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Comment by Andy Thompson on November 28, 2009 at 13:49

A reply from David Blagrove.

Having given much thought to your conundrum, the only place locally that seems to fit the picture is the (still standing) bridge across the deep cutting of the N&BJR section of the SMJ between Gayton and Blisworth. The land near this bridge was certainly quarried for iron ore during the 19th Century, some of the ore being taken by tramways to the Grand Junction Canal, but there may have been small pits where the ore was taken out by road. In this case it would seem that carts were tipping from the roadway down a chute and into a rail-mounted tip truck, of a similar pattern to those used by railway contractors of the time. The tip truck then shot its content into something else, which I think could have been standard gauge wagons on the N&BJ. There may have been a temporary siding laid in to receive this ore, or else wagons were loaded in between service trains, although this seems a rather dubious process and not one to commend itself to the Railway Inspectorate!

Another possible location, a little further away, but still in the SMJ area, is where the Southam to Banbury road crosses the Oxford Canal near Fenny Compton. There were originally two short canal tunnels here which the Oxford Canal Co opened out in the 1860s, possibly at the same time as the construction of the E&WJR, for at this point the canal, the GWR and the E&WJR all ran parallel. The road bridge has been rebuilt today, but there was at one time a brickworks on the northern side of the cutting and this connected to the Oxford Canal by means of an inclined plane down the cutting side. The remains of this are still to be seen. Thus the staging could possibly have been intended for loading canal boats with ironstone, again brought by road from a local pit. The remains of the inclined plane are quite close to the main road bridge, but no so near as the loading chute seen here.

Thanks David!

Comment by Dick Bodily on November 24, 2009 at 20:28

Andy
David Blagrove needs to look at this one . I think the chutes are for loading boats on the Grand Union. They may or may not have been served by rail, David would know
Dick