Birkenhead regeneration and the Dock Branch

[billy_anorak59]

Interesting article here:  http://www.merseytart.com/2021/06/

 

Remembering Birkenhead as a busy place in the 60s, I too would love to see some attempt at regeneration. Don't suppose it will happen (it never does), but I just thought the above link provides food for thought on the opening up of the old dock branch through the heart of town. I'd be interested to hear what others think, good or bad.

[62613]

It's funny that, all over the former industrial heartlands of England, you get people complaining about their town, that "It's a dump these days", or "The town isn't the same as it was when I were a lad", and heaping all the blame on the council. In my particular borough, you get residents of one town berating the council for favouring one of the others over theirs (SHMD might know were I'm talking about)

 

Some of the problems these towns face are touched on in the blog above; the loss of the industries and the reasonably well - paid jobs which sustained them; the gutting of high streets because of the "retail revolution"; and one which was not fully explored; the tendency of cities to suck in jobs, etc., from the local towns.

 

Nobody in these towns seems to be asking "What is our town for? What is its role in the future?"

[beast66606]

57 minutes ago, 313201 said:

I must admit I did read an article in 1 of the railway magazines that are available ( not sure which magazine or when I read it ) that there is or was a plan to return the line from rock ferry down to Birkenhead Docks and Mollington Street Depot into use as a preserved line.

 

There would also be the potential to run onto the 3rd rail network at rock ferry if merseyrail agreed to allow such movements to happen, the plan also included a station and museum at the Mollington Street Depot site.

 

In recent years ( 2016 or 2017 I think ) work was taking place to remove weeds and small trees from the line to Birkenhead docks and Mollington Street with the possible intent of returning the line to use but more recently there has not been any further work done on it at this time as far as I know. 

 

Also with the imminent withdrawal and replacement of the current class 507 and 508 units, the line would be an ideal way to keep some of the units running either with 3rd rail power or diesel powered generators that would power the motors without the need for a 3rd rail, similar to what has been done with northern rail and thames link class 319s which are now bi mode units for northern rail and tri mode units for GWR rail as class 769s.

 

The 507 & 508 units if modified as such would be re-classed but it would allow them to be used much more widely aswell so there are lots of possibilities for the line and the current merseyrail units too.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Pipe dream - nice as it would be, there's nothing at the docks to attract people and maintaining a 3rd rail preserved line, not going to happen.

[Steamport Southport]

Unfortunately anything that happens in Birkenhead or Liverpool ends up with the local council getting involved. They also involve the numbskulls at the transport museum*. They couldn't care less about anything railway related, it's all ran by bus and tram enthusiasts that don't like trains. Or anything else for that matter.

 

They were supposed to be custodians of the LMS units, but they ended up being neglected. Then ended up elsewhere.

 

Don't forget this is the council that cut a U Boat into pieces!

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-13142732

 

It used to look fantastic when it was in one piece. it should have been conserved and plinthed as a tribute to the Battle Of The Atlantic.

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/jimmediaart/311939330/

 

 

 

*Not National Museums Liverpool,  the one at Pacific Road.

 

 

 

Jason

[laurenceb]

And when someone comes up with an idea the same muppets stat screaming wast of money!

[Steamport Southport]

A bit like the Mersey Trams debacle.

 

Anyone with any sense could see the place that needed trams was a route from the city centre to the airport. A popular bus route and would have got a lot of buses and cars off the road. Would have served the areas that the students live and also the industrial and retail parks in South Liverpool (Speke/Garston).

 

After getting that up and running you could then extend it.

 

The councils idea? A tramway to Kirkby which nobody wanted. I just think they wanted to ditch the idea so proposed the least desirable option.

 

Now? Nearly every city in the UK has now got trams, apart from the Liverpool Region.

 

 

Jason

[Flittersnoop]

I remember being a passenger on a railtour in the 1980s that traversed the Birkenhead Dock line - the locals greeted the train by hurling bricks at it. Perhaps not the best environment for a heritage railway...

[beast66606]

1 minute ago, 313201 said:

 

In response to my earlier post which was classed as a pipe dream, I would likd to clarify at this point and I apologise if I appear to be having a go but please be assured I am not, what I said in my post was not what I was saying would definitely happen, it was an article in a magazine that mentioned pretty much what I posted so I hope this clears up what I said earlier.

 

I was commenting on the magazine content you posted, not you personally - still a pipe dream, I was born and bred in Birkenhead and remember the docks in use and indeed Woodside still open - I'll eat a hat from everyone who lives there if a preserved line opens.

[Steamport Southport]

1 hour ago, Flittersnoop said:

I remember being a passenger on a railtour in the 1980s that traversed the Birkenhead Dock line - the locals greeted the train by hurling bricks at it. Perhaps not the best environment for a heritage railway...

 

You are talking about forty years ago though. Things have changed completely.

 

Maybe another visit to Birkenhead is in order?

 

 

Jason

[beast66606]

28 minutes ago, Steamport Southport said:

 

You are talking about forty years ago though. Things have changed completely.

 

Maybe another visit to Birkenhead is in order?

 

Yeah - its far worse than that currently.

[bazzoh]

A link within the link is this … a new transport museum within the cutting!

https://op-en.co.uk/projects/the-transport-shed

 

[Zomboid]

Not wanting to disparage Birkenhead, I don't think an inner city urban environment is a great place for a heritage railway. Vandalism is much more likely to be a problem and there are many more neighbours to upset, not too mention the scenery is unlikely to be exactly world class.

 

I don't think the world needs another heritage railway startup either. I suppose Merseyside doesn't have anything right on the doorstep that I know of, but it's not all that far from Llangollen or Bury. Who's going to pay to ride a pacer through a cutting in Birkenhead as "entertainment"? And who would then do it a second time?

Edited June 11, 2021 by Zomboid

[billy_anorak59]

The latest: Yet another pipedream? They seem confident enough it's going to happen, even if past experience says otherwise.

 

https://theguideliverpool.com/theres-a-new-transport-museum-opening-in-birkenhead/

[beast66606]

16 minutes ago, billy_anorak59 said:

The latest: Yet another pipedream? They seem confident enough it's going to happen, even if past experience says otherwise.

 

https://theguideliverpool.com/theres-a-new-transport-museum-opening-in-birkenhead/

 

The money will be no doubt spent and something will happen, whether that proves to be of any real use to Birkenhead is yet to be seen - it also puts the final nail in the coffin for any (admittedly slim) chance of rail served freight operations.