Hello and welcome to my youtube channel. Am a Merseyside transport enthusiast, of buses, railways, trams. My main aim of the channel is to redress the often neglected history of transport on Merseyside. Also being an active member of various Merseyside preservation societies helps me to proactively ensure the rich transport heritage of Merseyside for future generations. The restoration of the former London Midland & Scottish railways Class 502 Electric unit being my main focus.
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They didn't save any of the brown plastic cladding? Oh no, what a shame! I was really interested in the posters they found under Hamilton Square when they did the renovation
@04nbod no, non of the cladding was saved despite a request by liverpool museums for some examples. They had planned an exhibit featuring them to tell the story of merseyrail & the underground railway.
Thank you so much for producing this fascinating video! I have a feeling that there’s some ‘binge watching’ coming on. I lived in Crosby until I was 21, then moved to Loughborough,where I quickly found the GCR, which is a frequent visiting place. We are so very blessed to have such a wonderful facility on our doorstep! I’ve always loved steam traction, and can still remember ‘steamers’ coming into Lime Street Station!
@@chrisberry9017 thank you. I live not far from where you did . Am now in Litherland before that Bootle. The Great central is a fantastic line, was there again recently at the Quorn bus rally
I am absolutely fascinated by this video. Such a thorough insight into the underground loop system that I love and grew up using. Though I think the advancements of the network, refurbished stations and new trains are great, I really miss the old school dark and dingy feel the whole system had back in the 2000’s. The old trains being suspended from service is a huge loss. I’ll never forget the sounds of the old trains. Everything down to the DC motor sound and the clicking sound the trains would make when stopped at each station. The older trains definitely had just a slightly mustier smell to them as well, compared to the new trains. I’ll also never forget the old platforms as well. I have memories going back to when I was a kid, attempting to sit on the old brown seats, integrated into the brown walls. I found it almost impossible to keep myself seated on those seats, as I remember I kept almost sliding off the seats because of the way they were designed. So much was covered in this video, all of which I find has been covered so thoroughly. But I have a couple of questions related to a couple of more minor things featured in the underground stations. First one is about the removal of 1 escalator at Hamilton Square and another at Lime Street. I’m wondering whether or not you know roughly when they were converted to become steps. Second question is about the big banks of the larger lifts at Hamilton Square and James Street. Not including the smaller lifts that go directly to the platforms. Looking at the floor plans/blueprints featured in this video, it looks as if both Hamilton Square and James Street each used to have 6 main lifts, instead of the 4 found in both stations today. Was this the case? Also were the main lifts at each of these stations refurbished to become self-operational around the time of the loop opening in the late 70’s? I ask this because I know they were originally operated by an operator, from looking at pictures of the old lifts at these stations. Also because I can’t find much information anywhere about the lifts at Hamilton Square and James Street. I know this is a very specific question which is a very minor part of the loop development, but my curiosity has got the better of me.
@NostalgiaFromMyChildhood thanks for the comments and questions. As you can probably tell by the video, I am also fascinated by our underground system. Am assuming the old trains you mention are the 507 & 508s. Unfortunately, I am old enough to remember the ones before them. The late 1930s built 502 & 503s. Indeed so much so that I am involved with the class 502 preservation trust restoring the last northern line 502. In regards to the escalators at Hamilton square and lime street. They haven't been removed, they were never installed in the first place. During the underground construction There was an economic crisis, (nothing changes), & cuts to public finances were ordered by the government in an attempt to save money. The situation at lime street was that the main escalator was to run all the way down to the platform. This was cut short to the situation we have today. It didn't save anything as where the landing is the rock was badly fractured. And it required costly stabilisation & support. Other example proposals lost were the Travelater (a flat escalator) to old hall street. And more significantly, the cancellation of the north & south outer loops. The original lifts at James St & Hamilton square were 3 sets of very large hydraulic operated lifts & one set of stairs to the surface booking hall. At James St, there's also the water st exit & at Hamilton Square, there is the shore Rd exit. Both are accessed by steep ramps. The shore Rd exit is now just used in emergencies. James St hydralic tower was destroyed by a bomb in 1941. The lifts at both stations were replaced by electric ones, though I need to research the exact date for that. If you're interested in the early days of the underground, there is two other videos that might interest you :- kzread.info/dash/bejne/qY6Yuc2dp5W8ZsY.htmlsi=q6wudmkKMYjBV90u kzread.info/dash/bejne/Z5qYtpKlfdqwms4.htmlsi=BfLM_OFFZjlbhcfg
@@Merseywail That’s cool, It’ll be interesting to see the result of the restoration project when it’s finished. Interesting that the additional escalator wasn’t ever built, especially at Hamilton Square. Because there’s the 1 escalator that got built. But it fascinates me that they installed the rubber hand belts for the second escalator, but put normal stairs in place of where the moving escalator steps would have been installed, if they went ahead with the original plan. Yeah I’ve used the water Street exit a few times at James Street, I’m glad they’ve retained the old feel to it. I did actually have to use the exit to Shore Road at Hamilton Square once as well, that was last year, that was because all 4 lifts were out of service. That was fun. The travelator idea would have been cool to see if it went ahead. If it was to link up with Old Hall street, was it meant for Moorfields Station? It’s cool how the previous older lifts were so huge. So if there were originally 3 even bigger lifts, I’m guessing it would have been 2 where the 4 are now, then 1 in the abandoned shaft next to the stairwell. But yeah, seems like a bit of a mystery as to when they were first replaced to be electrified button-operated lifts. And yes I’ll check out those videos, thanks.
@NostalgiaFromMyChildhood the escalator at central, also suffers from the legacy of government funding cuts. The second set has always only one up escalator. It was widened during the station upgrades. I've yet to do the Shore Rd exit myself. Hopefully, I will.. the Travelater was to link Moorfields to old hall street.. I would think the James St lifts would have gone electric by 1942/3, seeing as the originals were destroyed. The class 502 restoration is coming on well. This video shows some of the latest work.kzread.info/dash/bejne/c6ptprWIYrOdks4.htmlsi=XiEE-NHSECaVd8Eq The open day scheduled for this Sunday has unfortunately been cancelled by the organisers the Merseyside transport trust. It's very disappointing for us as we wanted to show the public the completed driving trailer
@@Merseywail Thanks for the info, and it’s a shame that the open day got cancelled. Hopefully it will resurface.
I have been on some of those old coaches when I was young and when I was at school. Including when going out on a day trip.
@AndrewG1989 me too. I used to love a day trip on the old coaches. Luckily I occasionally get the chance to do day trips on old coaches . Being a member of various preservation groups.
Some very nice buses with colourful liveries on them.
Good to see different liverys than usual one I see in the north West
Very nice vintage buses. My Grandad used to love riding on them when he was young. And he used to take pictures of old buses back in his days.
@@AndrewG1989 some really nice ones at Beamish. Well worth a visit
BEAMISH AN ABSOLUTELY MUST SEE IF YOU ARE IN THE LOCAL AREA, ESPECIALLY IF YOU LIKE THINGS FROM THIS PERIOD IN TIME.
@michaelobrien9825 I totally agree. It's a fantastic place. One I would definitely recommend. I could spend several days there. It's a place I would definitely volunteer at if I was local
@@Merseywail I'M THE SAME, BUT TO FAR AWAY, LIVING IN SCOTLAND.
Superb, been years since I was last there. Shame no trolleybuses running though, there were 2 in the garage and plenty of overhead up. Would have been ideal
@@davefrench3608 it would have been good to see them out. My first visit to Beamish. Hope to go again as I didn't get to see everything in the time we had. Wonderful place though
Nice ride in the very early National. It always makes a change to see one in municipal livery. Considering the engines were designed to be thrown away went they went wrong, they haven't done too badly!
@AndreiTupolev I must admit I wasn't a fan of the national when it first came out. My late parents always insisted on sitting at the front end. Being small back then I couldn't see out the window. Now of course I sit at the back over the glorious noisy engine
thanks for bringing your coach to our local show. had a trip to Nailsworth at a table. As a retired coach driver was good for someone else to drive. Caroline
@@user-cn4rg2bs4p cheers glad you enjoyed the trip. It's always good to go to theses shows . It's great to be able to have the coach take part in these events too. Giving others the opportunity to ride vehicles that they might not get to see locally.
Superb video, once again. It was a great trip and a most enjoyable day. Travelled in style thanks to Steve on the Crosville RE.
Thank Ken. It was a really enjoyable day. The Crosville RE was a great way to travel there. Took me back to my youth, long long ago
Was that Neil Scales I saw on the Sunderland tram? (Old Merseytravel joke) 😊
@davidsumner4335 didn't he go to Australia? Could be worse. It could have been Lewis Leslie & his flaming tram, (quite literally)
Off topic, the bank on the main street came from Southport.
Yes I believe so. Or part of it , the banks former vault. I didn't get the chance to look around there.
Excellent video and much appreciated!
Thank you, great place to visit
Interesting video with a cracking selection of buses from the 1920's to the 1960's - I have been to the Black Country Museum at Dudley which has a similar atmosphere and really must go to Beamish one of these days. Nice to see Blackpool tram 31 which is a rebuilt 'Marton Box' car dating originally from 1901 and rebuilt in the 1920's. South Shields 140 is a Daimler CCG6 (quite a rare type compared to the more usual CVG) and the Darlington bus you have shown is a similar type but with a 5 cylinder engine instead of 6 - both have classic Roe bodywork. Lovely!
It is a great place. I only scratched the surface with the limited time we had there. Perhaps we should have had a more modern coach than the Crossville RE. That would have got us there quicker. But not as much fun.
I live off Wango lane ,when i first moved up there i would take the dog around the back of Aintree racecourse,,canal turn. there was all large space next to the Kirkby line with lots of what looked like Railway building all demolished. was this some sort of goods yard back in the day ?
@@tomfreeman650 that would be Fazakerley sidings. There would have been buildings there associated with the railway
Didn't even relatively small places like Morecambe & Heysham and Lytham St Anne's have some splendid liveries
You're quite correct. There was a sense of civic & company pride in the turnout of bus fleets back in the day.
🔥🔥🔥
Thanks for spotting us at 8:53!
My mates dad had a coach company and his favourite coach was a Leyland Leopard with Duple coachwork. It was as smooth as silk!!!
The MPTE coach is owned by one of the Merseyside Transport Trusts main committee members. It is a great performer & always a pleasure to attend events with it.
The B&W photo of Mersey tank loco "Liverpool", that loco ended up in Australia. After the locos were retired from Mersey Railway service they were sent to Beyer Peacock who overhauled them and removed the condensing equipment. The Major, Liverpool Connaught and Gladstone were bought by John Brown a mining magnate who had a large private colliery railway system called the Richmond Vale Railway. The Mersey tank locos were numbered 5,6,7 and 8. Number 5 lasted the longest ending her days at the Hexham depot where she was in use as a buffer stop. All the locos on that railway came from England including 13 ROD's of which three still survive the last one dropping it's fire for the final time in 1973. The loco had a long a varied career having served in France in WW1. Unlike the preserved ROD the RVR ROD's were never altered from their Great Central design. The RVR used steam right to the end in June 1987.
Thanks for the information on the ex Mersey railway locos. The Major & Cecil Raikes are preserved. Though Cecil Raikes is in the care of Liverpool museums its sadly not on public display
@@Merseywail The Major out here isn't fit for display as it's a rusty brown colour.
@@Merseywail Here's a video filmed in 1987 on the Richmond Vale Railway and it's history kzread.info/dash/bejne/lGSCuKh9iJecZLQ.htmlsi=MEuBZzBM084XzeIv
@@AussiePom that's a real shame. Cecil Raikes was briefly on display outside. But it deserves a place in a museum. We have a lot of items hidden away in store that should be on view to the public.
@@Merseywail Well that's what happens here when a museum is run by the state. It wasn't always run by the state but all the engines that ran on the state's rail system were given to the museum under a deed of gift arrangement whereby the state retained ownership but the upkeep and day to day maintenance was down to the museum. Then the state decided to muscle in and take over the whole operation. The Major was bought by museum members so they own it but the state isn't interested in private railway exhibits and the Major has been left outside to rot. The side tanks look like Swiss cheese for there's that many holes in them.
That ran on the Ribble L3 route, Crosby to Skelhorne Street, Liverpool for a few times. Was on it a couple of times going to school. They also ran a Royal Tiger on that route for a few times. Nice to see a well restored Atlantean, well done. Ex. Leland Bus employee now expat in Florida.
Thanks!, I never knew that. No doubt on loan to Ribble for test before they ordered a batch. Ribble weren't happy with the Atlantean at first & the next bus order they went back to the full front PD3s
@@Merseywail Leyland used to try their protypes or new vehicles with various operators, Fishwicks were always popular as they were based in Leyland
Fabulous to attend this event! Also apparently the driver of 3163 at the event got scolded at for some apparent reason
It was a good event, the guys at Kirkby always put a good show on. Am not aware of any issues happening
@@Merseywail indeed
Fabulous set of photos. Wonderful to see, bringing back memories for me of when I was a kid, and the trains were more like these types. I never know for sure which ones were which, but I’m talking of 1974 to the mid 80s, whatever units were running between the wirral and Liverpool during that period. I just loved the sights, sounds and even the smells of the trains and the underground back then. The rattle of the train, the fabric seats, the flickering lamps, the wooden panels in the carriages, etc. The modern trains may be more efficient, cleaner, quieter etc, and perhaps the memory cheats, but I’d love to experience the 70s units and atmosphere of the trips back then. Thanks for these photos.
Thanks for the comments. Your memories mirror mine. I too used to enjoy trips on the underground. Only I used to travel the opposite direction. Getting on at the old central underground before the loop. More often for trips to New Brighton. I well remember whilst sat on the return train at New Brighton the way the lights would dim then suddenly brighten up again. I now know this because somewhere on the line a train was accelerating. Although I thought the new loop & link was great I miss the old "mersey" underground
@@Merseywail brilliant mate! New Brighton, wow, depending when you went, an experience, one way or another. In the very old days it looked stunning. 70s to 90s it looked, run down? but when ive been recently a lot has been done to clean up the sea and river front, bars, restaurants, etc. If it gained the funding for a new tower and a pier for the mersey ferry loop, it would be a tourist honeypot again.....and yes, those flickering lamps, i didnt know, it depended on how much elec was getting through! a passing train etc. Great! cheers.
@@THIRV it has turned round in recent years. Doubt it will ever as good as it was in it's hayday. I remember it mostly the late 60s early 70s. It lost a lot when the pier & ferry went
@@Merseywail absolutely. We can only dream of a new pier and the return of the ferry. It would bring tourists back, via the ferry. And a new tower would be the icon of Merseyside. But of course, it’ll never happen either as you say mate.
Was planning to attend, but a house viewing turned up at the last minute. Hope to go to the nocturnal running day .😉. Thanks for the upload .
You missed a good day, sadly. The nocturnal event is good especially after It gets dark. Very atmospheric
Beautiful Bus and so ahead of it’s time. Nobody can do it like us !
So true.
Isnt it a bit of a risk running precious preserved buses after dark? Too easy a target for the brick brigade I fear!
There's never been any issues before. The route does avoid known trouble areas
@@Merseywail I'm glad that is the case and long may that be so but if I owned a preserved bus it would be daytime only!
Hi i'm viatron from Sheffield, well I like to see a 1950 Crossley SD42/7 half cab forward entrance single deck bus from Southport Corporation making it's very first outing on the old Southport Corporation bus routes around the seaside resort & prolapse you might make a very special vintage bus video about it, because I like to see a vintage 1950 Crossley DD42/7 half cab single deck bus run a very special circular tour when it finally comes out. Thank you for your co-operation on this very special Crossley bus subject from David Viatron Esquire of crookes in Sheffield.
Am not 100 % sure that the Merseyside Transport Trust has one of those in their collection. Have to say it's something that would be very interesting to see though. I would have to check what they have
The Northumbria ‘liver bus’ coach 3000, had a bit of a mishap on the way back from pagemoss at the small bus way at Stockbridge. It managed to get wedged on the mirror of an arriva going in the opposite direction. Whoops.
That's unfortunate no serious damage I hope
@@Merseywail Gladly not!
Hit me up in advance next time and if I'm on shift then I'll stick the kettle on at Headbolt Lane 😂😂
I will have to remember next time.Not sure if there's a feeder bus for the nocturnal event, if there is I will let you know
@@Merseywail I did look to see if you had X or Facebook as I was going to pop you a message, but you don't 😂
@@Wez2024 I am on Facebook. I will send you a request
@@Merseywail Aaahhh I didn't realise that's who you are..
@Wez2024 yes! Now you know why I don't appear on camera. Don't want to put people off their dinner lol 😆
I saw a Halton Transport bus .So sad that this operator went belly up as they did invest in their fleet until their centenary .. The irony is that Halton closed before the COVID lockdown of 2020. An awful coincidence. Its always good to see FHF 451 but I do worry that itll be flogged to death and it might be an idea to have FHF 456 if its got its seats back. FHF 451 is precious to lose and must be used sparingly. As for UKA 562H it wears the livery LCPT gave to L749 briefly as to indicate a driver only bus. However the drab green livery was applied to L749. Dusl door buses very rapidly we nt out of favour and a lot of money was wasted on aL570 L749 and L830-879. Anyway thats history........
Wallasey 1 is well looked after by the 201 bus group. They have 3 buses in the group. Wallasey 1, Birkenhead 10, and MPTE 1070. No 1 has seen a lot more use lately due to issues with the main group workhorse 1070. This should be back in action soon relieving Wallasey 1
Thanks for replying Merseywail So they own the "Alpha and Omega" of Leyland Atlanteans. Of course 1070 is forty years old this year (is it that old already?). Thanks anyway keep up the good work!
I do not know what they have done to it but Wallasey's Atlanteans never sounded like that when in service.
Someone remarked to me recently that non of the preserved atlanteans sound the same anymore. His suggestion was its down to the fuel & lubricants that are used today
@@Merseywail I think there is more to it than that. It sounds like they may have swapped the engine out or the manifold for one from a and old PD2, but it also sounds a bit like a Bristol as well.
@@WallaseyanTube it would have had modifications over the years , especially with it being the first
@@Merseywail Possibly, though it is also unfortunate.
Mate,some superb items of tolling stock there ,but you know what I’m going to say a restored metro on the 73 that use to serve my part of London, Hammersmith before the 10 replaced it and the 73 diverted to Victoria ,I drove metros most of the time I worked at V and S garages ,but that example with a fully restored front dash panel fog lights and silver beading looked perfect and yellow front doors ,you know before I fall off my perch I would love to drive a metro once more and hear its whine and retard noise ,hehe I see the LT dolly stop is still there must off been pinched on a boozy weekend down here 😂😂 Take care all the best Mark 😊😊
Some really good buses at the event. We had some metro buses on Merseyside but the MPTE never really ordered many of them.
@@Merseywailyou should of seen me last bus on the 94 flying down Bayswater road safely of course 😊I remember the opening. To the liver birds showed metropolitans and later series the dad of one of the girls was a bus driver 😊
@@marksinthehouse1968 Liverpool was a big customer of the Atlantean, but it did dip its toe in with other models. This policy was largely followed by MPTE. Yes I remember the bus driver in the liver birds, he was very proud of 'his' bus.
If your budding career in the bus video world doesn't take off, there's always natural history. David Attenborough can't live forever.
Lol I couldn't resist putting that in. Poor bee, but well done the small spider for tackling a bee.
Please note . The 2024 0pen day has unfortunately been cancelled
did the class 502 ever had a horn like was its horn a whisle
@@buddmetroliner200gaming3 air horns, located underneath by the cabs
@@Merseywail will its horn still be in use when its no longer restored
@@buddmetroliner200gaming3 yes
Many people assumed that The Ovie or The Dockers Umbrella was run by The Council, it was not, it was run privately by The Liverpool Overhead Railway Company.
It's a mistake that many people keep making. I complied this video in an attempt to educate people on who actually closed it. I've no doubt though that the council will still be blamed for it. They have made many mistakes but closing the overhead wasn't one they can be blamed for
Spent most of my childhood at Aintree sheds.
I used to go in the abandoned shed during my youth. And along the then still operational line, hiding when I heard a 37 or 47 rumbling along
@@Merseywail All steam when I used to go there my family moved away in summer of 1968. Even got a few cab rides used to sit by the turntable or on the banking watch the same line you mention. Happy happy days
Very sad to hear about it. 😢
Not many left now
Some of those older buses do look really nice.
It certainly was nice to get aboard them & out of the rain
I like riding on top of a double decker bus and to see the whole view.
Your not alone
Never knew there was a Beer and Bus festival. Very interesting.
It was revived last year after a few years absence
Nice selection of old vintage double decker buses. Very nice.
Very nice video. I do like some of the older buses.
It was a good event, a wide variety of ages of the buses
I used to love hopping on the Ribble bus from Lydiate, service 341 to Skelhorn Street bus station. The smell of the diesel in there was heady!!! That will have been around 1978. The red Ribble buses always seemed smarter than the green n creams of MPTE! I can't remember what model of buses they were, Leylands for sure, and they had the big sliding door!! Conductor was always standing just inside the door, his bag with butties and a flask were on top of the engine cover!! And he had those fiendishly complicated looking ticket machines!!!
Exactly my memories of them too. My local services were the 57 58 59 to St John's lane. Or L2 L3 to Skelhorn st. The buses with the big sliding door were the Leyland PD3s. With the Metcam bodies, or the earlier Burlingham body one's. They were always nicer inside when compared to the spartan MPTE one's, a fact I like to point out lol
Bloody 'ell! They've knocked the Broadway down! Does anyone remember the Morecambe & Heysham open-topper with the mediæval battlements?
As you can probably tell from the accent am not local to Morecambe. So I don't remember them sorry
FHF looks like it was fitted with the SCG style gear selector. As fitted to the Bristol RE. Western Welsh Atlanteans had the selector on a Leopard style pedestal.
That's something I would have to ask John about
Wasn't John Nolan one of the group that preserved FHF? His son Rob was my line manager at Sefton Health, and when Rob discovered that i was a bus nut, he recommended that i visit the museum.
Yes John is one of the 201 group that preserved it. He now runs the group looking after & rallying Wallasey 1, Birkenhead 10, & MPTE 1070
Was XTC rear engined? If so, seems strange that it has a half cab style.
It was rear engined. It had a smaller turbocharged engine. This required a larger platform with a bump jutting into the platform area. Quite what Leyland were thinking of with this design I don't know. It had non of the good points of the production series.
Wasn't 6045 originally restored by the late Steve Foster in NBC red as a National Welsh concept vehicle?
I think so, Mark the new owner will have the full history of it. I know it was in NBC red when it came to Burscough. Don't know who painted it, but it looked like it was painted with a trowel. It was one of the worst Paint jobs I've ever seen
@@Merseywail having said that, we purchased 640 straight out of service, and the paint job left much to be desired.
@@TimothyWorel-xj9he it's had a good rub down since its arrival at Burscough, including the flooring which apparently had what looked like sand added to the paint mix. It looks a lot better now it's been repainted. He has no plans to return it to Southport livery, as it would require it to be returned to Duel door, to be authentic
Thank you for this great video !
Thanks very much