77. SMJR remains at Towcester-05.11.23

THE ARCHIVE FILES > Archive-2023 > 77. SMJR remains at Towcester-05.11.23

Regular readers will be aware of my interest in the Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway (SMJR). I had cause to visit Screwfix in Towcester which sits in the course of the old line with the former Tiffield Road bridge adjacent to the car park. With it being a sunny afternoon I took a few photographs of the remains passed by many people every day without realising what it is they are crossing.
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Images 1-9 of 9 displayed.

Bertie & SMJR bridge 149, Towcester With Towcester's Screwfix car park in the foreground, the former SMJR bridge 149 is seen behind the security fencing. The bridge used to carry Tiffield Road over the line and was a short distance east of Towcester station. The bridge carried the road until A43 Towcester bypass was opened in 1989. The bridge can be seen in the very background of a photograph to the right of the signal box, see.... https://www.flickr.com/photos/robertcwp/3152063826/in/gallery-29644579@N07-72157714177956811/ Keywords: Bertie Brompton SMJR bridge 149 Towcester
Infilling, SMJR bridge 149, Towcester As is common practice with old railway bridges they are often filled in to provide a greater degree of structural integrity as they age to minimise costly maintenance. This infilling of the former Tiffield Road bridge in Towcester, under which the former SMJR once ran appears a little haphazard. The bridge now carries a busy footpath permitting access to a small trading estate and supermarket that largely occupies former railway land. Keywords: Infilling SMJR bridge 149 Towcester
Parapet, SMJR bridge 149, Towcester Whilst the brickwork of the parapet of Bridge 149, a former SMJR (Stratford upon Avon & Midland Junction Railway) structure, looks a little in need of repair the bridge is essentially in good condition. It no longer carries Tiffield Road now just a footpath and cycleway since the Towcester bypass was opened in the late 1980s. The fence is not to keep people off the bridge but to secure the car park of Screfix that I am standing in to take the photograph. Keywords: Parapet SMJR bridge 149 Towcester
Sign, SMJR bridge 149, Towcester An odd sign and somewhat superfluous as the road no longer carries anything heavier than a cyclist and pedestrian or two; this especially as the sign actually looks to be fairly new! The sign is protecting a former overbridge that carried the former Tiffield Road over the SMJR line just to the east of Towcester station. Keywords: Sign SMJR bridge 149 Towcester
Bertie & SMJR bridge 149, Towcester Bertie the Brompton rests against the very low parapet of Bridge 149 that once carried Tiffield Road over the former SMJR (Stratford upon Avon & Midland Junction Railway) to the east of Towcester. Whilst the scene looks bucolic it is in fact on the edge of a busy industrial, retail and trading estate with the extremely busy A43 Towcester bypass just beyond the trees in the background. Keywords: Bertie & SMJR bridge 149 Towcester
Bridge identification, SMJR bridge 149, Towcester It appears that Bridge 149 which once crossed the former SMJR line to the east of Towcester is listed somewhere on a Department for Transport data base! This will mean that the structure that now carries just pedestrians and cyclists will undergo some sort of inspection. Let's hope that it is not to be infilled as has been the case recently with those still managed by Network Rail. Keywords: Bridge identification SMJR bridge 149 Towcester
Parapet, SMJR bridge 149, Towcester The parapet of Bridge 149, which formally carried Tiffeild Road over the SMJR (Stratford Upon Avon and Midland Junction Railway) to the east of Towcester, looks to be in good condition. The bridge lives a relatively easy life now carrying just pedestrians and cyclists as Tiffeild Road was diverted to a new route with the opening of the Towcester northern bypass in the late 1980s. Keywords: Parapet SMJR bridge 149 Towcester
SMJR bridge 149, Towcester Looking from the other side of the previous photograph reveals further evidence that Bridge 149, which once crossed the SMJR railway to the east of Towcester station, is in good condition. It has been partially backfilled and now carries just pedestrians and cyclists rather than other vehicles as it did when Tiffield Road crossed it. Keywords: SMJR bridge 149 Towcester
Former boundary post, Old Tiffield Road I photographed this former railway boundary post some years ago stating that it looked as though it would not be standing for much longer but here it is again still in situ. It is situated on Old Tiffield Road in Towcester with Tesco in the background the location of the former station and goods yard Keywords: Former boundary post Old Tiffield Road

Images 1-9 of 9 displayed.