Accrington Railways - Robert Kenyon

site on their property on Scaitcliffe Street for the building of public conveniences. The Company had indicated they were prepared to discuss this matter with officials from the Corporation. It was then resolved to defer a decision on this matter, pending a ruling from the Council on the proposed improvements to the Scaitcliffe Street Railway Bridge. The Borough Treasurer referred to a meeting of the Finance Committee, the report of December last on the subject of Railway Rating Assessments, and that he had arranged to reimburse the LMS on the 25 th of this month the amount of over-payment for the period in question. He also reported that the Railway Company would remit the sum due in respect of properties ‘let out’ by this same date. The General Purposes Committee met at the end of the month, and in accordance with the Highways & General Works Committee’s recommendation, they considered a report from the Borough Engineer relative to schemes for the improvements to the LMS railway bridges on Scaitcliffe Street, Lonsdale Street and Willows Lane. It was resolved to take a census of all the traffic passing through these bridges, and that a decision would be deferred until after the results of this census had been made available. May The General Purposes Committee met and the Town Clerk reported on a meeting that had taken place with the Ministry of Transport on the subject of the Lonsdale Street, Scaitcliffe Street and Willows Lane railway bridges. It was resolved the Chairman, Vice-Chair of this Committee, along with the Town Clerk and the Borough Engineer would meet with representatives from the LMS with regard to the possibility of increasing the headroom under the Scaitcliffe Street Bridge. June The General Works Committee met and the Town Clerk reported on a meeting he had attended with officials from the Ministry of Transport, with regard to the schemes for improving the town’s three low railway bridges. September On the 24 th of this month the Railway Executive Committee (REC) was formed, in order to oversee the running of the nation’s railways. November The Town Clerk reported to a meeting of the Transport Committee that Frasers Motors Ltd, had made an application to the Traffic Commissioners for a licence to operate a daily service between Accrington and the Leyland Motors Faringdon Works, and that to date objections had been lodged by Blackburn Corporation Transport, Ribble Motor Services and the LMS Railway Company. Following consultations by the Town Clerk, Chairman and Vice-Chair it was decided that Accrington Corporation would take no further action. Note Although Accrington was not served by what were ‘named’ trains, between the wars it did have carriages which were attached to an express train. Following the grouping of 1923 there was a train which eventually became the Blackpool & Fylde Coast Express . This train departed Blackpool Central at 08:25 with stops at Blackpool South, St. Annes, Ansdell & Fairhaven and Lytham arriving in Preston at 9:08. Here it stood for 5 minutes for connections from stations along the East Lancs Line. It reached Euston at 12:50, having averaged a mile a minute. However, the down return, which departed Euston at 17:10pm, contained carriages which were detached at Wigan North Western at 20:40 to go forward for Blackburn, Accrington, Burnley and Colne. The route was via the former Lancashire Union Railway line via Chorley and Cherry Tree Junction, which was the original route of the London & North Western trains between Euston and Blackburn, giving an arrival in Accrington at about 10pm. This was the only London Euston service which did not go through Stockport and Manchester. It was reintroduced in 1946 as a heavier and slightly slower train, but was no longer a titled train. The Lancastrian was another named train which departed Manchester London Road at 12:21pm and was held in Stockport for 6 minutes for four through coaches from Colne via Accrington, Blackburn and Bolton to be attached. It arrived in Euston at 3:40. In 1927 the 18:05 from Euston had through carriages for Accrington and Colne that were also detached in Stockport. In 1932 the East Lancs portions were transferred from the renamed Mancunian , which did not have through carriages, to the Heysham boat train which left Euston at 18:10. After the Second World War the 18;00 departure from Euston, a now unnamed version of the Mancunian , had the East Lancs carriages detached in Wilmslow to run via Stockport to Accrington and Colne, but in September 1952 this portion was also omitted from this train.

172