‘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"
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.
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.
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.
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.
Sunday 1st May 2016 marks the 150th anniversary of the opening of Towcester Station on the Northampton to Banbury Railway, which occurred without any reportage in the local papers. The contractor building the railway was W Shrimpton, who employed hundreds of navvies and was probably unusually liberal in employing a ‘missionary’ to attend to the men’s spiritual needs. Those attending the missionary’s Sunday services met in the newly constructed Towcester Station House but this soon became too small to accommodate all who wanted to attend. So with the help from some other gentleman, Shrimpton had a wooden chapel erected (probably somewhere near the present Tesco store) to house over 200 people. For the opening of the chapel on Friday 22nd December 1865 he arranged for a large tent to be erected next to the new chapel and invited all those working on the line together with their wives children to an evening tea there. Towcester people were also invited and swelled the numbers attending to over 1000 persons. The inside had been decorated with Chinese lanterns, flags, evergreens and texts from the scriptures. more