Over the last couple of months I have been re-visiting the Woodford Halse and Charwelton area. The last time was on the 30th anniversary of the closure. I have memories of firing steam trains between Banbury and Woodford Halse and watching it being run down over the final couple of years. It has always remained a favourite place with me but also the whole of the GCR in general and visited many well-know parts over the years.

I have formed a set of web pages on my…

An irregular publication is the magazine "British Railway Journal". (Cygnet Magazines Ltd)

Edition number 79 has just come out (April 2018)  (£10.95) and a most interesting article by Chris Turner, complete with period photographs for all those interested in Blisworth.

I would like to be included aswell.

Bit of advance notice, but on April 30th 2016, it will be 150 years since the opening of Blisworth - Towcester line.

Surely worth a celebration of some sort / get together at the Blisworth/Towcester end?

Graham Campion

Fellow Members

The Branch Line  Society in conjunction with CHiltern Railways are running a rail trip this Saturday from Birmingham Moor Street. The trip in a 168 will be covering numerous loops and sidings between Aynho Junction and Stourbridge including many around Banbury Station that are due to be removed with the soon to be started resignalling scheme there.

For particular interest to SMJ fans will be the two loops at Fenny Compton and a trip up the SMJ as far as…

Unidentified B.R. Standard 75xxx was in fact Leicester Midland's 75060. (Photo has been found!).

Further locomotives I managed a footplate ride on at Towcester around 1960/1, were 44239, 44522 and 44535. (Old notebook located).

Hi All

I have been building Towcester junction for the last 3 years in my loft I still have a lot to do.

at present I am looking for information on the push pull auto train, details of the Webb engin 2 4 2 T 5' 6"

Just noticed that it will be fifty years on 3rd February 2014 since the Woodford West-Blisworth Ironstone Mine section closed completely.  Wonder if Tesco could be persuaded to put a plaque up to commemorate it?    

Does anyone know when the last freight operated through Towcester, presumably week ending Saturday 1st February.

I got to know the station well at the beginning of the sixties on summer holiday's at my grandparents (Grandad had worked on the SMJ and its predecessors…

03.01%20SMJ%20Railway%20W%20H%20Pettifer.doc 

02.03%20Stratford%20Transport%20references.doc

03.05%20Lost%20Railways%20of%20Warwickshire%20by%20Geoffrey%20Kingscott.doc…

My collection of books specifically about the SMJ totals just seven - and two of these are versions of the same book. But if you are thinking of starting a collection of SMJ books, which ones should you buy?

Book No 1: I started back in 1962 with The Stratford-upon-Avon & Midland Junction Railway by J.M. Dunn (Oakwood Press 1952). It can't have been too popular as I was able to buy a new copy ten years after it was printed, from…

I've been in touch with forum member Gary who organised last winter's Grand tour. I've suggested we could complete it this winter with the addition of some other sites with S.M.J. 

connections. I've no doubt Gary will post details in due course.

Alwyn.

Hi all,

Just found a site with free view of all the 1945-1947 O.S. maps

The link to the Banbury map showing all the lines is:

http://maps.nls.uk/os/view/?sid=74466944

The SMJ is actually marked LM&SR  Stratford on Avon & Midland Junc. Line!

Barry

I'm looking forward to meeting members attending this second get together. After all the effort that Andy puts into the society & organising this event, I feel he deserves the support of members so please come along and meet your fellow S.M.J. enthusiasts on the 11th June.

Alwyn.

Peter

According to fellow forum member Kevin Moore whom I met last weekend there is still one line in use and he commented that two 37 class loco's coupled had traversed the branch very recently.

Alwyn.

Lovely photo of a bridge weight limit sign. Did you know that there is still one in place on a bridge at Kineton? and is it not very similar? If no-one else has a photo of it, I will try to get down there and take one to post for you!

Regards, Adam.

Well we completed the tour with all station,s apart from Salcey Forest, and junctions, apart from Ravenstone Wood, visited.

We've covered some miles by road and a few by foot too.

I have finally managed to complete the upload of the photos from the latest one and that has been a task and a half.

In doing so I have tried to give folks the best of the tour and most if not all of the relics we found. As I said last time, we took nothing but photos and all we found was left…