Accrington on Rails - The Tramways: A Complete History - Robert Kenyon

April A letter was received by the Legal & Parliamentary Committee ( dated the 17 th ) from the Town Clerk of Haslingden asking, if Accrington Corporation acquired the length of tramway within their own Borough, whether they would consider leasing the Baxenden Section to Haslingden and on what terms? It was resolved that a reply stating the Corporation would not be prepared to lease the Baxenden Section to Haslingden Corporation. However with a view to allowing through running between Accrington and Haslingden, the Corporation would be amenable to this on mutual terms. This would be on the basis of equal mileage and of electricity consumed to be negotiated and periodically revised by both parties, or in the case of a dispute, to be arbitrated upon by the Board of Trade. May The Town Clerk informed the Legal & Parliamentary Committee that the promoters of the Accrington & Burnley Light Railway Order had decided not to proceed any further with this scheme. Notes on a Conference held on May 24 th , 1902 between the Corporation of Accrington and the Accrington Steam Tramway Company. Present for the Council - The Mayor, Councillor Sprake, Town Clerk, and A. H. Aitken. Representing the Company - Messrs Kenyon, Waite & Wilson. 1) Mr Kenyon stated his Company would be prepared to forgo the Church and Clayton-le Moors Section, and it was also decided that electrical current could be supplied through to Rawtenstall. 2) It was decided that Accrington Corporation would undertake the repairs to the paving, at given sum per mile in length. (At a continuation of this Conference, Mr Cooper replaced Mr Waite for the Company.) a. It was decided that the valuation of the Haslingden Section was £36,000 including the John Street depot. b. It was decided that the valuation of the Rawtenstall Section was somewhere between £8,000 and £9,000 . July The Mayor informed a meeting of the Legal & Parliamentary Committee a conference had been arranged for the 16 th instant, between a specially appointed Sub-Committee and representatives of both Haslingden and Rawtenstall Corporations, in order to discuss a proposed purchase of the Tramway Company. November The General Works Committee received a report from the Town Clerk of a meeting he had with the Chairman and the Secretary of the Tramway Company, where a proposal by Blackburn Corporation to double the rental for use of their passing loop outside the Commercial Hotel in Church from £20 per year to £40 was discussed. At the Tramway Company’s request he had spoken with the Tramway Manager and Town Clerk of Blackburn with a view to having this increase withdrawn, and had reported back to them the outcome of this meeting. He then presented correspondence from the Tramway Company in which it was stated that if Blackburn Corporation insisted upon this increase they would not pay it. Instead they would revert to using the passing loop at the top of Henry Street as their terminus. It was resolved the Tramway Company use every means available to come to amenable terms with Blackburn Corporation, ‘as complete power lies with them in this matter’! A letter was also received from the Tramway Company saying it had now completed repairs and repainting of their sheds and offices in the Ellison Street tramsheds, and they could be inspected at any time at the Corporation’s convenience. It was resolved the Tramway Sub-Committee go to view the depot. It was further resolved that the Town Clerk write to the Tramway Company, to complain of the ‘large’ quantities of water which drips from their engines. This keeps the tramway track in a continually damp condition, especially the wooden paving opposite the Market Hall, with the request they attend to this problem without delay. The General Works Committee heard a letter from the Tramway Company during December, explaining that the ‘three worst engines’, which were responsible for the nuisance of water dripping from their tanks, due to their ‘poor’ condition, had now been withdrawn from service. They trusted that this would be a satisfactory solution to this problem. 1903 (This was the year when one of the ‘big’ players abandoned an attempt to take control of the tramway in Accrington, and the Council looked more seriously at the possibility of taking back and electrifying the system despite some pitfalls which still had to be overcome. The Council also seriously

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