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

rails (either of which when done properly gives satisfactory results), your officials have adopted the following method. They have left untouched at its own level a very considerable proportion of the old bedding, simply placed the rails on this surface, bringing the rails up to the required height by running between them and the old concrete a quantity of hot pitch, in one place up to a depth of 1½ inches, and in other places filling up to a greater space with chippings etc, this latter having been done more, particularly nearer to the junction of Peel Street with Whalley Road. These materials we need not say are inferior to and inadequate not to last for any length of time under the weight of our cars and engines, or even the heavy cart traffic which passes through. These rails are already sinking under the pressure of our rolling stock, and my Directors believe it is the intention of your Corporation to have this work done in a thorough and permanent way, and they are simply doing their duty in pointing this out to you. My Directors regret that your Corporation has not had the assistance of your Surveyor (Mr Newton), and some allowances can be made on this account, for had he taken personal supervision of this work the grounds of our complaint would not have been so serious in their tone. We hope that your Corporation will extend to us the same consideration as was the case when this work was first mooted, and that in the same generous spirit that they then showed by taking into consideration what my Directors consider is the serious and faulty construction upon a portion of our lines, situated in what is one of the busiest and most important thoroughfares in the Borough. Kindly place this correspondence before your Corporation. Yours obediently, W. JEFFS (Secretary). 1894 (By 1894 large sections of the Tramway were now being relaid to a more robust specification, although this in itself would be a contentious issue between the Corporation and the Tramway Company, especially on who would do the work and who would foot the bill for it. It also became quite apparent that the Tramway Company were allowing the Ellison Street tram depot to fall into a serious state of disrepair. At least the problems at the terminus of the Church Section appeared to have been resolved.) January The General Works Committee considered correspondence from the Tramway Company, asking the Council to spend £5,000 on the relaying of the entire Baxenden section of the Tramway with steel Girder Rails, for which the Company would offer an additional £250 per year for the rest of the term of their lease. This proposal was discussed at ‘great length’. It was resolved that the Mayor head a deputation of four councillors to meet with the directors of the Company, and inform them of the views of the Council, as decided at this meeting and report back to the General Works Committee. The Sub-Committee met with the Directors of the Tramway Company in the Council Chamber of the Town Hall, to discuss the proposals in the January 4 th letter. Now the proposals included the Church Section also, both to be laid with Girder Rails to the satisfaction of the Board of Trade. The Committee then laid out the Directors the terms upon which they would recommend the Council ‘assist’ the Tramway Company. 1. The whole of the work on both sections to be undertaken by the Corporation, to a standard which only they would determine, with the assistance of the Tramway Company’s Platelayers.

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