Leeds Railway Station's 'Lost World'

Places to explore
dogduke
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Joined: Thu 03 Jan, 2008 6:47 am

Post by dogduke »

Jim - I worked in the Aire Street offices on and off over theyears and wondered if you knew much about the basement and sub basements.Of the two lifts in Aire Street at that time only the faster of the 2 liftswent below ground level.In my early days as a fifteen yr old 'dead files'were relegated to the basements and doing this was part of my duties.I didn't hang about down there,filed and fled !Did the basements have connections to anywhere else.?
Consciousness: That annoying time between naps.90% of being smart is knowing what you're dumb at.

jim
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Joined: Sun 17 May, 2009 10:09 am

Post by jim »

Hi Dogduke, I worked with ODM fitters and electricians all over the West Riding from 1957 to 1995. During this time I had several periods of responsibility for maintenance at Leeds City during which the two Otis lifts in Aire Street Office Block were in my care. If you wanted a white-knuckle ride I can thoroughly recommend the roof of the fast lift in operational mode!During the '50s and '60s our staff working this job were quartered in the switch room in the basement and the electricians had to access all areas, including the whole of the basement and sub-basement, (which,out of interest, were above the cinema and its pumps described in an earlier posting) and having visited every corner of both can confidently state that there were no further exits to points internal or external within the basement complex other than the lifts and the main stairwell.        

Si
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Joined: Wed 10 Oct, 2007 7:22 am
Location: Otley

Post by Si »

Is it true that Otis Waygood's head offices were in Reading, and if you phoned them, they answered, "Hello, Otis Reading?"!PS Many lifts abroad are made by a company called Schindler - hence Shindler's Lift!Coat on, taxi waiting....        

Phill_dvsn
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Post by Phill_dvsn »

Do you still have any old contacts/influence at the station Jim?In reagrds maybe organising a little trip to these underground places? Me and Csnosi have been chipping away at it for a bit now. So close, but yet so far lol.
My flickr pictures are herehttp://www.flickr.com/photos/phill_dvsn/Because lunacy was the influence for an album. It goes without saying that an album about lunacy will breed a lunatics obsessions with an album - The Dark side of the moon!

jim
Posts: 1895
Joined: Sun 17 May, 2009 10:09 am

Post by jim »

Hi Phill, very sorry, I used to have such contacts, but it's a good few years ago and I know for a fact they've retired. I left just before "they" privatised the Railway I had always known. My information is that new management precepts meant that the old guard was replaced as fast as possible to make a fresh start, and it is now fourteen years ago, along with a number of reorganisations.I'm afraid you'll have to find a chippier little chopper, as a modern day Mikado might have it! If you succeed I'd certainly be up for it.

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chameleon
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Post by chameleon »

jim wrote: Chameleon, sorry to disillusion you, but these are perfectly normal for large buildings. They were all explored, and they have no function other than to keep services such as gas, electricity, heating, ventilation, pneumatic tubes, and the like out of sight and out of the way. Sorry, nothing connected to Temple Newsam, Robin Hoods Grave, or King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table.Cardiarms, thanks for the approval of my stance on safety. First time I REALLY learnt something on a course! I wonder if we might arrange a meeting sometime to go over some maps, pictures, and references I have about the station, and, of course, "the beam"! The subjects are too convoluted and abstruse for discussion here, and two (or more) heads are better than one. Results to be posted for further discussion here later. Other interested volunteers welcome.     Well, ervice ducts it be then but, if you don't ask. One H&S that got me was the need mow to have working at heights training to go down a lift shaft (maybe not as daft as it seems though!)>Perhaps the most poinient thing I remember from an early course was 'Never waste an accident' That translated into something along the lines of learning from other's mistakes; very true and remains with me even now.

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chameleon
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Post by chameleon »

Si wrote: Is it true that Otis Waygood's head offices were in Reading, and if you phoned them, they answered, "Hello, Otis Reading?"!PS Many lifts abroad are made by a company called Schindler - hence Shindler's Lift!Coat on, taxi waiting....         Aggggghhh - Wonderous and expensive Schindlers - many a tale there, but anyone other than they maintaining their brainchild systems often meant problems, or worse.

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chameleon
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Post by chameleon »

jim wrote: Hi Phill, very sorry, I used to have such contacts, but it's a good few years ago and I know for a fact they've retired. I left just before "they" privatised the Railway I had always known. My information is that new management precepts meant that the old guard was replaced as fast as possible to make a fresh start, and it is now fourteen years ago, along with a number of reorganisations.I'm afraid you'll have to find a chippier little chopper, as a modern day Mikado might have it! If you succeed I'd certainly be up for it. That was a long time coming Phill mate - you and the rest of us have had this dream since young Jim here arrived with us but you're the first to put thought into print as it were. Looks like digging our own tunnel will be the only way still    

jim
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Post by jim »

Chameleon, you have my guarantee that if I know anything of interest (secret passages included) about the subjects in these pages I will divulge it, provided it wouldn't cause serious embarrassment to any individual...........businesses can watch out for themselves! After all I do like to witter as you may have noticed.    

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chameleon
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Post by chameleon »

jim wrote: Chameleon, you have my guarantee that if I know anything of interest (secret passages included) about the subjects in these pages I will divulge it, provide it wouldn't cause serious embarrassment to any individual...........businesses can watch out for themselves! After all I do like to witter as you may have noticed. You witter not Sir - this is pure gold to many of us - only grumble is, where yer bin this last two years????     

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