‘The Stratford Upon Avon & Midland Junction Railway’ (or S.M.J.) was a small independent railway company which ran a line across the empty, untouched centre of England. It visited the counties of Northamptonshire, Warwickshire, Oxfordshire and a little of Buckinghamshire, only existing as the SMJ from 1909 to 1923. In 1923 the S.M.J.became a minor arm of the London Midland and Scottish (L.M.S.), then in 1948 'British Railways'
Gone but not forgotten: "the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth"
Hello, I found your forum searching for the SMJR. I've just uploaded a digitised version of old cine film footage of the line to my Youtube channel. I will be selling the original Hillside cine film soon along with a few others I've collected…Continue
Started by G Essex Random Railways. Last reply by Jim Goodman yesterday.
Hi!I recently discovered this article on Binton station building in the now long defunct magazine ‘Model Railways’ from 1976. It includes a full plan which might encourage someone to model this simple station.Does anyone have access to, or know of a…Continue
Started by Martin Bromage. Last reply by Martin Bromage May 8.
HelloMy name is Mick Baker and i have recently joined your society.A friend of mine Nigel Hadlow, has taken several thousand black & white photosof railways around the country.With a little help from me with my limited computer skills, i have…Continue
Started by Mick Baker. Last reply by Peter S Lewis Mar 29.
The SMJ line from Towcester joined the Midland Railway's
Northampton-Bedford line near Olney at a place known as
Ravenstone
Wood. Authorised by an act of Parliament in 1879 as the Easton
Neston Mineral & Towcester, Roade & Olney Junction
Railway
(renamed in 1882 the Stratford-upon-Avon, Towcester &
Midland
Junction Railway), and built partly on the route of an earlier
ironstone tramway, the line was not opened until 1891 and only
operated a timetabled passenger service for a few months. It
continued to carry goods traffic until 1958. The Olney line
closed
in 1958 and much of its route was later absorbed into adjoining
fields.
Ravenstone Wood Junction and Signal box
Although its regular passenger traffic operations from
Ravenstone Wood Junction were short lived, the railway did
provide
a cross-country link for goods traffic. The only passenger train
to
use this line in the 1930's and 40's was an excursion train
that
ran on Easter Monday from Luton to Towcester Races. The fare
from
Olney in the 1930's was 1/6d return (7½ p).
The site of the junction now (2009) has returned to nature and
is indeed, a wood!
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