Accrington Railways - Robert Kenyon

‘Raven’, an 1883 0-4-0 saddle tank which ‘slipped’ the points, was in no way responsible for this accident. Trains such as this had taken loads of up to 200 tons of coal every trip between the colliery’s sidings and the Power Station, since it had started generating electricity in mid-1952. Normal train services were unaffected by this incident. Raven, the unfortunate engine, was cut up on site during 1969. March No less than 406 platform tickets were sold at Accrington Station on Sunday the 17 th , to see the passing of Flying Scotsman at 11:41, as she stopped to take on water from one of the columns on her journey from Stockport to Carnforth. Later in the day at 19:45, Britannia Pacific 70013 ‘Oliver Cromwell’ also passed through to be followed by the Scotsman again at 20:47. They were at the head of two specially chartered trains by William & Deacons Bank, which had previously to be cancelled due to industrial action by BR’s guards. However, demand had been so great that two trains could be filled. Another of the railways long-serving employees, Alan Yeomans, of Richmond Road in Accrington, retired after 50 years’ service. He had started work as an engine cleaner at Accrington’s engine sheds in 1917, and in 1922 became a fireman followed in 1926 with promotion to driver. After a period based at the sheds in Lower Darwen, he returned to Accrington. In March, 1964, he was the driver of the DMU which caught fire at Shoe Mill in Baxenden in which one carriage was burnt out. He had succeeded in uncoupling the second coach and saved a considerable amount of mail, which was loaded inside the guard’s compartment. He likened driving a diesel to driving a tram and regretted the passing of steam. In his family his father and three brothers had all been drivers on the railway, with another brother working in the Signalling & Telegraph Department, so the family had 105 years’ service in total. It was announced that Accrington man John Revill, of Perth Street, had been promoted to the position of Depot Manager at BR’s Burnley Sundries Division, which covered an area including Todmorden and Bacup. He was formerly the Chief of Staff’s Administration Assistant. April BR’s Estates Agent announced that the buildings and platforms of Helmshore Station had been handed over to their department and were up for sale. This came as a surprise to the Helmshore & District Railway Preservation Society, who had recently disbanded after failing to buy it after it closed on December 6 th , 1966. This was part of a plan to run the section between Stubbins Junction and Accrington as an independent train operator. They had written 60 letters to BR on the subject, but had failed to illicit a single reply. During the next few weeks workmen would be lifting the tracks and stripping the station building and platforms of any reusable items and when this was completed, it would be first offered to Haslingden Corporation. What was not for sale however, was the station yard which had already been purchased by a local firm. Despite the good weather bookings at Accrington Railway Station were described as “moderate”, with the majority off to Blackpool. May Over Whitsuntide there was only a special to Grange-over-Sands, Ulverston and Barrow on Sunday the 2 nd , but this and the scheduled services to the coastal resorts were well patronised. Towards the end of the month the main A680 road would be closed for eight hours whilst workmen removed the bridge over the main road at Harwood Bar. This well-known landmark colloquially known as the ‘Ferodo Bridge’ once carried the railway on the Harwood Loop Line over the highway. ( Due to insufficient clearance only single-deck buses could pass beneath it, which had resulted in all the Ribble and Corporation bus services using double-deck vehicles having to go around by Great Harwood town centre, where they could pass under a higher bridge taking the railway over Heys Lane .) June Mr P. Burrill, the Area Manager of BR, who was responsible for train services through Accrington, warned that passengers might be delayed and inconvenienced due to industrial action in the form of a work-to-rule and go slow by railwaymen. The only trains affected on the first day, Friday the 24 th , were the 05:45 Colne to Manchester, which started from Accrington at 06:09 and the 06:10 Colne to Manchester, which also commenced its journey from Accrington at 06:37. On the Friday afternoon the Blackpool to Colne arrived in Accrington at 16:28, some 25 minutes late, whilst on all the other trains that week the delays only amounted to a few minutes. July On the first Monday of the Wakes Weeks, over 100 people were waiting for trains to Blackpool, Southport and Morecambe, which was described as “unusual”. On the middle Saturday there was a special excursion to Rhyl.

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