Pages 2.0

The East & West Junction railway (E&W) proposed a newline from a junction with the Northampton & Banbury Junction Railway at Greens Norton to Stratford Upon Avon.
In 1864 Lady Palmerson came and cut the first sod. The E&W became a part of t

The East & West Junction railway (E&W) proposed a new line from a junction with the Northampton & Banbury Junction
Railway at Greens Norton to Stratford Upon Avon.
In 1864 Lady Palmerson came and cut the first sod. The E&W became a part of th

The East & West Junction railway (E&W) proposed a newline from a junction with the Northampton & Banbury Junction
Railway at Greens Norton to Stratford Upon Avon.
In 1864 Lady Palmerson came and cut the first sod. The E&W became a part of t

The East & West Junction railway (E&W) proposed a newline from a junction with the Northampton & Banbury Junction Railway at Greens Norton to Stratford Upon Avon. In 1864 Lady Palmerson came and cut the first sod. The E&W became a part of th

The East & West Junction railway (E&W) proposed a new line from a junction with the Northampton & Banbury Junction Railway at Greens Norton to Stratford Upon Avon. In 1864 Lady Palmerson came and cut the first sod. The E&W became a part of t

Blisworth
Towcester
Wappenham
Helmdon
Banbury

Just inside Oxfordshire, Banbury was a shared L+NWR/N+BJRterminus, becoming part of the SMJ in 1910, having opened as the original N+BJ terminus in 1871. Being a shared terminus Banbury had a s

Blisworth
Towcester
Wappenham
Helmdon
Banbury

Helmdon station site 2008

A modest beginning was made with the Northampton and BanburyJunction Railway, authorised in 1863, as a first step. Hopes were raised two years later with an Act aut

Blisworth
Towcester
Wappenham
Helmdon
Banbury

There were two stations on the Towcester/Banbury section, Wappenham was one, over a mile from its village namesake. Wappenham was a simple station with a platform and modest goods facilities. A

Blisworth
Towcester
Wappenham
Helmdon
Banbury

A modest beginning wasmade with the Northampton and Banbury Junction Railway being authorised in 1863. Things gathered a pace, and two years later an Act authorising an extension westwards to Ch

Blisworth
Towcester
Wappenham
Helmdon
Banbury

In 1833 Robert Stephenson was appointed chief engineer of thethe first railway into London, the London & Birmingham line. One of the most difficult sections was to be at Blisworth. Stephenson ha

Click these SMJ related maps for more detail

StokeBruerne
Salcey Forest
Ravenstone Wood

Ravenstone Wood Signal Box Lever Plates

The SMJ line from Towcester joined the Midland Railway'sNorthampton-Bedford line near Olney at a place known as Ravenstone
Wood. Authorised by an act of Pa

StokeBruerne
Salcey Forest
Ravenstone Wood

Salcey Forest station was built in the same style as StokeBruerne. The station was very remote and had to be approached by a track across a field. The station saw very little passenger traffic ye

StokeBruerne
Salcey Forest
Ravenstone Wood

Stoke Bruerne station opened to passengers in December 1892 andclosed in March 1893. There was one other station on the line from Towcester to Olney, Salcey Forest, which was literally in the
middl

The East & West Junction railway (E&W) proposed a newline from a junction with the Northampton & Banbury Junction Railway at Greens Norton to Stratford Upon Avon. In 1864 Lady Palmerson came and cut the first sod. The E&W became a part of t

The Northampton & Banbury Junction Railway opened a stationon the new main line at Blisworth and on May 1st 1866 ran the first train to Towcester. The following years saw the line push-on to Banbury, joining the L&NWR's Verney Junction line

The joint committee dicided to build a single-track railway linebetween Towcester and the Midland main line near Olney in an attempt to save the two companies. The line to Ravenstone Junction branched off from just north of Towcester station

This is a model layout of the Towcester station site of around1940. The model of Towcester station was built by Iain Rice in the late 60s/early 70s, for Charles Simpson. It featured in an issue of Model Railways, about 1974, an article which