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

The lease of the Tramway is dated April 5 th , 1886, the length of which is determinable by the Company’s option only at the end of the first 7 or 14 years of the term of 21 years granted. The rent to be paid is £1,120 per annum for the first seven years, £1,280 per year for the next seven years and £1,600 for the final seven years. At the expiration of the lease at the end term of twenty-one years, or at the end of either seven or fourteen years if then determined by the lessees, the Corporation has to purchase the Company’s entire stock, equipment and materials, of and used in the operation of the Tramway by the lessees at a valuation made by the Borough Engineer, (such value in the case of a dispute to be settled by arbitration). The Corporation would be entitled to deduct from this amount the purchase of all monies due to them under the terms of the lease, and to deduct from this sum all the money they have claimed from the lessees which is still outstanding. The Board of Trade would be appointed as arbitrator in case of any dispute arising. It should be noted that in accordance with the terms of the lease, the Corporation has to purchase the entire rolling stock. It will be remembered that when this lease was entered into the Tramway Company possessed no lines of their own, and the rolling stock belonging to them was used exclusively on this Corporation’s tracks. After the Tramway Company constructed their lines to Haslingden and beyond to Rawtenstall it became necessary to allocate some of this stock to the Corporation’s lines, for the purpose of making the purchase clause effective, this was provided for by a supplemental deed dated June 10 th , 1888. This identified the rolling stock to be purchased as eleven engines (identified by the letter ‘A’ and numbered 1 to 9 plus 15 & 16), with eleven cars (also identified by the letter ‘A’ and numbered 1 to 8 plus 15, 16 & 17), with the additional provision for the purchase of substitute engines to replace any which were judged to be ‘worn out’ and unserviceable. The stock and material would be apportioned out, as the above number of engines equals the total number of engines currently owned by the Tramway Company. The lease will continue up until April 12 th , 1907, (unless otherwise decided by the Tramway Company), and if the rolling stock was to be purchased then, it would probably be operated if not entirely then in part until it was entirely worn out. So that if nothing extraordinary happens we may expect to be operating steam traction on our highways for the next twelve years or so, (up until 1910). As I have previously reported, I have had an interview with a representative of the firm of Lacy, Clirehugh & Sillar who represent a Syndicate who are disposed to buy out the current lessees, and abolish steam traction in favour of electric traction taking power from overhead power lines, similar to that presently nearing completion in Blackburn. This with the proviso that the current lease be cancelled and a new one is granted for a further twenty-one years, with the option the Corporation could buy out the Syndicate after a period of seven or fourteen years on terms which would be mutually agreed for retaking possession of the lines. One of the most important factors in this calculation being the cost to the Syndicate of buying out the present Tramway Company, plus the cost of providing the necessary rolling stock and plant. With reference to the proposals of the Syndicate to buy out the current lessees and its undertaking, or any future proposals for the Corporation to buy out the Syndicate, I must point out that under the provisions of the Haslingden & Rawtenstall Tramways Extension Act, the local authorities of these towns have the option to purchase all of the Tramways within their districts at the end of any year, after giving the statutory six months’ notice. Also the District Councils of Church and Clayton-le-Moors have similar powers of purchase of the sections of Tramway which are laid within their respective districts at the end of similar short periods. Therefore the entire question is fraught with difficulties quite apart from the question of the terms of purchase and of a new lease. On further investigation I find there would be no difficulties encountered when working electric tramcars between Accrington and Haslingden, even in the event of Haslingden obtaining the Tramway within their district, as the same overhead system would be utilised by both authorities, although each authority would be required to supply power to the point where the two systems met.

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