‘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
Blakesley - Trackbed looking towards Morton Pinkney, BHMR ran through the double hedge on the left passing under the SMJ bridge where the pile of brick rubble is in the foreground.
Comment by Dick Bodily on October 5, 2009 at 17:01
Andy
I think most of my memories, knowledge and my gran's yarns are already on the site. You'd need to send me some questions to prompt me if you insist!
Also my memory for detail isn't as good as many others that have contributed in the past and my written records of SMJR workings are virtually non-existant. I'm amazed at the knowledge of some people who write reminiscing articles for magazines, how do they do it? I'm sure John or Barry could provide better info on these matters and people who contributed to the old site like Richard Copping and Bob Hodson if they could be recontacted probably have more accurate memories than myself especially about Towcester....where the website all started!
Dick
Comment by Andy Thompson on October 5, 2009 at 16:26
Dick.
I'd love it if you'd use the phone number and code listed on the home page and tell us some of these fantastic SMJ memories you have!
Andy
Comment by Dick Bodily on October 5, 2009 at 16:15
Looking towards Morton, for comparison see also Lloyd's 60s picture taken from the same spot. The miniature railway route passed just to the left of the pile of rubble and ran between a double hedge in a shallow cutting. Blakesley's famously tall Up Home signal stood roughly next to the tallest bush on the right hand site of the trackbed, Station master, Cecil Smart lived in a bungalow roughly where the blue car is hidden behind the hedge. The house that can just about be made out to the right of the car was once occupied by Alec Wyatt, C W Bartholomew's engineer responsible for running of the BHMR.
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