Seventies Monorail Project

[pberry]

Hi,

 

Does the council have a Motorway Plan - or any kind of plan for that matter?

 

http://www.d-zyne.demon.co.uk/srp-urban_motorway.htm

[Damon]

I remember riding the overhead railway. Yes, it was the best way to see all the shiping in the various docks. I seem to remember a well known passenger ship had previously caught fire in one of the docks and the burnt-out hull was still there when we passed. Can't remember the name of the ship or what year it was. Sometime in the late 1940's, early 50's?

 

Wow, I envy you for your trip on the Liverpool overhead railway! As I understand, it ran from Dingle in the south to Seaforth in the north - that's a long way. There are some fantastic pics here - if it was still there, it would be an incredible way to see the new developments round Pierhead, Kings Dock and Princes Dock.

[Ousetunes]

Re: Liverpool Dockers Railway

 

In an early version of the Beatles' 1965 (Rubber Soul) track 'In My Life', there was a reference to the 'dockers' umbrella'. John and Paul dropped the verse when it came to recording it, which is a bit of a shame as it is an interesting piece of history.

[Falls]

http://www.d-zyne.demon.co.uk/srp-urban_motorway.htm

 

 

Hi,

 

Thanks for the info. Yes, that looks like the layout I remember from the model after the war (1948 or so). In my previous comment, I hesitated about mentioning the big fly-over that swept around by the Wicker Arches ( I grew up in the Wicker so remembered that detail of the model in particular) because plans and ideas change over time.

 

In the early sixties, I went to a lecture given by some of the senior members of the planning/engineering department. I remember the name Warmsley but not sure if this is correct. At the lecture, the topic was the Civic Circle I refered to previously. I thought it was a great idea but the School-of-Hard- Knocks had already told that good ideas seldom see the light of day or if by accident they are built or provided, councils usually eliminate them at the earliest opportunity. Its a shame because there has been no shortage of good, (not always expensive) ideas for Sheffield over the years but sadly most have ended up in the trash can. Many councils claim to be Buiding for Tomorrow when in fact, they are Building for the Past.

 

Regards

[Haydn1971]

I remember the name Warmsley but not sure if this is correct.

 

I recall that name from some old drawings of the Castle Markets, that I had to use in the late 80's.... but I can't remember if he was the Chief Architect or the City Engineer :¬/

 

Cheers

 

Haydn

[peterw]

Hi Peter,

 

I remember riding the overhead railway. Yes, it was the best way to see all the shiping in the various docks. I seem to remember a well known passenger ship had previously caught fire in one of the docks and the burnt-out hull was still there when we passed. Can't remember the name of the ship or what year it was. Sometime in the late 1940's, early 50's?

 

We Boarded the train at the station near the Pierhead and went all the way down to Seaforth ? There was hardly anything there at the time but now I think it is where they built the big container terminal.

 

Then all the way up river to place (I'm guessing) called Dingle? The station there was in a tunnel I think. Then back to the Pierhead. The round trip cost about 15p. It was really useful for the dock workers going to work. Didn't they call it "The Dockers Umbrella", or something like that?

 

I had heard that it had been scrapped, which is a pitty. Then again, thats typical of most things these days. Here in Canada, anything that is useful is usually doomed, whereas anything that most people find totally useless our local councils seem to hang onto until the bitter end.

 

Regards

 

Hi Falls — one ship that caught fire and was destroyed was the Lucania, in Huskisson Dock, but that was in 1909. I’m looking to trace later fires but no success yet. Liverpool commemorates the ship with a Lucania Street. In fact the city commemorates a lot of the great liners.

[Tony]

There used to be a ramp coming out of the south end of that building, presumably to connect with a footbridge over Young Street or to another building that was never put up.

It was to connect to another building that never got built. It could look like a 'platform' to the uninitiated though. That's not to say that there isn't something somewhere else though.

[Plain Talker]

The building, IIRC was originally occupied by the Manpower Services Commission, and had incarnations with the DWP, and DoEducation, i believe it is involved with immigration, now?

 

The tunnel and walkway under the moorfoot government building were abandoned/ closed off, almost imediately the building was opened, as they were deemed to be a "security risk". I cannot remember this "archway" ever being open to the public.

 

You can still see the opening where the buses etc were meant to travel under the building,through to the moor. The pedestrian bridge was removed a few years ago. I also remember very well the "walkway that went nowhere", sticking out on the Ecclesall Road side of the MSC building.

 

PT

[muddycoffee]

With regard to the monorail, I think that it would have been much cheaper than the supertram to build and would probably have covered a much greater area, however I think that the supertram is a far superior product and while much more expensive to build I think it will be cheaper to maintain, and will last into forseeable future, while a monorail would have looked a little creaky after a decade.

 

I find myself very interested in the old road schemes in the city, and I believe large parts of them were not built because of the problems with the costs and freeing up land for them by destroying perfectly good homes and premises.

 

However it is plain to see, that large parts of them were actually built at the time, in the areas which were available, and as the decades have passed and buildings and areas have moved on, other parts of the network have been added on quietly without anyone noticing.

Of course high profile sections have been done with lots of fuss, like the complicated nothern section of the ring road which started ceremonially with a government minister digging the "first sod",

incidentally a far superior road than the original 60s version up in the sky on flyovers,

But other sections have just appeared like, the stretch between Granville square and Edmund road, which is is now a huge dual carriageway, and the section past meersbrook church, built as a complex junction for the new retail park but a section of dual carriageway in all but name.

 

Its funny how many artirial roads have dual carriageway at either end and fizzle out into narrow sections in the middle where historical popular shopping areas are. Given enough decades I am sure they will all eventuallly look like Penistone road.

[Falls]

Hi Falls — one ship that caught fire and was destroyed was the Lucania, in Huskisson Dock, but that was in 1909. I’m looking to trace later fires but no success yet. Liverpool commemorates the ship with a Lucania Street. In fact the city commemorates a lot of the great liners.

 

 

Hi Peter,

 

This is really pushing my memory. Seem to recollect the ship had keeled-over somewhat, presumably because of all the water they would have had to pump in, and was leaning over onto the dock wall, possibly on to one of the sheds as well.

 

Regarding the ship's name and owner, I really haven't a clue but will start with Canadian Pacific.

 

Regards