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

been there I did not complain, I thought the work there was more satisfactory, and then when I did make a complaint, I was told to direct it to your office. And now when I point out to you the Secretary and your Manager where the work is sub-standard, he ignores me except of course where he believes the work to be alright.” I ascertained that the Pavior that had started this job had left and was now working in Rawtenstall, and had exchanged places with the Pavior now working here. There was a length of about 6 yards long of paving done whilst I was in attendance on Whalley Road, and there were some new setts put in the remainder being made up of old ones. Some of these were 1 inch narrower at one end than at the other, they were also out of square and with some corners missing. There were about 6 cwts of new setts lying on the ground. The workmen are now engaged outside the Crown Inn. The setts taken out of the old margins are the best I have yet seen, the majority being fit for reuse. About 2 cwts of new setts were still available for use. Work continuing outside Oakleigh on the loop lines. They had lengths up both in the margins and between the rails. The setts were of the same standard as yesterday, but there were no new setts available with which to replace any defective ones. The men were still working on the loop line here. In some places the paving had been laid 1 inch higher than the line, and there were some areas which had not been lifted and would require attention within a short space of time. The paving of the margins was also roughly done and not to the required 18 inches width. Altogether a very poor piece of workmanship, and of the batch of 10 cwts of new setts on the ground very few had been used. Work progressing at the Grey Horse Public House, in the same sub-standard way as previously. In August the men were now repairing the margin on the left-hand side of Blackburn Road from Pearl Street to Newark Street and roughly replacing a lot of small and badly shaped setts. In some places the paving was 1½ inches above the metals, consequently resulting in a very bad finish to the existing and new granite pavements. A lot of areas which should have received attention have been left untouched. This is resulting in a very bad, uneven and unsightly appearance. The men are working between Pearl Street and Lonsdale Street, and the work that has been done in my absence has been covered over with chippings and ashes in order to stop me from being able to examine the standard of the work which has been completed. New ashes were being utilised as bedding, the old bedding having been so soaked wet as to turn it to the consistency of soil. No new setts were being used. The Pavior had moved on from the work at Pearl Street leaving a lot of places which should have been lifted still untouched. The workmen were taking up the wooden paving outside the Market Hall, which included the 18 inch margins and between the rails. These blocks were extremely worn and the Girder Rails had also sunk on this length and were loose. The men rammed in some chippings with a Ramming Pick in order to secure them. This is their method used to secure all rails that have come adrift. The workmen were still at the Market Square and were packing underneath the rail joints in two places with two pieces of old tin plate each about 9 inches square. They were also ramming between the rails with Rack and sand throughout the day. The wooden blocks they had lifted were being cleaned for reuse, and after lunch the Pavior commenced to repave with them, turning the end which had previously been at the bottom to the top. Another lot was brought in today, it appears they had come straight from sawmills, as they had not, like the previous batch, been soaked in Creosote Oil. The sample I chose was above the average quality of the bulk, as they are of a very inferior wood, full of sap and heart, totally unfit for a main thoroughfare. Some of these untreated blocks were being dipped into the Creosote Oil, but then it had not been allowed to dry into the wood before laying. Some blocks had not been treated at all. The workmanship was poor, the joints not being regular or straight and so far apart as to require filling in with chippings. There was a section cut by a hatchet along with a tie rod, which is a shocking piece of work indeed, very zigzag and irregular in width. The paving at the Market Square was being done principally by using the new 5 inch blocks next to the rails, with old blocks making up the remainder. These used blocks were averaging 4 inches deep with very rounded bases and ‘furred’ edges. These edges were cut off

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