A mis-spent youth?

My daughter has found some old photos I took when I was in the early 70s when I lived in the NE. Looks like I had a latent interest in Kombis even then!*










*or it could have been that the sunbject was Middlesbrough's Transporter Bridge!

Absinthe said

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...when I was in the early 70s when I lived in the NE...

Are you really that old? You're wearing well then.
osg

osg wrote:

Absinthe said

Quote :

...when I was in the early 70s when I lived in the NE...

Are you really that old? You're wearing well then.
osg

Was 15 in 1970 - seems like an age ago.

Anyway, do like the photo of the VWs.
The bridge in the background is quite strange. To cross, cars are transported in a cradle which is suspended by cables from motors that glide along the girders above.
osg

It's not strange at all if you're a Boro lad like me Harry. It's the backdrop to my childhood.

My dad was an engineer just round the corner from the Transporter. I was taken up it when I was very young as a cure for whooping cough! Not sure what the scientific basis was but a popular treatment on Teesside at the time.

Middesbrough was built on iron ore and steel of course and well known for bridge buildng via Dorman Long who were involved with the Sydney Harbour Bridge.



"This remarkable place, the youngest child of England's enterprise, is an infant, but if an infant, an infant Hercules". Erimus.

I haven't seen big steel like that since my insurance broking days and Grove Coles were a client of mine.

Great picture. Very evocative.

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Grove Coles were a client of mine.

The Crane company? Wonder if they're still trading. Tough times in construction after the boom years, I guess.

Absinthe wrote:

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Grove Coles were a client of mine.

The Crane company? Wonder if they're still trading. Tough times in construction after the boom years, I guess.

Yes, the crane company up in Sunderland. Used to be Coles Cranes then went into liquidation with Acrow. Grove bought the operation and moved up to Sundrland. Then mid 90s bought Krupp cranes from the German company but I think they closed Sunderland factory late 90s. Not sure as I'd left insurance by then.

Had some big premiums from them.

Going back to the picture. That has to be a VW garage in the foreground. I can see at least 3 beetles and 3 'vans' - one split, one pick up and one 'westy.' Takes me back to when I was a student at Teesside Poly from 1987 to 1991. Most of those cranes were gone !!

[quote="Absinthe"]It's not strange at all if you're a Boro lad like me Harry. It's the backdrop to my childhood./quote]

I was born in Middlesbrough Abs, according to my mother it was in a cinema that had been converted into a hospital during the war. I think they lived on the Aclam Road, and my Dad was at Catterick with the Signals.

We moved when I was 6 months old, so unfortunately I'm more Brummie than Tyke.

It's a small world John.

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We moved when I was 6 months old, so unfortunately I'm more Brummie than Tyke.

That's good enough for me, once a Tyke, always a Tyke!

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Takes me back to when I was a student at Teesside Poly from 1987 to 1991

You CHOSE to go to Teesside Poly, JLS? Crikey, what other choices did you have? Beirut, Tehran, Tripoli, Harare?

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Most of those cranes were gone !!

Thatcher's Britain I'm afraid - she wasn't a fan of the Boro!*








* and we weren't/aren't her biggest fans either!

Who said I CHOSE ? As a mature student in those days you really only got one offer ! Needless to say I didn't stay after my degree. It was in such decline when I was there..............but it has the new MOMA and some gorgeous scenery around it. Only been back twice in 22 years !

Last time I was there they had even knocked down the halls of residence that I lived in for the first year!

Talking of Harare - I was there last year !! Bring on Tripoli, Beirut and Tehran !

There is a bridge like that still operating in Newport there were only ever two in the country. Did'nt Aufdisein Pet take down and ship it abroad few years ago !!!!!

They did Dennis - we like to think the Newport one is a copy!

We'll beg to differ on that one. Tim

A shot showing the cradle in operation.



Steel River

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We'll beg to differ on that one. Tim

Understandably, as yours was built 5 years before ours!

Engineering masterpieces, brings back memories when we were kids going to Newport and going across the Transporter Bridge, few yeras ago !!!!. Tim