Recent content by John45378

Another memory of that - and other cold winters - was that Whitewell Dairies used to send out a lorry - with chains - on deliveries instead of the usual milk float. And with everyone having coal fires people put cinders down everywhere to help with icy pavements. Messy afterwards, but useful...

I seem to remember that Nobby always wore a rather oily beret, and seemed to be permanently tanned - though no doubt in Baxenden that was weather-beaten rather than anything else. A gent. Rgds John45378

My memory of the clinic was going there for what I guess was a polio jab in '55 or '56. There had been an outbreak somewhere in the North of England so all children were called in for either their first or a booster jab. Looking back the really worrying thing is that because my mother knew...

Went there once on a school trip in the Sixties. I remember having to wear goggles and it seemed terrifying! They used to have a couple of sidings on the railway - one either side of the road bridge. The one on the Accrington side were mostly for coal - invariably shunted by 47201 - which...

A few more bits and bobs... I used to travel on the train to school between Accrington and Blackburn in the late Fifties and much of the Sixties. Coal trains from Yorkshire used to supply the power station, and also barges (I presume from Wigan) on the L&L canal. I remember them being frozen...

Pennylynn - asking about a possible missing pension. The people to ask are the pension tracing service, part of Dept for Work and Pensions. Contact details via DWP Homepage - Department for Work and Pensions Good luck Rgds John45378

Reply to DizzyLizzy - Bailey's was haberdashery - fabrics, sewing patterns etc - very similar to Moffitts. rgds john 45378

Actually it turns out it's not such a big challenge after all - there's a copy in the Local studies part of the reference library! Rgds John45378

Churchman Phil: Track plans of Accrington station..... At the risk of getting jumped on for being a true geek, the book you need is : Signalboxes on Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway lines (NE Lancashire) by Chris Littleworth, published by the Signalling Record Society 2002, ISBN 1 873228 21...

Moffitt's had the wire and cable arrangement; Bailey's the vacuum canister system. Bailey's were on the corner; Moffitt's about halfway between there and the junction with Blackburn Road. Rgds 45378

The shop on Blackburn Road on the town side by the railway bridge was Gibson's. It was primarily a sports shop - I can remember getting football boots there - but rather strangely it also sold Hornby Dublo trains and Dinky Toys. Babyland in Warner Street - I too can remember putting money in...

As a newcomer - can I put in my tuppence-worth on the confusing photo? The reason why it's causing problems is that it appears to be a most unusual movement - and as one who spent a lot of time at Accrington station in the Fifties and Sixties I can't say I've ever seen the like. Firstly which...