‘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
Passenger Trains connected to the SMJ
Following on from the previous discussion about WD passenger trains on the SMJ during the 1940s; it must be said that passenger trains ran on metals connected to the SMJ until the mid 1960s. There was a passenger service from the nearest point to…Continue
Started by Dave Hayward on Tuesday.
Wartime passenger trains from Burton Dassett 3 Replies
Arthur Jordan in his book, The Stratford Upon Avon and Midland Junction Railway - The Shakespeare Route at pp 82 mentions a WW2 late night special from Stratford on Avon to Burton Dassett for soldiers at the CAD. I would envisage that this did not…Continue
Started by Dave Hayward. Last reply by Dave Hayward on Tuesday.
PPhoto Albums 1 Reply
AndyAbout two years ago I ended up with some railway matter from a Bill Kendall who had been a Signalman on SMJ ending his railway career at Northampton No 1. I worked with him when I was working in Rugby PSB, I also covered the signa?l boxes at…Continue
Started by Robin Leslie Patrick. Last reply by Dave Hayward Jun 8.
Broom Junction station site for sale 3 Replies
Great opportunity for an SMJ enthusiast perhaps. I'm not sure what you could actually do with this site though!…Continue
Started by Simon Stevens. Last reply by Simon Stevens May 17.
SMJ photos
Binton
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 the SMJ in January 1st, 1909.
I was born and bred in Binton, consequently my first interest in railways was the SMJ and then the GWR at Stratford. At the age of eight I would cycle down to either Binton Bridges or the farm overbridge immediately to the west of Binton station to watch the freight trains pass by. Those going west were often as I recall loaded iron ore trains heading for South Wales, returning as loaded coal trains, usually hauled by either Austerity 2-8-0's or BR Standard 9F's. If only I had a camera in those days as these trains would have volcanic exhausts as they worked upgrade through the station heading towards Broom. The station had long since closed but was occupied by dredging contractors Bomford & Carr, parked in the yard wre a number of Fowler ploughing engines converted from steam power to diesel either with the power unit mounted on top of the boiler or in the tender. Some of these ploughing engines still exist, stored in the open near Bidford on Avon. The station site is now a LPG storage depot, I did however recently have a stroke of good luck and was able to purchase one of the Binton station signs, an aluminium hawkeye pattern.
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