I have some random memories of New Brighton in the sixties.Do any of these ring a bell?
The shelters and toilets at the end of Victoria Road - these were fine examples of Victoriana .
Paddy's cafe (I think that's what it was called) also in Victoria Road .
The ghost train in the Tower fair ground - as I recall, it had two huge (or so they seemed at the time - I was only a nipper!) white mountains with suitably horrific decoration.
Lastly, in 1970 I went to a flypast commemmorating the 40th anniversary of the Battle of Britain- a great day out .

I think you mean the 30th Anniversary (1940 - 1970). I was not even 2 in 1970! I am now more interested in the aftermath of the Tower Grounds when it was used for Stock Car Racing.

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I remember the `Banger Racers` at the Tower Grounds, used togo all the time with my dad, his mates used to race so had front row seats! I was 5 in 1970, so memories are a bit vague, my whole childhood revolved around cars and racing!

The Tower Grounds had a lovely miniature railway in the 60s. Even though I grew up in Wallasey, I only ever went on it once as a child. Being put into a carriage on my own and the door closed behind me, I was convinced that I was being sent somewhere far away.

I also remember there being a fishing game in there too.

Used to get the No.11 bus with my Dad to the terminus at the back of the floral Pavilion. First call was the toilets (as mentioned) at the bottom of Victoria Road. As you said atw1960 pure Victoriana. Always nagged my Dad for a penny (of the proper variety) to go on the weighing machine in there. It printed your weight on a card - similar to an Edmondson railway tickets of the time. Then on to the Pier. Happy days eh !

Went on the Ghost Train once. Emerged suitably terrified ! Never went on it again. Tommy Mann's narrow gauge steam trains that ran parallel to the prom then turned in an "underground" loop that had a model fairground in it. Presume that's the one you went on Phil. All the above would be the mid/late 50's I guess.

Thanks for prodding the grey matter into life again. ha.ha.

Tommy Mann's Miniature Railway



History of the Tower Grounds and more pictures

http://www....co.uk/wallasey/towergrounds//index.html

When did the miniature railway close? I have a memory of walking along the prom (somewhere between Vale Park and the pier) and seeing a (red?) train of some sort high up, passing through some bushes or trees. Could be a false memory. I'm guessing early/mid 70s, no later.

Number 11 Bus for Pinz...

Another memory - in the '80s I went to a show at the baths in New Brighton featuring stars of the day - Frankie goes to Hollywood , Nik Kershaw etc.I was a second generation hippy and far from impressed - my girlfriend liked it though.

Arghhhh..Hideous, modern box on wheels !! No.No.No. They were "proper" buses then. Like the one that was in the Heritage Fair thread. Half cab Leylands. Buses seem to run jointly with Wallasey Corp. ones. Again, half cab Leylands. The B'head ones were mostly Massey bodied, the Wallasey ones had Leyland's own bodies. Long before the day of the Atlanteans !

Thanks anyway Paul. Kind thought !

The miniature railway, which was owned by Tommy Mann, was officially called the 'Fairy Glen Miniature Railway'. He bought the 18inch gauge track, locomotive and rolling stock from Commander Parsons who had operated it at Jaywick, near Clacton, and it was installed and opened in the tower grounds for the 1948 season.

The line closed at the end of the 1965 season, some of the equipment including the three passenger carriages, was bought by the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway. In 1978 the carriages found their way to the Narrow Gauge Railway Centre at Blaneay Ffestiniog. Two of the carriages were stored outside and deteriorated badly.

The remaining equipment, including one of the locomotives, remained at New Brighton until 1968 when it was bought and moved to the Bromyard & Linton light railway in Herefordshire.

Many thanks, Uptoncx. That means I either imagined it or have a memory dating back to before I was one!

Was there ever anything else running on rails around there?!!

PS - Off-topic, but prompted by reference to the no 11 bus (Tranmere to New Brighton?)above - is there a thread on here devoted to all the old bus routes eg No 2 to Harrison Drive, No 14/ 16 to Seacombe, and all the rest?

Is this better?

Yes - much !! Thanks. The bus shown was one of the last batch of half cabs B'head bought. Still Massey bodied, but less curved panelling than the others. Nice on the eye though (IMHO). When these went, it spelled the end of the road for conductors. It's called progress. I'll jump off at the next stop !

Thanks Pinz and Paul. I reckon I must've gone on the miniature railway just before it closed. It's very sad that it went. It really was charming.

These might jog a few memories...The cafe prices by the way are 1962 vintage.

On the minature railway subject, theres a guy in Moreton had one in his back garden, just off Uton Rd. Remember it as a kid.
There is also some sections of track and carriages stored in a caravan park in Ledsham!

Yup, they were the "Victoriana" toilets, under the glass canopy. Yes, it does bring the memories back - thanks.

Steakburger and a cuppa for 1/9d - not bad ??

Used to drive them old 11 buses in the early 70's, much more interesting than the Atlanteans, no power steering then. Birkenhead had a couple of old Guy buses as well, with Indian Chief's Head filler caps on the radiators, crash gear boxes. Always an interesting days work. Think they had Gardner diesel engines as well. I wasn't an enthusiast, just a driver, but I still have fond memories of those days. Laird Street, New Ferry depot and proper bus routes with proper buses is the way I look at it now.

was about to mention the toilets.Ithink the building on the corner with scaffolding was a cafe where you could get a pot of tea to take to the beach

Spot on Bandy! There was a great variety of stuff then. Leylands, Guys, Daimlers. All kept in much better nick than the junk today. Yes, the Guy Indian Head Dress radiator cap was very distinctive. "Feathers in Our Cap" I think it had engraved on it. Liked the Daimlers though. Pre-selector boxes that whined like an air raid siren on steroids ! If you missed the change, the operating pedal would spring out of the floor and push your left foot into next week ! How many folk would know how to drive one of them now I wonder ?

Three bells and get your foot down !!!! Hold tight !!

Not many bus photos show the Guy chieftain mascot actually attached. I suspect they were collectable, even in those days!
Bri

That's the one ! I'm sure the ones on the buses must have been chained internally to the radiator header tank. Nevertheless, I'm sure quite a few "fell off" and ended up on the mantlepiece at home! Thanks bri.

Great to read all these personal memories of New Brighton's Ghost Train and N0 11 bus etc;

My first job leaving school in 1960 was working on the Ghost Train in what was a fantastic summer, the memories of the two 'mountains' are of the Giant Ghosts which were it's trade mark, as a member of staff we had the privelege to escort young ladies on the Train and to 'hold their hands' if they were scared!
Later on I joined Wallasey Corporation Motors as a Bus Conductor and worked on the 'cross dock' routes which included the No's 11 , 10 from New Brighton, the last bus was the one to fear the only ones on it sober were, hopefully, the Driver and guard!!!

how much was the fare from NB to Birkenhead about 1968/1969
Used to go to the Empress and get number 10 afterwards

A biker hey derek?!

wasn't a bikers place
just a dance hall in victoria road above some arcades

Years later it turned into a bikers place, they looked like hells angels.... there were loads of them.

I might have mentioned this before but the night scenes in Let Him Have It were shot on Victoria Rd in the 90s.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let_Him_Have_It

Just shows what good opportunities there are for film makers to use Wirral for shoots. Thanks for that.

You will have to excuse the lateness but just joined. There was another miniture railway that ran around the lake in the tower grounds. Well it ran part way around and then back again. Had a tunnel with miniture fairgound in it just like the one on the prom.