Accrington Railways - Robert Kenyon

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CHAPTER 1

THE EARLY YEARS The seeds for the first railways for Accrington were sown at a meeting held in Blackburn during December, 1840, at which Robert Hargreaves and Frederick Steiner were representing the interests of the town. Both were businessmen of considerable influence due to their calico printing works, the former at Broad Oak, the latter in Church. The origin of the railway in Accrington is linked to events that occurred during 1844. The first was the Blackburn & Preston Railway which was authorised for construction on June 6 th , whilst the second and completely separate company, the Manchester, Bury & Rossendale Railway was given the go ahead a month later on July 4 th . The third piece of the railway came as a result of a meeting held in the Hargreaves Hotel on Manchester Road in Accrington, during August, 1844, when authorisation was given for the construction of the Blackburn, Burnley, Accrington & Colne Extension Railway, which was incorporated on June 30 th , 1845. Various parties from East Lancashire totalling twenty-six leading citizens were present at this meeting, including Robert and Reginald Hargreaves of Broad Oak, Benjamin Walmsley and George Pickup, of Spring Hill all from Accrington, along with James Haworth and Joseph Baines from Church and Thomas Simpson of Foxhill Bank, in Oswaldtwistle. In 1843 the Manchester, Bury & Rossendale Railway had formed and was authorised in an Act of Parliament during October, 1844, with its headquarters at Bolton Street Railway Station in Bury. The Manchester, Bury & Rossendale Railway and the Blackburn, Burnley, Accrington & Colne Extension Railway, although they were theoretically separate companies were associated in the same 1843 venture. They joined together on the 21 st of July, 1845 to form the new company changing its name to the East Lancashire Railway on July 25 th . The Blackburn, Burnley, Accrington & Colne Extension Railway of 1844, was amalgamated in an Act of Parliament on July 24 th , 1845, into the East Lancashire Railway. This allowed the new Company to absorb the Blackburn & Preston Railway. ( Incidentally the same group of entrepreneurs had proposed both these railways .) The Act of Parliament sanctioning the building of the railway was not passed until 1846. Later in that year on April 4 th , the first sod was cut by Charles Townley Esquire. The railways were developed as three separate sections, Blackburn to Accrington, Accrington to Burnley Barracks, and Stubbins Junction to Accrington. On the 13 th of October, 1845, John Brogden, submitted his estimate for the construction of the Stubbins Junction to Accrington section at £105,000. On February 28 th , 1846, the consortium of Brogden, Smith & Pearce submitted a tender of £110,000 for the section of lines between Blackburn and Hapton, whilst the overall cost of construction of the East Lancashire Railway was estimated to be £20,000 per mile. The Blackburn & Preston Railway was opened on the 1 st of June, 1846, whilst the Manchester, Bury & Rossendale Railway was opened between Rawtenstall and Clifton Junction in the suburbs of Manchester on September 25 th , 1846, under its new name. The major change came on the 21 st of July, 1845 when, in an Act of Parliament, the Blackburn & Preston Railway along with the Manchester, Bury & Rossendale Railway were also incorporated into the East Lancashire Railway. There were substantial hurdles on the section from Blackburn which ran through what we now recognise as Hyndburn. Coming from the west the first of these was Rishton Reservoir, which was then owned by the Leeds & Liverpool Canal Company. The water in this reservoir was used to top up the canal when the water level fell below navigable levels. This problem was resolved by constructing an eighteen section wooden trestle viaduct, each with a span of twelve feet. Four decades later this was filled in to form an embankment. When the Acts of Parliament were passed for the construction of this line they had stipulated that obstacles of the nature of Rishton Reservoir should be crossed on embankments, not viaducts. Without the required authority the East Lancashire Railway Company had, more than likely on the grounds of economies, decided to construct wooden viaducts. There were numerous other obstacles to be overcome by the builders, one of which was the Aspen Valley, which was constructed on land described as “treacherous” sub soil. This was made up of a mixture of layers of soft blue-ish clay and sand. It was spanned by a 275 yards long wooden trestle viaduct which at its highest point was 88 feet high. This consisted of 33 sections each of 25 feet in length which also

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incorporated a walkway along the western side 10 feet below the level of the lines. This structure of wooden trestles was constructed on 15 stone buttresses themselves supported on a bed of timbers. When almost completed the viaduct narrowly escaped being destroyed by fire when a workmen lit some wood shavings in a hut near to the trestles and these rapidly grew into an inferno. Fortunately the direction of the wind directed the flames away from the structure and due to the rapid response by other workers and bystanders the flames were quickly doused leaving it undamaged. ( What happened to the carpenter responsible is not recorded !) Until double track was installed the single line across the viaduct provided a restricted access to traffic. One of the bridges which had to be constructed was over the main road between Accrington and Blackburn, and due to its very close proximity to the chemical works of that name, was always referred to as Blythe’s Bridge. It was just beyond this crossing that the first railway station in Church was opened on June 19 th 1848. As a result of repeated entreaties from the Church Local Board, in 1867 the L & Y advertised for tenders for the rebuilding of the Church Railway Station buildings and it was decided that a new station would be constructed some 300 yards further east. Next was a short viaduct over Tinker Brook and the Coach Road, which was of brick construction of seven spans at a height of forty feet. There were always going to be objectors to the building of the railway and one such was James Simpson, of Foxhill Bank Hall in Oswaldtwistle. He was an influential person at the time. ( In 1847, his son became the first President of the Vegetarian Society. ) He strongly objected to the plain brickwork in the arches of the viaduct across his Coach Road, so to soften the impact he had it modified with a balustraded stone arch, with niches on either side and at either end. ( This structure was renovated during 1993 .) On the immediate approach to Church Station was another bridge this time over Worth Lane ( later to become Market Street ), with a separate spur into the goods yard on the north side of the running lines. In 1850 a row of terraced houses was constructed close by for the families of railway employees, aptly named Railway Terrace. Even this new structure the Local Board criticised as “being totally inadequate”, as passengers had to climb down a distance of 48 inches from the carriages in order to reach the platforms. In 1895 more improvements were made to the facilities in Church including an extension to the infrastructure and a new subway and bridge. Following re-occurring complaints about the low level of the platforms which had been the cause of several accidents, these too were raised. On July 1 st , 1895, the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway renamed the station Church & Oswaldtwistle. Immediately after Church Railway Station the lines bisected the two large lodges at Alleytroyds on a wooden viaduct of 25 spans of 20 feet each, also later filled in to form an embankment. These lodges provided water for Steiner’s Print Works at Foxhill Bank, and the boundary between Church and Accrington ran through them. The L & Y gained permission to fill this viaduct in through an Act of Parliament in 1889, and dumping commenced on March 20 th , 1891, the contract having been signed on June 12 th , 1890. Two more bridges carried the lines east, with an eleven feet seven inches high one over Lonsdale Street, and after passing over the underpass connecting Grant Street with Crossland Street another much lower bridge over Scaitcliffe Street. By far the largest obstacle in terms of construction was the viaduct which began immediately at the end of the station platform in Accrington. In the shape of an elongated ‘S’ it has two curves each of 40 chains radius (880 yards), and is supported on 19 arches mounted on stone pillars. The original plan was for a 21 arch structure, but a sort section between Bull Bridge and Whalley Road was laid as a short stretch of embankment. At its highest the viaduct is 60 feet above the road. Its construction involved the demolition of Milnshaw House, which stood on the banks of the River Hyndburn between Croft Street and Argyll Street. One of the pillars was in such close proximity to a mill and its dam, that it was thought necessary to halt production whilst its construction was underway. The East Lancashire Railway paid the owner, a Mr Hepple, a substantial amount in compensation for this inconvenience, so much in fact that he was able to construct three shops facing what is now the Market Hall on Blackburn Road that was then known as Piccadilly. On December 10 th , 1846, it was noted that four of the pillars, two on either side of the bed of the River Hyndburn, had begun to subside and the contractor, Mr John Brogden, was instructed by the

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Railway Company’s Chief Engineer, Mr John Shae Perring, to take them down and completely rebuild them, this work being completed during 1847. This was the year in which the first shares in the East Lancashire Railway were offered. The first one to take up on this offer was Mr H. Lang, who purchased forty at a price of £8 – 10s – 0p each at a total cost £340. By November the ELR’s £20 shares were selling at £15 each. During 1849 a Union of ELR’s shareholders was formed at the request of Mr Hoole of Blackburn. Membership was a fee of 1 shilling, and a Mr Bannister was appointed as Secretary and Treasurer. The object of this was to encourage a more efficient use of the lines. At a shareholders meeting held in the Bury Headquarters of the ELR on January 30 th , 1850, a 2% dividend on shares was declared. However, at another meeting held on March the 1st, in Bury, J. R. Kay Esq was elected on to the Board of Directors. The condition on which he accepted this nomination was that no ‘cheap’ train tickets would be available on Sundays. In 1851 the dividend was 2% or 5 shillings per share. At the Bury shareholders meeting held in 1852, the dividend declared was 2½%, but the main topic for discussion was the approach by the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway for an amalgamation. As an aside, the licence for the public house on Blackburn Road at the corner of Edgar Street was first granted in 1834, when it had another name. It was then under the tenancy of John Stansfield When the railway reached Accrington its name was appropriately changed to the Railway Hotel as it was the closest in proximity to the Station. In 1849 ‘mine host’ was John Stevenson. The construction of the line after crossing Whalley Road required the removal of 200,000 cubic yards of material to form a cutting from Meadow Top ( Iron Bridge ) to the bridge over the railway between Whitewell Road and the Cricket Ground off Thorneyholme Road. The line beyond Hapton through to Colne was engineered by Richard and William Hattersley, who were responsible for the construction of the original tunnel through the Pennines between Manchester and Sheffield at Woodhead. The contract for this section of line was estimated at £128,000. The biggest setback came during 1846, when one of the arches on the viaduct connecting Burnley Barracks and Bank Top stations collapsed due to storm force winds, delaying the opening as far as Bank Top until December 1848. The completion of the line meant services to Colne did not commence until February 1 st , 1849, some four months after the railway had arrived in Colne from the Skipton direction. Although trains began to operate on the five-and-a-half mile section between Accrington and Burnley Barracks on September 18 th , 1848, there were more problems with the piers of the viaduct spanning the River Hyndburn and it was resolved by Sturgess Meek, the then Chief Engineer of the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway, that remedial work costing just a couple of hundred pounds would make them safe, at least for another year! Meek, (1816 – 1888), had joined the ELR during 1846 and had become the company’s Chief Civil Engineer in 1853. The temporary repairs to the stanchions of the railway viaduct proved to be just that, and work was put underway to permanently resolve the problem by sinking cylinders into them, at a further expense of £5,000. However, this work finally amounted to a total of £11,215. The section between Stubbins and Accrington involved a climb of 5½ miles at a ruling gradient of 1 in 78 to a summit at Baxenden 771 feet above sea level. Deep peat bogs were encountered between Stubbins Junction and Helmshore, and again at Edenfield. Over a period of twelve weeks stone and rock were dumped in order to form a stable footing for a track-bed. The most unusual structure on the line was a short ‘tubular’ metal tunnel-bridge at Haslingden Grane. Previously the occupant of Stoops Farm in Great Harwood, after he moved to Accrington Mr John Rhodes became a contractor, and was one of those who worked on the section of line between Haslingden and Accrington. Other features on this line was a short wooden viaduct at Alderbottom which in 1881 was replaced at Lumb by a steel girder bridge, with nine arches, before the three spans of the Ogden Viaduct. The only other level crossing on the line after the one at Ramsbottom Station was at Helmshore, before a curved stone viaduct of eleven arches. There was a short tunnel of 146 yards in length at Haslingden Station. There were less troublesome stone viaducts to the south of Accrington, at Helmshore, and at Shoe Mill which had five arches, (sometimes called Clough Viaduct), on the Baxenden incline.

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Baxenden Railway Station opened for passengers on the 17 th of August 1848. It had just two platforms and four long sidings through the goods yard, one of which passed through the small goods shed. In the yard there were six shorter lines and a facing spur. Access to the station and yard was off Manchester Road. On the down side there were also a small number of sidings which connected the system to the adjacent chemical works. At the foot of the Baxenden incline was a substantial industrial pond known as Wellington Lodge, which was crossed on a metal latticework girder bridge 210 feet long, resting on large metal cylinders that were sunk into the bedrock beneath the water, ( these are painted in oxide red and still in situ today ). It has been suggested but not authenticated that this bridge was, like the Aspen Valley Viaduct, originally wooden in construction and had a pedestrian walkway. The Board had looked at several types of traction due to the undulating nature of the terrain to be crossed, as it was thought at the time that a gradient of 1 in 70 was the severest that a locomotive using adhesion would be able to negotiate. The incline between the summit at Rising Bridge 771 feet above sea level and Accrington would have a ruling grade of 1 in 40 and a short section at 1 in 38. One alternative was a rope and pulley system using a winding engine at the top. Another was a gravity system with a descending train counterbalancing one ascending the bank, which was referred to by the railway engineers as the ‘Alpine Ridge’. However it was decided that a six-coupled steam locomotive could manage to take a load up the bank with the assistance of a ‘banking’ engine at the rear. Later due to the steepness of the incline between Baxenden summit and Accrington Station a sand drag was installed, in order to slow any runaway stock that might come adrift on the bank and roll backwards. It was entered by points facing the down line, 119 yards in length and the first on any of the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway’s lines. This was a safety precaution as the bank commenced at the end of the platforms on the bridge over Eagle Street/Scaitcliffe Street. The LANCASHIRE & YORKSHIRE JUNCTION RAILWAY - of 1843 In 1843 a prospectus was issued by the promotors of this scheme with shares offered at £50 each, secured by a deposit of £2-10s-0d per share. This was in order to raise a sum of £800,000. A pamphlet was issued in order to attract investors, extracts from this prospectus were; - This project is designed to connect the Blackburn & Preston Railway with the Leeds & BWrha adlfloeryd, CRlai ti hl we raoy.e I, t Pwa di l il hpaams s, Bt hurronul eg yh, (Coorl nn ee ,a Sr kt oi p)t, ot nh e, Kt oe wi g nh sl ehyi ,p Bs ionfgBl el ya,c Sk hb iuprlne ,yCahnudr cBh r, aAdcfcorri dn .g Tt ohne, population of the areas in 1843 was estimated at 350,000. A branch from Accrington would then pass through Haslingden to connect with the Ml e na ng tchh eosf t et hr eB lui nr ye awnads Rp oust s ae tn da ba loeu tR a4 i5l wma yi l, etsh. uBse fsoi dr me si nc go nan de icrt ei nc tg rLoeuetde s wwi ti ht h MMaanncchhees st et er .r , Ti ht ew toout ladl ac ll as oi mf oe dr mt haa tc ot hnen edci tsitoann cwe i tbhe ttwh ee epno rLtese odfs Kainndg sGt ol ans-guopwo nw- Ho uu ll dl , Lb iev es rhpoor ot el ra bn yd tFhl ee eLt &wYo JoRd .bIyt swoams ea l2s 0o miles, going via the Lancaster & Carlisle Railway than by any other existing route. ( The Settle & Carlisle Line opening was many years away ). The advantages highlighted were, that the line would pass through areas of high agriculture aBny dul si vi ne gs t ot hc ke pe rxot ednuscitvi eo na, ma los uo nptlsa coefs fwr eeerset oc no ae l ,mg raat enri ti ae l, lqi mu aersrt ioende oann dt hs el a tceo uwresree omf i nt heed liinn eq,u iat nwt i tays. cbloaoi ms tetdo u“ Tr ihs ims , rma i lawk ai nygwi to mu l do rceocsot nsvi genniifei nc at nf ot lry tlhees si nt hc raena soitnhge rn ur ami lbwearysswt oh oc ot rnasvt er ul lcetd”. tIot wt hoeucl do aasltsaol rCeosmo rmt si t dt euer ionf g2 w0 hn aott awbal es pduebs cl irci bf iegdu raess ‘ wt haes bCal et hmi ne gn ts Re aosyodns ’. EIsnqd, et ehde , cohnaei r mm ea mn bo fe rt hoef Pt hr ees Pt orno v&i sWi o ynrael Rt raaivl we rasye Ch oa dmvpoaincye.dI tt hwe iars saulps po ocrlta, iamneddt ht he ya tw“oMual dn yb eo fc ot hmepoewn snaetresd of of retsht iast ews i twh hsihc ahr et hs ”i .s l i n e w o u l d This was the first occasion that these two counties were linked in the title of a railway company, pre-dating the formation of the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway by several years.

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However, the Lancashire & Yorkshire Junction Railway failed to come to fruition. It was pdousrsinibglethteheaat ritlyceorualdofnroatilawttarya-cmt aennioau. gh subscribers in the face of competition from other schemes, THE EAST LANCASHIRE RAILWAY ERA Following petitions from the citizens of Accrington the extension of the Manchester, Bury & Rawtenstall Railway was given Royal Assent during February, 1845, from Stubbins Junction through Helmshore, Haslingden and Baxenden to Accrington. The Bill giving Royal Assent to the Blackburn, Burnley, Accrington & Colne Extension was granted on June 30 th , 1845. Even though construction of the extension to Accrington from Ramsbottom was not yet completed it was decided to merge the two Companies. There was some disquiet about the fact that the Manchester, Bury & Rawtenstall Railway’s shares had a value of £17, those of the Blackburn, Burnley, Accrington & Colne Extension were worth only £6 – 10s – 0d each. However, the merger took place by Act of Parliament on August 3 rd , 1846. At the merger the capital of the East Lancashire Railway stood at £1,020,000, with powers to raise a further £296,000 if necessary. LOCOMOTIVES & ROLLING STOCK The initial allocation of locomotives to Accrington’s engine shed would have included passenger locomotives built at the Richard Walker & Brother’s Works at Bury. They, not surprisingly, had never built a steam locomotive before this initial order, but Richard Walker was a director of the East Lancashire Railway after all. The initial order was for forty locomotives of two wheel arrangements, 2-2 2 and 2-4-0 to the design of another firm, Sharp Brothers. Later at the request of Richard Walker this order was reduced to twenty-two engines. It will be noted that after this order was delivered Walkers did not ever build a steam locomotive again! The locomotives of the East Lancashire Railway were painted in a shade of dark green with black and white lining. The outside frames were finished in a reddish-brown, and the locomotives had polished brass safety valves and domes. By 1867 the company had established its own locomotive works close to the engine sheds in Bury where the company had its headquarters. This works, at Buckley Wells, repaired and rebuilt the East Lancashire Railway’s locomotives and built its own rolling stock. The passenger carriages were finished in various shades of blue, lighter for the 3 rd and 2 nd Classes, dark blue for the 1 st class. With such a small concentrated system it is possible that all the locomotives of the East Lancashire Railway appeared through Accrington at some stage of their existence. Little is known of which were actually allocated to the shed, but a full list of stock follows and itemised class by class. It should be noted that classes were named after the first locomotive of that particular class, and numbers were probably allocated in the chronological order in which the engines entered service, which is why they are not continuous. The ‘ Medusa’ Class, built by Richard Walker & Brother, Bury. No . Name. Type. Date new. Rebuilding date. Date withdrawn. 1 Medusa 2 – 2 - 2 September 1846 1853 to 2 – 4 – 0 tank January 1867 3 Hecate 2 – 2 - 2 May 1846 1854 to 2 – 4 – 0 tank January 1867 10 Diomed 2 – 2 - 2 December 1846 1854 to 2 – 4 – 0 tank June 1869 18 Lynx 2 – 2 - 2 May 1846 1854 to 2 – 4 – 0 tank September 1867

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Number 10 Diomed was exchanged in 1862 for a Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway locomotive, their number 90, and received the identity and number of the ELR locomotive it replaced. The ‘ Roach’ Class, built by Fenton & Craven, Leeds. No. Name. Type. Date new. Rebuilding date. Withdrawn. 2 Roach 2 – 2 - 2 October 1846 1858 to 0 – 6 – 0 March 1875 4 Spitfire 2 – 2 - 2 December 1846 1852 to 0 – 6 – 0 June 1878 5 Cyclops 2 – 2 - 2 December 1846 1859 to 0 – 6 – 0 March 1876 6 Salamander 2 – 2 - 2 December 1846 1858 to 0 – 6 – 0 March 1875 The ELR ordered six of these engines in March, 1946, and six more in March, 1847. Due to very rough riding only these four were delivered, and in 1848 they were sent to the Hawthorne Company for rebuilding into 2 – 4 – 0 locomotives. They were rebuilt again during the 1850’s. The ‘ Bacchus’ Class, built by Sharp Bros, Manchester. No . Name. Type. Date new. Rebuilding date. Date withdrawn. 7 Bacchus 2 – 2 - 2 May 1846 1866 to 2 – 4 - 0 June 1872 8 Jupiter 2 – 2 - 2 June 1846 1869 to 2 – 4 - 0 May 1876 9 Vesta 2 – 2 - 2 June 1846 1865 to 2 – 4 - 0 June 1872 11 Mercury 2 – 2 - 2 August 1846 1869 to 2 – 4 - 0 June 1877 These locomotives were ordered by the Preston & Blackburn Railway. The ‘ Samson’ Class, built by the Haig Foundry, Wigan, to a Yates design. No . Name. Type. Date new. Rebuilding date. Date withdrawn. 12 Samson 0 – 6 - 0 March 1847 in 1857 as 0 – 6 - 0 circa 1903 13 Zamiel 0 – 6 - 0 December 1847 March 1855 as 0 – 6 - 0 June 1878 19 Hercules 0 – 6 - 0 May 1847 in 1856 as 0 – 6 - 0 March 1875 20 Vulcan 0 – 6 - 0 July 1847 1856 as 0 – 6 - 0 April 1875 22 Atlas 0 – 6 - 0 November 1847 in 1856 as 0 – 6 - 0 April 1875 23 Elk 2 – 2 - 2 January 1848 in May 1859 November 1867* *It is thought that #23 Elk was scrapped as worn out. Samson was later renumbered 612 and before it was scrapped it was given a new cab, dome and chimney by Barton Wright. It had lost its nameplates prior to 1890. The ‘ Aurora’ Class, built by Sharp Bros, Manchester. No . Name. Type. Date new. Rebuilding date. Date withdrawn. 14 Aurora 2 – 2 – 2 February 1847 in 1854 as 2 – 2 – 2 tank November 1873 15 Aeolus 2 – 2 – 2 March 1847 March 1868 as 2 – 4 - 0 February 1880 21 Prometheu s 2 – 2 – 2 September 1847 in 1862 as 2 – 4 – 0* April 1880 37 Sunbeam 2 – 2 – 2 April 1849 June 1865 as 2 – 4 - 0 December 1873 38 Phantom 2 – 2 – 2 April 1849 February 1863 as 2 – 4 - 0 April 1876 *#21 Prometheus underwent a second rebuilding in September, 1870, but remained as a 2 – 4 – 0. The ‘ Pegasus’ Class, built by R. W. Hawthorne, Newcastle. No Name. Type. Date new. Rebuilding date. Date withdrawn.

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. 16 Pegasus 0 – 4 – 2

April 1847 in 1863 as 2 – 4 – 0 December 1871

17

Ajax

0 – 4 – 2 June 1870 These two locomotives were initially constructed for goods haulage. April 1847 in 1873 as 2 – 4 - 0

The ‘ Goliath’ Class, built by Fairburn & Company, Manchester. No . Name. Type. Date new.

Rebuilding date. Date withdrawn.

24 32 35

Goliath Achilles Hector

0 – 4 – 0

May 1848

un-rebuilt un-rebuilt un-rebuilt un-rebuilt un-rebuilt

April 1875 May 1876 May 1876 May 1869

0 – 4 – 0 February 1849

0 – 4 – 0

March 1849 May 1849 July 1849

39 Hurricane 0 – 4 – 0

41 Thundere d May 1876 Following the successful loan of the first locomotive from the Fairburn works, which was then taken into stock, another four locomotives were built especially for banking duties between Accrington and Baxenden on the notorious Baxenden incline. One of these was also outstationed at the single loco shed in Ramsbottom for the purpose of banking trains heading north. The ‘ Venus’ Class, built by Walker’s, Bury. No . Name. Type. Date new. Rebuilding date. Date withdrawn. 25 Venus 2 - 2 - 2 June 1848 in 1864 August 1873 26 Lightnin g 2 - 2 - 2 June 1848 June 1865 to 2 - 4 - 0 August 1882 27 Camilla 2 - 2 - 2 August 1848 December 1870 to 2 - 4 - 0 July 1881 28 Lucifer 2 - 2 - 2 September 1848 December 1870 to 2 - 4 - 0 June 1878 29 Ariel 2 - 2 - 2 October 1848 October 1868 to 2 - 4 - 0 August 1880 31 Orion 2 - 4 - 0 December 1848 December 1864 August 1882 49 Gazelle 2 - 2 - 2 April 1850 February 1868 to 2 - 4 - 0 August 1880 50 Banshee 2 - 2 - 2 April 1850 June 1868 to 2 - 4 - 0 October 1873 53 Vivid 2 - 2 - 2 October 1850 in 1870 to 2 - 4 - 0 June 1880 54 Reindee r 2 - 2 - 2 November 1850 April 1873 to 2 - 4 - 0 October 1880 Two of this class, 25 Venus and 31 Orion, remained as singles, number 49 Gazelle underwent another rebuilding in July, 1875, but remained as a 2 – 4 – 0. The ‘ Pheaton’ Class, 4 built by Walker’s, Bury, (30, 33, 40 & 42), 2 built by Sharp, Manchester (34 & 36). No . Name. Type. Date new. Rebuilding date. Date withdrawn. 30 Pheaton 2 - 4 - 0 November 1848 November 1864 August 1880 33 Mazeppa 2 - 2 - 2 February 1849 February 1870 to 2 - 4 - 0 June 1878 34 Tamerlane 2 - 4 - 0 March 1849 March 1866 June1878 36 Milo 2 - 4 - 0 March 1849 March 1863 June 1878 0 – 4 – 0

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40

Fire King

2 - 4 - 0 2 - 4 - 0

July 1849

December 1870

August 1882

42

Vampire

July 1849

July 1867

July 1878

The ‘ John Bull’ Class, 2 built by Walker’s, Bury, (44/45), 2 built by Sharp, Manchester (51/52). No . Name. Type. Date new. Rebuilding date. Date withdrawn. 44 John Bull 2 - 4 - 0 December 1849 December 1864 to 2 – 4 – 0 side tank August 1880 45 Caliban 2 - 4 - 0 January 1850 January 1865 to 2 - 4 – 0 side tank August 1880 51 Centaur 2 - 4 - 0 April 1850 un-rebuilt June1876 52 Gorgon 2 - 4 - 0 May 1850 un-rebuilt May 1876 On rebuilding numbers 44 & 45 received extended bunkers which would hold 2 tons of coal, and the side tanks which would contain 920 gallons of water when full. These were also the first locomotives to be fitted with front cab plates, although they still remained partially open at the top and rear. The ‘ Iron Duke’ Class, number 43 built by Fawcett & Preston, Liverpool, number 46 built by Sharp, Manchester. No . Name. Type. Date new. Rebuilding date. Date withdrawn. 43 Pheonix 0 - 6 - 0 December 1849 December 1869 August 1880 46 Iron Duke 0 - 6 - 0 January 1850 January 1870 August 1880 The design of both engines was that of Sharp, but the Fawcett & Preston locomotive was built as early as 1847 in an attempt to break into the railway market. No takers could be found and it was sold off to the ELR at a bargain price. At the time of introduction these were the two most powerful engines the Company owned and were designed for goods traffic. The ‘ Pluto’ Class, built by Sharp Brothers, Manchester. No . Name. Type. Date new. Rebuilding date. Date withdrawn. 47 Pluto 0 - 4 – 2 March 1850 April 1857 May 1876 48 Cerberus 0 - 4 – 2 March 1850 un-rebuilt December 1870 These were purchased as goods locomotives. Pluto received a new firebox during 1857, but this apart remained in as delivered condition. The ‘ Rossendale’ Class, built by Walker’s, Bury. No . Name. Type. Date new. Rebuilding date. Date withdrawn. 55 Rossendale 0 - 6 - 0 November 1852 March 1873 August 1882 56 Agamemnon 0 - 6 - 0 January 1853 January 1878 July 1881 57 Hannibal 0 - 6 - 0 July 1853 October 1874 August 1882 58 Dugdale 0 - 6 - 0 February 1854 February 1870 July 1881

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Based on the design of the Iron Duke class, these were the last locomotives built by Walkers of Bury. They were a mixed bag whose domes all occupied different positions, # 55 Rossendale had a dome on the firebox, whilst the others had them in various positions on the boiler. This gives rise to the theory that the boilers were all sourced from different suppliers. The ‘ Ulysses’ Class, built by Stothert & Slaughter, Bristol. No . Name. Type. Date new. Rebuilding date. Date withdrawn. 59 Ulysses 0 - 6 - 0 July 1856 June 1868 June 1876 60 Sphinx 0 - 6 - 0 July 1856 October 1874 August 1882 61 Nestor 0 - 6 - 0 August 1856 un-rebuilt August 1881 62 Memnon 0 - 6 - 0 August 1856 un-rebuilt May 1877 63 Sestostris 0 - 6 - 0 August 1856 un-rebuilt February 1880 The ‘ Giraffe’ Class, built by Beyer Peacock, Manchester. No . Name. Type. Date new. Rebuilding date. Date withdrawn. 65 Giraffe 2 - 4 - 0 July 1857 during 1869 November 1878 66 Antelope 2 - 4 - 0 July 1857 during 1869 August 1879 Part of a cancelled order of five for the London & South Western Railway, they were built to that company’s specifications. They were relatively expensive locomotives at £5,100 each. During 1866 they were exchanged for a pair of Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway engines built by Hawksworth to the same wheel arrangement, numbered 85 and 86. They were rebuilt with new Yates boilers at L & Y’s Miles Platting Works. The ‘ Charon’ Class, built by the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway, Miles Platting, Manchester. No . Name. Type. Date new. Rebuilding date. Date withdrawn. 64 Charon 0 - 6 - 0 July 1857 July 1871 July 1881 67 Macedo n 0 - 6 - 0 May 1859 December 1874 July 1881 Built before the amalgamation of the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway with the East Lancashire Railway these were transferred to the ELR. After the take-over a further 28 engines of this class were built by L & YR at their Miles Platting Works specifically for use on the East Lancashire Division. They were not a part of the East Lancashire Railways stock.

The ‘ Craven’ Class, built by the East Lancashire Railway Works, Bury. No. Name. Type. Date new. Rebuilding date.

Date withdrawn. November 1882 November 1892 August 1882

73 Blacklock

2 - 4 - 0 2 - 4 - 0

March 1862 August 1863

March 1862 August 1863

80

Craven Odin**

1

2 - 4 - 0 tank

January 1867 January 1867 October 1871 January

January 1867 as a tender loco

3

Clio**

2 - 4 - 0 tank

January 1867 as a tender loco

August 1882

18

Titan** Juno†

2 - 4 - 0 tank August 1867 September 1867 as a tender loco November 1882

113

2 - 4 - 0

August 1871

February 1886

16

Pegasus

2 - 4 - 0

January 1872

February 1886

10

1872

146

Thor***

2 - 4 - 0

January 1876 April 1876

January 1876

February 1901

638 * 608 * 651 * 662 *

Phantom

2 - 4 - 0

April 1876

October 1892

Jupiter

2 - 4 - 0

May 1876

May 1876

May 1893

Centaur

2 - 4 - 0

June 1877

June 1876

August 1892

Unname d

2 - 4 - 0

May 1877

May 1877

February 1898

These locomotives were described as the East Lancashire Railways most successful engines. They were fitted from new with small cabs to protect the footplate staff, giving more protection than the earlier weatherboards, and were similar to those fitted to London & North Western Railway locomotives. *When absorbed into Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway stock they were re-numbered by adding 600 to their ELR numbers. The one unnamed engine #662 was given this number from new. **The three engines built as tanks 1, 3 & 18 were in a sub-division of this class known as the Clio Class. As the ELR did not normally operate tank engines, they were early rebuilds to tender locomotives. †Engine number 113 was non-standard to the class. As L & Y number 713 Juno was involved in the fatal accident that occurred in Burscough on January the 15 th , 1880. However, it was repaired using a reconditioned boiler and left over spare parts and was subsequently withdrawn in 1886. *** Engine number 146 Thor, was the only locomotive new to the East Lancashire Railway which survived into the twentieth century. By then it was Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway engine number 746. Of those locomotives taken over by the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway they retained their names for a period of time after the merger. As a boy Frederick Higginbottom, an early railway enthusiast, recorded that every one of East Lancs Railways’ engines from number 1 ‘Odin’ to number 113 ‘Juno’, had at one time or another passed

through Accrington. He later became a well-respected journalist in London. EAST LANCASHIRE RAILWAY’S PASSENGER ROLLING STOCK. Year 1 st Class 2 nd Class 3 rd Class Composites *

Saloons Parcels & luggage vans

185 0 185 7

21

42

61

7

6**

14

50

70

77

20

-

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First class carriages had three compartments on a short-wheelbase, whilst third class carriages had four compartments on a longer four wheeled base. *Composite carriages had separate accommodation for more than one class and comprised of 2 x 3rd Class, two x 1st class and one 2nd Class compartments. The earliest Guards’ Vans were incorporated at one end into a four wheel carriage, along with two 3rd Class compartments. The parcels and luggage vans incorporated the Guards’ Van in a centrally situated compartment on a six wheeled base. **The 6 saloons were thought to be coupés with retractable covers. In addition to this in 1850 there were three trucks each capable of transporting a horse-drawn cab, and 5 horse-boxes. By 1856 the number of horse-boxes had risen to 12. Patented by the Carriage & Wagon Superintendent, James Newall, as early as 1852 the East Lancashire Railway had fitted a continuous braking system to its passenger carriages, well in advance of other systems. In 1859 a Manager’s Inspection Saloon was constructed for the directors of the ELR. It was mounted on four wheels, was 21 feet long and had a small outside platform at each end. It had a centrally mounted fully enclosed compartment with centre doors on either side. The open ends were protected by a waist high hand-rail, and accessed by doors out of the saloon. It had a seating capacity of eight divided equally around two small round tables. It had an elevated outside seat mounted at one end at one end. Later it was modified by the L & Y from manual winding brakes, to being vacuum braked and given stock number 185 in the company’s 1st Class list. It was not withdrawn until 1922. Some coaches

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were constructed at the East Lancashire’s own works in Bury until 1876, whilst some were built by outside contractors. After 1876 all construction of rolling sock was transferred to the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway ’s works at Newton Heath which had recently been opened.

EAST LANCS RAILWAY’S GOODS ROLLING STOCK Year Open wagons Closed vans Brake Vans 185 0 692 none none 185 7 1,743 26 24 TRAIN SERVICES

On May 27 th , 1848, the first test train was run on the section of line between Blackburn and Rose Grove, and the line was passed fit by Captain Wynne (Royal Engineers), the Government Inspector. His party included Mr Hacking, the General Manager of the East Lancashire Railway Company, Mr Donaldson and Mr Perring ( both engineers ), and the contractors Messrs Pearce and Smith. Of the Aspen Viaduct, Captain Wynne stated that a mainly wooden structure had been substituted in order to save the cost of constructing a stone viaduct. He said he had stopped two locomotives at several places whilst carrying out his inspection and it had remained in a stable condition before passing it as safe for operation. He added that this type of structure was less likely to impede the natural flow of water. The track was laid double across the viaduct in 15 foot lengths of rail at 73lbs per yard of weight. On June 19 th , the Railway was opened between Accrington and Blackburn and a large crowd witnessed the departure of the 07:30. The timetable showed four trains from Accrington to Preston in the mornings, the first at 06:15, with five departures in the afternoon the last of which, left at 19:00. Most trains consisted of 1st Class, 2nd Class and 3rd Class carriages, except for two ‘fast’ trains and one express, which had no 3rd Class accommodation. A reporter from the Blackburn Standard was on board the first train from Blackburn to Accrington, and stated the 15 minute ride was “preferable to a bumpy ride on a stagecoach”. Although trains began to operate on the five-and-a-half mile section between Accrington and Burnley Barracks on September 18 th , 1848, there were more problems. Accrington Viaduct was closed for a period of fifteen months starting on July 4 th , 1866, again for remedial work due to subsidence of four of the piers. The work of stabilising them once again on their blue clay foundations lasted until September the 11 th , 1867. During this time through passengers were ferried between Accrington and Huncoat stations on horse buses, thus providing the link between Accrington and Huncoat. This was at the time that the first railway station in Huncoat was situated just to the west of Highbrake Bridge, and before it moved to Enfield Road. ( It is ironic that these were the first rail replacement services in a town which became famous for such operations much later .) The first timetables showed trains departing Burnley for Accrington at 07:30, 08:30, 09:15 and 11:15 in the morning and at 14:06, 16:35, 17:18, 18:40 and 19:25. On Sundays the three trained left Burnley at 07:55 12:50 and 18:15. The extension further to the east opened on February 1 st 1849, when the East Lancs Railway reached Colne and it met end-on, the lines of The Leeds & Bradford Extension Railway, which had reached Colne from the Skipton direction the previous year. In 1851 the L&BER was absorbed into the Midland Railway, whilst during 1859 the East Lancs Railway was similarly taken over by the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway, Colne thus became the railhead for these two companies. Up until 1876 passengers were required to change between the two Companies trains at one of Colne’s three platforms, as there were no through timetabled passenger services until this time. After this date however the trains of the L & Y ran right through to Skipton. Accrington thus became a junction station situated at the north and eastern sides of a triangle of lines. Shortly after the railway opened, the 1849 timetable showed there were 7 weekday services from Manchester to Colne via Accrington, and 6 in the opposite directions. An early casualty of the railway in Accrington was labourer Thomas Riley 34, of Oak Street in Accrington, who was killed in an accident on the railway on June 5 th , 1851. He left a widow, Martha and four children. ( This is likely to have been the first fatality on the railways in Accrington .)

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The Accrington to Manchester via Clifton Junction section opened on August 17 th , and by 1849 there were eight trains in each direction between Salford and Accrington via Bury and Clifton Junction. During the 1850s the service between Accrington, Blackburn and Preston had settled to seven daily, all of which ran through to Burnley, with a similar number connecting Accrington with Manchester via Bury. Third Class tickets were only available on two of these trains, which ran one in the morning and one in the evening. These were called ‘ Parliamentary ’ trains, as by 1855 the Government had passed a law stating that trains had to provide covered accommodation for all Third Class passengers. After April 1 st , 1872 the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway accepted Third Class passengers on all trains that were not exclusively First Class. By 1882 there were fourteen trains between Colne, Bury and Manchester in either direction. The East Lancashire Railway was not averse to running excursion trains for recreational purposes, sometimes it must be said stretching itself to the maximum as was the case in 1858. One such was a day outing from Rawtenstall to Harrogate via Accrington. Departing in the late morning with a reversal at Ramsbottom, this train took twelve hours to reach Harrogate. The following day the return journey took over thirteen hours, with two long delays between Harrogate and Todmorden, the remainder of the trip was by being coupled to the rear of other trains finally arriving back in Rawtenstall at 4:30am. On the early excursion trains to Blackpool and Fleetwood, ladies were carried at a ‘slightly’ reduced fare. An urban myth was that men in drag had attempted to obtain these reduced rates. ACCRINGTON STATION - THE FIRST PASSENGER FACILITIES (circa 1852) Accrington Railway Station was 17¾ miles by rail from Preston and was constructed on an area of land known as the ‘Fauce Pits’. Much of the way in which Accrington’s railway infrastructure developed was due to the fact that it was firstly connected to the system from the Bury direction. The station itself was therefore constructed adjacent to the Bury line, which for a time was the terminus of the trains. The first station building was built of hard pale grey stone quarried locally. Eventually it contained a refreshment room, waiting rooms and a telegraph office. It was surmounted with a tower which had clocks on each of its four faces, the booking hall being on an upper level. However, the main entrance to the station was on the Paxton Street side up a steep walkway. This required passengers to cross over four running lines on foot, to visit the booking office and the one platform. Its passenger infrastructure consisted of an open wooden construction, which was the only refuge for passengers. The original track layout at Accrington Station was concentrated on to the one low platform of 60 yards in length on the Eagle Street side at the foot of the Baxenden incline. Later the level of this platform was raised above the level of the original East Lancashire Railway’s only platform. There were two waiting rooms on this platform. Contrary to the policy of the East Lancashire Railway Company, it was felt that a refreshment room could be incorporated into the infrastructure such was its strategic position, but it actually only received a gentlemen’s toilet in its original facilities. Trains from three directions, Blackburn, Burnley and Bury, were required to use this single platform, with trains from Blackburn having to run through and onto the Viaduct and reverse back onto it. This situation lasted for just over thirty years until the station was rebuilt by the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway. With several trains all needing to use this platform, passengers had to cross the running lines whilst shunting of stock and reversing of trains was being carried out. This was potentially a very dangerous situation. As can be seen there was the possibility to connect the two major routes without having to run through the station, and avoiding lines were put in thus forming a triangle. This enabled trains entering from one direction to run through, reverse back and return in the same direction without uncoupling the locomotive and re-marshalling the stock. It also allowed goods trains to run through without occupying the platform line. To the east immediately beyond the end of the East Lancashire Railway’s single platform the line passed over a high viaduct which always required a speed restriction, especially when approaching from the east, and which did not allow trains starting in that direction to gain speed up the admittedly gentler incline of 1:165 towards Huncoat until they had crossed Whalley Road. The first Stationmaster was Mr James Shaw, who lived in a house adjacent to Platform 1. For the first two years after opening the person who was Traffic Manager at Accrington Station was also the

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Traffic Manager for the entire East Lancs Railway system. He later worked for the London & North Western Railway after he moved to Liverpool. Despite the fact that these were quite a distance from the platform, the Stationmaster could control the signals from his office using pulley mechanisms. As will be seen the conveyance of goods and livestock was very much to the forefront of the railway’s activities, with buildings put to a single use. The weighbridge was necessary to check that goods could be charged at the correct amounts. Parcels traffic was handled at the passenger side of the station, but goods were administered from a separate office. Products collected for forwarding by rail and goods arriving by rail and requiring delivery, were carried on horse-drawn carts and drays, thus the necessity for stables within the yard. The important job of the railway clerk was to make sure that all transactions were costed at the correct remuneration and despatched to the correct destinations and addresses. Within the triangle was contained Accrington’s first locomotive shed and ancillary facilities. The shed was small and open at both ends which made it difficult for the staff to work. It was a situation which the shed foreman often complained until eventually another larger site was found further to the west. There was also a place set aside when the rudimentary passenger rolling stock could be cleaned and serviced. During November, 1849, the way that trains were being worked at Accrington’s Railway Station was giving such considerable cause for concern, that Mr Perring was called to a meeting with the Board of Trade. This was to discuss the fact that intending passengers approaching from Paxton Street, had to cross the running lines in order to book their tickets and catch their trains from the single platform. Captain Wynne of the Board of Trade pointed out that with up to six trains at any one time in close proximity to the station this was a potentially very dangerous situation. It was also about this time that the local magistrates were voicing complaints about the lack of sheltering facilities. In response the East Lancs Railway opened another booking office at the top of the Paxton Street slope, supplementing the Eagle Street facility. An Inspector came to view the situation on December 23 rd , and agreed that an underground subway connecting the Paxton Street side with the Eagle Street side, as suggested by the local magistrates, would be a solution to the inherent dangers being posed by three trains arriving almost simultaneously at one time from the Preston, Manchester and Colne directions. Each of these was being divided into two portions, then being remarshalled to go off into other directions and this was being repeated eight times every weekday. This entreaty seemed to fall on the deaf ears of the Secretary of the East Lancs Railway, James Smithells, and his Directors. Such was the congestion that trains were given 15 minutes to load and depart, but delays caused knock-on effects which often saw trains delayed by up to an hour. Up until 1876 the passengers were required to have their tickets examined on the platform instead of aboard the trains. Then wooden platforms were constructed on both the main viaduct and the Wellington Viaduct, so that trains could halt short of the station and staff could check tickets. The working timetable of the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway laid down that the maximum speed at which a train should start the descent of Baxenden Bank was 10mph, whilst through the station it was no more than 4mph, which gives an indication of how inconvenient the layout of the station actually was. The rolling stock of both the Liverpool and Manchester express trains was serviced at Accrington, and one of the tasks delegated to Porters was to keep this rolling stock clean. Their tasks also included trimming and refilling the oil lamps. These were transferred to the lamp room on special Lamp Trolleys, as there was anything from 70 to 80 to be filled and returned to the roofs of the carriages. In cold weather foot warmers were also provided for passengers. The life of a Porter was hard with the daily shift lasting anything from 12 to 14 hours. The station however did have some great advantages, as it was an important junction for routes from east to west, east to south, plus it contained avoiding lines which allowed trains to pass from south and west and vice versa. It also was on the fringe of Accrington town centre which made it easily accessible for foot passengers. Within the station complex there were facilities for the handling of parcels and goods, which during the boom years were essential for the town’s industries and commerce. Due to this layout and the pressure of work being undertaken every day at Accrington Railway Station, it is not surprising that serious incidents occurred from time to time. It has to be said that these occurred in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, when many of the rules and regulations

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