Blackburn Tramway Memories
By John Fowler
This series of articles were written by John Fowler during October and November 1999. John Fowler was greatly interested in Blackburn's Tramways and was something of an expert on them. Sadly, he has since died but Jim Halsall now publishes them in affectionate memory of his old friend.
Being born and brought up at Bastwell 86 years ago, I became aware at an early age of the sight and sounds of Blackburn's magnificent trams, with their two four-wheel bogies running on well-maintained track, which gave them a smooth and steady ride.
My earliest memories include, seeing a single deck tram being driven by a lady during the first world war, and, at the end of the war all the double deck trams flying the flags of the allied nations (at the four corners of the upper decks). This practice was carried on for a number of years afterwards on Armistice days.
Tram no 77 trimmed up at Intack Depot Yard
I remember the illuminated single deck tram which ran during the Chamber of Trade shopping festivals in late October. Its presence brought a flood of coloured light to the dimly lit streets of the time. Also, on Sundays the Wilpshire service was augmented by extra trams running to the cemetery only, to cope with the crowds paying their weekly visit to the family grave. On weekdays the many horse-drawn funeral corteges impeded the progress of the trams. They were obliged to travel at the horse's gait, until a point was reached where they could safely pass. Corteges were always passed at reduced speed to avoid startling the horses.
One hot summer day my aunt and I were returning to Bastwell on a single decker after visiting the family grave. Much to everyone's surprise it did not stop outside my Grandfather's shop as was usual, but carried on through the road junction at a fair speed for a distance of about 50 yards. It came to a shuddering halt in a mini sandstorm leaving the passengers in a state of agitation. I suspect that this incident was caused by melting tar from between the setts, running onto the track. On hot days this became a problem especially for trams leaving a stop on a gradient, as evidenced by the liberal amount of sand left at the outward-bound stop at Bastwell.
It was also a warm and sunny day, when I witnessed an incident, also at Bastwell involving a horse drawn four-wheel lorry piled high with cotton cloth, and obviously overloaded. As it was passing our two shops the rear axle broke and the offside rear wheel fell off, causing the lorry to spill its load across both tram tracks. It took quite some time for a relief lorry to arrive and workmen to clear the tracks; meanwhile a shuttle service of trams had been put into operation. As trams arrived at the obstruction from each direction they exchanged passengers then ran "wrong line" back to the nearest crossovers. (These were situated on stretches of interlaced track at the top of Larkhill and the bottom of St. James's Road). As they were trailing crossovers with spring loaded points, the trams would be able to run through without stopping to regain "right line", and so continue their journey to the termini. In retrospect, it was fortunate that it was not the nearside wheel that fell off, as this would have deposited the load onto the pavement and against the shop fronts, causing possible fatalities amongst the many pedestrians who used the pavement and considerable damage to the shops.
Toast-rack tram No. 88 on the Wilpshire section, with driver and conductor
I remember a glorious Whit Monday when Blackburn's only toast-rack tram No. 88 appeared on the Wilpshire section. Along with the numerous other extra trams, it helped in coping with the crowds of people making the journey to Wilpshire for walks in the Ribble Valley and bringing them back in the evening. It was a very busy day and there did not seem to be a moment when a tram was not in sight. I have often seen inward bound open top double deck trams arrive at the Bastwell stop in inclement weather, with the lower deck packed, with standing passengers which obliged the waiting people to go onto the upper deck to face the journey to town in the pouring rain. They had no option if they wished to arrive at work on time. The introduction of the enclosed upper deck trams, which were reduced in height to allow them to pass under Skew Bridge and any other railway bridges, were welcomed by passengers and considerably reduced the number of people arriving at work wet through.
Occasionally I would see an empty Wilpshire tram with "Engaged Car" displayed on the destination blind, and sometimes later the tram returned on its journey to town with children from Wilpshire Orphanage as passengers who were probably being taken on an outing.
I was once returning from a Sunday afternoon walk with my mates, when I noticed that a stretch of the inward bound track between Skew Bridge and the Cemetery was being renewed, the setts having been lifted and ground excavated to rail depth. As we approached the site a town bound tram passed us with a cyclist following close behind with his head down over the racing style drop handlebars. He was obviously unaware of what lay ahead, but he soon found out when his front wheel dropped into the excavation, and he was pitched over the aforesaid handlebars. Fortunately, his injuries were not serious and as one of my mates knew him, there was much joking and laughing at the incident. On workdays during the evening rush hour, two trams were despatched showing "Roe Lee" on the destination blinds. They were timed to arrive a few minutes before work finished in the cotton mills for the day at 5.30 p.m. Similarly, trams were sent to "Branch Road Lower Darwen" to serve the mills in the Ewood area and in the late 1930s to "Griffin Inn" on the Cherry Tree section for the benefit of the Gas Mask Factory workers. About this time also, the driver's platform of trams standing at the towns' termini were being loaded with "Last Pink" the Northern Daily Telegraph sports newspapers. They were known as the "Paper Trams" and their passengers faced a tedious journey as frequent stops were made at newsagents along the routes, to drop off their quotas and at pick up points for newsagents in the vicinity of the routes. The carrying of parcels on the driver's platform, accompanied by a parcels lad and his hand truck was a common site. If he was a wise lad he would be observing how the driver handled the tram and familiarising himself with the section on which the tram was running, with a view to being promoted to conductor. One particular day I had cause to visit our Doctor (Moffatt) at his surgery at Bastwell, and upon leaving he gave me a bottle of medicine and a small amount of money and asked me to give both to the conductor of the next Wilpshire bound tram. I gathered that the medicine was urgently required by a patient living on Whalley New Road at Roe Lee. I vaguely remember that medicine carried by a tram in this manner was free of charge and assumed that the money was a tip for the conductor.
During winter months, Blackburn was prone to fogs, especially the pea soup variety, but trams still provided a service. They appeared to run in pairs thus reducing the frequency. A pea souper was the order of the day when I boarded a tram to town, and progress was slow with frequent soundings of the warning bell. We had not travelled far on the interlaced stretch of tracks between Notre Dame Convent lodge gates and the old Toll Bar when upon looking forwards; I became aware of an oncoming outward-bound tram. Prompt action from both drivers in applying the emergency regenerative brakes narrowly averted a head on collision.
At points where routes diverged the trams activated the points via the overhead wire. I was at Salford one day when a Preston Road tram came down Ainsworth Street with a Wilpshire tram following close at the rear. The first tram duly set the points for the track leading to the Boulevard, which the first bogie negotiated, but before the second could follow suit, the Wilpshire tram reset the points for the curve leading to the Wilpshire bay, which the second bogie of the Preston Road tram promptly took, leaving the spectacle of a tram trying to travel in two directions.
One day I was riding my bike across the Boulevard whilst a single deck tram inward bound was heading for the change-over points opposite the Palace cinema. Upon entering the curve leading to the points, the front bogie became derailed causing it to run over the setts for a short distance. The mishap was quickly rectified by running the tram back until the bogie re-railed itself. I have vague recollections of the wheel flanges cutting grooves in the setts which no doubt aided the bogies return to its rightful place.
Overcrowding was a common occurrence. Sunday evening trams to and late departures from the town were particularly prone, along with football specials. I remember a retired driver relating to me driving one such special, when passengers were standing on decks, platforms and stairs. Upon arrival at Ewood Park football ground he asked his conductor how many tickets he had sold, after checking the ticket numbers he arrived at a total of 128 of which, 56 went to standing passengers. The tram was a 72-seater. On one occasion I just managed to catch the last Saturday night tram from town which was packed with passengers standing on both decks, rear stairs and conductor's platform. I was obliged to stand on one of the entrance steps. The conductor gave up hope of taking fares except from the people in his vicinity. When he eventually located the bell cord from amongst the crowd on the platform, he gave it three tugs, indicating to the driver that we were full up and ready to go. We rounded the curve at the Bay Horse, and up Penny Street with an occasional clatter from the lifeguards as the flattened springs caused them to come into contact with the cobbles. Upon arriving at Bastwell the conductor was first to leave the tram and stand in the road to collect fares from passengers alighting.
About 1935, traffic signals were installed at the Bastwell junction, and both inward and outward-bound tram stops re-sited at Ash Street, some 40/50 yards nearer to town. I was standing by the inward bound stop one day, when a tram was about to leave for town. As the driver moved the control handle, there was a flash and a bang from the control box. Without further ado he removed the handle from the box and, taking it with him, slid open the vestibule door and walked through to the conductor's platform, driving the tram to town from that end. Many people must have received a shock when they saw an apparently driverless tram approaching.
Tram No. 66 stuck in Snow
During snowfalls a tram would appear pushing a wagon containing salt, plus two workmen armed with shovels. As the tram pushed the wagon along at walking pace, the men sprayed the salt across the tracks. Tram routes were usually always passable for other traffic in such conditions. Another similar operation was carried out during heat waves, when a tram would appear pushing a water tank wagon, which directed jets of water onto the rails. I believe that the reason for the procedure was to cool the rails to prevent distortion in the high temperatures.
I was also aware, that a batch of trams had been fitted with high-speed motors to provide a fast, limited stop service to Accrington and they were notable by their high-pitched whine. One day in 1939 I was driving a car from Accrington when I caught up with a tram at West End, Oswaldtwistle. Believing it to be one of the batch, I decided to pace it to check its top speed. Somewhere between West End and Redcap the speedometer registered 33 miles per hour.
Although most of the foregoing memories are of the Wilpshire section during the inter-war years, my final ones are of the 3rd September 1949 when, in the afternoon I took our elder son aged five years to take our last rides by a Blackburn tram on the remaining Intack section in the late evening, I took him to the Boulevard to finally experience the sight and sounds as the last tram left, on its final journey.
Post War Memories
I was on the Boulevard one evening rush hour in I think 1946, when I saw two Darwen Corporation trams being coupled together. The first was a streamliner and the rear one was an older enclosed type. Both were full of passengers, and I assumed that the rear one had developed a defect. Upon seeing them again a few minutes later I realised that it was the streamliner that was defective when I observed the rear tram indulging in frequent bouts of wheel slipping as it struggled to negotiate the curve at the top of Church Street.
The long cold winter of 1947 was noted for incessant snow and frost, power cuts, and fuel shortages. At that time there were no gritting wagons as there are today and the rear wheels of motor vehicles were fitted with chains to get a grip on the snow and ice. One night I had occasion to visit my parents at Bastwell and as I made my way to the Witton bus stop, I wondered whether the journey would be possible, not knowing if trams and buses were still running. Fine snow was still falling, driven by a freezing east wind. As I waited at the stop a bus passed bound for Cherry Tree and returned a few minutes later. After a sliding wheel spinning start we proceeded carefully to the Boulevard. Upon walking along Railway Road my spirits rose as I caught sight of a tram at the Wilpshire terminus.
As I boarded it to occupy the single seat at the top of the stairs another tram came into the bay behind us. Not many people were about at the time, and I appeared to be the only passenger. Having failed to put my watch on, and not being in a position to see a clock, but knowing that a ten-minute service was operated, I concluded that this interval had elapsed when a third tram arrived to stand on the curve leading to the bay. I was expecting our tram to depart at any moment, but there came a long wait during which two more trams followed at intervals to stand in Ainsworth Street. All five trams on the section were now at the town terminus and this appeared to be the signal for our departure.
Looking back as we proceeded up Penny Street, I viewed an expanse of virgin snow, but upon looking to the rear, two black ribbons four feet apart were unrolling from beneath the tram giving the impression that it was laying its own track. As we neared the top of Larkhill we came to a stop and began rolling backwards. This galvanised me into action and I was half-way down the stairs, within seconds, when the conductor stopped me to say that everything was under control, and that they were clearing the track for the following trams. We rolled back to Regent Street, and upon restarting went up the hill and over the summit in fine style. As we passed St. Michael's Church the tram slowed down and came to a stop at the footbridge, which is the start of the gradient up to Poplar Street. Here the conductor asked me to alight, which I did and started walking up to Bastwell. I heard the tram restart to pass me at full speed and continue up through traffic lights which remained on green throughout.
By comparison the journey back to town was uneventful and the Cherry Tree buses were still running though not without difficulty. I do not remember seeing any other vehicles except trams and buses which was not surprising considering the state of the roads and weather, and the fact that petrol rationing was in force.
Observations
of Jim Halsall's Book on Blackburn Tram Rides
On the Blackburn system a "Route" was known as a "Section" as evidenced by the destination blinds placed in the centre windows of the lower decks, which displayed the section on which the tram was working at the time. Destination blinds were placed high on the top deck front and rear windows and were difficult to read when trams were lined up close behind each other, as on the Boulevard. The side windows blinds then becoming useful to passengers in locating their trams.
Intermediate stop signals were worded "CARS STOP HERE BY REQUEST" and it was the conductor's duty to call out the names of the stops as the tram approached them. Bastwell was a fare stage and compulsory stop and indicated by the sign "ALL CARS STOP HERE". Upon arrival, the conductor's call was "Bastwell Penny Stage". My parent's generation spoke of "Catching the Car" or "Going by Car" instead of tram and was probably due to the wording of the signs as such.
Interlaced track was a feature of the Blackburn system and was found in streets that were too narrow to accept double track. Unlike single track, they were notable by the absence of points, and trams running in one direction only on each pair of rails, gave them a much longer life. There were six stretches of this type of track on the Wilpshire section viz; at the top of Larkhill (which included a crossover), Toll Bar – Convent Lodge, Maple Street – Walnut Street, Poplar Street – Seven Trees where there was a loop, long enough to accommodate two trams. Seven Trees – Skew Bridge (which also included a crossover). This stretch ended short of the bridge to allow the driver of an inward bound tram to draw forward to a position from which he had an unobstructed view of the Seven Trees loop. Should the stretch be occupied by an oncoming tram, he was obliged to wait until it cleared the interlaced track before he could proceed. The last stretch was Carr Cottage Mill – Thwaite Arms (cemetery) where there was a reversion to double track for the remainder of the section.
During the early 1930s, kerbstones were used to outline a proposed roundabout on Whalley New Road at its junction with the then "Arterial Road" at Brownhill; both tracks ran through the centre of the circle. The inward bound stop had previously been sited here, complete with a well-built shelter. I cannot remember when the stop was resisted to the town side of the junction and the shelter removed.
Preston Road section was notable for the absence of interlaced track. Outward-bound trams took a single-track route via Church Street, Victoria Street, Town Hall Street and King William Street to Sudell Cross where the track became double to Billinge terminus. From Sudell Cross inward bound trams took an alternative route via Richmond Terrace to St. John's Church where they joined the incoming Wilpshire track to proceed along Ainsworth Street.
The Darwen section had four stretches of interlaced track, situated under Darwen Street Railway Bridge, on Bolton Road between School Street and Commercial Street, which included a crossover, over the Infirmary Canal Bridge, and under the Infirmary Railway Bridge. Here the track became double for the remaining distance to Darwen. On "Match" days at Ewood Park the 'specials' would wait in a loop on Bolton Road and Kidder Street siding for the "Final Whistle" to blow.
There were two stretches of interlaced track on the Queens Park section, one located under Darwen Street Railway Bridge and the other on Queens Park Road. There may have been a third, on Audley Range but I am not absolutely sure, after the track became double upon leaving the Railway Bridge it made a left turn into Lower Audley where it became single track throughout this lengthy street. "Tram Pinches" were formed by the double track as it turned from Audley Range into Queens Park Road. At the Park gates terminus there was an ornate, cast-iron lean to shelter on the frontage of a grocers-shop. "Tram Pinches" were formed when the track was aligned to bring it close to the kerb. An example appears on page 55 of Jim Halsall's book "Blackburn Tram Rides".
Tram 58 with wartime white bumpers. The tram goes
close to the kerb, this is called a "tram pinch"
The photograph shows a tram at the Poplar Street stop and about to enter an interlaced stretch of track on its way to Wilpshire. This particular pinch came about after a fatal accident occurred within yards of where the tram is standing. Prior to the accident the double track had been aligned to the centre of the road, later to be realigned to form the pinch. On 25th November 1927 the driver of a horse drawn cart killed when an inward bound tram, upon leaving the interlaced section collided with the cart and knocking it, with the driver, against one of the stone gate posts to the right of the photo.
The Accrington section was double track from Cicely Lane beyond Intack, with long stretches of single track and passing loops to Oswaldtwistle West End. There was one stretch of interlaced track, situated under the Railway Bridge at Church. On the Eanam canal bridge there was reduced clearance between the tracks, preventing trams from passing each other. A workmate who lived at Eanam reported seeing two trams locked together on the bridge. The situation was resolved by allowing the trams to run down the gradient until the clearance became wide enough for them to part company.
Cherry Tree was notable for its devious routes into and out of the town centre, stretches of single track interspaced with double, and numerous tram pinches. At the St. Peter's Street Mincing Lane junction, the outward-bound track crossed the inward to form a short double section and a pinch. There was a second crossing in King Street as the inward bound track turned into Byrom Street to run close to the kerb as far as St. Peter's Street, thus forming another pinch. There was a stretch of interlaced track including a crossover. From here a double track ran along Whalley Banks to become interlaced for the rise up to Bank Top. The double stretch from here to the Griffin Inn was the longest on the section. The track then became single to the top of Redlam Brow where there was an unusual passing loop layout. Upon leaving the loop the track became single to Rutland Street, becoming double again round the bend by the Vauxhall Inn to form pinches. From here it was single to Witton Stocks, then double to Grant Street where it became single to run on the right-hand side of the road, with the exception of a passing loop at Witton Park Gates, outward bound trams were obliged to proceed against the flow of traffic to the top of Fenniscliffe Brow where it became double for the bend at Tower Road. The final stretch was single on the crown of the road and at the terminus there was a replica of the Queens Park shelter on the frontage of a sweet shop.
As delivered all double deck trams had side mounted trolley posts and were required to run with them nearest the side of the road on which the overhead standards were placed. This was to ensure that the trolley wheel kept in contact with the overhead wire under all conditions of track formation. At the High Street junction with the Boulevard there was a triangle which was used to position the trams going into service, and to meet the above requirement a tram proceeding along High Street destined for the Wilpshire section with the post on the left would take the left hand curve so as to leave the terminus with the post on the left, which was the side of the road on which the standards were placed. Similarly, a tram destined for the Cherry Tree section with the post on the right would take the right-hand curve to leave the Boulevard with the post on the right, this being the side of the road on which the standards were placed. I have reason to believe that, sometime in the 1920s the posts were remounted on the centre line of the trams and the above procedure was discontinued, all trams entering service used the right-hand curve only. At the Jubilee Street Boulevard junction there was another triangle, which all inward bound trams via Jubilee Street used by taking the right-hand curve to enter Bridge Street for reversal. This was essential to keep side post trams in the correct position in relation to standards. However, this practice persisted up to the closure of the Darwen system, when the left curve was brought into use allowing trams to run directly onto the Boulevard. Previous to this I had enquired why trams continued to turn into Bridge Street and was told that it was due to the position of the trolley posts on the Darwen trams.
In 1906 a tram was fitted with an enclosed upper deck and three more likewise in 1913. Owing to their height they were unable to pass under Railway bridges and were confined to Intack, Preston Road and Cherry Tree sections. It is possible that the introduction of these trams on the last two sections resulted in the interconnected service whereby they made alternate journey to the other termini. This practice continued up to the introduction of the Bus Deregulation Act of 1985. I remember that these trams had an instruction painted on the platform end windows just above the driver's head, which read, "Not to go under Bridges."
During the 1920s trams on the Accrington section came into the town centre via Eanam and High Street to terminate in the Railway Road loop by the Adelphi Hotel. Upon leaving on the outward journey an alternative route was taken via Railway Road, Salford and Eanam. Whilst proceeding along Railway Road they used the same track that inward bound Preston Road trams took to reach the Boulevard also against the flow of traffic. I vaguely remember a colour light signal on the standard at the terminus to indicate to the Preston Road drivers at Salford whether or not it was safe to enter the section. I believe it was the Ministry of Transport who, after taking into account the ever increasing volume of traffic and conflicting tram movements, condemned the operation, and the terminus was re-sited at Salford in the vicinity of Calender Street in about 1932. Trams then arrived and departed by the same route via Salford and Eanam. The new terminus however, obliged passengers to board trams from the roadway at a very busy junction. I have often seen a queue for late night trams reaching the point duty policeman in Salford. This practice was deemed highly dangerous during the wartime blackout, and in 1940 the terminus was again re-sited higher up Salford to a siding alongside the kerb complete with buffer stop. There was also a buffer stop situated against the river wall in Water Street at the Wilpshire terminus.
At the outbreak of war in 1939, trams were fitted with headlamp masks, blackout curtains and a red warning light at each corner, which lit up when the trolley was removed from overhead. Bumpers were painted white, and the bases of the overhead wire standards received two white bands. At all termini a hooded light was placed above the overhead to aid trolley changing.
The blizzards, which swept the country in January 1940, brought all wheeled vehicles to a standstill, and in the Blackburn Tramway Department it was a case of all hands to the pumps as drivers and conductors set about helping to clear the tracks.
The threat of invasion brought the unusual spectacle of trams and buses appearing with blank destination blinds, but I do not think that this caused much confusion amongst local people as by that time only Preston Road and Darwen trams used the Boulevard and buses were still to be found at the usual stands. In addition, road signposts were removed, milestones buried, and all place names erased from vehicles, signs and notices.
Regarding overcrowding, which I mentioned in my tram memories, although I never heard of a Blackburn conductor being prosecuted for the offence, I quote from a newspaper cutting of 1933. "The difficulty of dealing with a rush of passengers for a lunch hour tramcar was emphasized at Bacup when a Rawtenstall tram conductor of Queens Square, Cloughfold was fined ten shillings for carrying more passengers than permitted by the regulations. P.C Martin said that on July 22, which was very wet, the tram carried 134 passengers, whereas 68 was the number allowed. At Bacup terminus he counted 111 passengers leaving the tram."
I also referred to tar on the rails being a problem. A newspaper cutting of 1935 reported that a Darwen bound tram descending the gradient to Hollin Bank Railway Bridge was unable to stop owing to melted tar on the rails and crashed into a Blackburn bound tram on the interlaced track under the bridge. Though passengers were badly shaken and hurt there were no fatalities.
On a cold winter night in January 1935, I was one of a throng of people attending a dance at Brownhill Co-op rooms and the presence of a tram standing across the road was a welcome sight as we left shortly after 1.00 am. The tram was a "special" to take us home as near as possible and a ticket was issued which cost threepence. It was printed on thin pink coloured card and bore a number, and the words "SPECIAL FARE BROWNHILL TO TOWN". This is the only instance that I know of when a tram was used for such an occasion. However I have seen trams from Intack arrive at Salford late at night with tram crews as passengers, who lived a considerable distance from the tram shed at Intack.
John Fowler
September / November 1999.
Article published in Blackburn Local History Society Journal 6 2006-2007. Pages 29-36.
Transcribed by Shazia Kasim
Published September 2024.
