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

§ On Market Street in Church before turning the corner into Blackburn Road. § On Whalley Road at Eccles Street on the inward run. § On Burnley Road at Melbourne Street on the inward run. § On Abbey Street at Plantation Street on the outward run. § On Manchester Road at Oak Hill Park Gates on the inward run. In Haslingden the speed limit was 12 miles per hour with the exception of the section between Dog Kennel Road to Deardengate, where the limit was 8 miles per hour. PENALTY Any person offending against or committing a breach of these Byelaws will be liable to a fine not exceeding forty shillings. During a meeting of the Electrical Sub-Committee it was resolved the Tramway Manager should enquire of managers of tramways in similar towns, to ascertain their terms and conditions for the issue of workmen’s and discount tickets, and then to report back. The Tramway Manager then reported on the ‘satisfactory’ service of certain Inspectors, motormen, conductors and staff employed in the Parcels Department over the past six months. These members of staff were now entitled to an increase in their scales of pay from the 12 th , as follows - • Two Senior Inspectors + 2 shillings per week. The Tramway Manager reported on the failure of Car N o 13 on Saturday 15 th , due to a failure of the motor. It was also resolved as a trial to obtain one truck of sand from Fleetwood for use in the sandboxes of the tramcars. Electrical, Legal & Parliamentary Committee met to receive a letter from solicitors Barlow Rowland claiming £26 – 3s – 0d, with regard to damage to a wagonette owned by Mr Charles Burgess caused through the alleged condition of the paving on Milnshaw Brow during the tramways reconstruction during October 1907. It was resolved that the Town Clerk would contest this claim. It was further resolved to purchase a track cleaner for attaching to the tramcars, also the request for more storage space in the Market Hall should be put before the Sub-Committee. The Tramway Manager was authorised to have ‘PENNY STAGE’ indicators fitted at the designated places along each section, and that drivers should be given instructions that they must stop their cars at these fare stages. This Committee then looked into the necessity of employing a ‘turner/mechanic’ at the Tramway depot. The Borough Treasurer reported the number of British Thermal Units sold to the Tramway for the quarter leading up to December 31 st , 1907 was 147,224. He then recommended that the following accounts be paid, Tramway revenue @ £1,263 – 0s – 2d, Tramway capital @ £586 – 17s – 8d. March Car number 2 must have been an unlucky tram, for having been damaged in March 7 th , the previous year it was involved in another collision this time with car number 3 on a single track section, again on Union Road in Oswaldtwistle. There were parts of this road where it was not possible to see clearly if a tram was already occupying a single track section. Both cars sustained significant damage with both motormen sharing the responsibility due to gross negligence. This accident prompted a system of automatic signalling to be installed at the three most vulnerable points on this section. At a meeting of the Full Council the Mayor, Town Clerk and Electrical Engineer reported they had met with a deputation of senior politicians and representatives from Haslingden Corporation, to discuss matters relating to the electrification of that Corporation’s tramways. They went into details of how they would re-equip their tramway with tramcars and also the possibility of ‘mutual running powers’ over each other’s systems between the Market Place in Accrington and the Commercial Hotel in Haslingden. The draft agreement submitted to Haslingden the previous September was discussed and ‘provisionally settled’. The deputation also discussed the terms on which they might be supplied with electricity enough to energise the whole of their system, asking that these might be presented to a ‘special’ meeting to be convened later in the evening. The Mayor, Town Clerk and Electrical Engineer then discussed the terms which they would present, subject to the approval of the full Committee. As a result the following quotation was placed before the Haslingden deputation, “To supply the necessary energy at the Baxenden Borough boundary at a voltage of between 500 and 550 volts at 1·45 pence per unit, varying with the price of coal”. All this was subject to Haslingden Corporation laying all the necessary internal mains, and • All Motormen increased to 6½d per hour. • All Conductors increased to 5½d per hour. • Parcels Department Foreman + 2 shillings per week. • Parcels boys + 1 shilling per week.

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