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

was presented from the Secretary of the Accrington & District Power Loom Weavers Friendly Association, requesting that the Corporation use its influence with the Tramway Company to have them put on an extra early morning car for the benefit of the workers at Oak Vale Mill. It was resolved the Town Clerk write back to ascertain the number of people who were likely to use an earlier car, and to point out that current loadings on the current service did not justify the requirements. September The Borough Surveyor submitted his certificate of works for the cost of repairing the margins of the tramway on Whalley Road, between the top of Peel Street and the foot of Burnley Road on the one side, also from the top of Peel Street to the top of Castle Street on the opposite side. It was resolved that this account be delivered to the Tramway Company with a demand for payment. The Borough Surveyor again drew the attention of the General Works Committee to the “very unsatisfactory” manner in which the Tramway Company were carrying out the renewals and repairs to the wooden paving on the section of track opposite the Town Hall. He then produced samples of the blocks being used. He reported having written to the Tramway Company to point this out. The report from the Clerk of Works on this subject was also produced. October The Town Clerk reported on a meeting he had along with the Secretary of the Tramway Company, with the Chairman and Clerk of the Clayton-le-Moors District Council, on the subject of the tramway engines replenishing their boilers with water at the Load of Mischief terminus. They wanted this facility to be removed from the main road by putting in a short spur into a side street. They wanted a provisional order made to make this possible. The Secretary of the Tramway Company stated his directors would be in favour of this proposal, but because they were not represented at his meeting he would report to them and enclose their response in a letter. The following correspondence ( dated the 11 th ) was received – Dear Sir, Referring to the meeting this afternoon between you, the Chairman of the Clayton-le-Moors District Council, Mr Smith and myself, with regard to the removal of the water hydrant at the Load of Mischief terminus. I have since met with the Chairman of my Company and I am instructed to offer, subject to the approval and consent of the Board of Directors, to pay your Corporation interest at 5% per annum during the further period of our lease on the cost of obtaining a provisional order as suggested, for putting down a triangle up Quarry Road in place of the existing passing loop. Yours W. Jeffs. It was resolved that the Council be recommended not to accept these proposals, on the grounds it was inadvisable to enter into any further agreements with the Tramway Company, as they will still be in dispute with them on another matter and were still awaiting judgement from the arbitrator. In any case the offer contained in this correspondence had evidently not been before the Company’s Board of Directors. The concept was ‘altogether inadequate’ as at the end of the current lease it was very probable that steam traction would be abolished in favour of a means of electric propulsion. (Between February 16 th , 1897 and October 11 th Mr Davis, (Clerk of Works Accrington Corporation) was charged with the task of inspecting the work being undertaken by the Accrington Corporation Steam Tramway Company. It was obvious that the officials of the Company were resentful of this move, and it culminated in some acrimonious exchanges. During this time his report ran to almost 7,000 words, of which this is just a synopsis.) On Blackburn Road in March, the Tramway Company’s workmen are taking up the margin paving and putting down the same setts again, but not putting in any new concrete under them, simply laying them down on riddled ashes. At the site where the men are working, between Pearl Street and Newark Street, the setts are of a poor quality and examples are no more than 4 or 4½ inches in depth. These setts are also very tapered, making them narrow on the bottom bed, and the bedding on which they are laid is 2 inches thick, composed of old riddling from the old bedding and hacked up ashes Also the general finish is not satisfactory

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