‘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
BLAKESLEY and an SMJ stamp
This item has come up in an auction recently and is a glimpse of the practice of carrying mail by train. Apart from the SMJ…Continue
Started by Graham Ward Nov 14.
Further about Ravenstone Wood Junction 1 Reply
Firstly a belated thanks to Barry for his excellent research that has returned these signal lever plates to their rightful home! [Perhaps their place of residence on the website needs changing!] Apologies for starting s new Forum discussion on this…Continue
Started by Dave Hayward. Last reply by Barry Taylor Oct 23.
Ravenstone Wood Junction Signal Box-an anomaly 3 Replies
Closely examining the brass lever plates shown in the Olney Line entry in the Index Section of this website I noticed a significant anomaly. Some of the above plates, specifically 1, 10, 11, 12, 25, 32, 34. refer to platforms, loading dock, goods…Continue
Started by Dave Hayward. Last reply by Barry Taylor Oct 9.
SMJ keys from the Towcester area 1 Reply
I have been contacted by someone who wishes to dispose of two sets of SMJ-related keys from the Towcester area, but does not want to put personal email or other details on this website. They have been given to him by the estate manager at Easton…Continue
Started by Barry Taylor. Last reply by Barry Taylor Sep 4.
SMJ photos
All Pages (68)
The SMJR in Books and Magazine Articles - A List 57 Comments
Advice for people wanting to find out more about the SMJR The definitive account of the line can be found in Barry Taylor's 'The Stratford-upon-Avon and & Midland Junction Railway (Volumes 1 … View »
Last Years of the SMJ Pickups 14 Comments
The last years of the SMJR line pick ups. (Local freight and ironstone trains in the ‘50s and ‘60s.) Once the Towcester - Ravenstone Junction section of the former SMJR had closed, throug… View »
SMJ Related Links
Welcome to the Towcester and District Local History Society website The town of Towcester (pop 9,000) lies 100km (60 miles) north of London, England in rural Northamptonshire. It is the oldest… View »
Mining Index
The Reason It Came To Be Mining of the earth’s natural resources in the Blisworth area of Northamptonshire has been evident for many centuries. It was thi… View »
Index
Welcome to the SMJ index page. From here you can find your way to all the pages on the website. &nbs Links Visit the image library - Click here Visit the Albums -… View »
An Alphabetical List of SMJ Nicknames 1 Comment
(NB) The names in brackets refer to the person who supplied the info. Banana Line - referring to Towcester - Ravenswood Junction section (Barry Taylor) Bread and Her… View »
Gary's list of 'Surviving Locomotives known to have run on the SMJ' 9 Comments
(Partially Updated - 3rd September 2014) ex-LMSR 4P 4-4-0 41000 owned by NRM but on SVR out of service and on display but has run in preservation. RAILTOUR visit to line 4M… View »
Gayton Wood Farm/Mining the Gayton Parish
View Larger Map Follow and maybe join a discussion around the subject View Larger Map An overview of the history of the mining/quarrying relating to the former Northampton… View »
The Sad Demise of the Stratford Slip Coach Service
‘Through Carriage to London’ announced the proud notice at Stratford Old Town as the 7.45am train for Blisworth prepared to leave from the ‘Up’ platform sometime in th… View »
Clive Boardman - Woodford fireman ('56-'58) remembering trips along the SMJ
Clive fired WDs on the SMJ. Clive Boardman was a fireman at Woodford from 1956-8. This was before the Stratford south curve was installed. He remembers night time workings on loo… View »
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