Copenhagen Fields

[Nimbus]

Not sure that's quite right. My suggestion is that the rope drives the large wheel, which

is geared to the governor. There's a lifting rod from the governor so that when that

overspeeds, the lifting rod operates the geared quadrants which would be coupled to

the safety catches, driving them in opposite directions.

 

The Nim.

[CF MRC]

Thanks for those fascinating insights, gentlemen. 
Continuing the thread, I’m really not sure whether the cars were self balancing, used a counterweight or were drum type.  The one at Aldwych is parked next to its neighbour which might imply that they aren’t self balancing and also that wouldn’t work as David shows in one of his figures with the connecting door.  I’m fairly sure the lift at YR was hand driven as the train tickets were sold by an attendant in the lift - and I doubt that there was ever enough footfall to justify any modernisation before the station closed in 1932. These photos (copyright Hagley Archive (here for educational purposes only) show the lift mechanisms being installed at Caledonian Road.

I wonder if these are drum lifts, acting as a simple hoist? Another view from Waterloo shows a winding type drum.

The trouble is, the more you know, the more you don’t.

 

My personal anecdote about ancient lifts relates to the old lift at the back of the Outpatients Dept at Bart’s when I was a houseman in the early 1980s. It was driven by a one eyed Egyptian with one arm and a hook for a hand. He was very adept at closing the Bostwick gates and stopping the lift in the right place. 
 

Tim

[73c]

8 hours ago, Nimbus said:

Not sure that's quite right. My suggestion is that the rope drives the large wheel, which

is geared to the governor. There's a lifting rod from the governor so that when that

overspeeds, the lifting rod operates the geared quadrants which would be coupled to

the safety catches, driving them in opposite directions.

 

The Nim.

As the lifting rod operates the geared quadrants, moving inwards, they then effectively 'grab' the wire stopping it dead, which in turn pulls in the car safety gear. On older lifts they were knarled rollers that dug into the guides stopping the lift car. After a safety gear test, out come the big files to remove the rough indents left on the guides. I worked for 3 years with a company with the unfortunate name of Porn & Dunwoody Lifts, just around the corner from the Globe theatre and I think where taken over by Otis.

[bécasse]

The two lifts in each shaft were totally independent of each other and I am reasonably certain that there wasn't a counterweight either. The "cages" were relatively lightweight in construction and could take 40 people at a time so there would have been a huge difference between the cage weight unladen and the cage weight totally laden which, although it wouldn't have rendered a counterweight totally useless, would have still required a substantial motor to raise the lift (and possibly produce a partial braking effect for the descent too).

 

In later days there used to be a mechanical display that showed whereabouts in the shaft(s) each lift was, even at a four lift station it was by no means unknown for all the lifts to be more or less at the top or the bottom at the same time. The photos in Thomas's book show that these displays post date the 1920s.

 

Incidentally, it struck me that the news vendor's stand outside Tufnell Park station would make a nice cameo outside York Road on CF - without requiring too many hours of modelling.

[Caley Jim]

53 minutes ago, bécasse said:

Incidentally, it struck me that the news vendor's stand outside Tufnell Park station would make a nice cameo outside York Road on CF - without requiring too many hours of modelling.

The proprietors of Wilson and Watt hereby lodge an objection to any such vendor being given permission!  

 

Jim ( on behalf of said proprietors)

[bbishop]

17 hours ago, 73c said:

 The 'dogs' bottom left, dig into the small wire rope and thus pull in the safety gear underneath.

Job for Pip, then.

[bécasse]

2 hours ago, Caley Jim said:

The proprietors of Wilson and Watt hereby lodge an objection to any such vendor being given permission!  

 

Jim ( on behalf of said proprietors)

The one at Tufnell Park is more or less directly outside a newsagents so objection overruled. However, it should be noted that the two actually serve a different market. The newsstand sells to those in a hurry for their evening papers (choice of The Star,  Evening News and Evening Standard in those days) who almost throw their pennies?, halfpennies? at the vendor as they grab their paper of choice without pausing, while the newsagent sells to those with a little more time who may want a magazine, fags, sweets (or indeed a morning paper).

[Caley Jim]

1 hour ago, bécasse said:

The one at Tufnell Park is more or less directly outside a newsagents so objection overruled. .....

Hmmmm....  My sources inform me that an etched gate is required for the lift and no doubt some 3D printed items may also be needed....?????

 

Jim

[Simon D.]

Hidden London are doing a virtual tour of York Road in May: https://www.ltmuseum.co.uk/whats-on/hidden-london/york-road-virtual-tour

[CF MRC]

On 04/03/2022 at 13:18, bécasse said:

The one at Tufnell Park is more or less directly outside a newsagents so objection overruled. However, it should be noted that the two actually serve a different market. The newsstand sells to those in a hurry for their evening papers (choice of The Star,  Evening News and Evening Standard in those days) who almost throw their pennies?, halfpennies? at the vendor as they grab their paper of choice without pausing, while the newsagent sells to those with a little more time who may want a magazine, fags, sweets (or indeed a morning paper).

I doubt there was much commuting from YR, bearing in mind the impoverished nature of the area. So one newsagent is enough. The station almost stayed closed after the general strike and had a reduced service thereafter. 
 

Tim 

[CF MRC]

The strange-shaped lift car is now complete excepting the Bostwick gates (I have some etched fencing that will suffice until the definitive ones are produced). The steel ropes are 0.3mm pivot steel; oversize but guaranteed straight and robust. 

The interior of the lift was mid green with posters above waist level. The outside?  The top will be dark grey / black as it has to disappear in the lift shaft. Any suggestions?

 

Tim

Edited March 11, 2022 by CF MRC

[73c]

Mid green inside, dark brown wood floor, brass track for gates. Top dark grey ( dusty looking ) top cross beam and the rest black.

[CF MRC]

Well it’s taken far too long to make, but the working lift for York Road tube station is just about OK, pending a few final tweaks, some more weathering, the definitive Bostwick gates and correct sized posters.

The shaft is currently just chemically blacked rather than painted. A laser cut paper lattice was used to represent the internal shaft segments. 

It will be on display with the rest of CF at Ally Pally this weekend.

https://youtube.com/shorts/eWcgjWOFXyg?feature=share

https://youtube.com/shorts/LG5j1U_JpmU?feature=share

 

Tim

 

[73c]

That is 'spot on' looks great and speed is just right. Brilliant!

[CF MRC]

Not often photographed like this. 
 

Tim

[A Murphy]

I saw CF at Ally Pally yesterday. It is a truly breathtaking achievement. I spent a happy few minutes chatting to Rob, one of the team. Pure pleasure, the whole experience. 

 

Thanks guys and given recent developments, here's to the next 40 or so years. 

 

Alastair M

[grahame]

Here's a couple of quick snaps of the 'new' end of CF taken at Ally Pally yesterday. The lift was operational and many people seemed bowled over by it when they spotted it:

 

 

 

 

 

 

[CF MRC]

Here’s a little scene that has livened up the end of Randell’s Road on CF: an interesting juxtaposition of sign and subject.  

The hearse was made by Ross Balderson from his own etches; horses by New Zealand Finescale - with added plumes & blankets and the figures are modified from a variety of sources. 

Another view: the widow’s veil was made from cigarette paper.

 

Tim

Edited June 4, 2022 by CF MRC

[Caley Jim]

Presume their heading for the dead centre of CF? 

 

Jim 

[CF MRC]

57 minutes ago, Caley Jim said:

Presume their heading for the dead centre of CF? 

 

Jim 

My kids always groaned when I cracked that joke…

 

Tim

[Caley Jim]

On 01/06/2022 at 21:00, CF MRC said:

My kids always groaned when I cracked that joke…

The old ones are the best!  My son was once in digs in Edinburgh next to a cemetery.  At least there was no trouble from the neighbours!

 

Jim (windae picked!)

Edited June 5, 2022 by Caley Jim

[CF MRC]

I know this view has been shown before, but I’ve just placed a strong red advertising  poster at the end of the street. It really brings the scene together, drawing the eye in, but also stopping it.  Amazing what a bit of colour can do…

 

Tim

[queensquare]

19 hours ago, CF MRC said:

I know this view has been shown before, but I’ve just placed a strong red advertising  poster at the end of the street. It really brings the scene together, drawing the eye in, but also stopping it.  Amazing what a bit of colour can do…

 

Tim

 

I particularly like the kids playing in the street,

 

Jerry

[t-b-g]

6 hours ago, queensquare said:

 

I particularly like the kids playing in the street,

 

Jerry

 

It is nice to see an "inclusive" scene but that isn't how I remember things at that age. When I was that sort of vintage, the boys did boyish stuff with other boys and the girls did girly stuff with other girls.

 

The boys wanted nothing to do with the girls and the girls certainly wanted nothing to do with the boys! 

 

We were a bit older before we got interested in girls at all.

 

I am glad that on CF they are doing better than we did!

 

 

[CF MRC]

5 minutes ago, t-b-g said:

 

It is nice to see an "inclusive" scene but that isn't how I remember things at that age. When I was that sort of vintage, the boys did boyish stuff with other boys and the girls did girly stuff with other girls.

 

The boys wanted nothing to do with the girls and the girls certainly wanted nothing to do with the boys! 

 

We were a bit older before we got interested in girls at all.

 

I am glad that on CF they are doing better than we did!

 

 

Kings Cross girls were made of different stuff…

 

Tim