Accrington Railways - Robert Kenyon

February The four youths who were with Robinson on the night when he died were each fined 40 shillings with 1/6d costs at Blackburn Magistrates’ Court. Prosecuting on behalf of the LMS, Mr MacBeth said there could be no excuse for their irresponsible behaviour and the Company took the gravest view of their actions. The Magistrate stated, “This is the maximum fine that this Court can impose upon you, but the knowledge of the circumstances which led up to his death was the sentence with which you will all have to live”. At a meeting of the General Works Committee, the Borough Surveyor submitted his report on the work to be carried out during the immediate post-war era in connection with the LMS Railway’s bridges on Scaitcliffe Street, Willows Lane and Lonsdale Street which were to close temporarily. March During the early years of the conflict the running of all specials and holiday trains had been cancelled, but in this month Churchill rescinded this edict, due to the discontent this had provoked amongst the general population. The operation of some excursions recommenced despite continued restrictions on other modes of transport. (In his book ‘Inland Transport during the Second World War’, Transport historian C. I. Savage records, “the restrictions worked through the public’s conviction that they were both necessary and reasonable”.) April Holidaymakers heading for the coast for the Easter break were finding difficulty in getting seats on trains, as they were coming through Accrington already heavily loaded on Thursday evening. However, the situation had improved somewhat on Friday and Saturday, Sunday and Monday, were remarkably quiet. June Accrington’s Stationmaster, Mr Unsworth, was warning travellers that if they were going to the coast at Whitsuntide they might be left stranded due to the numbers of people returning especially from Blackpool. He advised those intent on travelling to book tickets well in advance as there would be no extra trains operating over the weekend. It was possible there would be long queues in Blackpool not only for trains but also for food. He even stated that his best advice would be, ‘just to stay at home’! Several passengers, who were obliged to stand in compartments and get support by bracing themselves against the slam doors with their hands, were being treated for bruised fingers and thumbs by the staff at Accrington Station. Bookings were up on previous years with Blackpool again the favourite, whilst Morecambe and Southport were benefiting as alternative destinations. All trains were running full to capacity despite the warnings. July There was an indication of just how many people were intending to go on holiday during the Wakes Week, as there was a three hour wait in the queue outside Accrington Station for advanced tickets. The booking hall did not open until 9am and several people who had waited in the queue which had started to form at 6am had to abandon their wait and go off to work. It was estimated that around 500 stuck it out and the delay was exacerbated by those who had not checked the departure times of the trains on which they intended to travel, so the Booking Clerks’ tasks were made even more difficult. There were still some tickets available for later in the week, but it was estimated that in the region of 2,000 tickets had been sold, some of which were from Altham’s Travel Agency in Blackburn Road, who were agents for the LMS. The Blackpool allocation had been exhausted by 2pm, so latecomers were unable to book them. On Saturday queues of people six abreast waited to board their trains, but were not being allowed access to the platforms until their service was due to avoid crowding. A railway official said that one of the problems was the shortage of experienced Booking Clerks, but in general the exercise had been carried out in a good humour. It was again emphasised that no extra trains would be run during the holidays. Bookings were up on 1942 with a big increase in those travelling to London. September Harry Howard, of Crawshaw Street in Accrington, was fined 40 shillings and ordered to pay 12 shillings costs for travelling on the railway without a valid ticket. A Ticket Collector at Accrington Station noticed that the ticket he handed over at the barrier had not been snipped, and the date had been erased. The defendant claimed he had gone to Blackpool using workmen’s blue tickets, but had mistakenly thrown the return half away, and that he had only boarded the train in Preston. The 3rd Class single from Preston to Accrington cost 2/6d, whilst one from Blackpool the equivalent fare was 5/3d. There was a slight increase in people using the trains over the previous year’s September holidays, with Blackpool again the most popular of the coastal resorts.

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