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Science Museum Newhall Street

The Busy Bee still looks in good shape, though I should imagine she's in dire need of a boiler inspection to test her firebox and tubes, same applies with the 1892 Aveling and Porter roller. The bottom pic is of the lovely 'Ruston and Proctor' portable engine, which when in steam inside the Science Museum for the twice yearly Steam Weekends make for quite an impressive sight, plus we used to have delcious baked potatoes cooked in her ashpan! The 1904 Foden steam wagon is also on display at Think Tank, though it's very highly unlikely either Busy Bee or the roller will see the light of day in the near future, which is quite a shame. Apart from the Science Museum's steam weekends and annual traction engine rally, we used to take the Busy Bee out for the Birmingham Lord Mayor's show, and to various events at the Black Country Museum. Very happy days!
 
Just to mention the Newhall Street traction engine rally, that was the highlight of my year in my youth. We used to have around 10 - 12 engines turn up the day before the rally from the afternoon onwards and on the day of the rally it was always a delight to see the rest of the engines arriving either under their own steam or by low loader. At around 10am Bill Hunt used to arrive with his beautiful 98 key 'Wondeland' organ, towed by a lovely 1952 Scammell tractor. The organ used to be powered by Bill's lovely 1921 Foster showman's engine The leader, which made for an impressive sight. Those days are very sadly missed indeed.
 
Newhall Street 1987 (3).jpg Here's Bill Hunt's beautiful 'Wonderland' 98 key Marenghi organ, being set up for one of the Museum's traction engine rallies in 1987. The lovely 1921 foster showman's engine The Leader always did a spectular job of providing the organ's power. Other showmans engines that powered the organ at the Newhall Street rally over the years were 'Winston Churchill' and 'Goliath'. Other great showmans too that used to attend were Dave Walker's Burrell 'Princess Marina', and 'Lord Nelson' (ex- Anderton and Rowland's) that used to come all the way from the Beaulieu Motor Museum, to attend.
 
Here are some wonderful photo's of the old Science Museum in the 1980's. With thanks to Facebook member Ian Pitcher


Science Museum 5.jpgScience Museum 4.jpgScience Museum 3.jpgScience Museum 2.jpgScience Museum 1.jpg
 
Thanks Wendy and Ian, I remember waiting with my son for the train to start up and move!!
All those lovely machines whirring away, one which made buttons, another was a jacquard loom.
rosie.
 
More photo's of the old Science Museum



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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:

Leonard.jpg

...... another lost opportunity. D.
 
In post #15, Wendy has posted two magnificent photographs by Ian Pitcher. The second is of a bottle-making machine which failed to find itself space at Thinktank.
These notes are from the minutes of a meeting of the City Council on 1st April 2003.

Councillor John Hood to the Cabinet Member for Leisure, Sport and Culture:
“Lord Mayor, we have recently given a bottle machine to the USA and a rare gauge steam locomotive has gone, I believe, to Leicester. Can you tell me what other treasures of the former Industrial Museum are likely to be given away as a result of Thinktank not honouring its pledge to take the agreed percentage of exhibits from the former Industrial Museum?”
Councillor Ian Ward in reply:
“Thank you, Lord Mayor. It is not uncommon for museums throughout the world to both request that exhibits of other museums are either loaned to them or gifted to them and it is, indeed, not unusual for the museum service here in Birmingham to make such requests. In the case of the bottle making machine, it is a machine that has no particular association with the City of Birmingham. The Museum’s current policy is to seek to exhibit items that do have a direct connection with the City of Birmingham. That particular machine came into the City’s ownership from Yorkshire, it has not been on display for a number of years, the only possibility, possible future for it with Birmingham Museum Service was for it to go into storage. Therefore, when this request came in it was given very, very careful consideration by the Advisory Board that looks at such matters. After that consideration it was decided that it would be best to offer this particular exhibit to this museum in the United States. However, before we can do that we are required to advertise the exhibit to all museums within this country to give them the first option on taking this particular exhibit. The exhibit was gifted to the City in the first instance and so therefore it is not considered appropriate that we should levy a charge on any museum that would seek to take this exhibit. All the costs of moving the exhibit, should it go to the United States, will be borne by the calling museum in the United States ….. .”
 
db84124 said:
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.
Click to expand...

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
 
jmadone said:
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?
Click to expand...

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
 
mbenne said:
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
Click to expand...

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
 
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