Accrington Railways - Robert Kenyon

long distance trains were heavily booked, but that the Lancashire resorts were still very popular along with the Isle of Man. August The trips did not end with the culmination of the holidays, for on Sundays the 8 th and 15 th , specials ran to Blackpool, whilst every Sunday up until September 5 th , there would be an excursion to Lakeside departing Accrington at 10:15 for 18/3d, with the option of a steamer to Bowness at 22/3d or Ambleside at 23/9d, returning from Lakeside at 19:45. After 09:30 there were special day return fares to Preston for 4/3d, Blackburn 1/8d, Burnley 1/11d and Manchester 6/3d. With the exception of Saturdays, for 57/- day return, a traveller could go to London on any train any day, whilst a weekend return would cost 90/- leaving on Friday afternoon, Bank Holiday weekend excluded, and on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday travelling overnight, a period return to the capital would cost 60/-. A very special, special was organised for Sunday, the 29 th , called the ‘John Peel Land Cruise’. This would depart from Accrington at 09:30, Church at 09:33 and would go via scenic route through the Lake District for a 4-hour stay in Keswick, with time for an optional cruise on Derwent Water at 2/6d extra per adult and 1/3d per child that had to be booked in advance with the train tickets, which themselves cost 26/6d. September At a meeting of the General Purposes Committee and further to a previous minute, the Town Clerk reported that the objections to British Railways’ proposals for the withdrawal of passenger services between Manchester Victoria and Accrington via Clifton Junction would be heard in Manchester on Thursday, October 21 st , next. On Friday, the 3 rd , the rail/road/steamer trip to the Isle of Mull departed overnight at 21:20 at a fare of 85/6d, which with numbers limited had to be booked well in advance. There were special trains to Blackpool throughout the month for the Illuminations, with one to Morecambe for its lights on Sunday, the 5 th . On the 9 th , at a meeting of the Highways Committee the Borough Engineer submitted correspondence from British Railways, enquiring if the Council would have any objections to a proposal to reduce the width of the railway bridge which crosses the footpath leading from Star Street in Antley, on the southerly side of the railway lines. It was resolved the Council would raise no objections to this proposal and to inform the Railway Company of this decision. October Burnley fans could go to Leicester on Saturday, the 16 th , for 27/- return by departing at 08:32 and returning from London Road at 18:03, with a change in Manchester in both directions. Two weeks later the Clarets were away at Leeds United, with a special booked to leave at 12:10 and return from City Station at 19:05 for a fare of 10/6d. At a hearing of the Transport Users Consultative Committee, held in Manchester on the 21 st , Mr Andrew Rankin, who was Counsel for Accrington, the eight other local authorities including Haslingden, and the North West’s Development Committee stated, “Accrington contains a great nucleus of highly skilled craftsmen, and there was a 45-acre site set aside for the development of further industries. This rail link is vital to attracting new industries and if this link was severed, it would be a body blow seriously undermining the confidence of potential investors”. He went on to say, “Any means of transport to be substituted for this service would be more expensive in both time and money. Under the current conditions one could depart from Accrington Station at 06:10 and be in the heart of Manchester by 06:53. The alternative via Blackburn requires one to leave Accrington at 05:55 and not arrive in Manchester until 07:24. Many of the 500,000 people who could use this service live in North East Lancashire, and of those who depend upon it some may have to seek alternative employment.” Lancashire County Council in its submission stated that the main A56 road was now carrying three times its designed vehicular capacity, whilst the A680 has twice its capacity over its full length into Accrington, and this would only be added to if the rail link was lost. Mr Pettinger, a resident of Burnley Road, who was teaching at a Manchester school, accused BR of deliberately running down the service in order to provide fuel to justify its closure. A written statement was also produced from Lancashire County Council, in which it pointed out that even though there was an alternative service via Blackburn, it would result in an extra 300,000 journeys by road every year, the bulk of which would be on the A56 and A680 roads that were already carrying three times the number of vehicles for which they were intended. More evidence was offered by Mr James Kenyon, a Bury

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