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

August The Electrical, Legal & Parliamentary Committee were empowered to deal with the tenders for portioning off part of the Tramway depot in order to create a paint shop. The Tramway Manager suggested to the Committee that the Huncoat Section should be operated using single-deck cars rather than double-decks running all the way through to Oswaldtwistle. In addition the frequency of service would be set at every 15 minutes on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, and at every 10 minutes on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. It was resolved that these changes would be put into operation at the same time that the Haslingden Section was opened. This would enable the timetables for both services to be printed at together. The Tramway Manager was asked to report at the end of the year upon the results and the working of these changes. September At a meeting of a Joint Committee it was resolved not to establish a smithy inside the Tramway depot, and that all the work connected with the tramway would be done at the Corporation’s own smithy. At a meeting of the Electrical, Legal & Parliamentary Committee, it was resolved that on a convenient date a Sub-Committee would meet at the Tramway depot, and look into the question of the proposed extensions and alterations. It was also resolved to ask the postal authorities to remove a telegraph pole at the Baxenden Borough boundary, which was projecting into the road and impeding the cars at the passing place. Since its inauguration, the Burnley Road Section had not generated sufficient revenue to continue being operated by double-deck cars. So it was decided that from the 17 th , this route would go over to single-deck operation. It would also be linked to the Oswaldtwistle Section, with cars running all the way from the Black Dog to Hillock Vale, operating at a frequency of every 15 minutes during the day, increasing to every 10 minutes on market day afternoons. ( Despite this it would still remain uneconomical .) On the 28 th , as arranged the Sub-Committee visited the Tramway depot in order to inspect it. October The Borough Surveyor submitted samples of the galvanised netting to protect the tramway depot roof to the Electrical, Legal & Parliamentary Committee. He was instructed to have the section of roof nearest to Ellison’s Tenement fitted with this netting. A letter was received from the Accrington Branch of the Typographical Association asking the Corporation to investigate whether the firm who was printing the tramway’s tickets, were strictly adhering to their ‘fair wages’ clause. It was then resolved that a policy of ‘fidelity insurance’ to be taken out to cover all members of staff in the Tramway Department who were required to handle any considerable amounts of cash. The Tramway Manager submitted tenders from Messrs Baker & Co. of Rotherham for the supply of the following – 4 car wheels @ £3 – 17s – 6d each, 24 steel tyres @ £1 – 9s – 9d each and 2 car axles @ £2 – 0s – 0d each, and these prices were accepted. The Mayor reported on a recent meeting with Haslingden Corporation to discuss the tramway services between the two towns. This matter was referred to a Sub-Committee for further consideration. It was then resolved to authorise the Tramway Manager to sell by auction a quantity of articles which had been left on the tramcars over a period of time. The actions of the Tramway Manager in lighting the Oswaldtwistle terminus to facilitate the changing of the trolley poles were also approved, and he was authorised to do the same for the Huncoat terminus at Hillock Vale. It was further resolved to affix lamps to light all the main highways along which the tramways pass. A letter was received from the Manager of Blackburn Corporation Tramways, cancelling their claim for damages inflicted on one of their cars in a collision with one from Accrington. They suggested that in future neither authority should make a claim against the other in a repeat of this collision. It was resolved to thank Blackburn Corporation for their generosity and to agree to the course of action they suggested. The Electrical, Legal & Parliamentary Committee received a letter ( dated October 17 th ), from the Town Clerk of Haslingden, stating that his corporation were prepared to agree to extending the running of the electric cars beyond the present terminus at the Commercial Hotel in Haslingden town centre through to the Haslingden/Rawtenstall boundary at Lock Gate. This providing Accrington Corporation would agree to alter the service of cars up to noon on Tuesdays, Saturdays and Sundays to a 15-minute frequency in place of the 10-minute frequency in operation at present, and on the same terms already contained in the current agreement for the Accrington – Commercial Hotel service. The Tramway Manager then produced a ‘return of mileage earnings’ on the 10-minute frequency service over the periods in question. It was resolved to agree to Haslingden’s proposed changes on these named days, with the addition of all day on Sundays.

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