Accrington Railways - Robert Kenyon

On Saturday the 18 th , the Mystery Trip left town at 07:20 to arrive at the destination at 13:35. The fares were £2 per adult and £1:25p for a child. It must have gone a fair distance, as it would return overnight departing at 22:20. The Super Saver to Blackpool was on again on Sundays, the 12 th and 19 th , this time departing at 13:15 and returning at 21:00. On Tuesday the 21 st , BR ran another trip to London with Windsor as the usual alternatives. The train booked up very quickly and left town at 07:33 arriving in Euston at 11:40. The cruise to Runnymede included tea and biscuits. For those wishing to stay in the city the fares were £2:75p for adults and £1:35p for a child. The Winsor trip was £1:30p extra per person and for lunch and high tea served on the train the supplement was £1:70p. The return train left Euston at 19:20. With Blackpool Illuminations underway, specials were run on Sundays, the 19 th and 26 th , departing Accrington at 13:15 and returning at 21:00. The fares were for adults 30p and children under 13 half fare. The East Lancs Railway Preservation Society again organised an excursion on Sunday, the 26 th , this time to Great Yarmouth, Bressingham Gardens and the Railway Museum. Free buses were again provided to and from Accrington, and light refreshments were available on the train. The fares were, adults £2:75p and children under 14 £1:75p. October A special was run to Manchester Victoria on Wednesday the 6 th , for Burnley’s away game at Manchester United. It left Accrington at 17:34 arriving at 18:17 and returning at 22:10. The fare for all passengers was 40p. On September 18 th , a Mystery Trip had been rapidly fully booked up, so in order to placate those who had missed out another had been arranged for Saturday the 9 th , again returning overnight. Timings were from Nelson 07:15, Burnley Central 07:25, Accrington 07:39, Blackburn 07:54 and Leyland 08:21. Return from the destination was at 22:10. Also on the 9 th , Burnley were away at Carlisle United, and a special train left town at 10:33 arriving at Citadel Station at 13:09, and returning at 18:15. Fares were for an adult £1 and for a child 50p. With two overnight journeys included, BR was pushing the boat out with a ‘Sleeper Excursion’ to Plymouth. The train would depart at eleven minutes past midnight on Saturday the 16 th , arriving in Plymouth at 08:03 in time for breakfast and a full day out. It would return overnight at 23:30. The fares of £5 per adult and £4 per child included sleeping berths in both directions. For those who wanted to stay nearer to home there was a special to Blackpool for the Illuminations for just 30p for an adult and 15p for a child. This train would leave town at 16:24 and return from North Station at 22:35. It is possible that Burnley Football Club was now chartering trains from BR to go to the away games, as there were now no reductions for children travelling on them. The first of these was to Hull on the 23 rd , picking up at Nelson, Burnley Central and Accrington, for a fare of £1. November The pick-up points were the same on the 6 th , when Burnley’s away fixture was at Sheffield Wednesday. The only difference was the fare at 75p. A ‘Mini-Weekend’ break in London was the last of BR’s excursions for the year, over Saturday and Sunday the 20 th and 21 st . There were however, no additional excursions to pay for in the £6:25p adult fare and the child’s at £4, with just one night’s bed & breakfast in a Grand Met Hotel. At a meeting of the Planning Committee, the Town Clerk reported on the terms which had been settled upon by the District Valuer with British Railways, for the purchase of the redundant Scaitcliffe Street Railway Bridge along with an adjoining area of land immediately to the south. This was to facilitate some road improvements, so it was resolved this bridge and the land attached would be purchased at the price put on it by the District Valuer. December The Planning Committee met when the Town Clerk reported upon the demolition of the Scaitcliffe Street Railway Bridge, which had been successfully completed at a cost of £250. 1972 ( With the impending closure of the former steam sheds on Charter Street, it seemed as though the preservationists were looking seriously at obtaining the premises for their own purposes .) January Ordinary service trains would be required to travel to Preston to catch the 09:01 to Euston to join the ‘Mini-Holiday’ weekend in London on Saturday the 29 th . There would be light refreshments available on the trains and reserved seats. The Grand Met’s Hotels would again provide bed & breakfast

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