LUPTS 60th anniversary

LUPTS 60th anniversary :
5-7 October 2018

Autumn 2018 marked 60 years since the events which led to the formation of the Society. To mark this major anniversary, a weekend of celebratory activities took place in early October. Many founder members were reunited, along with a large number of subsequent members of the society up to the date of it folding as a student body in 1991. A few pictures of proceedings here.

Friday 5 October 2018

	The weekend began with a visit to Merseyside Fire and Service’s Heritage and Education Centre in Bootle. Here, Danny Murphy explains some of the features of this 1931 ex-Liverpool Fire Brigade Leyland TLM.
On from there to the Liverpool Museum reserve store, where there is a treasure trove of larger exhibits, some of which are seen here. They include one of the toll collector’s booths from the Mersey Tunnel and the former Mayoral Rolls Royce OKF1.
	The party pose alongside some of the steam exhibts, including ex-Mersey Railway 0-6-4T Cecil Raikes and a Burrell traction engine. On the left is MDHB No 1, an Avonside 0-6-0ST which was used on the LUPTS Mersey Docker railtour of 8 May 1965. The visit was organised through Museum Curator Sharon Brown, seen on the right of this group.
After a break while people went their own way for tea, members reassembled in the upstairs room at the Ship and Mitre in the City Centre where founder mamber Neil Cossons gave an illustrated presentation ‘Seaport City: Liverpool Reflections’. He is seen here fielding questions at the end of his talk.

Saturday 6 October 2018

	The whole weekend had to compete with the presence of The Giants street puppets, which resulted in major road closures in Liverpool City Centre across the three days. Here, your webmaster provides some emergency information for anyone who went to our usual pick-up point in Tithebarn Street, which was within the closure cordon.
Actual departure was on Pall Mall, just beyond the Leeds Street ring road, where ex-Liverpool Leyland PD2 L227 of 1956 is seen awaiting departure. The ‘699 School’ destination is a throwback to this display being used for the bus service which connected the University with Halls of Residence. The route number is still used today.
	The West Lancs Light Railway at Hesketh Bank had opened specially for us on the day. Here, 1915 Kerr Stuart 0-6-0 Joffre arrives back at base having operated a number of trips to Becconsall and back.
The party was also given an in-depth tour of the workshops and are here being informed about long-standing WLLR loco Irish Mail, a 1903 Quarry Hunslet.
	Onward transport from Hesketh Bank was aboard 1953 ex-Liverpool AEC Regent III A36.
Next stop were the premises of the Merseyside Transport Trust at Burscough, where a selection of their vehicles, in various stages of restoration, are seen.
	Stored in the same location are the two surviving Class 502 cars, which used to operate on the electrified lines out of Liverpool Exchange. Members of the Friends of the 502 Group were on hand to give an update on progress.
The final vehicle on the day was ex-Liverpool (… just, it was delivered a few days before the MPTE took over) Atlantean 1111. It is seen here posing alongside 1950 ex-Liverpool Bedford B1, which was in the fleet in the 1950s for the Speke Airport service. Some of the society’s founder members managed to bag a short ride on this coach before we assembled for the journey to Birkenhead.
	Group photograph before we departed from Burscough.
Surprisingly clear run through to Birkenhead given The Giants’ presence. Displayed inside the Pacific Road centre was a mock up of the new Class 777 units, which are scheduled to enter service on the Merseyrail network in 2020.
	Buffet meal followed by a presentation on reminiscences of LUPTS across the years, with speakers Martin Jenkins, Steve Poole, David Ventry, Rob McCaffery, Charles Roberts, Keith Nason and Jonathan Cadwallader. Your webmaster was ambushed at the end with delivery of a couple of replica items which he’d ordered some months previously from the Dean Forest Railway.
Impromptu group photograph after the presentation at Hamilton Square station for those who were returning to Liverpool.

Sunday 7 October 2018

	The Wirral Bus and Tram Show was taking place on the Sunday morning. Before the event officially started, LUPTS had a private charter in ex-Liverpool Baby Grand car 245, now restored by the Merseyside Tramway Preservation Society. Here the group poses in front of the car at Woodside.
Nine founder members of the society were able to attend the weekend and eight of them are seen posing here in front of 245 on its arrival back at Taylor Street: Martin Jenkins, Anthony Warren, Chris Behan, Neil Cossons, John Ryan, Chris Bennett, Anothony Henry and Peter Stoddart.
	One last event – a short private tour in 1981 ex-MPTE Atlantean 1898. Seen here picking up the party in Taylor Street before heading for Seacombe and New Brighton.
Final group photograph at New Brighton before returning to Birkenhead and dispersing after an excellent celebratory weekend.

Download the day’s itinerary here.

Download the list of attendees here.

Thanks to everyone who made the weekend’s events run so smoothly, including: Danny Murphy and Adam at the Fire Museum; Sharon Brown and Clare at Liverpool Museum; Clare at the Ship and Mitre; the Merseyside Bus Club for the loan of their screen; everyone at the Merseyside Transport Trust, particularly Andy Rigby and John Deam for driving and guarding the tour buses; Alan Frodsham at the West Lancs Light Railway; Paul Gorton and fellow members of the Friends of the 502; Amy Foster at Wirral Chamber of Commerce; Cathy and Wayne Kinnear at No 4 Bistro for providing the buffet; Merseytravel staff for being on hand to show us over the Class 777 mock up; everyone at the Merseyside Tramway Preservation Society, particularly Rob Jones, Terry Martin and Peter Jackson; Mike Bennett for the excellent tour of Wallasey when rather a lot was happening behind the scenes!

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Last updated: 24 October 2018