History
The SMJR was formed by the amalgamation of four railways in 1909/10:
- Northampton & Banbury Junction Railway (NBJR), incorporated 28 July 1863, opened 1 June 1872, length 15.25 miles (24.5 km). Intended to tap the ironstone deposits near Blisworth, it ran from there to Cockley Brake Junction where connection was made for Banbury.
- East & West Junction Railway (E&WJR), incorporated 1864, opened Fenny Compton to Kineton 1 June 1871; Kineton to Stratford-upon-Avon 1 July 1873. On the latter day, extended eastward to join the NBJR near Towcester.
- Evesham, Redditch & Stratford-upon-Avon Junction Railway, incorporated 1873, opened 2 June 1879, length 7.5 miles (12 km). Westward extension of E&WJR to join the Midland Railway at Broom Junction.
- Stratford-upon-Avon, Towcester & Midland Junction Railway, opened 1891 from Towcester to a junction near Olney, Buckinghamshire, also Midland Railway. Unlike the other lines, this was intended mainly for passenger traffic, but this was short-lived in a sparsely-populated area. The line did however complete a cross-country link for Midland Railway lines.
On 1 January 1923 the SMJR was taken over by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMSR) and became an important asset to it, providing a direct route (avoiding Birmingham), between the western line hitherto owned by the Midland Railway and the main line south of Bedford. It was extensively used by excursion traffic between the two world wars. There was also a "race special" once a year to Towcester from London. In 1948 the SMJR became part of British Railways.
Read more about this topic: Stratford-upon-Avon And Midland Junction Railway
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