Accrington Railways - Robert Kenyon

4:50am Accrington to Todmorden. This ran on Mondays only, attaching traffic at Rose Grove. 7am Accrington Goods Yard to Patricroft. This ran daily conveying traffic for Bury Bolton Street and Molyneux, where it detached empty wagons for Agecroft Colliery. It then picked up wagons at Outwood Colliery Sidings. It also attached wagons in Ramsbottom from Ringley Road in Radcliffe, and Bury if previously requested to do so by telephone. On Sundays only this train ran as far as Clifton Hall detaching wagons for Patricroft in Outwood Refuge Sidings. 7:50am Accrington Exchange Sidings to Todmorden. This train ran daily except Saturdays. The engine came off shed with empty wagons including a brake van for use at the Accrington Brick & Tile Sidings, where it would be shunted by the works engine to the Huncoat Intermediate Signal Box to be the 5pm train’s brake van. It would exchange traffic at all the stations en route depositing stock in the yard at Burnley Manchester Road. On Mondays only the loco ran light engine at 7:05am to Rose Grove, which including shunting at Hapton for 40 minutes. 8:30am Accrington to Ramsbottom or Bury. This train ran Sundays only, and conveyed traffic for transfer to stations along the Bacup Branch. 10am Accrington to Barnsley . This train ran daily, but on Mondays only conveyed a brake van for detaching at the Accrington Brick & Tile Sidings in Huncoat. It called at Huncoat (where it shunted wagons Saturdays excepted), Hapton (where it shunted wagons), Rose Grove, Burnley Manchester Road, Portsmouth (Saturdays only), Hebden Bridge, Mytholmroyd, Sowerby Bridge*, Thornhill, Horbury and Horbury Junction (Saturdays only). It then continued to Haigh and Barnsley. (*Traffic for Normanton, Halifax, Elland, Brighouse, Mirfield and Goole was all detached at Sowerby Bridge). 10:10am Accrington Exchange Sidings to Burnley Manchester Road. This train ran on Saturdays only, picking up traffic from Huncoat Brick Sidings, Huncoat, Hapton and Rose Grove to Burnley. 10:30am Accrington Exchange Sidings to Colne. This train ran on Saturdays only, picking up in Rose Grove (where it had previously attached cattle wagons and a brake van for Habergam Colliery Sidings). It attached traffic from the Bacup Branch in Nelson, and arrived in Colne at 11:55am where it performed shunting duties. (It received banking assistance from the Burnley pilot engine between Burnley and Brierfield). 12am Accrington Exchange Sidings to Burnley. This train ran on Sundays only, the engine coming off shed at 11:30 to marshal its train. It picked up traffic at Rose Grove for Burnley and beyond. 1:30pm Accrington Exchange Sidings to Ramsbottom. This train ran daily except Saturdays, picking up traffic at Baxenden, Haslingden, Grane Road and Helmshore. (This train contained empty vans from Unity Brook and Robin Hood Mills from Accrington to Ramsbottom, whilst on Mondays only the loco would then perform shunting duties at Ramsbottom). Note Traffic ascending Baxenden Bank was limited to a maximum of 300 tons, which equated to 19 loaded wagons plus a brake van. August At a meeting of the Town Council an improvement to the train services from Accrington was on the agenda, along with the lack of other facilities connected to the railway which put the travelling public at a disadvantage. It was suggested that a sub-committee of six councillors was appointed to draw up a list of suggestions of improvements for submitting to the L & Y. This Sub-Committee drew up the (1) They drew attention to the fact that there were no trains from Accrington to Manchester between 07:58 and 16:05 on Sundays. It was suggested that an additional train might be run between those times and specifically that the 10:45 to Bury should run through to Manchester. (2) That a ‘short’ train should run from Accrington to Ramsbottom every weekday, in order to connect with the 05:56 to Manchester. This would attend to the needs of tradesmen wishing to visit Shudehill Market. (3) It was recommended that a train should be put on from Manchester to East Lancashire between 18:20 and the 20:10 departures from Salford. (4) That the L & Y operates the 22:45 departure from Manchester Victoria forward to Accrington on Wednesdays and Saturdays all year round. BETWEEN ACCRINGTON & LIVERPOOL (1) Attention was drawn to the fact that the 07:35 train from Accrington was ‘continually’ missing a connection at Preston Junction Station with the train from Preston to Liverpool. This is a cause of “great inconvenience”, and the L & Y was requested to make this connection a guaranteed one in the future. ( Preston Junction Station was later renamed Todd Lane ). following list of recommendations for services – BETWEEN ACCRINGTON & MANCHESTER

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