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

all possible. Recently a ‘flexible’ truck with a wheelbase of 8 feet - 6 inches has come into more general use, and this design minimises to a great extent the problems of a rigid truck. As previously explained this design of truck is more expensive to install and also to maintain, you Sub-Committee recommends it should be adopted under a double-deck, covered top car with a body 16 feet in total length similar to those presently in use in Birmingham, Chesterfield, Derby, Leyton and Leeds. These cars weigh about 10 tons unloaded and have the capacity to carry about 52 or 54 seated passengers. From the photograph provided it can be seen that these cars are not ungraceful in appearance. They have provision for about ten more passengers outside on the upstairs deck, besides having windows which can be raised or lowered by the conductor. All the fleet should utilise the same type of truck even on the single deck saloons, which must of necessity be used on the Oswaldtwistle Section. These should have bodies 17 feet - 6 inches in length and have a seating capacity for about 32 passengers. This Sub-Committee suggests that 14 double deck cars and 4 single deck cars should initially be purchased. If however the necessity for rolling stock with a greater capacity would be required, due to a larger density of traffic on Market Days, the question of bogie cars might have to be considered. Although for alternative reasons, such as the provision of spare parts, it is desirable to keep one standard type of car if possible. An important consideration made by your Sub-Committee was the capital cost of the cars. The bogie single deck car is about £18 per seat of capacity, whilst the price per seat of the car recommended by us is about £12. It is satisfactory to note that having consulted with the Electrical Engineer and Tramways Advisor to a large corporation, and who is now the General Manager of one of the largest manufacturers of tramcars in the Kingdom, having examined our system, in his opinion the type of car we recommended is the most suitable for our needs. It is proposed to install high-powered motors in our cars, in order to negotiate the hills with ease. Also the magnetic type of brake should be employed, as it is the one which is recommended by the Board of Trade. This type of braking has proved very reliable in trails made on severe gradients in various parts of the country, as well as demonstrated to your Sub-Committee during their visit to Chesterfield. November On the 9 th the Electrical Sub-Committee resolved to accept the tender of Messrs Hadfield of Sheffield of £5,060 – 10s – 0d for the supply of points, crossings and special track-work. It was further resolved to accept this company’s tender for the supply of fish bolts and tie bars at £280. The contract for the supply of 1,500 tons of rail and 25 tons of fish plates was won by the Leeds Company of Walter Scott at a price of £10,343. At a meeting of the General Purposes Committee, the Mayor submitted the recommendations of the Electrical Sub-Committee with regard to the supply of rails and fish plates to the tramway. It was resolved to adopt these recommendations. At a meeting of the Finance Committee it was resolved to empower the Borough Treasurer to borrow the following sums of money in order to purchase the following properties - From J. Carnie on the junction of Blackburn Road with Market Street in Church for £2,275 and from Daniel Thwaites & Co. brewers, 3 shops on Union Road in Oswaldtwistle for £850, also from Thomas Holden for 3 shops and 4 cottages also on Union Road, for £1,250, with legal costs of £46 - 10s - 0d for a total of £4,421 - 10s - 0d. December At a meeting of the Electrical , Legal & Parliamentary Committee various tenders for sections of the tramway were opened, they were referred to the Sub-Committee to be examined and reported upon. This Sub-Committee stayed on to look further into these tenders, before adjourning pending enquiries into several points. They authorised the Borough Engineer to obtain tenders for a ‘Motor Generator’ to work in conjunction with the tramway plant, its capacity to be 200 Kilowatts, also for the switchgear for a general supply of power to the tramway. This Committee then received a letter from the Clerk to Huncoat Parish Council, requesting that the tramway be extended to the Griffin Hotel at the corner of Highergate Road and Burnley Road. It was resolved to ask the Town Clerk to reply to the effect that the Council could not see their way to granting this request ‘at the present time’. The Committee then heard a letter from the Town Clerk of Blackburn on the subject of through-running between the two towns. It was resolved to pass this on to the Sub-Committee for further consideration. It was also resolved to convene another meeting specially to consider tenders for the overhead equipment for the new tramway. The Electrical Sub-Committee examined samples of the materials for use on the proposed tramway, as submitted by several firms who were tendering for this work. It recommended the tenders from the Brush Electrical Engineering Company of Loughborough for both the overhead equipment and the tramcars be

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