The massive hydraulic lifting mechanism at the Grand Theatre.

somme1916 · Post by **somme1916** » Sun 05 Aug, 2012 12:47 am

BLAKEY wrote: Leodian wrote: Hi Barfly.I wonder what weight it can take? I had a thrilling ride up in the lorry lift a couple of years ago when, on one of the Heritage Open Days, folks were allowed to do that.The registered authorised load for the lift is an incredible 56 tons !! Get quite a "few" passengers in that Blakey ! Not very far to the next stop however........still,very efficient piece of kit that.

Leodian · Post by **Leodian** » Sun 05 Aug, 2012 1:33 am

BLAKEY wrote: Leodian wrote: Hi Barfly.I wonder what weight it can take? I had a thrilling ride up in the lorry lift a couple of years ago when, on one of the Heritage Open Days, folks were allowed to do that.The registered authorised load for the lift is an incredible 56 tons !! Thanks for that information Blakey.

BarFly · Post by **BarFly** » Sun 05 Aug, 2012 4:43 am

I'm always impressed by SL members' recollections and photographs.Call me strange if you will but for some reason I have always been fascinated by this lift.

somme1916 · Post by **somme1916** » Sun 05 Aug, 2012 10:04 am

Jogon wrote: Ta LeoWondered what that was/how it worked.Seem to recall in the early 80's there was a nice Indian Restaurant just opposite that. Indeed there was jogon....I was a customer on several occasions but for the life of me can't quite remember it's name.Was very nice fare however and the big selling point was their very large clay tandoori.I would have posted last night but might have made myself order a takeaway in fond remembrance !

BLAKEY · Post by **BLAKEY** » Sun 05 Aug, 2012 10:07 am

BarFly wrote: ICall me strange if you will but for some reason I have always been fascinated by this lift. Not strange at all BarFly - or at any rate I'm strange too then (what's all that clapping somewhere ?? Ever since early childhood, and to this day, I am absolutely intrigued by every kind of lift. In my younger days I used to love all the really old fashioned gated types with "hit and miss" controls and often operated by uniformed elderly folk with varying degrees of skill. Then came the user operated type similarly with inner and outer gates, followed by those we are used to now, fully automatic and in the case of those like we've just had fitted in these flats - "swiss watch" smooth riding and "landing" at the floors. Oh and what about the classic gems in Lewiss's long ago ?? They had beautiful brass and glass doors, and a tiny little "repeater" lift (with light inside) above each door as you were waiting. What, too, of the terrifying giants on the London Underground (District & Circle Line etc) which held about seventy or more people. They had gates at each end - no operator on board - and just before departure a menacing man's recorded voice (posh) would bellow through loudspeakers in a message of doom "STAND CLEAR OF THE GATES !!" - the gates would then crash shut with no mercy, and none of the modern electronic devices to save you being trapped. After an uncanny moment's silence a colossal electric motor, like the largest vacuum cleaner ever, would surge into action and down, or up, you would go at snail's pace.MAGIC HAPPY DAYS

biofichompinc · Post by **biofichompinc** » Sun 05 Aug, 2012 11:36 am

somme1916 wrote: Jogon wrote: Ta LeoWondered what that was/how it worked.Seem to recall in the early 80's there was a nice Indian Restaurant just opposite that. Indeed there was jogon....I was a customer on several occasions but for the life of me can't quite remember it's name.Was very nice fare however and the big selling point was their very large clay tandoori.I would have posted last night but might have made myself order a takeaway in fond remembrance ! Think it was the Mandalay.

BLAKEY · Post by **BLAKEY** » Sun 05 Aug, 2012 11:46 am

Jogon wrote: Seem to recall in the early 80's there was a nice Indian Restaurant just opposite that. Wasn't the Mandalay in the newish building which had been built by Youngmans' the Fish Restaurant - tucked away in the side street that new Youngman's never did much, and they ended up on the first floor of a shop Briggate/King Edward Street before fading away after many glorious years in their original three storey place in New Briggate opposite Lewiss's side entrance.

BarFly · Post by **BarFly** » Sun 05 Aug, 2012 2:14 pm

You have me thinking about lifts in general now BLAKEY, from when the lift in the now Headrow Centre went in and it was ever so exciting to ride in a new type of lift, to the ornamental brass-caged lift I had the pleasure of riding in Madrid to the time I thought I was trapped in the goods lift in the now gone shopping centre off Boar Lane, whose name escapes me, during an ill-advised "urban exploration" of the fascinating tunnel under it.

somme1916 · Post by **somme1916** » Sun 05 Aug, 2012 2:21 pm

BarFly wrote: You have me thinking about lifts in general now BLAKEY, from when the lift in the now Headrow Centre went in and it was ever so exciting to ride in a new type of lift, to the ornamental brass-caged lift I had the pleasure of riding in Madrid to the time I thought I was trapped in the goods lift in the now gone shopping centre off Boar Lane, whose name escapes me, during an ill-advised "urban exploration" of the fascinating tunnel under it. Trinity St Arcade ?

BarFly · Post by **BarFly** » Sun 05 Aug, 2012 2:54 pm

somme1916 wrote: Trinity St Arcade ? I think that'll be the one, yes. I went in through the underground loading area from Boar Lane and took a goods lift ending up coming out of a fire exit into the shopping centre. I wish I had photo's as it's all gone now.