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Science Museum Newhall Street

Although it didn't roll up and down a short length of track like the “City of Birmingham”, in the late 'fifties there was another steam locomotive at Newhall Street. It was called "Leonard". It had spent its working life at the Minworth sewage treatment works near Birmingham. After its having been in storage for many years, the City council - in all its wisdom – based on the advice of the Museum’s Advisory Board, decided to send the engine out on loan to neighbouring Leicester, where, after a thorough restoration and refit, the loco was returned to steam. It now pulls visitors on train rides at the Abbey Pumping Station, Leicester, which is that city's Museum of Science and Technology.
This is what their site has to say:
“The Site’s Narrow Gauge Railway
…… . In 2003 the museum secured on long term loan (25 years) the ex-Birmingham Tame & Rea District Drainage Board’s steam locomotive "Leonard"; which has been restored to full working order and is regularly used to haul passenger trains on the site railway.”

Here’s a photo “borrowed” from their website:

View attachment 95817

...... another lost opportunity. D.

db Thanks for the info, been looking for that engine,,,, was a loco driver after that time, at that place UTMDA
 
I still like the old Museum of Science and Industry better!

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What memories those pictures evoke, especially the Railton Special driven by Sir John Cobb at Bonneville Salt flats. Is my memory playing tricks but I seem to remember that there was a flight of stairs to go up to gain entrance and displayed there was a full suit of Samurai armour?
 
I have never visited the Think Tank so cannot make comments. However, I visited the Science Museum - the subject of this thread - in 1963. I was not long married and had a baby son. We visited the city as my wife had never been there before and was curious about the city and the part of Warwickshire where I had lived until some nine years previously.
I wanted to see tram 395, which I knew was part of the exhibits. This was the highlight: I don't not remember what else we viewed. Rather than post a lot of pics here I post the link below which does justice to the tram and the cities transport history.
https://www.robertdarlaston.co.uk/Trams.htm
 
What memories those pictures evoke, especially the Railton Special driven by Sir John Cobb at Bonneville Salt flats. Is my memory playing tricks but I seem to remember that there was a flight of stairs to go up to gain entrance and displayed there was a full suit of Samurai armour?

I think there was, upstairs from the science section. I recall there was a large display of pens and nibs too. The Samurai armour is now in the art gallery.
 
My Nan used to take me there as a special treat in the school holidays - it always seemed more interesting than the art and natural history museum. I always used to stop and spend ages in the entrance looking at a an exhibit called 'The 'Alchemist' - from memory it was a cabinet on a stand with a figure inside that reminded me of a wizard - whatever happened to it

Oh and that strange musty smell that pervaded the whole building

Here's the old museum facade - after various building alterations only a very small part remains ( the last one storey sectionwith two windows on the far right )
Museum.JPG
 
My Nan used to take me there as a special treat in the school holidays - it always seemed more interesting than the art and natural history museum. I always used to stop and spend ages in the entrance looking at a an exhibit called 'The 'Alchemist' - from memory it was a cabinet on a stand with a figure inside that reminded me of a wizard - whatever happened to it

Oh and that strange musty smell that pervaded the whole building

Here's the old museum facade - after various building alterations only a very small part remains ( the last one storey sectionwith two windows on the far right )
View attachment 123865

I remember that Alchemist exhibit , I used to gaze in wonder about a lot of these exhibits . The locomotive in latter years was good also
especially when it started to move
 
In later life I worked on several major IT projects in offices close to the museum. When I became stressed I used my lunch break to walk around the museum. Looking at all the complex exhibits made years before my time made me wonder how many problems the inventors and developers must have encountered. Made my problems seem insignificant and I always came out feeling inspired!
Until I started looking into family history I never realised that a lot of my dads family had lived and worked in close proximity to the museum and ended up in Warstone close by!
 
It's a long long time ago now, autumn 1953 in fact, but my first job on leaving school was working for Birmingham City Transport's Cashier's Office in the Council House extension in Congreve Street, opposite the recently discussed White Horse pub. We also had a Sports & Social Club and a Stationery Office in the Elkington's building and I found the Science Museum fascinating. I'd only been at BCT a week or so when I was told that I was that I would be spending a whole week in the Stationery Office. "Don't worry, everyone does it, and by the time your week is finished, you will know how to wrap a parcel of any shape or size", I was told.

I certainly did as every garage, office & department's stationery order was different every week. I certainly acquired a skill that was very useful at Christmas, enjoyed numerous visits to the Science Museum, and improved my snooker skills at lunchtime in the Social Club. The photographs above look vaguely familiar, but it was 65 years ago and I left Brum entirely in 1961. Sorry to see it has gone though.

Maurice
 
Who's having the most fun ? The kids or adults ? Viv.

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We bought our eldest son a Hornby train set for Christmas , namely the Intercity 125 back in the 70's he must have been about 8 . Imagine Christmas Eve yours truly well oiled after the pub , of course I had to assemble and test it , it was brilliant after getting it going forward with the trains headlights on I had to reverse it see if the rear lights worked . Of course they did , if it hadn't been for the good lady telling me about what time it was , I'd still be there playing with it . Just had a thought , do you know I might buy myself one this week >
 
Ah, the old Science Museum, I used to go in with my Dad :) him being in engineering he used to look at all the old machines - I wasn't so interested at the time, I'm sure I would appreciate it all better now!
 
Ah, the old Science Museum, I used to go in with my Dad :) him being in engineering he used to look at all the old machines - I wasn't so interested at the time, I'm sure I would appreciate it all better now!
. never liked the art gallery. but loved the science Museum.
it was interesting.i loved he steam weekend, when the machines were running. ...and the telephone system.
 
. never liked the art gallery. but loved the science Museum.
it was interesting.i loved he steam weekend, when the machines were running. ...and the telephone system.

I loved to see that locomotive they had there that was converted to electric for demo purposes , a little box of tricks slightly bigger than a mobile plugged into the track and away it went . About a metre forward then reversed back to its starting position .
 
. never liked the art gallery. but loved the science Museum.
it was interesting.i loved he steam weekend, when the machines were running. ...and the telephone system.
Attached are some of the pictures I took many moons ago at one of the Steam Weekends organised by the Museum of Science & Industry in Newhall Street. You will get nothing like this organised by Millennium Pointless, and even if they did, our crazy council would slap a huge Pollution Charge on them! There is nothing to compare with steam powered machinery; the smell of hot oil and smoke, the hissing of steam, the gentle thud of pistons and valve gear, and the heat coming off the boilers - magic!
Boomy
 

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