Accrington Railways - Robert Kenyon

Destination 1941 1942 Blackpool 3,000 4,000 Morecambe 500 700 Southport 200 350 Fleetwood 500 550 London 100 200

Mr Unsworth, Stationmaster at Accrington, said that the number of day trippers had actually fallen this year, as there were only 900 bookings for Blackpool on the Monday, compared to 2,300 the previous year. The reason given was that people anticipated the inconvenience in the availability of trains, and queues for food in the resort itself. August The weekend marking the end of the holiday saw five special trains returning from Blackpool to East Lancashire, there in the morning and two in the afternoon. Mr Unsworth said these trains were crowded but there had been no hold-ups to the services. September Once more the Town Council met with the General Purposes Committee in attendance, when the Town Clerk reported he had received a letter from the LMS, who stated that from August 4 th last, the Paxton Street entrance to the Railway Station had remained open between the hours of 07:00 and 09:00 in the mornings and 16:00 to 20:30 on weekdays. The position would be reviewed again when ‘normal’ peacetime conditions returned. A film unit housed in a converted sleeping car visited Accrington, to show employees of the LMS how salvage could be recycled, as part of a drive to encourage the collection of materials for re-use. The introduction was spoken by Sir Thomas Royden, Chairman of the Company, and attendees included the Mayor, Amos Wade. A second short film produced by the Ministry of Information entitled ‘Shunter Black’s Night Out’ showed shunters at work in a large London marshalling yard during the blitz. The rationing of petrol and diesel was one of the main reasons why there was an upsurge in numbers of people going to the coast at the holiday weekend. October During the conflict the LMS set up reclamation depots at stations in order to collect and recycle metals, bottles, stationery and materials, and had produced a film being shown at local stations to advise how and what to do to salvage these waste products. December Following five and a half years’ service as Stationmaster at Huncoat Station, Anglesey born Mr H. Hargreaves left to take up a promotion to Bedworth Station near Nuneaton. He had been a popular and active Methodist in the village. 1943 January A youth of seventeen, Christopher Ian Robinson, a resident of Peel Street in Oswaldtwistle, was discovered with severe head injuries on the lines about a quarter of a mile beyond Rishton Station in the Church direction, where he was pronounced dead at the scene. It was revealed at the Inquest that he had been out drinking heavily with his mates in Blackburn, and having boarded the 10:50pm train, had then climbed out of the window of the compartment and gone up onto the roof of the carriage. Engine Inspector Edward Roberts, of Church Street in Church, stated the train was running an hour late and on reaching Rishton Station he heard voices coming from above. He had shone his torch and seen three youths lying on their stomachs on the roof, and had told them to get down but they had paid no heed. Richard Holland, Foreman Platelayer, had discovered the body at about 6am the following day, and thought he was still alive at that time. One of the other youths explained they had tried to board a first class carriage but had been turned away, and they thought the deceased was playing a prank on them when he did not get off at Church & Oswaldtwistle. So they had walked back down the line for a distance and when they couldn’t find him just went home! The Coroner, Mr F. Rowland, asked, “And none of you reported this to the railway company?” To which they all replied “No Sir”. A Doctor who attended the scene was asked if the deceased had received immediate attention would he have survived the fracture to his skull? But he stated that of this he could not be sure. A verdict of accidental death was recorded. At a meeting of the Transport Committee held in January, the GM of the Transport Department reported that following approval from the Traffic Commissioners for the proposal to alter the terminus in Accrington town centre of the Haslingden, Rawtenstall bus service from close to the railway arch, an objection had been raised by the LMS Railway Company, as a result of which the Commissioner had suspended his decision pending further investigations.

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