‘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
magnet fishing
Hi everyone, yesterday I did some magnet fishing with the grandchildren from the SMJ bridge over the river Tove in Towester, to great excitement of the children (and myself) we pulled out three chair screws and a rivet which looked similar in style…Continue
Started by Steve Camm yesterday.
One of the best preserved SMJ bridges? 1 Reply
I was at Ettington the other day and apart from the good shed, which has had a lot of money spent on it including full glazing, the station building is still there. But my attention went to the station bridge (No. 73?) which is in very good…Continue
Started by John Evans. Last reply by Andy Thompson on Sunday.
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 Jun 16.
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 Jun 16.
SMJ photos
The very last train to leave Stratford upon Avon ex SMJ station.
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Comment by alwyn sparrow on May 1, 2020 at 11:18
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Comment by Michael Badger MBE on April 21, 2020 at 9:00
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I was a passenger with my mother on this train when departing from Kineton...l think it was 5th April 1952...As it was 68 years ago, my memory is very sketchy....l do remember my mother taking morning coffee in the hostelry by the Blisworth Station....we eventually arrived in Northampton St. John's? I presume we had to cross the main line (WCML) to take a train into Northampton...l can recall as we left Kineton, how quickly the train accelerated towards Fenny Compton and on the downward curved descent towards Bedlam looking towards Dodds Farm...l have a feeling the Mayor of Stratford upon Avon travelled from the Old Town, Stratford on the trains footplate as far as Ettington....l can imagine the engine attacking the long drag upto Goldicote, barking out with gusto...sad as it is, as we age it is nice to look to reflect on memories...
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Comment by Tony Newman on March 15, 2020 at 15:14
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Oh, the nostalgia!
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The two men shown on the footplate were (right) my cousin Ted, the fireman, and 'Tacker' Harris, a 'number checker', who had come along for the ride. The driver was Ernie(?) Smith.
The Northampton train and the Stratford train met at Byfield. The crews then swapped trains, and returned to Stratford and Blisworth respectively.
Brian Hewins
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Comment by Andy Thompson on October 14, 2012 at 18:59
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Dick
Yes it is one of my own photos. It was not a good afternoon weather wise and it had been raining for most of that morning. Light for colour slides was very flat. I don't recall whether Tom Williams was around that day. His b/w negs do not record the event unless there are any uncatalogued negs around. By that time Tom had personal problems and his railway photo output had all but gone. He was one of a generation who would often choose not to photograph a subject in poor light even if the occasion was important. Many of the early well known "names" in the 1950's had that view and it is most frustrating that they refused to photo anything in bad light or if they did they would junk the result!! I have a few of Tom's colour slides that he gave me because he was going to bin them because they were not up to his exacting standards although today they are perfectly exposed Kodachrome and priceless in record value. I am somewhat guilty myself because my very early efforts as a 10 year old with a borrowed box camera were nearly all thrown away in the early sixties because I didn't want my peers to see them. I now throw nothing out which is why I am looking for an elastic sided house!!
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Comment by Dick Bodily on October 13, 2012 at 13:10
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John
Great picture, is this one of your own or is it one of T Williams or someone else's.
Best wishes
Dick
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The very last departure from Stratford upon Avon Old Town Station.
© 2026 Created by Andy Thompson.
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