War II, the railway gained a new purpose, transporting personnel from the Wellington mainline station to the rural camps. During the line's latter years excursion trains were seen, and during its final year the "Pines Express" between Manchester and Bournemouth used the line. Freight traffic was much more significant. Typically there were about twenty trains a day in each direction, of which two would be local goods, and the remainder would be through traffic, either non-stop over the line or stopping only at Market Drayton. Principally these carried manufactured goods from the midlands to the northwest, also fruit from the Worcester area. There was little coal and mineral traffic. Present day Only the station building at Peplow remains, as a private residence. In 2017, the Shropshire Star reported that the 2017 Conservative parliamentary candidate for Newcastle-under-Lyme, Owen Meredith, suggested a feasibility study into reopening part of the line, to connect Newcastle with Stoke and HS2. In January 2019, the Campaign for Better Transport identified the line between Stoke and Wellington as Priority 2 for reopening. Priority 2 is for those lines which require further development or a change in circumstances (such as housing developments). Stations References External links Photos of the remains of the line in 2008 Closed railway lines in the West Midlands (region) Great Western Railway constituents Rail transport in Shropshire Standard gauge railways in England Railway lines opened in 1867 Beeching closures in England