‘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"
Broom History Group will be holding an event at Broom Village Hall 2-4pm on 9th November 2024 including a film on the railway and Broom Junction.…Continue
Hi everybodyI’m building a OO gauge model of Fenny Compton and Clifford Sidings over here in Belgium.Quite a strange idea but so be it…In view of this I plan to transform a RTR Beatie Well Tank into SMJR N° 5 the 2-4-0T and use some etchings for the…Continue
There is a local act for the above railway to be abandoned, dated 24th August 1893. Presumably this must have connected with the N & B Railway at some point, does anybody have any info ?
There were quite a number of proposals over the years involving lines from the Buckingham area to connect with both the NBJR and the EWJR.
This one looks like an abandonment of the 1888 Act 52&53 Vict c.cci (1889) which consisted of five sections of railway:
1) From the Aylesbury & Buckingham Ry to Radclive
2) from an end on junction with line (1) to Towcester
3) from a junction with line (1) to a junction with the LNWR Banbury line at Radclive
4) from a junction with line (2) in Towcester to a junction with the authorised Stratford upon Avon Towcester & Midland Junction Ry at Easton Neston
5) from a junction with line (2) terminating at the NBJR in Towcester
The references to "Towcester" etc refer to parishes, so without the benefit of a map this is all a bit difficult to plot exactly, but it gives an idea of where the lines would have run
Best thing would be to go to Northampton Record Office at Wootton Hall where the Parliamentary Deposited Plans are kept - this one is listed as their ref. no. 199 - it should have a full map/plan with it and will reveal all !