A unique collection of Railway Books now housed at Oswestry Library, was formally opened on Wednesday 23rd November 2016.

Over many years, the Cambrian Railways Museum in Oswestry Station acquired a substantial collection amounting to > 1,700 donated railway books. However, the collection was never comprehensively  catalogued or made readily accessible to anyone.

Detailed discussions with Oswestry Library during 2016 resulted in a collaboration to move the collection to the Library on permanent loan and for reference only, thereby addressing the issues mentioned above using professional staff and expertise, and substantially enhancing the Library’s existing set of already popular railway books.

The greatest number of our books for which there is space at the Library is 1,200. Cambrian Heritage Railways (CHR) purchased suitable library shelving in order to progress the project and sufficient to display approximately half the collection at any given time. Both CHR and the Library are grateful to the Rotary Club of Oswestry for a grant towards the purchase of the shelves.

Although the Cambrian Railways Company headquarters and works were in Oswestry, the majority of the 300 mile network was in Wales. Consequently, it was decided that the core of the collection is to be based on Anglo Welsh topics followed by other Celtic railways. We believe that the Cambrian now having its own large specialist collection professionally housed and catalogued makes this a unique asset in the world of railway preservation.

 

Online searches are possible both remotely and within the library itself using a system devised and shared by the National Railway Museum in York. It is expected that most residents of Oswestry will commend the idea of this historic collaboration which will enhance the reputation of both organisations and improve access for all in the town. It may well in time attract serious students of railway history to Oswestry and in combination with the Cambrian Museum itself, be a real draw for school children undertaking projects.

Access to the book catalogue is via https://www.librarything.com/ Name: OswestryLibrary, Password: Railway1

If members of CHR and the public have books for which they are seeking a home and which they feel might add to the core collection, they may wish to search online via the library to see if we already have copies. If the book to be donated is in particularly good condition and or eg signed by the author, we will be interested to see it. For books to be donated please contact  the Cambrian Museum in the Station Yard when the Museum is open or call 01691 728131. Other railway books may also be accepted though it is likely that these would be put on sale in the Railway Shops specifically to raise money for the railways, including the maintenance and enhancement of the book collection. Despite our rapid growth as an organisation, we cannot accept books on loan, nor have we the funds to buy any books.