‘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"
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SMJ Forum
SMJ Bridge number for sale.
Stratford & Midland Junction Railway bridge number 42. This is a very rare bridge number, which hardly ever comes up for sale! 28cm x 20cm. It was from a cattle creep between Byfield & Morton Pinkney. £500. PayPal payment required and I can…Continue
Started by Russ Firth 11 hours ago.
Bridge sign
An East and West Junction and Stratford-On-Avon, Towcester and Midland Junction Railways bridge weight notice, cast iron, 16½"x11¾", the front repainted. As is usual, the company title has been altered to Stratford-On-Avon and Midland Junction…Continue
Started by Graham Ward yesterday.
SMJ Postage stamps 1911 and 1924
A couple of items recently up for auction.GREAT CENTRAL RAILWAY COMPANY AND STRATFORD-UPON-AVON & MIDLAND JUNCTION: 6…Continue
Started by Graham Ward May 21.
More building at Towcester 3 Replies
I hear there has been more building at the station site in Towcester.Anyone know what they've dug up?…Continue
Tags: Towcester
Started by Andy Thompson. Last reply by John Evans Apr 19.
SMJ photos
Blisworth 1990
From Blisworth station to this bridge I won my first ride in the cab of an engine right here. It was an LNWR Class 7F 0-8-0, sleeping away the day in the SMJ platform with a very affable driver. Two of us climbed aboard and went up to the bridge and back.
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Comment by John Evans on November 23, 2010 at 17:43
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Yes, this engine had shunted on the siding west of the main line. We used to sit in a field with the main line to the east of us and the SMJ behind us, curving under Bridge 1. Our view was usually spoiled for half an hiour when a Bletchley 7F would arrive in front of us, then reverse back towards the station. It sometimes lurked around for an hour or two and this was the case on the day I got a ride. On my flickr site I have a picture of a Bletchley 7F at Leighton Buzzard. Also, Bachmann now make a model of 49287, a long-standing Bletchley engine, complete with 1E shedplate.
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Comment by Dick Bodily on November 23, 2010 at 9:54
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John
Super Ds were very rare birds on the SMJ proper, even Stratford GWR shed's 22xx were more likely! I only ever saw a 7F once on the SMJ. There's a picture of it in the 'Blakesley' photo album on this site, it was either in late Dec 1960 or early Jan 1961 and involved a Bletchley 7F on the pick up goods.
Did they sometimes use 7Fs to shunt at Blisworth or run just up to the Quarry and back, I wonder. A more likely explanation why it was hanging about at Blisworth is that it had brought chalk tippers from Tottenhoe Quarry on the Dunstable to Leighton Buzzard line up to Blisworth sidings where a 2E Class 8 crewed by men who signed on at Blisworth rather than Northampton would take over to take the chalk to Southam cement works on the Weedon - Leamington line. These frequent workings were just about the only unfitted freights that ran anywhere between Roade and Weedon on the West Coast main line, The 7F was possible shunted into the SMJ station out of the way waiting for a return working to Tottenhoe. It would have carried a Bletchley shed code but might have been based at the tiny subshed at Leighton Buzzard.
Dick
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Comment by Andy Thompson on November 1, 2010 at 15:31
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Bridge 1 from a passing train
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This is bridge 1 from the other side Oct 2010
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Yes, it's bridge 1. Didn't know it was now a road.
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This must be bridge 1. Photographer standing with back to the station, on, what now is a road! Andy
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