LMS29

Ron, You are right about the steps down from the road to the rail level being late additions. I think they were installed when the car park went in. I went up and down these steps a couple of days ago and it is clear that both the stone work and the cement holding it in place is 'newer' than the section to the right which was the start of the foot bridge. It has of course all changed again when the new bridge was installed prior to electrification. I have seen pictures of the chimney before on the first building, which seemed to have been reduced in size around the 1940s. I have seen reference to the first building with this large chimney being a mill. Can you comment? The third building which had Ilkley Brewery painted around the top was demolished last year but the other two still remain. Tom

Andrew, Cannot help with signal query. As for the subway being blocked, I think the gate was locked around the same time as the line was lifted in 3 and 4. When do you remember the gates being locked? The 'bricking' up of the gateway was much later, but no dates come to mind. Perhaps one of the others can help, Tom

Better bring the blue paint tomorrow then? Tom2

Andrew, I have just returned from a visit to The Station. I am not sure if James had walked the ground, but I did and there is a definitely a small curve starting as James says around the 4th bay back from the end of the station. I did try and photograph it in the pouring rain and photo is attached. It shows the view towards Brook Street taken from the 'stoned up' subway entrance. Clearly there is a curve and at this point I estimate it to move in about a foot to the left before the end of the station wall. As I said earlier this curve continues to where the Brook Street bridge stood and this movement to the left takes away most of the width of Platform 4. The photograph in the link James posted does show that the left hand of the six ends to the station canopy is shorter on the left hand side than the rest and this might suggest some curving of that half of the outside section of the canopy. Again, this is clearly visible when I looked at it today. I resisted going into M&S to buy a sandwich but not sure if it would reveal any more! Ron, I did get a copy of the plan and have seen the tar pipe and hut......... good news! I also saw where the weigh bridge was situated opposite the goods shed in the station yard and so am amending my model again! I am currently trying to find out about the small rail crane that Greens used to load their logs onto the rail wagons. Can anyone help, please? Tom I did rotate the photograph on my PC, but it reverted on attachment, sorry

Andrew, What I have found, whilst browsing are two photos that might shed light on where the wall starts to 'curve'. The first one taken at the time the rail was being lifted, suggests the roof was symmetrical and looking through the hole in the wall, suggests that the curving took place between the end of the station wall and the start of the Brook Street Bridge. The second one shows that the roof has six consistent arches at the other end of the roof. What I cannot find and KK may be able to help with is a shot of the end wall from the Brook Street end to show if the 6 arches are symmetrical from that side. Failing that I will have a look on the ground hopefully next week, Tom

Andrew, I would also like to see the full plan, looking at the section you posted, threw up details I did not know and there may be more. I may even find the location of the tar loading point! Again conscious of Pete's thread. I could also post photos of area around station, if that helped. I will be in Ilkley in next couple of weeks and check the wall from subway entrance which is now blocked off and the eastern end of staton wall. Tom

When I looked at the plan of the foot bridge posted earlier. I noted that there was a step in the wall between the coal drops and the start of the main station wall and a small building shown in this indentation. KK your photo shows part of this indentation and the ground appears to have been laid with stone blocks. Does anyone have any idea what this building was. You could speculate that it was associated with the coal drops when they were used to supply coal to the gas works but I have no recollection of a building there. Any ideas? Tom

Andrew, I have photographed the buildings that existed up the last couple of years, which as others have said is most of them, from Cow Pasture Road to the old railway bridge on Brook Street because I decided to model looking south over the station and could give you some information on some of the buildings that are missing. Easier to do off line as it means that I will not have to resize the photos. Let me know what you think. Tom

Hi Folks, Thanks for the photos of the Foot Bridge, they were really helpful and I will try and detail my model to carry some of this extra information. As I remember it the from the late 50's early 60's both ends were at right angles to line of the foot bridge as shown in the photographs from the 80's. As I remember it the northern wall of the station is straight from the M&S corner all the way along past where the subway emerged along to the start of the coal drops. The wall does then curve away beyond the coal drops as shown in the drawing until it ends near the 'steps' up to the signal box that I photographed a few weeks ago. Ron, I also saw the T.P. and started to get excited, until I realised there was another one on the south side of the cropped drawing, still looking for the exact spot! Talking of photographs, if any one wants to model the roads to the south of the station, I do have photos of most of the buildings including the Station and Midland Hotels if that would help anyone. Tom

Sorry I missed this show but really enjoyed the photographs from Nottingham, some great photography of an excellent model. Looking forward to getting to grips with the final stretch of scenery and adding a few extra cameos. Tom2

Ron, Thanks for the thoughts on the shed, I will build one as I complete the bridge and will look for a brazier. I am at the stage of using the items that I have to see the effect on the model as I slowly refine my collection to improve the accuracy as I learn more; that goes for locos and wagons etc. as well as smaller items. In my defence, I would point out that one of the blue buses is a Samual Ledgard which took a wrong turn at the bottom of Brook Street but the other is really lost (Hull and East). I do have one West Yorkshire double decker which was further along Bolling Road and am looking for others. Tom

Good to see that folks are active again. We have just returned from a rail trip to Scandinavia. To complement Ron's comments, I remember using the foot bridge in the late 50's and mid 60's on a daily basis and recall that the steps were at a right angle to the bridge and faced towards Ben Rhydding on both the Bolling Road side and Railway Road sides. The bridge was changed later when it needed to be lifted to accommodate the electrification. As a point of interest, I am currently constructing a model of the bridge from photographs and attach a photo of my work in progress. The basic bridge is complete but there is a lot of finishing off to do. It may interest folks to know that the I made the crisscross mesh from 10thou plasticard using a computer driven cutter and then glued it onto clear plastic to give it strength. If anyone has photographs of the bridge it's self I would be interested. Most of the photographs taken in that area were taken from the bridge! I have a couple showing locos on the through line and one of a derailed DMU which was close to the bridge and shows some detail. Out of interest can anyone confirm what the small shed was used for at the end of platforms 2/3 and was placed next to the bridge? All the best, Tom

Ron, I think I can see the steps you are refering to on the third photograph, which shows the blue car. Next time I go down and the weather is fine, I will try and get you a better photograph. Pete, Like Ron, I would like to know how you are getting on. I am wrestling with building a model of the foot bridge that crossed from Railway Road to Bolling Road. All the best, Tom

Ron, I was down in Ilkley yesterday, sadly it was pouring with rain. Find attached a couple of pictures of the coal drops. The buffer stop is still in place and the walls of the coal cells can clearly be seen although the height has been reduced. I think they have topped the small walls off with the original top stones. I also walked along to the end of the railway wall by the Railway Road wall sign but failed to find the footsteps that you mentioned. Perhaps you can check the photographs and give me some more directions. Tom

Ron, I still visit Ilkley regularly as my parents are still living in the town and will take photographs of both items. I would like to spend a day in the Library as well as with the Gazette, just need to make the time. Tom

Ron, Thanks for the detailed information about the loading of the tar, it could make an unusual little scene. Would it be too much to ask if this loading arm was in use in the 1950's? I remember going down to the gas works as a small lad and collecting a bag of coke so the Works were there in the 1950's. As for the coal drops, the only thing that I can add is the size of the buffer stops at the end of the coal drops, which are still there and cast from concrete. I will try and get a picture next time I am in Ilkley. Tom

Andrew, As I remember it the coal drops operated by allowing coal to fall directly into lorries backed into the bays below, there may have been to occassional spillage but I do not remember regular heaps of coal spilling out onto the road. There was a Coal Merchant call Sam Tipping and he operated from a yard on Little Lane (a couple of hundred yards away from these drops). I cannot remember any more detail about the loading etc. I understood that the back facing spur was associated with tar loading from the gas works into the old rectangular tar wagons. I have read about this and the practise of towing wagons to prevent the over loading of the coal drops but it is not something that I remember. I would be interested if anyone could shed anymore light on this operation. Tom

Pete, I have measured the Metcalfe model and the single entrance spans 10.5cm. There is an inner column of bricks at either side of the entrance which could be removed to give you a bit more room, but it looks tight. To help, I have included L&Y 2-4-2T and an Ivatt 2-6-2T. As you can see from the photograph I am also short of space and have included a watering point but have yet to model the pits. All the best, Tom

Pete, If you let me have your overall measurement across the two tracks plus clearance, I am happy to measure my shed and let you know if it will work, Tom

Hello, I am a new member of RMWeb and just found this thread. I was raised in Ilkley and as a retirement activity I am building a OO model of Ilkley Station and environs around the 1950's. and have enjoyed reading this topic. I have no personal memories of the water tower. I have had a look in both the Railways of Wharfedale and Otley and Ilkley Joint Railway books mentioned by Ron and they do not shed any more light on the materials used to build the water tower and I like you I have yet to find a photograph. Out of interest, I am using the card model of engine shed etc. from Metcalfe to fill that gap until I can obtain enough detailed information to build my own. Tom