castle...

 and then Minsterley

Minsterley

Minsterley is a village and civil parish in Shropshire, England. It is home to a large dairy operated by Uniq foods.The dairy currently employs nearly 500 people...

. At Pontesbury there were transfer sidings for the narrow gauge

Narrow gauge

A narrow gauge railway is a railway that has a track gauge narrower than the of standard gauge railways. Most existing narrow gauge railways have gauges of between and .- Overview :...

 Snailbeach District Railway

Snailbeach District Railways

Snailbeach District Railways was a British narrow gauge railway in Shropshire. It was built to carry lead ore from mines in the Stiperstones to Pontesbury where the ore was transshipped to the Great Western Railway's Minsterley branch line. Coal from the Pontesford coal mines travelled in the...

, which ran up to the lead mines at Snailbeach

Snailbeach

Snailbeach is a village in Shropshire, England, located near Shrewsbury at . The village was formerly home to a large lead mine.-Early history:A village was built for workers at the local lead mine - Snailbeach Mine, which reputedly dates back to Roman times...

.

The line was built as a joint GWR

Great Western Railway

The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...

/LNWR line. There were three stations after Cruckmeole Junction: Plealey Road, Pontesbury and Minsterley.

The line is dismantled and there are currently no plans to restore it, although the line is protected from development which would prejudice any future reopening. The former terminus at Minsterley is now a large meat factory (a large dairy related factory also exists on either side of the old trackbed just before the terminus) and the stationmaster's house is now a private residence.