‘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, 2025.
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, 2025.
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, 2025.
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, 2025.
SMJ photos
Woodford halse GCR
Stay with the 30/40 seconds of black to start with. Great shots of Byfield and the inside of the box
Add a Comment
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Comment by Dick Bodily on January 7, 2011 at 13:50
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Gary
Not as bad an error as that perpetuated on the SMJ - Shakespeare Route DVD where the River Tove is constantly mispronounced to rhyme with the bird dove rather than the town of Hove. Another frequent mispronounciation is to pronounce the 'l' in Olney rather than say 'O-nee'. And in the 60s ITV insisted on pronouncing Towcester as Thow-ses-ter when they used to broadcast the horse races. Still being a Northants lad yourself you'll appreciate that outsiders must have difficulty with some of the crazy official pronounciations we have for places:Bozeat (Bojut) and Cogenhoe (Cookno) spring to mind, let alone some of alternative names and complete mispronounciations locals use for places eg. Artleknock, Shanger, Silson, Biffuld, Farrickson, Culluth, Woodun etc.the list is endless.
Dick
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Comment by Stuart Ison on January 6, 2011 at 17:12
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You are correct Gary it is pronounced Kineton to rhyme with Chineton.
I live just down the road from there.
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Comment by Gary on January 4, 2011 at 11:30
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Nice video - wonder what we are missing in the 40 secs of blackness?
SM and J was interesting take on the name.
I never knew Kineton was pronounced "Kinnerton" we've always pronounced it "Kine-ton" as in Chine
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Peter
Many GC stations including Charwelton had loops. At Woodford there were several options for looping goods trains at both yards, but some of the smaller stations only had a single siding rather like certain SMJ stations. This location could well be Staverton Road where there was a special set back siding (on the up side only) where freights were set back if they were likely to get in the way of faster trains on the climb through Catesby Tunnel. If this was not likely to happen they would proceed to Charwelton and perhaps be put in the loop there if necessary.
Re. the Brit that looks like the parcels to me, although Brits were very occasionally still used on semi-fasts right up to the end.
Dick
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Great stuff.
Mixture of vintages but all interesting.
Presumably that was a Britannia at the end in poor condition. Was it on a parcels or the last knockings of the Marylebone to Nottingham service? I wonder where the freight loop was that the O4 set back into. I wonder why it had to set back rather than go straight in - after all the GCR was the most modern line.
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The 37 seen at the end was most probably on a York - Bournemouth cross country express about to take the Banbury line at Culworth Junction.
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