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

Company and the Corporation. Failing agreement not being reached, the Railways Consolidation Act 1845 would provide the formula by which agreement would be reached.” (The following are extracts from the House of Lords Select Committee Session, of March 17 th , 1887.) Lord Balfour of Burley in the Chair. Mr Pope opened the case on behalf of the promoters, and Mr William Lyser Holt was sworn in to be examined by Mr Claude Baggally. It was established that Mr Pope was currently the Manager of the Southern Division of the Paris Tramway. He had also planned the Birmingham & Western District Tramway of 35 lineal miles, and also involved in the Brighton & District Tramways, the Pontypridd & Rhondda Tramways, the Wednesbury & West Bromwich Tramways and that he was the current Engineer of the Birmingham & Midland Tramway Company. Now in his capacity he was now presenting the case for the Accrington Corporation Steam Tramway Company which included the unopposed territory of Haslingden and Rawtenstall along with that of Oswaldtwistle. In this case of the proposed Oswaldtwistle Extension, one point which was strongly objected to was the narrowness of the road under the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway Company’s bridge at Church Station, and the 1:2 incline down to Market Street on which goods were carted from the Goods Shed adjacent to the Station. (Other Questions were made during this cross-examination.) Q. What is the weight of your steam engines? A. They weigh about ten tons. Q. Will you adhere to this class of engine, or do you envisage more powerful and heavier ones? A. They might increase to twelve tons. Q. Have you made any provision for a new depot to be built anywhere in your Bill? A. No. No provision has yet been made, as I have yet to determine upon a suitable site. Q. As you well know Accrington on Market Days is very crowded with both pedestrians and cart traffic, how many additional cars would come through the streets? On these market days would they not cause an extra inconvenience? A. No, not at all. There would be a twenty-minute service, which would meet the demands of the population, and the only inconvenience would be to passengers who were changing cars. Q. Wouldn’t the foot passengers wishing to go to Accrington’s Railway Station have to cross the lines in going to the entrances unless it is altered? A. Yes. Q. I assume there is considerable foot traffic to the Railway Station at present? A. Yes. There were seventeen thousand tickets sold in the month of November. Q. You stated, did you not, in your evidence-in-chief that you anticipated the new tramways would afford the public increased facilities? A. Yes. Q. Do you look to considerable traffic on those tramways? A. I do. Q. Taking the population on the map, I see to Oswaldtwistle you attribute 12,300 souls? A. Yes. Q. At Haslingden 14,333 and at Rawtenstall 12,500? A. Yes. Q. Approximately between 36,000 and 40,000? A. Yes. Q. Considerably larger I see than the population of Accrington itself, which is given as 31,400? A. Yes . Q. What class of service are you contemplating for these proposed new lines? A. I think it will be entirely dependent upon the traffic that is developed. We shall have to

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