‘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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Blisworth - Towcester ETS working

Electric train staff equipment had been brought into use between Blisworth and Towcester by 9 August 1910 (date of SMJR minute 451 (TNA file RAIL 674/3)) and presumably the new signal box at Blisworth appeared at the same time. In that this was so…Continue

Started by Richard Maund on Saturday.

Blisworth 1920

SMJ board minute 1474 of 13 April 1921 (TNA file RAIL 674/4) approved that “the following expenditure be charged to Capital” for year 1920: “Blisworth: Signalling and alterations to Permanent Way, Improvements and additional signalling: £800”. In…Continue

Started by Richard Maund on Saturday.

Evesham Redditch & Stratford-upon-Avon Junction Railway 8 Replies

Did this railway (as opposed to the East & West Junction Railway) go into receivership - if so, when. And when did it come out of receivership?Continue

Started by Richard Maund. Last reply by Richard Maund Feb 11.

Bidford-on-Avon 5 Replies

Shall we bring this discussion under the proper heading!So far as the OS plan surveyed 1885, published 1886, is concerned: the OS liked - wherever they could - to have text running parallel to the top and bottom borders. When they came to add the…Continue

Started by Richard Maund. Last reply by Richard Maund Feb 10.

SMJ photos

Stoke Bruerne

A fabulous day at Stoke Bruerne, despite no model layouts being on show unlike the year previous, but the discussion between some of the SMJ members who attended was as is with the forum web page, facininating as always.

I was taken in by the SMJ (or earlier edition) rule book pertaining to "no loco's to be run bunker first..." which seems to indicate that the quality of the SMJ trackbed was not too clever at the best of times, relating this to my 'O' gauge loco of a Beyer Peacock 2-4-0, one has to watch the point work & track radii when running this model, the full size versions may not have ridden too well either.

The distance between centres between the pony wheels & 'First' driver seems to be the culprit, my model is heavily weighed down (& balanced) but how well the actual loco's performed on SMJ's track is another but arguable guess to the factors with this loco type being a choice for sale to the WD in WW1?

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