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

1. The length of tramway from the junction of Whalley Road along Burnley Road to the terminus of that route at Hillock Vale. 2. The length of the tramway from the junction of Burnley Road along Whalley Road to its junction with Peel Street. 3. Along the whole length of Peel Street to its junction with Blackburn Road. 4. Along the whole length of Blackburn Road from its junction with Peel Street to a point opposite the end on Commercial Street in the Urban District of Church. This was all subject to agreements being made with Lancashire County Council for the reinstatement of the road surfaces, and the substitution of an omnibus service as from the date of the abandonment of these tram routes. It was then resolved that the Town Clerk be asked to inform Blackburn Corporation in accordance with the terms and agreements between the two authorities of Accrington’s intentions to abandon the Church Section of the tramway. An application was made by the Enfield Brick & Terra Cotta Company Ltd, for permission to mount a direction sign on one of the Corporation’s tramway standards in Clayton. It was resolved to reply that the Corporation would soon be disposing of these standards with the abandonment of the tramway. August On the 1 st , the section between Market Street in Church and the Black Dog in Oswaldtwistle, was closed, to be replaced by buses. However, with not a sufficient number of motor buses yet available to cover all the closures, the section from the town centre to Hillock Vale was covered by a shuttle service of cars. The ‘Special’ Tramways Sub-Committee resolved, that in view of the fact that the Church Section of the tramway would be abandoned after November 30 th , as indicated in the notice to Blackburn Corporation, the Town Clerk was instructed to arrange for a meeting of their respective Sub-Committees in the meantime. The Transport Committee met, when on a suggestion of the Chairman it was resolved to provide ‘suitable’ seating in the tramway shelter at the junction of Harcourt Road on Manchester Road. The Clayton Church Section ended operation on the 26 th . The Finance Committee then examined a list of all those employees in the Transport Department who would be covered by the Local Government and ‘Other’ Officers Superannuation Act, 1922. They were as follows - 78 drivers, 78 conductors, 20 bus cleaners, 8 parcels messengers, 6 ticket inspectors, 4 bus mechanics and 4 assistant bus mechanics. Plus 2 each electricians, coachbuilders, coach painters, coach painters assistants, oilers and greasers, and 1 each of clerks, turner and fitter, general working foreman, night charge-hand, overhead linesman, ambulance driver, parcels superintendent, parcels clerk, parcels van driver and caretaker, making a total of 218. It was resolved that the Corporation would not seek a certificate of exemption from the Ministry of Labour and the National Health Insurance Committee, for contributing under the National Health and Unemployment Insurance Acts in respect of these employees. September At a meeting of the Transport Committee, it was resolved the Borough Engineer and the Transport Manager should be authorised to dispose of the redundant rails now being lifted from the roadways, to the best advantage of the Corporation. The Transport Manager reported that he had received an enquiry from Sunderland Corporation with an offer to purchase two of Accrington’s redundant tramcars. It was resolved he could accept this offer. The Town Clerk then reported he was in receipt of the formal sanction from the Ministry of Transport, for the abandonment of the Clayton-le-Moors and Oswaldtwistle sections of the tramway. October The Town Clerk reported to a meeting of the Transport Committee, that Clayton-le-Moors UDC had indicated they would not require the existing tramway standards along Whalley Road, for the purposes of their street lighting scheme which was now in preparation. It was therefore resolved to remove all these redundant standards. November The Transport Sub-Committee met and proceeded to Blackburn to discuss with the Blackburn Sub-Committee the question of replacing trams with buses on a ‘through’ service between the two towns consequent upon the abandonment of the tramway between Church and Accrington. Proposals were put forward by both delegations, but no agreement was reached. The Chairman and Vice-Chair reported, having attended a meeting of the municipal representatives of the Lancashire & Cheshire Tramway Authorities Council for the purpose of discussing a letter from the General Secretary of the Municipal

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