Accrington Railways - Robert Kenyon

With respect to the train services please refer to the following correspondence from my Company. The Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway Company responded with a letter ( dated September 26 th ), entitled - IMPROVED RAILWAY FACILITIES (1) The 10:45 from Accrington to Bury on Sundays will now be extended to Manchester Victoria. (2) The 07:25 from Bury to Colne will now depart from Manchester Victoria at 06:55. (3) The 22:45 from Manchester will run through to Accrington on Wednesdays and Saturdays. (4) There will be a train from Liverpool at 14:20, which will contain a ‘slip’ portion, which will detach in Blackburn and then go forward to Accrington, thus avoiding passengers having to change trains. (5) A train will be put on to depart Preston at 19:31 for Accrington. With regard to your proposals that an early train is operated from Accrington to Ramsbottom, and an additional one from Manchester between 18:20 and 20:20 from Manchester (not Salford at 20:10), I beg to inform you that these arrangements have already been tried and that these services had to be withdrawn due to lack of sufficient patronage. Delays have ‘occasionally’ arisen during the working of the trains to which you make special reference in your list. These have been unavoidable owing to the pressure of traffic and ‘other’ unforeseen circumstances. I do hope these arrangements as explained will be accepted as a desire on the part of the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway Company to meet as far as is possible the requirements of the travelling public of Accrington. October The Town Clerk reported that in the L & Y Act of the last session of Parliament, the Company had been given authority to erect a footbridge over the railway at Meadow Top and they were now in a position to start this work. It was resolved they be encouraged to do so ‘without further delay’. ( This footbridge became known locally as the ‘Iron Bridge’ due to its lattice girder construction .) It was resolved that the Town Clerk write to the L & Y about a ‘large slip of land’, which had come down in Lonsdale Street, also the ‘copious amount of water’ which had accompanied this landslide. November At a meeting of the General Works Committee, a letter was received from the Enfield Brick & Terra Cotta Company, requesting what terms the Corporation would demand in respect of their liability to pay for ‘extraordinary traffic’ if the Company commenced taking their bricks by means of a traction engine drawing three large wagons, from their Whinney Hill Works to the L & Y railway station in Accrington? It was resolved the Town Clerk reply that the Corporation were not prepared to enter any agreements of this kind with this company. December Parliamentary Notice was served on the Council of the L & Y’s intentions to widen the railway bridge at the western end of the station which spanned the junction of Paxton Street with Scaitcliffe Street by 15 feet. The Town Clerk reminded the Legal & Parliamentary Committee that they had been un-successful in persuading the Railway Company to lengthen this bridge so as to accommodate a footpath on both sides of the highway. It was resolved by this Committee not to sanction the widening of this bridge unless the lengthening was simultaneously undertaken. 1897 January A letter was received from the L & Y requesting the Corporation appoint a deputation to meet with them to discuss the Scaitcliffe Street bridge issue. It was resolved that Councillor Higham, the Town Clerk and the Borough Surveyor, would meet with the Railway Company for this purpose. At a meeting of the Watch Committee the Town Clerk reported he had received a letter from the L & Y, inviting the Corporation to meet with them with regard to their proposals to obtain a strip of land from the cemetery, for the purpose of widening their lines from two to four tracks. It was resolved that Alderman Smith and the Town Clerk would meet with the Railway Company to discuss this project. February The L & Y requested permission to divert a watercourse near to Lonsdale Street, but the General Works Committee stated they would not give permission for this work to be done. The Town Clerk then reported he had met with a deputation from the Company in order to discuss the contents of their Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway Company’s Bill. The Town Clerk reported to the Watch Committee on this meeting with the representatives of the L & Y on the subject of their Bill, and he also presented letters from the Railway Company’s solicitors, which had come into his possession after this meeting. The Legal & Parliamentary Committee met to receive a long letter from Preston Corporation, drawing their attention to the part of the L & Y’s Railway Bill, which was concerned by the taking over by it of the West Lancs Railway along with the Liverpool, Southport & Preston Junction Railway. Preston Council felt that if approved by Parliament, this would adversely affect the access to Preston Docks, as it would be

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