I was going to post earlier that buses clear this with ease. But, then it occurred to me, even though the bridge may have been in the same position, the road below it may have been higher. It's a possibility that the road was dug deeper afterwards.
went through here today and noticed the shape of the road,your theory could be correct..looking from further back there is a definate dip in the road under the bridge and there did not seem to be that much clearance when i watched a bus go under it.....how much clearance is classed as plenty for a bus driver?
during the boy scouts jamborie which was held at Arrow park in 1917 {think that is the correct year}
The Jamboree at Arrowe Park was from 31st July to 13th August 1929
Originally Posted by Pinzgauer
B'head only had two open top d/deckers, both AEC "B" types which ran from 1921 to 1925/6. Reg.Nos. CM 1711-12.
Correct, although there is a bit of uncertainty in the date of withdrawal, T B Maund gives the date of withdrawal as 1925/26; Tom Turner gives 1925 for CM1711 and 1928 for CM1712. Either way, there were no open topped buses operated by Birkenhead Corporation in 1929.
Originally Posted by chris58
I think (not sure though) that the monument in the grounds of the hospital are in his memory. Apparently he was a foreign scout.
The monument is to commemorate the jamboree, the inscription reads:
"The Chief Scouts farewell bidding – Today I send you out from Arrowe Park to all the World bearing a symbol of peace and fellowship. Each one of you a ambassador bearing a message of love and fellowship on the wings of sacrifice and service to the ends of the earth. From now on the Scout symbol of peace is the golden arrow carry it fast and far"
I, personally, doubt the story as none of the published histories of Birkenhead Corporation Transport mention it, while they do mention other accidents - but that is just my opinion.
I was going to post earlier that buses clear this with ease. But, then it occurred to me, even though the bridge may have been in the same position, the road below it may have been higher. It's a possibility that the road was dug deeper afterwards.
went through here today and noticed the shape of the road,your theory could be correct..looking from further back there is a definate dip in the road under the bridge and there did not seem to be that much clearance when i watched a bus go under it.....how much clearance is classed as plenty for a bus driver?
There has always been a dip in that road, i can remember before the flyover was built there was a bad storm one night and the water flooded on to the bus at that spot, the Fender was flooded and the water use to trap under that rail bridge and back to the road bridge that ran across the fender
Last edited by bert1; 4th Jun 20099:32pm.
God help us, Come yourself, Don't send Jesus, This is no place for children.
'Tis true that it was known as the Commodore bridge,Way back in the '70's somebody from the Woodchurch was arrested for painting "Commodores"on the bridge.As they were playing in Liverpool,I was always led to believe that Lionel Richie and the rest of the band had heard of the arrest and paid the lads fine.
There is a plan that being lurking for years that gets dusted off regularly, to build at new station at the Woodchurch Rd. railway bridge. The 3rd rail would be extended from Bidston Station via Upton. You would then have a direct electric train service to/from L'pool. So easy to do.
This could have been done years ago. Too much time spent faffing around and no action !
Yes this has been going around since I was a kid. Also they were going to build one by Ridgeway school, with link bridge/tunnel over motorway to Woodchurch and also one were the scout hut is/used to be on the Ford/Beechwood. This would have then given these areas regular links to liverpool and the rest of he Wirral line
Like Bert, I too remember the low point under the bridge flooding on more than one occasion. As a child I used to live just off Woodchurch Rd., a couple of hundred yards from the bridge. I suppose if the Fender was in full spate there was nowhere for the water to go.
Maybe it was Bert's flood, but once the water depth was a good 2' 0" deep. (That's a third of a fathom DD. !! - sorry couldn't resist that one)
No one's coughed up any photo of the pre-1930's bridge yet, which would be good to see. I'll hurl a separate thread about same into the Electric Mangle and see what comes up.
I live near here, I've seen about three trains in all that time. They need to put a station here (I think they were at some point), as there's loads of space and there's no station for about 3 or 4 miles.
There's actually an hourly service between Wrexham & Bidston, so a train passes over the bridge every 1/2 hour. There certainly were plans for a station here, as far back as the late 1800's & on & off since then. At one stage, it was where the proposed line from Birkenhead Central (see other threads, including 'Abandoned train station at Singleton Ave.'). I think they're still considering electrifying the Wrexham line.
I have heard (don't know if it's entirely true though!) that Merseytravel have always owned the land that the rugby club is on by the bridge with a view to there being a station on it eventually. When the club cleared out a few years ago I thought something was going to happen but no.
If a new station was built here (with a free bus to APH perhaps), along with one at Beechwood and one as near to Clatterbridge as posisble with a dedicated bus route to the Hospital. The line would have to be electrified and plugged properly into Merseyrail so trains would go direct from Liverpool to Wrexham.
Not going to happen though they've spent their £30 million for this year on the Bidston flyover.....
A couple of times a year something gets stuck or hits this bridge - I saw a car transporter hit it about 6 weeks ago.
I think the headroom is OK, it's just the road dips down on both sides - so if it's a long trailer load - it's going up the other side whilst the back is still going down - if you get my drift.
The story of the Boy Scout being decapitated on the top deck of a bus was around when I was a kid in Birkenhead in the 1950s and accepted as fact by most people. It seems to have been one of those persistent urban tales that may well have had an element of truth about it - and it would be interesting if any firm evidence could be found even now. I definitely remember seeing a double-decker bus soon after it had its top torn off while trying unsuccessfully to get under the low railway bridge at Waterloo Place / Blackpool Street in Birkenhead in the late 1950s. However, this was not the 'Boy Scout' bus, because there were no casualties (apart perhaps from the driver's job prospects!). This bridge is still there, but the railway line is now unused.
It really p1sses me off to see no station near the Woodchurch bridge. Dell estate, Woodchurch Estate, Holmlands estate, Durley estate, North Cheshire Industrial all within easy reach. Not to mention the M53 and APH and the fact that it's on a major bus route. Space for parking too!
I understand that electrification of the line would be expensive, either by third rail or overhead but this can come at a later date.
I am expected to consider leaving my car at home? For f*cks sake put the stations where they are needed and will make financial sense. Give us viable alternatives to the horseless carriage!
10/11 years ago my son used to play football there and they had to move to another home pitch elsewhere because they were told there was going to be a train station built there Same type of rumour about building one at Millhouse Lane by the Arrowebrooke stream
![[Linked Image]](http://www.upton.cx/Images/scout1.jpg)
