Memories of the Stratford Midland Junction Railway
and other local lines or industrial railways
John Jennings' Memories
The Railways of Stratford upon Avon in the 1950s
John R Jennings, SMJ Archivist
Although I was not from a 'railway family' I developed an
interest in the local transport scene from a very early age. This interest grew
into that of a life time railway enthusiast which I am pleased to recollect
meant much of what I saw in my early years was a unique snapshot of the end of
the steam era before road transport developed a stranglehold. The railway was
still a very important part of the life of our English market town and until
the end of the decade the working methods and the men involved were more or
less the same as they had been in the previous thirty years. I am aware that it
is easy to confuse the casual reader by making references to once familiar
places by more than one name. This is because the evolution of the railways saw
changes of location names and company names often perpetuated long after they
had technically disappeared! The names used by railway employees often depended
on their age and length of service. Some locations were known by a local name
although that name was never officially given. I will also not dwell on railway
technicalities to any great extent as they are well documented in various
publications. In my writings on the Stratford area I will attempt to use the
same names wherever possible and there follows a paragraph or two that will set
the scene.
Until 1952 Stratford had two passenger stations,
Stratford upon Avon General was the title used by the Western Region of
British Railways to identify the ex GWR station adjacent to the cattle
market on Alcester Road. The title appeared in official BR WR documents in a
haphazard way throughout the fifties and sixties and did appear on some ticket
stock. The station signs were never changed possibly because the other station
closed to passengers in April 1952. This station was the one that most
Stratfordians and railwaymen always called 'Old Town' although with one
very late exception the title was never conferred officially. It would also be
referred to as the LMS or the SMJ. Sited at the end of College Lane this
station had been owned by several different companies since 1864 but the most
affectionately remembered was the Stratford upon Avon and Midland Junction
Railway. Always known as the SMJ this company was the final legal
amalgamation of various predecessors. The SMJ only existed from 1910 to 1922
when the 'grouping' forced upon the railways by the Government took place. From
1922 until nationalisation Old Town station and the former SMJ route between
Blisworth and Broom Junction became part of the LMSR and after 1947 was part of
the London Midland Region of British Railways. I will normally refer to the ex
GWR station simply as Stratford and to the ex SMJ station and the surrounding
yards as Old Town.
Key locations that I knew well have changed in appearance
over the past fifty years. Evidence of railway ownership on the SMJ route and
on the GWR route south of Alcester Road Bridge are now almost eradicated except
for the bridges and major earthworks. Landmarks in the text should be noted as
follows. In the north to south direction on the GW line. (In railway terms this
was the down direction).
Great Western
Railway
Bishopton Bridge. This was a
hump backed brick bridge taking Bishopton Lane over the line about a mile &
a half north of Stratford station. It has now been replaced with a modern
structure. There were clear views of the line over open country in both
directions from the top of this bridge.
Stratford East Signal Box.
Normally open continuously this box controlled the goods loop and junctions to
the north end of Stratford station. It also controlled access to the goods yard
adjacent to the gas works, the Ministry Cold Store and the locomotive shed.
Canal Bridge. There were two
parallel bridges over the Stratford canal about a hundred yards past the East
Box. One carried the main running lines, the other carried the goods loop and a
carriage siding. In the centre waste ground on the station side of these
bridges was a WW2 air raid shelter and a single story wooden mess hut used by
goods guards waiting to change shift on through freight trains. The GWR had
owned the Stratford Canal and the large iron pipe carried along the running
line bridge was to convey water from the canal to the various locomotive
watering towers.
Cold Store. Situated at the
rear of Platform 3 in its own compound was a Wartime Ministry Cold Store and
associated buildings. This area is now a supermarket.
Locoshed. A small, two track,
brick built engine shed was situated on the eastern side of the goods loop
between the canal and the land at the back of Western Rd. There was a large
water tower on top of the loco coaling stage on the shed site. An additional
siding lay along the western side of the shed.
Stratford Station. Still in
use but now a terminus since the closure of the Honeybourne line south of
Stratford upon Avon in 1976. The substantial brick building and canopies
erected by the GWR on the central platform has been demolished. The GWR built
footbridge and buildings on Platform 1 survive.
Stratford West Signal Box. Not
normally open at night this box was situated on the west side of the line
immediately under the Alcester Road Bridge. There was a large water tower
adjacent. The box controlled access to the south end of the station and a long
carriage siding that ran parallel to the up line as far as the second Shottery
Fields Crossing.
Shottery Fields Crossings.
Between Alcester Road Bridge and Evesham Road Crossing were two public rights
of way both starting in Albany Road and leading to Shottery Fields these
crossed the railway on boarded crossings protected by kissing
gates.
Evesham Road Crossing. A fully
gated level crossing controlled by an adjacent signal box on the town side
known as Evesham Road Crossing. The box was replaced with a large modern
structure alongside the original as a result of modernisation works in 1959-60.
It was open continuously.
Sanctus Road Bridge. This was
a humped brick bridge taking the road over the line. It has been replaced with
a modern structure that now carries Sanctus Road over the road that has been
built on the track bed.
S M Junction Signal Box. About
100 yards south of Sanctus Rd was the junction that allowed traffic to
interchange between the Old Town station yard and the GW line. It was more
often referred to as Sanctus Road Box although the title was
unofficial. It was only manned for a few hours a day and closed completely in
June 1960. Although it was demolished within weeks of closure it appeared in
official working timetables for at least two years longer!
SMJ Bridge. About a quarter
mile from S M Junction the Old Town Broom Junction line crossed the GW
on a single span steel bridge.
Racecourse Platform.
Immediately after the SMJ Bridge the GW line was provided with rudimentary
cinder and wood platforms to allow trains to stop whenever there was a meeting
at the adjoining racecourse. The southern junction of the 1960 chord line
making a through route from Old Town Station to the south was situated just
past the end of the Racecourse Platform.
The Stannells. The final
landmark within Stratford as the line went south was the substantial iron
bridge over the river Avon.
Stratford & Midland Junction Railway
Clifford Sidings. Running from
East to West the SMJ single track became double line just before the town
boundary at Clifford Sidings Signal Box. This was about a quarter mile east of
where the line passed under the Stratford - Oxford trunk road and the footpath
that was once the route of the Stratford and Moreton Tramway.
Avon Bridge. The substantial
brick bridge adjacent to Lucys Mill carried the SMJ over the Avon and
into Old Town Station. Strengthened during the works associated with the 1960
chord line this bridge now carries a road.
Old Town Station. Looking west
the main buildings were on the northern side and the locomotive shed and water
tower behind Platform 2 on the southern side. The present road passes more or
less between the platforms. These were further apart than was normal. Traces of
Platform 1 were extant in 2001.
Grain Silo. There had been a
long siding into Lucys Mill since early times but during WW2 a large
grain silo was provided by the Ministry on land between Old Town station and
the Mill.
Old Town Signal Box. An older
box survived on Platform 1 as a store but the box that was in use in the
fifties up to June 1960 was off the end of that platform. It controlled all
movements associated with Old Town station and yard. Looking west the SMJ line
to Broom reduced to single track and carried straight on up the grade over SMJ
Bridge. The through connection to the GW line at S M Junction swung to the
right (north) through the goods yard. In 1959-60 a direct chord line was built
diverging left (south) just past the signal box to connect with the GW line
just past the Racecourse Platform. Opened in June 1960 this chord provided
through running from the SMJ line to Cheltenham and South Wales. The line to
Broom closed when this chord was opened.
SMJ Bridge. Already identified
on the trip along the GW line this was a stiff climb for Broom bound trains as
they climbed up over the GW only to run downhill again towards Luddington with
Stratford Cemetery on the right.
Great Western
Railway
My observations at Stratford station had started in the late
1940s when my Grandmother took me on outings there to observe the activities.
By 1953 I was visiting the station regularly on my own and without the need to
always buy a platform ticket there were a number of vantage points. One was
looking through the fence at the end of Platform 1 immediately adjacent to
Alcester Road Bridge. There was an engine water crane on the platform end and
several times an hour a locomotive would be taking water here. The fireman
would often lean against the fence whilst waiting for the tank to fill and pass
the time of day with any train enthusiasts present. The railways were still
legally a 'common carrier' and this meant that they had to accept all traffic
offered to them. Stratford station handled passengers and parcels but heavy
goods traffic was dealt with at the goods depot in Birmingham Road and at Old
Town. There was a steady stream of railway goods delivery lorries in and out of
the parcels office loading area that was situated in the centre of the
buildings on Platform 1. Some larger parcel traffic was brought up from
Birmingham Road depot as there was little time to unload it from railway
vehicles on the busy through route of Platform 1. At the far northern end of
the buildings on that platform were two iron gates that were constantly in use
by Royal Mail vans. My Uncle Bill was a postman and he would often reverse his
red Morris van up to these gates to exchange mail traffic that the porters had
piled onto the sturdy four-wheel platform trolleys. Mail was carried in the
guards compartment of passenger trains and bags for nearby towns such as
Birmingham or Leamington could be loaded at relative leisure because those
services would sit in the back platforms for a while once the loco had run
around and cleared Platform 1.
It was a different matter with the through services calling
at Stratford on their way to the West Country or South Wales. They were only
booked to stop for a couple of minutes but if there were a lot of mailbags this
could hold them for longer. There was one Birmingham Cardiff express
that called at around 4.20pm that was regularly held up with the locomotive
blowing off steam under the Alcester Road Bridge while mail traffic was dealt
with. If I was at the vantage point mentioned above I would often hear the
driver call to his mate that there was no need to hurry up with the locomotive
watering because those bloody postman have got barrow loads again! This was the
first time I could recall hearing a broad Welsh accent as on alternate weeks
this train had a Cardiff crew. The common carrier requirement occasionally
produced some interesting traffic. There was a loading dock siding next to
Platform 1 that terminated just before the post office gates. Road access was
by driving straight ahead past the booking office into the paved yard that was
next to the cattle market boundary. The porters would often tip me off that
something special was coming to this siding and on more than one occasion I
witnessed the unloading of circus animals that were visiting the town. There
would be regular horsebox traffic particularly on race or hunt meeting days.
Scenery vans for touring theatrical companies and British Railway's own
publicity cinema carriage also used this busy siding. At certain times of the
year the guards compartments of local trains arriving from the Birmingham
area carried seemingly enormous quantities of pigeon baskets. It was a
traditional and lucrative trade for the railway because all they had to do was
unload the baskets onto the station trolleys, wheel them to the platform end
where they were clear of the canopies and then open the baskets to allow the
pigeons to fly home. Each basket had its owner's name on it and detail of the
return station to send back the empties. Part of the service was that the
porter had to fill in the release time on the card label. The porters were
often glad of the willing help offered by someone like myself particularly when
there were dozens of these baskets to attend to.
Passenger traffic was heavy with regular local trains to
Evesham, Worcester, Leamington Spa and Birmingham. In order to appreciate the
way of working I will describe the typical traffic of the station. Local
passenger trains normally consisted of two or three non-corridor coaches hauled
by an ex GW tank engine. All trains from the north had to arrive at Platform 1
regardless of whether they were terminating or running through. On the
terminating trains the locomotive would have to 'run round' its train and be
shunted over into the Back Platform ready to form a return service to where it
had come from. The Back Platform was split numerically into Platforms 3 & 4
although it was all one long platform. Two local trains could be easily held in
its length often with one heading south to Worcester and another waiting to go
north to Birmingham or Leamington. Running a loco round its train involved
cooperative work and slick operation by the signalmen in both East and West
boxes. If the main up platform (Platform 2) was clear the loco would uncouple,
run forward under Alcester Rd to a point just before the first Shottery Fields
crossing. The West Box crossover would be set to cross the loco to the up line
and it would run the length of the station to a point near the canal bridge.
The East Box crossover would then be set to pass the loco back to the down line
and to run into Platform 1 to couple up to its train. It was now sat pointing
the 'wrong' way in Platform 1, which, as the only available down arrival line
was always busy. To clear this train into one of the back platforms the
signalmen would either let it propel back under Alcester Rd again and repeat
the crossing procedure to the up side but this time with the West Box setting
the route into the back line, or, if there was no arriving train held waiting
to access Platform 1, it was more convenient to pull forward through the East
Box crossover and then reverse into the Back Platform line.
The advantage of the latter was that only the East Box was
involved in the proceedings and there was less work on the instruments and
booking register entries in the two boxes! A local arriving from the south and
terminating would usually be directed into the Back Platform. There was a
special type of signal mounted on the gantry just outside the West Box that
indicated to the driver that he could proceed with caution into the Back
Platform but that it was not clear as another train was occupying the northern
half of it. The procedure was known as 'calling on'. There was a separate loop
line around the rear of the Back Platform so as long as Platform 3 was clear
the loco from a Worcester arrival could draw forward and then run round this
rear loop. This avoided using the down main line through Platform 1. All of
this activity was discharged at a very quick pace with the loco buffering up to
its train whilst the fireman was stood in the track waiting to couple up, it
looked very scary to those unfamiliar with the procedure but I never saw or
heard of an injury. Until about 1957 all local trains were steam hauled except
for the occasional visit of one of the ex GWR AEC diesel railcars that
sometimes turned up on the Worcester services. They were regarded as a novelty
by railway watchers who then had no idea of the changes that were imminent.
Although most local services terminated a few ran from
Worcester to Leamington via Stratford as through trains although they did not
call at all of the smaller Halts en route especially between Stratford and
Worcester. Apart from the express services a most important train was the daily
Worcester Shrub Hill Birmingham Snow Hill semi fast via Stratford. It
was used by professional commuters to the Birmingham area and left Stratford
for many years at 8.32am. It ran via Solihull rather than taking the more usual
route via Henley in Arden in order to take advantage of the quicker running on
the four track main line north of Lapworth. The station staff would always be
anxious to get this train away on time and it was the one non-express working
of the day that regularly got the Stratford stationmaster out on the platform.
The corresponding return working was booked away to Worcester at just after
6.30pm in the evening. Many of the regular passengers on this train were high
ranking regional British Railways staff who worked in the offices at Snow Hill
or New Street and the station staff were well aware of the consequences of
causing them inconvenience!
The through express trains consisted of services to the west
of England and South Wales. In winter months there was one 'Cornishman' train a
day that commenced at Wolverhampton and called at major stations all the way to
Penzance. It conveyed a restaurant car and often loaded to over ten coaches. In
the summer months weekday traffic was heavier and a second train followed the
main service at about a twenty minutes interval. The destination for this
service was Torquay and Kingswear and it relieved space on the main train. The
down Cornishman left Stratford at around 10.15am and the up working
at around 6.25pm. The South Wales trains started at Birmingham and called at
the main stations to Cardiff via Stratford and Gloucester. Depending on the
time of year there were two or three in each direction daily and they had a
buffet car rather than a full restaurant car. Before describing the scene on a
busy summer Saturday I will now put the freight traffic into the picture as
Stratford was a very busy through route for several traffic flows. To
understand the operational problems faced by the local railwaymen the physical
nature of the GW route needs further description. The approach to Stratford
from the south was on a fairly easy gradient as the line crossed the Avon at
the Stannells and swept over the flood plain, past the racecourse and on into
Stratford. At the end of Platform 2 the grade changed and as the line swung
round and over the canal it was on a stiff climb all the way to Wilmcote and
continued to climb at a lesser rate almost to Danzey on the North Warwickshire
route. The line to Leamington diverted at Bearley West Junction and was not so
severe. All trains going north that were in excess of a certain load were
entitled to be assisted by a 'banking' locomotive pushing them at the rear end.
In the case of passenger trains unless there was some malfunction with the main
train loco the banker would buffer up at the rear of the train whilst it was
stopped in Platform 2 and when the lead loco was ready to set off he would
sound a series of 'cock crows' on his whistle, the banker would then literally
push as hard as possible for about the first mile or so to give the train a
good start off.
The banker was never coupled up to the train he was pushing
so he dropped off before leaving the area under the control of Stratford East
Box and then drifted backwards usually stopping opposite the box so that the
signalman could shout across instructions for the next job. If there was a
'sick' locomotive on the front of a passenger train the banker would stay with
him all the way to Wilmcote and in the case of freight trains it was normal for
them to be banked to Wilmcote or even Bearley West Junction. Until the late
1950s there was one locomotive allocated solely for banker duties whilst
another was provided for shunting the goods yard at Birmingham Road and running
interchange trips to and from Old Town Yard. In order to be ready for its next
duty the bank loco would normally wait in the short overrun to the carriage
siding outside the West Box. As soon as a train requiring assistance had
cleared Alcester Road Bridge the bank loco could be released to move into
position at the rear of the train. There was often no great hurry as the train
loco nearly always needed to take water from the water crane situated at the
northern end of Platform 2. It was this constant blocking of the up platform
that also caused variations in the way local trains were run round. At night if
the West Box was not in use (switched out was the official term) the bank loco
could not access the rear of the train requiring assistance in the way
previously described. If a heavy freight were to stop for water at Platform 2
it would be difficult if not impossible for it to restart on the curving
gradient without the banker so they ran through and came to a stop for water at
a water crane that was situated at the side of the up line to the north of the
East Box, this crane was fed from the tank at the entrance to the goods loop.
This meant that the rear of the train would be clear of the crossover just
north of the platforms and the banker could run across from the down line at
that location all under the control of Stratford East. After about 11.30pm
there were no passenger trains to hinder freight operations and I can recall
many still nights lying in my bed at Eastfield Close and listening to the
whistle crowing and exhaust beats of both locos as they set off towards
Wilmcote. I could hear the change in the sharp exhaust notes as they briefly
muffled under Bishopton Bridge by which time they were well in their stride up
the bank.
Many freight trains consisted of a variety of trucks, closed
vans, flat wagons and tankers and carried all manner of goods. Others were
dedicated to just one load and going south most days I saw several trains of
steel hopper trucks filled with orange iron ore. These had originated in the
quarries of Northamptonshire or Oxfordshire and were bound for South Wales.
There was an equivalent number of empties going the other way of course. It
took me some time to understand why coal seemed to be taken in trainloads in
both directions. Apparently it was all to do with the suitability of certain
grades of coal for specific jobs with Welsh coal heading north to the furnaces
of the Black Country and the softer coals from the Midlands collierys heading
south and west for the domestic market. Stratford was a destination for several
grades of coal with the demands of the gas works, the locomotive shed and the
house coal merchants. Wharburton's coal merchants unloaded their house coal
from a siding at Birmingham Road Goods depot whilst Dingley's and the Co-Op
handled their coal at the Old Town Yard. I never saw any sort of mechanical aid
used for unloading, the coal was shovelled by hand into strong hessian sacks
that were placed on a large set of Avery scales. When full they would be lifted
by hand on to a flatbed lorry for local deliveries. Some of the trucks that had
brought coal into town were used to take away coke from the gas works and ash
from the locomotive shed. Ash and cinders had commercial value and large
quantities were sold for public works use. The last remaining commercial user
of Clifford Sidings was an ash merchant who obtained his supplies from
Leamington loco shed after Stratford shed closed in the early sixties. There
was at least one dedicated parcels train that ran from Birmingham to Swindon
and back overnight and spent some time exchanging parcels traffic stood at
Platform 1 while the loco took on water.
British Railways operated the classic three shift system
that went back to the early days of the railways which were 6.00am
2.00pm; 2.00pm 10.00pm and 10.00pm 6.00am. By allowing a little
bit of welcome overtime at the beginning and end of the day the station staff
only worked the two day shifts with each man working one week late and the next
early. After the last passenger train at night had been dealt with the foreman
would lock the booking hall and parcels gates but leave open the post office
gates so that the Royal Mail could continue to operate with the overnight
parcels trains. The signalmen, loco crews and goods guards all worked the three
shifts system. Each man had his grade and promotion within grades was governed
by seniority based on length of service as much as ability. I estimate that
around four hundred men were full time railway employees based in the Stratford
area in all departments. There was only one Station Master, a position held at
the time by Mr Bright, who normally seemed to work daytime office hours but
would pop in to the station during the course of an evening several times a
week. I believe the booking office staff were salaried and came under the
direct control of the Station Master as did the refreshment room ladies. The
busy booking office had a head clerk who appeared to work a similar pattern to
his boss plus at least two other clerks one of whom was a junior. I nearly
joined British Railways in 1960 in that then vacant junior job. In addition to
the issue of tickets the booking office staff made up and issued the wage
packets to the non-salaried men in all grades in the area. There was a second
ticket window in the small booking hall and at the end of the week there would
be a steady stream of men calling there to collect their wages. The practical
running of Stratford station was in the hands of the two shift foremen who
supervised a team of ticket collectors, porters, parcels office staff, shunters
and cleaners. Passenger guards signed on at the station but all locomotive
grades reported to the loco shed. I believe that the small messing shed
adjacent to the Stratford East starting signal near the air raid shelter served
as a signing on point for the Goods Guards. The road transport drivers reported
to Birmingham Road Goods Depot. In the yard opposite the loading dock were
several huts and timber buildings used by the platelayer gangs.
Another full time job was that of Bill Poster. This man was
responsible for the pasting up of the many advertising and weekly notices on
hoardings throughout railway property in the town and on some of the nearby
rural stations. In the summer he would have his work cut out as seaside
excursions would be a weekly affair and the 'zbills' as they were always called
had to be kept current. I remember overhearing one of the foremen ticking off
the Billposter one afternoon following a complaint. I gathered that one of the
Birmingham office commuters that used the 8.32am was in the Railway Commercial
Dept at Snow Hill and noted any outdated or torn posters on the wayside
stations during his journey. On this occasion something was not to his liking
at Wilmcote and he had tipped off the foreman that morning! One thing that was
evident to a regular observer was that despite such small irritations all of
the railway men got on well together and seemed to like their job. It was still
only ten years or so since nationalisation but on the Western Region little had
changed. Stratford station was still in all but name a creature of the GWR with
the old pride in the job very much in place. All of the men like their
colleagues on the Royal Mail wore a full uniform and whilst the platelayers and
loco men would often of necessity be dirty the grades that faced the travelling
public were always immaculate with polished footwear and spotless uniforms. The
ticket collectors and passenger guards often sported seasonal buttonholes taken
from their own gardens. In addition to the older, ex GWR men, by the late 1950s
there were several younger men in their late twenties who had become railwaymen
on leaving their enforced two years period of National Service. Some had come
from a railway family so had just followed tradition but many had been
recruited in their pre de-mob weeks by a British Railways employment team. They
found the offer of a secure, uniformed job with a pension an attraction in the
late forties and early fifties but by the end of the decade things were
changing. As I grew up and was able to grasp more of the contemporary scene I
realised that by the late 1950s many of the familiar faces around Stratford
station were disappearing, there was the odd death in service but the main
reason was that the old hands were retiring and the young men were leaving the
Railway service because of the attractions of higher wages and shorter hours
being offered in the factories of Coventry and Birmingham. By 1959 this
shortage of labour particularly in the skilled grades was having an effect on
the operation of services. There was another event that also contributed to the
local railway labour problems and I remember being told of the complex history
behind it by one of the ex SMJ men.
After the cessation of passenger services into Old Town the
loco shed there had been retained for freight duties and a team of goods guards
plus the signalmen and goods yard staff all 'signed on' for duty as before. The
loco shed at Old Town was finally closed in 1958 when the few remaining loco
responsibilities were transferred to the GW shed. The men based at Old Town
were told that they would be transferring to similar duties on the Western
Region at Stratford GW. Now with the labour situation as it was this would seem
to be a good move by the railway management but it caused a lot of ill feeling
and problems. I have already mentioned that railway jobs were heavily dependent
on 'seniority' or less politely 'dead man's shoes' whereby promotion was slow
and regulated by complex agreements between employer and unions going back many
years. Some of the younger men at Stratford GW had just started to see some
promotion when suddenly a group of men with much greater service were
transferred into their ranks. The cosy atmosphere that had existed at Old Town
meant that the ex LMS and few remaining SMJ men were long serving and
immediately filled the more senior grades. Some of the GW men were demoted back
to jobs (and pay) that they thought they had left behind whilst others could
see a longer wait for promotion. It would have been bad enough if the newcomers
had been from another part of the ex GW system but these were LMS men and that
really poured salt on the wound! This event accelerated the departure of
several of the younger fit and capable men out of railway service for good.
I have included the previous two paragraphs to set the scene
before describing the events that took place on a typical Saturday in
summertime at Stratford station. There were a number of enthusiastic observers
of the railway scene at that time. I was one of about six local schoolboys all
in our early teens plus several adults including railway photographer Tom
Williams. We would all eagerly await the publication of the summer time table
that came into force for the period between Mid June and early September each
year. In addition to the 'Cornishman' service being split daily with separate
trains for Penzance and the Torbay line there would be additional services on
Saturdays between the Midlands and the West Country going directly to
destinations such as Newquay, Ilfracombe, Weston Super Mare, Pembroke and
Minehead. In the busiest four or five weeks over July and August most of these
trains would be duplicated with an unadvertised relief train following the
advertised one as soon as the railway operating authorities could find a path
for it. The outbound trains would originate at either Wolverhampton or
Birmingham and the first departure from Stratford was at around 7.30am with a
steady stream of southbound trains following all morning. By 2.00pm the first
northbound train would be due through, usually a morning departure from Weston
Super Mare quickly followed by a procession of trains many often running late
and with more carriages than the allocated locomotive was supposed to haul over
the Cheltenham - Birmingham route via Stratford. The southbound traffic was
handled very efficiently by the platform staff who had to get large numbers of
Stratfordians with their heavy luggage onto the trains as quickly as possible.
Most of the passengers were families taking their annual holiday and many of
them were working class people well known socially to the railway men. The
atmosphere on Platform 1 was very light hearted as each express train was
cheered in by the children and luggage loading and locomotive watering
completed in record time. On a sunny morning the engine men faced a pleasant
outbound job as the run from the Black Country down through Warwickshire and
Gloucestershire was a fairly easy one with favourable grades as far as Bristol
where most of the crews handed over to West of England men and after a break
would crew a north bound train back to the Midlands in the afternoon. The
routine local trains still had to be dealt with as normal and by 2.00pm when
the shift changed the morning men had certainly earned their wages but under
pleasant circumstances. By contrast the 2.00pm 10.00pm shift was
definitely a poisoned chalice.
The incoming foreman nearly always found that he was short
of staff. This was because there were now vacancies that remained unfilled and
the 'relief' men that had been scheduled for work did not always turn in for
this unpopular shift. In the days when the pubs closed at 2.00pm for the
afternoon and 10.30pm in the evening there was little incentive for men to work
on a Saturday late shift. In earlier days draconian discipline would have been
applied to malingerers but those times had gone, the foreman had to make the
best of it. If he were lucky one or two of the early shift men would agree to
stay on and finish at 6.00pm which would give them the maximum continuous time
allowed on a shift and still get them into the pub for the evening. There were
several reasons for the unpopularity of the shift. The main one was the fact
that they would be dealing with passengers returning from their holidays on
overcrowded, late running trains that often lacked a buffet car. Arrivals from
the south were discharged onto Platform 2 and the porters would be expected to
be ready to assist passengers with their heavy luggage. The favoured method of
handling it was not to try and carry it over the footbridge with the individual
passengers but to load it all onto the four wheeled post office barrows and
wheel it the full length of Platform 2 onto the boarded crossing and back down
Platform 1 to the booking hall exit. Very often a delay to this would occur
because the locomotive would have drawn forward to take water and was fouling
the crossing. The crew, now nearing the end of a long shift, would be busy
preparing the locomotive for the heavy climb out of the station and it was not
unknown for these trains to spend up to 15 minutes stood at this spot while
steam was raised in locomotives that were not now getting the standard of
maintenance that had been the norm in past times. If a local train was due out
of Platform 3 the signalman would allow it away in front of the express as he
knew the express crew would appreciate the break and there was no point in
delaying the local. In the meantime tired families would be waiting impatiently
for their suitcases with the prospects of a tip for the porters diminishing
rapidly. Many of these returning holidaymaker trains were 'strengthened' by the
railway authorities at their departure point to try to ensure there were enough
seats.
Old carriages that only ever got used for excursions were
added to the normal train with the result that with the loco stood at the water
crane there could be up to three coaches stuck out of the end of Platform 2
under the Alcester Road bridge and even past the West Signal Box. Any
passengers needing to alight at Stratford from these coaches had to force their
way with luggage and children up the corridor full of standing passengers until
they got to the first door that was next to the platform face. At least the
delays mentioned above meant they had no worry of the train leaving with them
still on board! There was also the matter of the banking locomotive. Passenger
trains could normally expect a quick shove for a mile or so and then they were
on their own but the driver of the train loco on these occasions knew that he
was up against the odds very often with the combination of a badly steaming
engine and poor quality coal. Whilst the fireman attended to the water the
driver would use the telephone provided in a box near the home signal to ask
the signalman to let the banker push him to Wilmcote. Unfortunately there were
several potential problems to make a refusal more likely than consent to this
particular request. Although Wilmcote Signal Box was supposed to be open, the
shortage of signalmen meant that in fact it was often closed and therefore the
first place at which the bank engine could shut off and be turned back was
Bearley West Junction. With the strong possibility that a down local train
could be in the section to delay its return the banking engine could be lost
for up to an hour and might need to take water when he did get back. Such was
the procession of returning holiday trains that it was not unknown for one to
be waiting in Platform 2, one to be held at Milcote and another to be held at
Long Marston. (For technical reasons prior to the summer of 1960 it was not
permitted for a passenger train to be held at Evesham Road Crossing although in
the unlikely event that S M Junction Box was manned one could be held there).
With every train needing the bank engine losing it for an hour or more was a
doomsday option, however with no facilities for a following train to overtake,
the signalman could not risk letting a poorly performing locomotive forward if
it was likely to stall on the bank and block the route for a long period. So
the driver who made the most noise down the telephone sometimes got his way and
the following trains were further delayed.
There was also another situation that occurred more often
than it should due to the extra length of the trains. If things were going to
plan every time the bank engine pushed a train out he would be quickly run back
to sit on the West Box carriage siding so that once the next train stopped in
Platform 2 with a quick change of the points he could be let out to buffer up
to the rear coach and await the whistle from the lead engine to commence the
push. Unfortunately these extra length trains often fouled the points and the
bank engine was trapped. The West signal man had to get the station staff on
the phone to go and tell the lead engine driver that he would have to try to
ease his heavy train forward when ready, a task that very often was not
possible as they just sat with wheels slipping on the adverse grade. The only
option then was to find another loco to couple onto the front to assist the
train to come forward a short distance. In the mid fifties most of the local
trains were steam hauled and it was no great problem to get the loco of a
waiting local to give assistance but by 1959 many of the local trains were in
the hands of diesel railcars so that option was not always available. In one
extreme case the only method of resolving the situation was to allow the next
waiting express to leave Milcote under a special operating rule and when it got
to near the West Box the loco uncoupled from its train (the rear of which
remained astride Evesham Road crossing) and went forward to push the stalled
train clear of the points. It then ran back to its own train to allow the bank
engine out of the siding to do its job. All of these activities provided hours
of interest to the observer but a desperate amount of work for the railwaymen
involved. On the very busiest summer Saturdays a locomotive would be sent from
Tyesely depot to stand by at Stratford to assist any northbound train in real
trouble by coupling onto the front and double heading the train
through to Birmingham. Once it had been used it would be at least two hours
before it would arrive back so in reality it only assisted a couple of the
trains. There were many occasions when these overloaded trains would arrive
hours after their booked time because of problems with their locomotive before
they even reached Stratford.
The Stratford locomotive shed was a sub depot of the large
ex GWR shed at Tyesely in the Birmingham suburbs and was run by a charge hand
and staffed by a fitter and one or two labourers although there were always
vacancies. The Stratford based footplate men 'signed on' at the shed including
the increasing number who by the end of the decade had finished with steam
engines and were driving the new railcars. The traditional role of the shed was
to provide overnight servicing for the tank engines that would head the first
local trains of the day to Leamington and Birmingham. It was also the base for
the bank engine and the shunting engine that normally worked the Birmingham
Road Goods Yard. Only light servicing was carried out so the two latter engines
would return to Tyesely at intervals for attention and be replaced with freshly
serviced locos. There was a pool of around six of the ex GW 2251 class
locomotives based at Tyesely that rotated on these duties. After the SMJ shed
at Old Town closed the locomotive that worked the daily pick up goods train
over the SMJ route would turn up for coal and overnight accommodation.
Occasionally an excursion train would terminate at Stratford bringing visitors
for a theatre matinee. The locomotive would visit the shed to take coal and
await its return duty. These excursions were often full length express trains
with a large passenger locomotive, sometimes of a type not normally seen at
Stratford. They were not popular with the shed staff because the small coaling
stage was a totally manual operation. Trucks of loco coal were shunted up the
ramped track at the rear of the stage and the labourers had to hand shovel the
coal from them into 'tubs' with small metal wheels that were then pushed by
hand out onto a ramp that was shaped so as to cause them to tip up and
discharge the coal into the waiting locomotive tender. The tubs held about 5
cwt and were supposed to be kept filled at all times. A large visiting engine
could devour the contents of all of the tubs with ease. Filling the tubs on a
warm day was not a pleasant task, I did it often as an unofficial duty in
return for being allowed to ride on the footplate of the banking engine.
By the late 1950s the workload of the shed had declined as
many of the local trains were being run by the new green diesel railcars and
competition from road transport was having a big impact on the goods traffic to
Birmingham Road yard. I don't remember exactly when but the provision of the
shunting loco ceased at some time around 1959 due to a combination of less work
and shortage of crews. Any shunting required had to be done by the bank engine
in between its normal duties. The bank engine was booked as a twenty-four hour
job except on a Sunday but it was often used on the Sabbath to haul track
repair trains for the local gangers. Most weekends in 1959 and winter/spring of
1960 there was a lot of additional locomotive and engineering train activity
connected with the construction work going on at Old Town and along the line to
Fenny Compton in connection with the upgrade of the western end of the ex SMJ
route.
Glossary of Railway terms
used.
Locomotive, loco, engine, banker and
bank(ing) engine all refer to any type of individual steam
locomotive.
Signal Box. A control centre
from where track routes and their associated signals were set by means of
mechanical levers grouped together. The signal men communicated with each other
by various electro mechanical instruments, bells and telephone.
Water Tower or Tank. A large
oblong steel tank set on a tower or suitable building approx 40 feet above
ground to provide good pressure. Water would be fed into this at a constant
rate until it was full.
Water crane. These were
situated wherever locos needed to take water. They were connected to the water
tower by large bore iron pipes. A horizontal delivery pipe was swung out over
the loco filler hole and water was discharged at a very fast flow rate to
minimise delays.
Ganger. A railwayman employed
to maintain the track.
Shunter. This word had two
meanings. 1. A shunting locomotive. 2. A man who was employed to couple and
uncouple trucks in a busy yard. He might also supervise loading and recording
of freight. At passenger stations where running round was a regular job one of
the porters would be designated porter/shunter, a separate grade that carried
slightly enhanced pay.
Driver T Hine
Driver T Hine poses for the camera as he looks out from the
footplate of ex-LMS 4F 0-6-0 No 43924. Driver Hine started his railway career
with the SMJ just before the outbreak of the First World War. He wrote in the
book by Dick Riley and Bill Simpson on the line's history the following:
'I passed as a driver in March 1924. after starting as a
lad cleaner of sixteen In 1912. In my working turn on every third week I used
to work from 6.00 pm until 9.00 pm on Sunday night. I never cared for this much
especially In summer seeing people out enjoying the evening strolling by the
river. In winter I was alone in the shed until another cleaner came on at 9.00
pm. Then the shed man would light up the stationary boiler which was at the
bottom of the shed. It would then be the job of us two cleaners to carry
shovelfuls of fire to the fire- boxes of each engine. The shovels became very
hot before we had finished. Our staff was nine drivers, nine firemen, two
fitters, with two apprentices. There was also a boilersmith and his mate. The
original turntable at Stratford was moved to Towcester when the larger one was
put in. I was told that it would be used to turn GCR engines at Stratford but I
never saw this done.
The SMJ was busy line for horse boxes with the Stratford
race meetings and local Hunts. By far the busiest time of the year was the
Towcester Races on Easter Monday. Every available engine and man was in service
that day with the concentration of traffic between Blisworth and Towcester. One
horse box working that we regularly did was to pick up the box at Kineton. or
more than one. and take them to Fenny Compton to join the GWR. which delayed us
quite a bit as no time was allowed for this. All along the line we were
shunting horse boxes and cattle wagons into passenger trains. Another grand
occasion was the Stratford Mop Fair on October 12 and there were quite a number
of passengers from all the stations on market days. Particularly heavy
passenger traffic between Byfield and Northampton.
I remember too the Edge Hill light Railway engines
coming to Stratford shed for boiler washouts. They were brought out of steam on
one of the trains. When the Edge Hill Railway first started a set of men from
Stratford would man the engines and I think would bring them back to Stratford.
Later they were worked by men employed by that Company but only working on the
EHLR. I do remember them once working on the SMJ during the strike of 1926 when
they worked passenger trains between Kineton. Stratford and Broom
Junction.'
Porter, Eric Pickles
An Audio Memory
Eric started work as a junior porter at the age of 18 in
1941 on the former Stratford Upon Avon & Midland Junction Railway at
Towcester
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Part One Six minutes 32 Seconds |
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Part Two Six minutes 32 Seconds |
Fireman, Roger Morgan
I first Joined the railway in January 1961 as an engine
cleaner and the first trip that I had over the SMJ was July 1964. I was
covering for a fireman that was on holiday and I really did look forward to it
I can tell you. Better than shunting up and down the yard at Banbury in a
diesel shunter. The engine that I had was a Great Western class 28xx with the
old fashioned type Churchward cab. The train was the ten o'clock to Llanwern
Steelworks with ore that we picked up from the Oxfordshire Ironstone sidings.
We took it from Banbury to Gloucester where we handed it over to Cardiff men.
So that meant we travelled over the SMJ from Fenny Compton to
Stratford-upon-Avon where we headed south on the new curve onto the line from
Birmingham to Gloucester via Cheltenham, (The Blossom Route). We sometimes
picked up a return working of a cattle train for Banbury stockyard. We only had
the 28xx on Monday, the rest of the week the working was diagrammed for 9F
2-10-0s all of Banbury shed. Workings from Woodford shed over the SMJ were
behind 2-8-0 'Austerities' then when Woodford shed closed in June 196S that was
the end of that.
Our loads were usually twenty-six or twenty-seven of the
ironstone 'tipplers'. My driver Al Church was a good old boy. We had to take
care when we topped the summit near where the A422 road crossed over Goldicot
Cutting because the train, which was loose coupled, meant that we would be
required to stop and pin down brakes to hold it back on the bank. The 9F was
pretty good that way as it had a steam brake but I know that there were some
hair raising moments with the class 72xx 2-8-2 tanks when they tried them on
this working. I remember the late George Clarke, who liked to run 'em, told me
you had to get things under control for that last three miles or so to
Stratford. Anyway one day he had a young nervous fireman with him who looked
out of the cab as they ran down the bank and said nervously, "were running a
bit hard aren't we George?' Oh no lad we're running away! A week later the
fireman gave his notice in. One thing that I remember of the SMJ before the
9F's went on there was that they lowered all the track beneath the bridges for
clearance and as we were going along I used to look up the line and swear that
we would never get this huge engine under that tiny bridge, but of course we
did. As we went on the branch we had to stop at Fenny Compton to receive the
staff for the single line. Next was Burton Dassett, Kineton and Clifford
Sidings where we went onto double track.
From those first impressions as a very young fireman I grew
very fond of the SMJ. Once you had left the main line at Fenny Compton you
seemed to go into another world. We forget how dark and silent the countryside
was forty years ago with very few lights. The noise of that huge engine, the
glare of the fire with just the two of us going straight into the darkness. It
was a friendly dark though and after a while you would get used to the echoes
of the engine across the fields, the sudden close rebound as we entered
Goldicot Cutting. Near Ettington there was a long line of tall poplar trees and
even though you could not see them you would hear the exhaust rebound then pass
through the space then rebound again, about twelve of them, almost musical. One
landmark we looked out for at night was a place called the white house on the
Fosse Way. It was a lonely beacon shining through the night glinting on our
thread of rail.
Author, RC Riley
On Saturday 5th April 1952 signs of local apathy were less
evident on the railway. Pedestrians could be seen making their way to the SMJ
station to see the last train, the 6.40 pm to Blisworth. The Town Mayor mounted
the footplate of ex-LMS 4F 0-6-0 No 44525 of 2E to
ride with the train of three coaches. After press interviews and general
jocularity the Guard managed to make his whistle heard and Driver Ernest Smith
of Stratford drew the train away with a farewell whistle. Passing Clifford
Sidings we were greeted by ex-MR 3F 0-6-0 No 43277 standing on a goods train
that gave three crows on its whistle. Then came the climb up to Ettington our
whistle echoing among the Warwickshire hills. At Ettington the Mayor alighted
from the engine after a rougher than expected journey and returned to Stratford
in a motor coach. Passing by Burton Dassett we could discern still the trackbed
of the Edge Hill Light Railway on its steep ascent. Leaving Fenny Compton we
overtook an 'up' goods train on the section where the two railways run side by
side. The driver of ex-GWR 4-6-0 No 6968 'Woodcock Hall' did not overlook the
significance of the time as he saluted us with a fanfare on both whistles.
Byfield was where the engine crews were changed as darkness
was closing in. There was now a scramble between the tracks and we all crowded
into two coaches of the 6.50 pm from Blisworth headed by ex-MR 3F 0-6-0 No
43822 (21D) that was proudly bearing a Union Jack on the smokebox front. A
number of people were present at Byfield and as we left at 7.40 pm with a
single crow on the whistle we were answered by some halfhearted cheering. Two
minutes later another crow sounded the departure of the Stratford train,
realisation of the impending closure seemed to dampen the spirits of the
passengers and apart from a couple of fireworks at Fenny Compton the journey
back was made in complete silence. The train crawled into Stratford and the
crowd of passengers melted away almost at once. Our engine No 43822 ran round
the train to propel the coaches into the siding. Defiantly it made a long
shriek on its whistle as it passed through the station. The station lights
flickered out one by one and the passenger service of a proud little railway
had finally come lo an end.
Stationmaster Mr G Holton
Interview between Mr G Holton former Stationmaster of
Byfield and Colin Underwood 1st August 1974
Mr Holton joined the SMJ during the First World War, he
started at Byfield and then went to Wappenham. Later he returned to Byfield as
a clerk. His duties included spending three days at Byfield and three days at
Ettington. During the Second World War as a result of the heavy traffic at
Burton Dassett Camp a Stationmaster was required at Kineton and he took up this
post. Later when the Stationmaster at Byfield retired he went to take up that
position there and lived in the village. In ]LMS days most of the former SMJ
staff were transferred to Euston. In the days of the Great Central Railway the
GCR would send a light engine to Byfield shortly before the arrival of the
first morning train from Stratford which conveyed the Marylebone through coach.
The SMJ would uncouple allowing the GC engine to back on and take the coach
away. The SMJ loco would then rejoin and take the train on to Blisworth. The GC
also worked a system of shuttles connecting with the SMJ trains. The last of
the day would convey the through coach from Marylebone to Stratford at
20.39.
During the period of the SMJ Byfield enjoyed a very busy
time with goods trains. The local coal merchant, a Mr Russell bought his coal
from Babbington Colliery, Bulwell, Nottingham, also coal came from Ansley Hall
Colliery, Stockingford, Nuneaton and Baddesley Colliery at Atherstone. Mr
Russell was also the village grocer and had bulk salt delivered on the railway
in a special salt van vehicle from Salt Union, Bromsgrove, this company was
absorbed by ICI in 1926. The salt was stored above the bakehouse to keep it dry
and was used copiously in the surrounding area to salt pork and bacon. Large
amounts of hay, straw and grain were moved on the railway, the hay and straw in
open wagons loaded to the absolute limit of the loading gauge and sheeted down.
Grain was carried in sacks inside covered vans. All the Stationmasters' along
the line were agents for Hudsons the sack contractors. A large livestock sale
was held at Byfield in 1916 when more than a thousand sheep and three hundred
head of cattle were sold. All of these were shipped by rail in fifty cattle
wagons split into three special trains.
The ironstone mines were opened circa 1915 with loop
sidings one end for inwards, the other outwards. These were situated some two
miles west of Byfield station. At times the iron ore receipts amounted to
something in the region of £1,400 per month. Some measure of the
advantage of this new traffic can be appreciated when it was known the the SMJ
waited for the cheque for this traffic to pay the mens' wages! The following
list is of the destinations for ore:
Sheltons Iron & Steel, Etruria Frodingham,
Scunthorpe Normanby Park, Scunthorpe Consett, County Durham Port
Clarence. Middlesborough Bell Bros, Tipton Roberts, Tipton Midland
Coal, Coke & Iron Co Ltd, Apedale
The Scunthorpe traffic went via Woodford and was worked
from the sidings by a GCR locomotive. Whilst the Staffordshire traffic went via
Broom. Business was so brisk that the sidings would overflow into Byfield goods
yard. Another problem during the First World War was the severe shortage of
wagons. At the station a gas engine supplied electricity and the station was
virtually the first place locally to be lit by this power. This engine also
pumped water from the reservoir to the header tank.
Ex-Woodford fireman Albert Fennell
Firing the Steel Trains Courtesy of Albert Fennell
and Dick Bodily of SMJR Society (http://thesmjr.ning.com)
During the 1950s, previous to the closure of the Stratford
to Broom Junction of the SMJR, five trains each way ran nightly along the SMJ (
Mondays Saturdays) from Woodford yard to Broom conveying semi-finished
steel products, ingots, billets and the like, from the North of England to
South Wales.
One man who had much experience of firing on these turns is
Albert Fennell. Albert followed his father Herbert into a railway career at
Woodford and his experience on these night time steel trains came when he was a
fireman in the No 4 link during the mid fifties. Several of his family, uncles
and a brother, were also footplatemen at Woodford. While in this link Albert
was unusually often paired with his own father who was at the time a driver in
the same link and says that he really enjoyed working with him. Herbert passed
on a lot of useful knowledge and skills in a kindly patient way to his son and
they worked well together as a team. However Albert remembers that there was
one period of three weeks when they didn't see each other as they were on
opposing shifts.
These heavy trains were almost exclusively worked by WD
2-8-0s, engines from Woodford shed working through to South Wales to return on
a return working the following day, sharing the work with Western Region WDs
mainly from Welsh sheds, doing the round trip in the opposite direction. Albert
recalls that many had shed codes beginning with 86 but can't remember what the
letter was but its likely that they were Ebbw Junction allocated as Newport
Pill only had one Aussie and Severn Tunnel junction only a limited number.
Photos exist showing Cardiff Canton WDs on the SMJ as well, but these are post
1960 daylight shots. The Woodford crew clocked on just over an hour before
departure to allow for preparation and to run light engine to the yard. They
worked the trains through as far as the double track Broom South Curve near the
still existing wartime concrete Broom South signalbox where they would pull up
level with a return South Wales Woodford train and exchange locos and
trains with the Western Region crew, before returning to Woodford. This
explains why the curve here was double tracked. The Woodford crews had to be
signed as having learnt the route beyond Broom as far as Ashchurch just in case
of a very late running return train making the Broom swap over impractical, but
Albert says that only once did a Woodford crew actually get as far as Ashchurch
and on that occasion the driver was his uncle George Fennell.
The first three nightly trains left Woodford Yard at 7.20pm,
8.30pm and 9.30pm, then there was a gap to the final pair at about 1.30am and
2.30am. What he particularly remembers is that on Saturday nights he had to
sign on at 12.59pm for one of the workings, this one minute to midnight time
being a ploy to insure that he got in 6 shifts that week before Sunday. The
Sunday rate being one and three quarters of basic pay with these turns open to
any crews. There were no trains on Sunday nights/ early Monday mornings as the
SMJ was completely shut down from 6.00am on Sundays to 6.00am on Mondays. (
After the new link to the GWR line was put in at Stratford around 1960
sometimes the SMJ line from Woodford - Stratford was opened on Sundays.)
Albert particularly remembers his last night time trip along
the SMJ route. He recalls that climbing Ettington Bank in either direction with
one of these steel trains was like going over a mountain! On this
occasion the previous steel train driven by Walter Callow and fired by Harold
Jones had failed at Stratford with a broken steam gauge but worse was to come
with the WD that Driver Stan Harris and Albert were crewing. They had taken
over the engine with one injector already failed but had struggled on only for
the other injector to give up completely as a result of climbing the fearsome
bank and eventually they had to reluctantly admit defeat and drop the fire to
avoid a possible boiler explosion. Stan had tried to make it to Kineton where
there was a passing loop but had only got to within about a mile of Kineton, so
Albert set off on foot along the track towards Kineton where he came across
father Herbert and another fireman crewing a relief engine sent out from
Woodford shed. He says that on occasions such as these it was not unheard of
for a duty shift to go on for 14 hours!
Albert moved on to a new career as a coach driver soon after
this, one of his duties included driving the Byfield to Towcester Grammar
School school coach service which had about a decade earlier been instigated as
a replacement for the similar rail service over the SMJ. Albert's interest in
steam was revived during the preservation era and he eventually became a driver
on a preserved railway and proudly owns a splendid collection of photographs
and DVDs showing himself driving many famous preserved team locomotives.
NB. After the new south curve was opened at Stratford in
1960 these steel trains and other through freights ran directly onto Western
Region tracks near the racecourse and most traffic transversed the SMJ to and
from Woodford during daylight hours. The Western Region who had acquired much
of the line beyond Byfield by then had cut back the platforms at Ettington and
Kineton and a wide range of ex-GWR and British Railways Standard classes from
Welsh sheds began to work through freights on the SMJ.
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