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

is reducing until the car is at a standstill when the handbrake should then be applied to hold the car stationary. 63.When cars are full of passengers the Driver should run at a reduced speed in order to allow his Conductor to collect all the fares before arriving at the next fare stage. 64.Drivers must slow down when passing another stationary car, restive horses, children who are in close proximity to the rails or coming out of schools, similarly when approaching a crowd of people, approaching pools of standing water, points where the track is under repair or where the lines have sunk or become loose and where there are main thoroughfares at right angles to the tracks. 65.Drivers must realise they do not have a monopoly of the roadways, and therefore must show tolerance to other road users especially those in control of horse drawn vehicles, and should always allow heavily laden traffic to pass obstructions on a narrow section of the highway, rather than causing them to have to stop which could cause a horse to fail to start moving again. By exercising this consideration they will find that there is less desire by these persons to obstruct the passage of a car. 66.The Driver will be liable to pay for any damage to his car if he does not allow sufficient clearance when passing other traffic. 67.Drivers should always position their cars at the furthest end of a passing loop to await the approach of a car from the opposite direction but clear of any obstruction. This would avoid the possibility of a collision should the approaching car take the wrong points when entering the loop. 68.When standing at a terminus or in a passing loop, the Driver must always lock the controller by placing the reversing lever in the ‘off’ position, and if stepping from the car for any reason take the reversing lever with him and also knock out the canopy switch. 69.Drivers must keep the distance of at least 20 yards between his car and a proceeding car when travelling in the same direction. 70.Cars must not be reversed until both the Driver and Conductor have changed places. 71.Drivers in charge of cars during snowstorms, if stopped by a drift should shut off power, reverse back a few yards and after removing any lumps of snow which might form under the wheels, apply sand, power up and charge the drift. 72.When driving in thick fog, Drivers must reduce speed and must strictly observe all passing places, taking particular care to avoid when leaving a double track section for single line running, unless having already passed the car scheduled to be crossed there. They should not proceed beyond the single line passing loops until the opposite car has passed unless he sends his conductor forward to clear the loop ahead. 73.In the event of two cars meeting head on, in a single length of track, no matter which Driver is to blame , the Driver in charge of the car which is travelling in the outward direction from town must immediately have his trolley changed around and run back. The exchanging of passengers is strictly forbidden, as is the ‘packing’ of points to enable a car to set back after running through them. 74.Cars must be slowed to a speed of 2 miles per hour when entering or leaving the car sheds, going through overhead line junctions, through crossovers, facing or trailing frogs or round curves. When entering or leaving points the speed should not exceed 4 miles per hour. 75.Cars must not pass on curves, with the inside car being allowed preference to proceed, and should never be brought to a standstill on a bend, as this causes an unnecessary waste of current in order to restart. 76.Drivers should be able to recognise the signs denoting the trolley has become detached from the overhead wire. These are an extraordinary agitation of the trolley wire, sudden loss of the trolley’s ‘singing’ noise, an extinction of the car’s lights and the motors no longer ‘humming’. Upon indication by any of these signs the car must immediately be brought to a standstill.

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