Accrington Railways - Robert Kenyon

Blackpool. The gross number on Friday was 3,237 and in addition to the normal destinations, 700 went on Altham’s 4-day holiday and there were 128 for the IOM, 141 for Morecambe and 27 for Scarborough. On Saturday the Power Loom Weavers’ Association accounted for 991 sales, whilst 300* went to Keswick with St James’ Church, and a similar number with the New Jerusalem Church to Matlock. Shaw’s & Lawson’s took 570 by special to Blackpool, the firm of R. T. Wood’s went to Scarborough with 300* more out of a total of 6,965. (* Although the St. James, New Jerusalem and Wood’s trips all booked slightly less than the guaranteed number of 300 passengers. ) Whit Monday witnessed Shaw’s & Lawson’s Morecambe excursion loading to 590, whilst Altham’s ran excursions to both Blackpool and Morecambe to make up a total of 2,539 tickets issued on the day. September On the 13 th , the Town Council of Burnley received a letter from the Secretary of the L & Y, stating that his Directors having studied the possibility of constructing a railway between Rawtenstall and Burnley via Crawshawbooth would involve engineering works which would render the scheme enormously expensive. The gradients involved would require one-third of the route to be in tunnels, and our engineers would be pleased to show you the details which would make the line out of scale with any revenue that might be generated. The Clayton Local Board met on the 20 th , with Mr Calvert in the Chair and Messrs Tennant, Hargreaves, Holgate, Horrocks, Foster Wolstenholme and Towers in attendance, as the Clerk read out the following letter - Dear Sirs, with regard to the Accrington to Clayton-le-Moors line, we have made every effort to proceed with this project, but I am afraid that this has now become impossible. The friends which had committed to assisting us have, for reasons in no way connected to this scheme been unable to do so. Others which we hoped might step in to take their place on Monday last were also unable to do so, prevented by circumstances beyond our control. It is hoped however, that we may be able to progress this scheme in a session of Parliament during 1886. Yours sincerely, John Baker. 20, Bucklesbury, London EC. As a result of this communication James Smith Esq reported that a Mr Foster, who was at the previous meeting, had given notice of his intentions to move that a deputation should wait upon the L & Y with regard to a branch railway line to Clayton, now said he was to withdraw this motion. October On the 1 st , a meeting was convened by Mr S. M. Holden the editor and owner of the local Weekly Advertiser with the intention of forming an amateur cricket league. One of the 28 teams represented at the venue of this meeting, Highams Baths, was the Accrington Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway. ( The League began playing matches in April, 1891, but unfortunately the L & Y team won only one of the eleven games contested and did not contest the 1982 season, or any season thereafter .) Members of the Local Board, large employers and businessmen, met with Messrs Baker and Leane form London at the Mechanics Institute in Accrington on the 15 th , to discuss the proposed line connecting Accrington with Clitheroe. Mr Smith, Clerk to the Board, had arranged this meeting and Mr Calvert presided. Baker and Leane explained that this new line would leave the existing one at the Burnley siding on the railway arches in Accrington and then go through Enfield Stone Quarries to the Leeds & Liverpool Canal close to the Albion Hotel on Whalley Road. The line would then continue down the valley behind Clayton Hall to Portfield Bar, from where a single loop would branch off to Sabden. The main line would then proceed along the brow of Clerk Hill to Wiswell and immediately past the Calico Printing Works at Barrow Village to join the main line to Clitheroe. This would provide a shorter link between Manchester, the north and Scotland than was the case via Bolton and Blackburn. It was said that several of the landowners had already been contacted and all had indicated they were prepared to give up their holdings providing the terms were reasonable. It was said that because of the lack of interest by the L & Y an independent company would have to be formed. Mr Leane produced the plans which were the subject of much discussion, and the conclusion was reached that if this line was joined to the tracks of the L & Y at Martholme, then it would enhance the possibility of the new line generating enough

65