‘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
Blisworth - Towcester ETS working
Electric train staff equipment had been brought into use between Blisworth and Towcester by 9 August 1910 (date of SMJR minute 451 (TNA file RAIL 674/3)) and presumably the new signal box at Blisworth appeared at the same time. In that this was so…Continue
Started by Richard Maund 11 minutes ago.
Blisworth 1920
SMJ board minute 1474 of 13 April 1921 (TNA file RAIL 674/4) approved that “the following expenditure be charged to Capital” for year 1920: “Blisworth: Signalling and alterations to Permanent Way, Improvements and additional signalling: £800”. In…Continue
Started by Richard Maund 24 minutes ago.
Evesham Redditch & Stratford-upon-Avon Junction Railway 8 Replies
Did this railway (as opposed to the East & West Junction Railway) go into receivership - if so, when. And when did it come out of receivership?Continue
Started by Richard Maund. Last reply by Richard Maund Feb 11.
Bidford-on-Avon 5 Replies
Shall we bring this discussion under the proper heading!So far as the OS plan surveyed 1885, published 1886, is concerned: the OS liked - wherever they could - to have text running parallel to the top and bottom borders. When they came to add the…Continue
Started by Richard Maund. Last reply by Richard Maund Feb 10.
SMJ photos
The Roade Connection
There seem to be several big questions about the SMJ.
- Tiffield station: did it exist, for how long and where exactly was it?
- Why build stations at Salcey Forest and Stoke Bruerne, and why such substantial buildings?
- But the biggest one seems to be the connection to Roade.
Why was this built and to what extent was it ever used?
It seems that there was a chord, there is evidence for it. It seems also that there was a bay platform constructed at Roade station, but there was no physical rail connection with the LNWR.
If the passenger service from Towcester to Olney only lasted intermittently for 4 months what about the Roade service. Would the “main line” services have reversed in and out of Roade?
And what real purpose did it serve, bearing in mind that there were much better connections with the LNWR at Blisworth. (I appreciate that the S T & M J and N & B were different companies at the time that the Roade spur was built). I understand there was a lime quarry at Roade which may have provided traffic
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Henry on
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According to locals, the Tiffield halt was a milk stop really and there seems to be little doubt that it was positioned on the embankment at the back of what is now a row of houses at Meadow Rise.
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According to BarryTaylor in his excellent pair of books on the SMJ the bay platform at Roade although fully signalled from the SMJ cabin at the top of the chord line was never used by any passenger train due to early withdrawal of the passenger service. Its possible that an occasional inspection train may have used it though.
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