HALF a century of railway preservation in Oswestry was celebrated on July 10, when a group of early Cambrian Railways Society (CRS) volunteers assembled and planted a Quercus ilex (Holm Oak) tree. In 2009, the CRS came under the umbrella of Cambrian Heritage Railways (CHR).
The group, including Peter Miller, the original CRS vicechairman boarded the 11.00 train from Oswestry to Weston Wharf where they were formally welcomed by CHR secretary, Jenny Pickstock. A plaque was unveiled by Lionel Price, one of the event organisers, and everyone present was invited to place a shovel full of earth around the roots of the tree. A short dedication service was led by Glyn Evans, a former CHR trustee and Church in Wales lay reader, before the event concluded with a buffet.