“The Dockers’ Umbrella”
Detail from a photo of the Liverpool Overhead Railway taken in May 1956 by J.E. Davies and published in Modern Locomotives Illustrated No. 228, courtesy of Rail Archive Stephenson. The LOR was a pioneer electric elevated railway than ran between 1893 and the end of 1956. The LOR remained an independent operation throughout its life, but the high costs of repairing the infrastructure after years of pollution and corrosion proved prohibitive. So much to enjoy in this view, taken close to Liverpool Pier Head and looking towards the Strand. The late 19th century building was occupied at the date of the photograph by Pacific Steam Navigation Co. but was built originally for the White Star Company. It was the scene of much distress in April 1912 as news of the sinking of the Liverpool-registered Titanic filtered through. The architect was Richard Norman Shaw, who used similar motifs in his design for the original Scotland Yard building. The bus is a Liverpool Corporation Weymann-bodied vehicle, most likely a Leyland PD2.
I have vivid memories of visiting Liverpool in 1955 and 1956, of being impressed by the Liverpool Corporation Green Goddess streamliner trams as well as the smart bus fleet, and of travelling underground on the Mersey electric trains (the last word in modernity, I thought). Lewis's department store (my first experience of riding on an escalator) was another source of wonder. Alas, I have no memories of the Liverpool Overhead Railway. But when I first visited Chicago in the late 1980s and rode around The Loop, I immediately felt a spiritual connection with Liverpool.
“The Dockers’ Umbrella”
Detail from a photo of the Liverpool Overhead Railway taken in May 1956 by J.E. Davies and published in Modern Locomotives Illustrated No. 228, courtesy of Rail Archive Stephenson. The LOR was a pioneer electric elevated railway than ran between 1893 and the end of 1956. The LOR remained an independent operation throughout its life, but the high costs of repairing the infrastructure after years of pollution and corrosion proved prohibitive. So much to enjoy in this view, taken close to Liverpool Pier Head and looking towards the Strand. The late 19th century building was occupied at the date of the photograph by Pacific Steam Navigation Co. but was built originally for the White Star Company. It was the scene of much distress in April 1912 as news of the sinking of the Liverpool-registered Titanic filtered through. The architect was Richard Norman Shaw, who used similar motifs in his design for the original Scotland Yard building. The bus is a Liverpool Corporation Weymann-bodied vehicle, most likely a Leyland PD2.
I have vivid memories of visiting Liverpool in 1955 and 1956, of being impressed by the Liverpool Corporation Green Goddess streamliner trams as well as the smart bus fleet, and of travelling underground on the Mersey electric trains (the last word in modernity, I thought). Lewis's department store (my first experience of riding on an escalator) was another source of wonder. Alas, I have no memories of the Liverpool Overhead Railway. But when I first visited Chicago in the late 1980s and rode around The Loop, I immediately felt a spiritual connection with Liverpool.