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

Balance £9,068 This route rises a total of 260 feet in the two-and-a-half miles from Peel Street to Baxenden Station, which is 730 feet above sea level. In 1907 the line began to be electrified. Haslingden was prepared to finance the route beyond the mill, ( which became in 1930 Holland’s Pie Factory ), but allowed Accrington to work the route. The line was opened to Haslingden town centre on September 21 st , 1908 and was extended through to Lock Gate, ( Rossendale Hospital ), during October of that year. Accrington loaned four steam hauled cars and engines to Haslingden whilst electrification was underway, then brought them back to Accrington for scrapping. Trams departing Peel Street turned right into Abbey Street where the line was singled, and met with the inward bound trams at the junction with ‘little’ Blackburn Road. The track was doubled all the way from this point all the way up into Manchester Road, to a point opposite the bottom gates of Oak Hill Park, where it reverted to single line. Passing loops were located at the junction with Harcourt Road, Baxenden Mission ( Newton Drive ), St. John’s Church, at the top of Alliance Street and at the nearest point of Manchester Road to Baxenden Railway Station. From just beyond the pie factory there was another short double track section and another passing loop at Rising Bridge. More passing loops were situated at Hollin Bank Farm, the ends of Shaw Street, Lodge Street, Hud Hay Road, Cross Street, beyond Spring Lane, between the junctions of Union Street and Prinny Hill Road on Blackburn Road. At the junction with John Street the single line passed over the spur leading to Haslingden Corporation’s tramway depot, before doubling before the junction with Deardengate and crossing beyond it to a point opposite the yard of the Commercial Hotel. From Haslingden town centre, along Manchester Road, the line had further passing loops beyond the junction with Co-operative Street and around the curve at the intersection with Bury Road. Further passing loops were located at the junctions with St. Peter’s Avenue, Tor View Road and Syke Side, before the Lock Gate section of double track. Proceeding east along Haslingden New Road there were passing loops situated at Workhouse Loop (the drive leading to Rossendale General Hospital), on the right in front of Spring Terrace and further on Egypt Terrace. Before the centre of Rawtenstall there was at least two other passing loops, the first was situated at the end of Mount Street from 1909, but at an undisclosed date had been moved to in front of the gates to Whittaker Park. The final loop before the line crossed the Rawtenstall’s ‘other’ routes on the level crossing at the junction of Bury Road with Bacup Road was at the end of Oakley Road. Along Bacup Road the line passed on the left the lines leading into Rawtenstall Corporation’s tramsheds, which were closed in favour of a new facility directly across Bacup Road in 1921. During this construction work a short new section of double track was added at this position. The next passing loop was situated just beyond the cricket ground which was on the left, with others following at Rose Vale Street, by the gasworks just before Peel Street, across the junctions of Union Street, and at Hareholme Bridge. A longer section of double track was situated from Fern Lea to Holt Mill Bridge with yet another length at the junction with Burnley Road through to Glen Terrace. Further short passing loops followed at Glen Top, milepost 2 ( Waterbarn Lane ), Rock Hill Road and Church Street. The next slightly longer passing point was the Commercial Street loop, followed by a short loop across the end of Branch Street and another extended one at Queens Terrace. The run into Bacup town centre was completed with passing loops at the Post Office just prior to the junction of Church Road and New Line, at Lodge Lane followed by a longer section of double track into Market Street at its closest point to Bacup Railway Station. The final passing loop was located at the end of Bland Street (now Commercial Street) before the terminus opposite the end of Union Street. In the days of steam trams the double line extended beyond Union Street into a ‘T’ for a short distance into Burnley Road on the left and Yorkshire Street on the right. After electrification these two short spurs were removed. There was no rail connection with the line along St James Street, so passengers wishing to travel on in the direction of Rochdale were required to walk a few yards around the corner to change onto Rochdale Corporation’s trams. The return followed the same course until it entered Accrington town centre, and the top of ‘little’ Blackburn Road, where it turned towards the Market and Town Halls. It descended on a length of single line single to the end of Peel Street. In the days of cars hauled by steam locomotives, the combination - -

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