‘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"


.

SMJ Forum

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.

North End and Warwick Road stations? 57 Replies

Some time ago we ahd an interesting and lively discussion on the mystery station at Tiffield, which added quite a lot to our collective knowledge.I've recently been looking closely at two of the other mystery stations- at North End (sometimes…Continue

Started by Barry Taylor. Last reply by Richard Maund Jan 27.

1873 timetable 4 Replies

Page 12 of Arthur Jordan's book features a full page reproduction of the E&WJ public timetable handbill for August 1873. Does anyone know where the original of that handbill is preserved?Incidentally, the timetable itself formed the basis of…Continue

Started by Richard Maund. Last reply by Barry Taylor Jan 25.

SMJ photos

  • Add Photos
  • View All
Hi,
I've just uploaded to the site a scan from an old glass negative, one of 15 I have recently purchased. I've identified a number of the images in the negatives as being from Hardingstone Northants. This particular image appears to be a family in front of a signal box - any idea if this is at or near Hardingstone Junction? The negs are from around 1890 I would estimate. Any information gratefully received. Thanks. Les Waters

Views: 703

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Should have added the link to the photo. It is here:
http://thesmjr.ning.com/photo/glassneg6-1
Les
Les
What a fascinating shot ! It looks like a Midland Railway box to me although there is not a lot to go on in terms of location. The Hardingstone Junction MR box (there was also an LNWR box then) in those days was on the opposite side of the foot crossing to the one that most of us will remember. It was on the Wellingborough (east) side of the foot crossing so this view, if it is Hardingstone, looks away from Northampton and across towards Hardingstone, assuming that the box steps were adjacent to the foot crossing, and not on the other end. My recollections of the area in the 1950/60's is that this particular view would have been across fields (there was a gravel pit later) and the buildings in the background do not look right. The next box up the (Midland) Bedford line was Piddington - not a long cycle ride from Hardingstone in those days - and the relevant view there would have been across into the yard behind the station buildings. This is perhaps a bit more likely?
I remember a local lantern slide show -quite a few years ago now - where there were two or three railway shots, and one was an LNWR train approaching Hardingstone Junction from Wellingborough. The other was a shot of Northampton Bridge Street station with the original signalbox on the platform, before it was moved across the road. Does anyone know where these slides are now - I'd love to get a print of them.
I've no idea where it was taken but my guess is that it is a posed picture of a proud railway worker, possibly a signalman, and his family. It might be celebrating a promotion for the worker or the opening of a new signalbox. By the time that the GC London Extention had been built and was ready for opening and at around the time that this picture was taken perhaps for the first time advances in photography had made such an occasion easily recordable by such photographers as S W A Newton who recorded every aspect of the making of the GCR. See L T C Rolt's excellent collection of Newton's work 'The Making of a Railway', everyone from the humble wheeltaper to Sam Fay himself are portrayed on and off duty. It concludes with a posed photo of the smartly uniformed stationmaster of Woodford & Hinton surrounded by his proud and haughty looking wife and with his mischevious faced children all in their Sunday best celebrating 'Father's' promotion to stationmaster of the newly opened station. There are other similar family groups of railwaymen portrayed at Calvert and Charlwelton.
Thanks guys for the very helpful comments. I've checked out a few other photos of Midland signal boxes and I can see the similarities (fillets in the corners of the windows, type of boarding and brackets bracing the platform at the top of the stairs. Are any photos of the box at Hardingstone known? Les
I've done some more work on this batch of old negatives and identified a number of them being of Moreton Pinkney and Eydon. If the signal box featured was near there, does anyone have any suggestions as to location please?

Thanks

Les

Les Waters said:
Thanks guys for the very helpful comments. I've checked out a few other photos of Midland signal boxes and I can see the similarities (fillets in the corners of the windows, type of boarding and brackets bracing the platform at the top of the stairs. Are any photos of the box at Hardingstone known? Les
Les

There was a signalbox at Mor(e)ton Pinkney on the SMJ and two nearby on the Great Central at Culworth GC (which was actually only about half a mile from Moreton Pinkney) and at Culworth Junction where the Banbury branch left the Central. As well as Newton taking lots of pictures of the Central, the daughter of Sir Henry Dryden of Canons Ashby House was a noted early local photographer around the Moreton Pinkney area. I don't know if she took any pictures of the railway, but Morton signalbox was within half a mile of her house and was rather Midland like in construction. There's a picture of it in Jordan's SMJ history it was north of the line, west of the station.

Dick
Les

Today since my previous response I've been going through all the books, magazines etc with pix of signalboxes around Northants and am still on the case. I'm thinking now that your original idea of the Hardingstone area might be nearer the mark. Sorry to have mislead with info about the Moreton Pinkney area. I've found pictures of Ravenstone Junction box and it's very similar, although clearly not the same as the one in your mystery picture, in particular it has windows identical to the one behind the man in your picture. Its different in design to those SMJ boxes that I have got pictures of. My best guess now is that its somewhere on the Northampton to Bedford branch, probably between Hardingstone Junction and Turvey. It's certainly not Northampton Bridge Street or Bedford Road Crossing boxes which were of a different design and on former LNWR territory, but it could also be somewhere on the long demolished Northampton St John's spur which was MR territory, or of course further afield on the MR.

Dick
Have narrowed it down a bit if its somewhere on the Northampton - Bedford route as seems likely considering some of Les' other negatives show Hardingstone. Have ruled out Bedford Road (tiny LNWR box), Hardingstone Junction (LNWR style box), Ravenstone Junction (from photographic evidence - wrong way around), Olney (brick base). This would leave Barry's suggestion of Piddington as number one possibility and Turvey (definitely all wooden Midland stye but much further away from Hardingstone) second most likely. Have I missed out any boxes? Just the top of Piddington box roof can be seen on the Around Northampton DVD, frustratingly the rest is hidden behind a train, I haven't found a still picture of it.
Dick
There's a picture of Piddington in "Steam Nostalgia Around Northampton" (Richard Coleman & Joe Rajczonek).
Although the SB is quite distant it looks like the steps are on the left hand side of the box, whereas on the glass negative they appear to be on the right hand side, unless the photo was taken from the back.

I don't know the line very well but I do know that there was a busy siding for the power station, which was locally called HJ (Hardingstone Junction), Was this siding off the Midland line, and if so was there a Midland box there in pre-grouping days?

Jim.




Dick said:
Have narrowed it down a bit if its somewhere on the Northampton - Bedford route as seems likely considering some of Les' other negatives show Hardingstone. Have ruled out Bedford Road (tiny LNWR box), Hardingstone Junction (LNWR style box), Ravenstone Junction (from photographic evidence - wrong way around), Olney (brick base). This would leave Barry's suggestion of Piddington as number one possibility and Turvey (definitely all wooden Midland stye but much further away from Hardingstone) second most likely. Have I missed out any boxes? Just the top of Piddington box roof can be seen on the Around Northampton DVD, frustratingly the rest is hidden behind a train, I haven't found a still picture of it.
Dick

Reply to Discussion

RSS

© 2024   Created by Andy Thompson.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service