Accrington Railways - Robert Kenyon

breach of the blackout regulations. The charge was that one September evening following reports police officers were called to investigate where a very bright light was coming from. It was so intense that it could be seen from over a mile away and it was discovered that it was emanating from Church Exchange Sidings. Mr McGregor, a railway inspector, stated he was on duty at about 8:15pm on September 27 th , when he received warning of an imminent air raid from the Manchester Control Centre. However, the Stationmaster did not comply with the regulations and the light was not extinguished until 9:45pm. In his defence Mr Unsworth stated that the black paint, which was used to mask the upward light had been worn off and not replaced, even though lighting was permitted in certain circumstances to allow work to continue safely. He stated that he had received the warning at 8:13pm and all non-essential lights had been extinguished within a couple of minutes, so this was a technical offence rather than a deliberate contravention of the regulations. He said, “I had received notification from the police and the lights in the sidings were all turned off, which meant there was greater danger to the men working in the sidings, un coupling, coupling and shunting the wagons and vans, walking over rails and points, where one mistake would be fatal”. The defendant admitted that this light had breached the rules, but denied that the light was shining whilst the raid was actually taking place. November The Coroner, Mr F. Rowland, described the death of Joseph Alfred Haworth, a 56 year old resident of Beaconsfield Street in Accrington, as “Another case of familiarity breeding contempt”. The deceased had attempted to alight from a train whilst it was still moving as it approached Huncoat Station during the blackout, in the early hours of Friday, November 1 st . A witness stated he was in the same compartment in the last carriage of a three-coach train, when the call rang out “Huncoat Station”, which was when he looked up from his newspaper to see the man gone and the door wide open. John Rowland from Altham, a porter at the station said, “I saw a body lying some distance down the platform some twenty yards to the rear of where the train had halted, but it was very dark”. The deceased was taken by ambulance to Accrington Victoria Hospital, when the House Surgeon, Dr Morgan, diagnosed a fracture to the base of the skull. He passed away later in the same day. The Coroner asked Mr MacBeth of the LMS, “Is it not the case that passengers should wait until a train has stopped before alighting?” In reply he answered, “Yes Sir it is!” In recording a verdict of Accidental Death, Mr Rowland said, “This unfortunate accident was totally the responsibility of the deceased and no other persons could be blamed”. An inventory of some of the equipment at Accrington Railway Station done during 1940 showed the following -  A water tank over the maintenance shop with a capacity of 20,000 gallons.  There were five water columns to replenish the tanks of engines, situated at the end of the Manchester platform 1, another between platforms 2 & 3 under the footbridge, one under the footbridge at the end of platform 6, another adjacent to the Blackburn goods loop, and the sixth next to the Blackburn main line. In all of these the leather tube which was swung out to fit inside the tenders was between 11 feet and 12 feet in length. In the goods yard at Accrington Station there was - o A crane inside the warehouse with a capacity of 25cwts. o A hand jigger capable of lifting half a ton. o A mechanical jigger with a capacity of 3cwts. At the goods depot off Charter Street there were - • 3 overhead cranes, one capable of lifting 3 tons whilst the other two had a lifting capacity of 30cwts (1½ tons). • A steam operated gantry crane manufactured by Ellis & Coy, built by Ellis & Coy. This ran on rails. The facilities inside Accrington Railway Sheds was as follows -  A steam driven crane to lift up to 20 tons.  An electric runway to drag up to 5 tons.  A Hyde wheel-drop with a large wheel lathe, (constructed by the Lancashire & Yorkshire).  A gap lathe, a planer, a 7-inch lathe, a radial drill, a hydraulic press and a wet grinder. In the yard outside the engine sheds were -

175