Bootle Times News

From the Liverpool Echo







Regards

Dan

Dan. I appreciated the posting on the Overhead Railway. This distinctive, elevated electric railway was so important and timely to the docks and surrounding communities. We can only imagine what an updated version would offer to Liverpool. One of my favourite memories is being taken for a ride on the trams then the Overhead by my Da (a rigger in the docks) aged 4 in 1956.We went from the underground Dingle station to Seaforth. The crowded carriages, evocative clatter, electric whine and views of the docks have remained with me. I recall asking why the docks were known as the 'Liverpool' docks when most of them were definitely in Bootle. My Da offered people's lack of education or carelessness with expression! Sadly, the Overhead closed weeks after my ride and trams were replaced by buses. I have been lucky enough to ride and work on electrified, elevated railtracks around the World but none left as magical an impression on me as the Overhead. My second favourite railtrack, the spectacular Sydney Monorail, opened in 1988 but closed in 2013, being mainly used by tourists. Ah well, I still dream of these railtracks, along with my Hornby 000 electric train, the 'Dutchess of Montrose'. I confess to still having the transformer. Walshy (A mongrel engineer).

Cheers Walshy.
Look at the mess that's being made at HS2, the new nuclear power plants, and the coal plants (sorry the dirty coal plants),

I'd forgotten about this dispute on the docks.








Regards

Dan

From the Financial Times November 14 2018.






Regards

Dan

From the Liverpool Echo






Regards

Dan

From Peel Ports Group accounts Year End March 2018 published December 28 2018.



Regards

Dan

Cheers Dan,
Huge interest in 2017 pushing them into loss, presume that relates to Liverpool Container port start up, new handling equipment etc.
It would be nice to see the breakdown results of their various activities, particularly the ports operations on the Mersey and Medway/Sheerness.
Ken

Hiya Dan, thanks for all your info and photos it will take me ages to go through them all, I'll try my best though.

Cheers Joe.

Check out the link to GF Lyster's presentation to the Institution of Civil Engineers. (Posted November 22)

It's paywalled in this country, but I got a copy from the US Archive.

So much detail in it. Unfortunately, no maps or diagrams.

Back to work.

South Docks









Mammoth Floating Crane in the Docks



Regards

Dan

Queensway Tunnel





1928



1931



1933









Duke of York, later George VI, JA Brodie(inventor of goal nets) and Lord Mayor Lawrence Holt.



Fan fabrication

















Fresh air fan



Vertical shaft fan



Tram tunnel beneath roadway.



July 1934



Queen Mary in William Brown Street ( There's a quiz question in there)



Opening Day





18th Century Dock Wall



Bottom of Old Dock



Regards

Dan

Mersey in the 1950s



















Regards

Dan

June 26 1897. Members of the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board on RMS Teutonic.



Haven't been able to find a caption identifying the individuals.

Regards

Dan

Riverside station platform ticket, dated February 17 1954, for the SS Cilicia





Regards

Dan

Dan. As an engineer having spent many years on and around ships and ports,I particularly appreciated the Liverpool Pilot, dock bottom and dredger photos. The 1950s Pier Head photo took me straight back to visits there as a kid - my paternal Grandmother would take us on the Birkenhead or New Brighton Ferry, enjoying a glass of guinness (lemo + crisps for us) in the ferry bar. I can still smell the heady mix of the Mersey, marine diesel, salt from a twisted blue greaseproof paper bag in the crisp packet and the black stuff from those early days. Walshy.

Cheers Walshy and Happy New Year.

For me, the New Brighton ferry was best. You got a longer ride.
Loved the Pier and the baths, and the fish and chip shop on the promenade.



June 1934.
You would have thought the councillors would have made a bit of an effort to get into the spirit of the occasion.



Regards

Dan

The Mersey Gateway Bridge










Regards

Dan

Dan. Nice photos of the Mersey Gateway project, especially the pylon bases. Over many years, I acted as a marine corrosion engineer, looking at ballast tanks, steel piling supports etc. It was always a buzz to work safely inside a good coffer dam with the sea waves lapping outside. Sadly, as the years progressed, I worked on fewer docks and oilrig platform supports but more shopping and yachting marinas. Walshy.

Cheers Walshy.




Regards

Dan

Another of my loves. I love stained glass. The arms are absolutely beautiful. Thanks Dan

Cheers Lynne.

From The Pilot Online.




Regards

Dan

1900





1907



1910 Huskisson Dock



1910 Liver Building without the Liver Birds



1910 Snow on the landing stage



Regards

Dan

Undated. Travelling crane.



Regards

Dan

Dan. Two of my favourite subjects - stained glass and the Princes Landing stage. From time to time, as a hobby, I repaired small stained glass panels, mainly from churches but also coat of arms and old front door panels, using a small furnace, home made pigments and leaded strips. My Da worked as a rigger for the MDHB for years; I still recall his Donkey jacket with the initials emblazoned on the back. As a kid, I spent hours gently bobbing up and down on the wooden landing stage, just watching the ferries dock, the wash from the river and the pilot, dredgers and ships go past. Walshy.

Cheers Walshy.
My abiding memory of the docks is getting the 5o'clock bus from St Martin's on Stanley Road.
The dockers getting on at Strand Road would be laughing while trying not to get my bright blue blazer dirty.




1917 Princes Dock



February 1920 Erosion at Blundellsands.



Regards

Dan

1930s Gladstone Dock



1938 September 11 HMS Conway at the Pier Head



1953 April 14 HMS Conway wrecked in the Menai Strait



HMS Conway aground



Regards

Dan

From the Minutes of the Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers 1878.

The Egremont Ferry Landing Stage.






Regards

Dan

From Automotive Logistics.



Regards

Dan

From Marine Insight.



Regards

Dan

1954



1955





Regards

Dan

Status Imagery photo of the docks.



Regards

Dan

1880 Landing Stage



1895 First Tower Buildings in the distance.



Canning Dock



Dockers in the Canning Dock



Cotton Bales

More great photos Dan.

Thanks Joe.

1910



The Goliath crane working in Bankfield Goods Yard.


Mao of the yard drawn up for homas Borthwick's



Regards

Dan

Central Docks



Gladstone Construction Early 1920s



Gladstone Graving Dock



MV Britannic



Landing Stage for the Seacombe Ferry



Snowdrop Ferry



Regards

Dan

From Maritime Executive











Regards

Dan