‘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
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SMJ photos
Surviving locos seen on the SMJR
As suggested by Dick, time for a new discussion on how many of the locos documented on SMJR metals be they "copped" or actually photographed still survive?
To date we have:
(UPDATED - 27 May 2010)
ex-LMSR
4P 4-4-0 41000 owned by NRM but on SVR out of service and on display but has run in preservation. RAILTOUR
4MT 2-6-0 43106 now on the SVR out of service but due back in late 2009 has run in preservation.
4F 0-6-0 43924 now on the KWVR undergoing restoration but has run in preservation.
4F 0-6-0 44123 now on Avon Valley Railway, Bristol undergoing restoration
5MT 4-6-0 45379 now on the Mid Hants
8F 2-8-0 48305 now on the GCR has run in preservation.
8F 2-8-0 48151 MAINLINE CERTIFIED! See SteamTube video of the reneactment of the 15 Guinea special
ex-GWR
28xx 2-8-0 2874 now on WSR (?) last known as up for sale and is unrestored having never run in preservation.
28xx 2-8-0 3822 currently at Didcot and has run in preservation.
28xx 2-8-0 3845 currently at Swindon & Cricklade
28xx 2-8-0 3862 currently at Northampton & Lamport
64xx 0-6-0PT 6435 now on B&WR and operational. RAILTOUR
"Manor" 4-6-0 7808 "Cookham Manor" now at Didcot but static has run in preservation.
"Modified Hall" 4-6-0 6989 "Whitewick Hall" at Quainton undergoing restoration has never run in preservation.
"Modified Hall" 4-6-0 7903 "Foremarke Hall" at G/WR has run in preservation.
"Modified Hall" 4-6-0 7927 "Willington Hall" at Llangollen dismantled & forming basis of "new build" 6880 "Betton Grange". Will never run as 7927 again so only tenuous survivor.
ex-LNER
B12 4-6-0 61572 on the NNR but undergoing a major overhaul. Has run in preservation. RAILTOUR
ex-BR
9F 2-10-0 92203 "Black Prince" currently active and at the Gloucester/Warwickshire Railway.
9F 2-10-0 92207 unrestored at Shillingstone Station. Still in scrapyard condition. Named "Morning Star" in 2007
9F 2-10-0 92212 has run in preservation - undergoing overhaul at MHR soon to be running again.
9F 2-10-0 92214 at MRC Butterly - was on ELR from 2006-08. Has run in preservation
9F 2-10-0 92219 at MRC Butterly - unrestored with only cosmetic treatment. Still in scrapyard condition.
9F 2-10-0 92220 owned by the NRM but at STEAM at Swindon
9F 2-10-0 92240 at Bluebell Railway awaiting restoration.
9F 2-10-0 92245 currently at Barry
Diesel - TOPS codes used for class.
08 0-6-0 D3059 operational(?) Claledonian Railway
Views: 337
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Dick Bodily on
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Gary
Nice one, good idea to list what is known so far as a baseline.
As far as I know the 8F (and possibly the 4F but not in my time) were the only regulars on normal SMJ line services. I recently added a picture of the 8F at Loughborough to this website. It was a Northampton shed engine as nearly all of the engines used east of Woodford West Junction were in the 60s.
43106 was shedded at Woodford for a time and did appear on the SMJ at least once but they mainly used their own WDs when not returning WR engines on freights through to Stratford South Curve. I think 2874 was a Canton loco, so it possibly ran on SMJ metals more than once along with engines from other Welsh sheds including Ebbw Junction which were frequently seen at Woodford shed. 92220 was also a Canton engine.
Dick
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Permalink Reply by Gary on
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Cheers Dick,
The info listed has come from pictures I've seen and info that has been posted on here so far although 2874 was listed in a national magazine as having run on SMJR metals. [Heritage Railway issue 120 pp22]
Perhaps I should have indicated if they were railtour duties... ((Done))
I suppose for a small line it isn't a bad tally so far is it?
G
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Gary
The Compound only visited on a railtour as well
Dick
Gary said:Cheers Dick,
The info listed has come from pictures I've seen and info that has been posted on here so far although 2874 was listed in a national magazine as having run on SMJR metals. [Heritage Railway issue 120 pp22]
Perhaps I should have indicated if they were railtour duties... ((Done))
I suppose for a small line it isn't a bad tally so far is it?
G
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Gary
Might have another one for you. D3059 ( previously 13059 and ended its BR career as 08049) was seen by yours truly at Blakesley in 1961. I believe that it was sold into preservation or industrial use in 1980. I don't have access to a book of preserved diesels, so I have no way of checking if it is still around.
Dick
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Gary
You can add D3059 to your list. I've since discovered it is preserved on the Caledonian Railway ( Brechin). It's painted BR green and has been named 'Brechin City' ! I believe it is operational too.
Dick
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Cheers Dick.
I have to say I was sat here yesterday wondering what diesels actually traversed the line and if any survived... Now at least we have one.
If you have any other numbers noted let me know & I will have a check.
ATVB
G
Dick said:Gary
You can add D3059 to your list. I've since discovered it is preserved on the Caledonian Railway ( Brechin). It's painted BR green and has been named 'Brechin City' ! I believe it is operational too.
Dick
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Gary
No other numbers, but remember seeing a 12000 series one and have a nagging doubt about whether a Type 2 Sulzer ever appeared on a freight from Blisworth. Updated class list coming out soon.
Dick
Gary said:Cheers Dick.
I have to say I was sat here yesterday wondering what diesels actually traversed the line and if any survived... Now at least we have one.
If you have any other numbers noted let me know & I will have a check.
ATVB
G
Dick said:Gary
You can add D3059 to your list. I've since discovered it is preserved on the Caledonian Railway ( Brechin). It's painted BR green and has been named 'Brechin City' ! I believe it is operational too.
Dick
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As seen on Steam Tube "our" 9F 92212 is going back together http://steamtube.ning.com/photo/9f-92212-going-back-together
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With the update I realised I have a picture of suvivor 92214:
http://steamtube.ning.com/photo/exbr-2100-9f-class-no-92214-3?conte...
Anyone got any more?
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Can't prove this one, but the NRMs 2818 was photographed on Woodford Shed on 27th September 1963, just days before its withdrawal. At the time it was allocated to Ebbw Junction so it most likely arrived via the SMJ rather than via Banbury as Welsh Sheds Ebbw Vale and Canton often provided engines for workings along the SMJ to Woodford. One that got away!
Still it's less tenous than my suggestiion that fellow NRM loco LNWR Jumbo 'Hardwicke' could quite conceivably have been used on the SMJ. Its sister engines were and I believe it was a frequent visitor to Northampton shed towards the end of its illustrious career and may have even been allocated there for a while.
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48305 at Loughborough nowadays, once an SMJR regular when allocated to 2E.
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