Accrington Railways - Robert Kenyon

Offices on Cannon Street, in Accrington. ( This came at the time when there was a serious threat to the future of the line from the Thatcher Government .) December On Tuesday, the 9 th , a twenty year old man was killed as he lay across the lines 300 yards from Church & Oswaldtwistle Station, as the 06:05 Colne to Preston train was approaching at speed. The driver seeing the man immediately applied the emergency brake, but it was too late to avoid going over him. The driver stated he had felt the bump as this had happened, and was in such a state of distress he had to be relieved from duty, as was the guard who took it upon himself to walk back along the line to find the body. It was thought the deceased, who was partially deaf, had been taking a short cut when he slipped and fell. 1988 March On Saturday the 5 th , the opening Rail Rambler was to Bath and then along the Avon Valley, with fares at £10:00 for adults and half fare for children, and this was followed a fortnight later by one to Ludlow and Church Stretton at £6:00 and £3:00. At a cost of £11,000 the platforms at Church & Oswaldtwistle Station were to be raised to a level compatible with the new train’s doors, whilst not as severe as those in Rishton had been they were still causing difficulty when boarding and alighting trains. April On Easter Saturday, the 2 nd , there was another popular Rambler to Ravenglass and Whitehaven with a fare of £6:50p for adults and £3:25p for children. On Easter Monday the trip was to Bangor for walks in Snowdonia at the same fares. Having been saved by a building society’s merger in 1984, the number of trains running through Accrington on the now Blackpool North to Leeds service had risen to 8 per day, with 4 going through to York. Later the service would be extended again to Scarborough. May On Saturday the 2 nd , the second St James Day Tripper was off to Exeter and Dawlish in Devon. The locomotive in charge throughout was 47:596 named ‘ Aldeborough Festival’. It was stated that BR would not be able to repair a ‘gaping hole’ in a fence to the rear of Station Road in Huncoat, due to not having sufficient workmen available to do the work. Officials had come immediately as they had been summoned by Councillor Feeley, but had told him it could be two months before this work could be done. In the meantime local residents themselves had tried to patch up this fence on several occasions. July Rail Ramblers would continue with one to Llandudno and Blaenau Ffestiniog on Saturday, the 16 th , at £6:75p for adults and a special £2:00 fare for children, whilst on the 30 th , the Rambler was to Buxton for walks in the Peak District at £5:00 for adults, and again a special £1:00 flat fare for children. August Hyndburn Councillor Cathleen Thom, was highly critical of BR following what she described as a “nightmare journey” home from Blackpool. She described the outward journey as being packed in like sardines, but things were about to get worse. Two trains failed to turn up and when one eventually did there were so many people crammed in that she felt trapped, with many people also complaining that they had also missed their connections in Preston. She said there should be a limit to how many people were allowed to stand as indeed there was on buses, as even those who had seats had been overwhelmed by standing passengers. Having written a complaint to BR an official wrote back to say, “The suspension athnedybarlal kheasveona haenfytyomf tahregsien torfationlserwaonuceld”. be sufficient to cope safely with any number of people, as The Flower Show was on in Shrewsbury and on Saturday the 13 th , and the Rambler would drop off people there, before going on to Ironbridge via Wellington and Telford, all at the same fares of £6:50p and £3:25p per child. September On Saturday, the 24 th , the Rambler was to Stanhope in Weardale or to Durham. A visit on the freight only line beyond Bishop Auckland would require ‘special’ permission. There was a bus link to Durham and the fares were £9:00 and £4:50p. Stanhope had previously been visited during 1984. October Cockermouth and Buttermere were the destinations of the Rambler on Saturday, the 8 th , to take on some previously unexplored walks. The fares were £7:00 and £3:50p. On the 22 nd , Worcester was the destination of the Rambler, for walks in the Clent and Lickey Hills. This time the fares were £7:50p and £3:75p.

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