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

British Electric Traction Company’s Engineer should be consulted with reference to the type of generating plant to be installed for this purpose.) 8. The Company will submit to the Corporation, for their approval, designs of poles to be used for the overhead equipment. The cars which the Company intends to use will be of the most modern type. 9. The Company will grant to the Corporation, for a nominal annual rental, permission to use the poles erected for the overhead equipment of the Tramways for the purposes of street lighting, in the event of the Corporation substituting electricity for gas. My Directors will be pleased to again meet your Committee and discuss with them in detail the whole of the above proposals. Yours truly, JAMES WILSON, Secretary. May The General Works Committee walked over the entire length of the tramway in order to inspect it, and made notes on its condition. These were to be forwarded to the Board of Trade before a scheduled viewing by their inspector Colonel Yorke due to take place shortly. It findings were as follows - The BAXENDEN Section Commencing at the Borough boundary and proceeding towards Accrington town centre. • The points opposite the entrance to Baxenden Colliery are defective and require attention. • A gang of Tramway Company workers were repairing the lines outside the Vicarage on Manchester Road. • A quantity of ‘used’ setts between 3½” and 6” deep were being used. These had come from the Haslingden Section to make up for the defective ones they were taking out. • It was the Committee’s opinion that these were not fit for purpose, as it is not possible to make good paving next to 6” rails with setts of various sizes. • In many places the paving is defective between the Vicarage and the Conservative Club, where the points are also defective. • This is also the situation opposite the Bay Horse public house. • From the Bay Horse to the Alma Inn many of the rail joints have sunk. In some places one rail is below the other by as much as ⅜”. • In front of Birch Terrace the rails are considerable lower than the paving, in some places by as much as 2”. • Opposite Sunny House the crossings are in a very bad state. • From this point down to the Victoria Hotel the rail joints are poor and the paving is above the rails by between 1 and 2 inches. • The paving is above the rails at several points between the Victoria Hotel and the top of Grange Lane where the points are ‘irregular’. • Opposite Bank Terrace the rails are also defective and irregular. • Outside the Hargreaves Arms there is a large gap from one rail to the next at the set of points. • At the higher side of the Swan Hotel the crossing is unsatisfactory. • The section of tramway down ‘little’ Blackburn Road to the Market grounds is in reasonable condition, but would still benefit from some minor attention. The CHURCH Section • The entire section of wood paving in front of the Market Hall and Town Hall is in a defective condition, and the points and passing places are very irregular. The paving is well above the rails and therefore dangerous to ‘other’ traffic.

91