Reach For The Sky

Walking across town after the book launch yesterday, I came across this big machine not far from the castle.

It looks very similar to the one that I saw near the Victoria Centre the other month. I believe it is used for pumping cement into areas where people can't normally get, such as possibly behind these two buildings.

Be interesting to see the machine in action, or even the guy who has to climb all the way up to the cab, high in the sky.

Lines

As I work at the other end of the city now, I don't often make it up to the centre library. But I had a reason to today, so while I was there, I thought that I'd go and see how the things are with the new development on the site of the old Odeon cinema.

I have seen it sprout up as I've walked across the Old Market Square, but not got close up in a while. I usually go up to one of the higher floors of the library, but I could tell that I would only see a solid wall, so I went up the alleyway that separates the two building and pointed my camera over the safety fencing and took a few shots.

Lines

They are certainly cracking on with the renovation of the railway station. The new roof has made the interior brighter and it casts some interesting shadows across the newly cleaned brickwork.

There's still a lot of work to do, and it will certainly be interesting to see what it looks like when it's finished. It seems ages since I walked into the booking office or used the platform, that I can't really remember what it looked like.

Review Of The Year - September & October

The night of September the 28th was quite monumental for Nottingham, as the new tram bridge was installed near the QMC hospital. The new tramline is quite controversial for several reasons, but people have admired the feat of engineering.

There was quite an audience standing around until the early hours whilst the bridge was finally put into place, millimetre by millimetre. And boy was it cold at 2am!

We were asked by a friend of ours if we would take some photos of her son Josh, as he has a desire to become a model. So we met up one Sunday in October and spent the afternoon getting him to pose in different positions, so future model scouts can see his potential.

Bridging The Gap

For the last few months engineers have been building a giant steel bridge at the side of the Queens Medical Centre hospital. It has been designed to go over the very busy A52 and will carry the new tramline from the city centre to Beeston, which as I've been showing you lately, is a bit of a bombsite at the moment.

As Gail works at the hospital, she was told when the bridge was going to be moved. Of course the press got to know too, so there has been a bit of a buzz around the event which happened last night between 8pam and 6am this morning.

We both wanted to see the event, but sadly, it clashed with a long standing dinner invitation, and we couldn't let Rupert and Kay down, especially as they are the Disco Prophets.

So we stopped off enroute to see what was happening. A small audience had started to gather, but the A52 was still open. So we left and went off to Sherwood, where the Disco Prophets live.

We Returned to Dunkirk and the QMC and were shocked and disappointed that the bridge had been moved into place, but hadn't been lowered into position yet. All the engineers were looking at the position of the bridge in relation to its final resting place. Minute adjustments kept taking place.

The bridge had been transported on two giant remotely controlled platforms, each one having 96 wheels. Which you clearly need with the structure weighing in at a mighty 1000 tonnes.

The bridge had been raised on some sort of elevator contraption, which blocks of metal were slotted in as the lifting device (one at each corner) pushed the bridge up the 19 metres to meet the supports.

It was strange not seeing any cars going over the Dunkirk flyover. Instead people were walking, cycling and playing on the busy dual carriageway. Gail and I had a walk up to the top ourselves. Certainly got a different perspective of the surrounding area.

We stayed out till gone 3am. The bridge had finally been lowered into position. And the construction crew posed for a team photograph.

The giant loaders were then driven away very slowly. They looked like one of the vehicles that appeared in Thunderbirds. It seemed odd seeing them being driven like a radio controlled car, rather than a man sitting in a cab. I suppose it is done for safety. Just in case the load topples over or something.

I'm not an advocate of the tram for various reasons, but I have to admire the technical skills in building and placing the bridge. They just have to paint it now. Just to make it a little more pleasing to look at. Rather than the dull grey that it is at the moment.

The Battlefield

The battle is over for now. Bombs and bullets have been fired from both sides. Casualties have been reported and medical aid has been arranged.

The mist of spent weaponry drifts across cratered land. The smell of death and churned earth hangs heavy in the air.

Men sit in silence. Shocked at what they have witnessed and have to deal with since it began.

The opening lines of a new war novel perhaps, or a photo of one of the battles in Syria?

Well no. The writing is my own and the photo is actually of the tram works along University Boulevard. The 'smoke' is actually water, misted to keep the dust at bay.

The land does look like a bomb site though with holes everywhere, piles of earth and fencing by the mile. While Beeston itself has been compared to Beirut on many occasions now.

Sign Of The Times

This is possibly the biggest sign that I have ever seen. It went up earlier this week in the town where I live.

As I have written before, Beeston is presently undergoing some extensive construction work to build a new tramline. This has caused a lot of controversy, as many people think it is a waste of money. Especially as it is costing an enormous amount, some £570 million. Others have lost their homes, many, many trees have been cut down, and the shopkeepers on Chilwell High Road are worried about their livelihoods, as footfall along there has dropped off as the road has been cut off from traffic whilst it is being dug up.

Fortunately these shopkeepers are getting some compensation. Whether or not it is enough remains to be seen, especially as the road is remaining closed for probably another year.

So back to this giant sign. It has been fixed to the side of the former fire station, and the idea is that anyone seeing the sign (and who can miss it) will instantly head off in either direction and spend their money.

I hope it does have the desired effect, but I fear that many people are now starting to avoid the town, as I think there are less people about on a Saturday morning when I go shopping.

As you can probably gather, I'm not a fan of the idea and campaigned against it some years ago, but sadly to no avail.So we'll just have to see if it ends up a success or not.

TV Does A&E

My local hospital, and the one where Gail works has been the subject of a television programme for Sky News.

For the last 24 hours, a couple of reporters have been doing live broadcasts from the QMC Hospital's Accident & Emergency department. Following the patients as they arrive after receiving all sorts of different injuries. Besides all the usual cuts and bruises, one woman was kicked in the face by a horse. I've always thought horses were evil creatures and then a man appeared from a wedding party who had cut his hand somehow while cutting the wedding cake. Could he not tell the difference?

We had to go into Nottingham today, so on our travels back, we stopped off at the hospital to see if we could see any of the filming going on. Alas not, but I did capture the mobile studio, which was parked near the entrance.

Construction work is continuing on the new tram line which includes a bridge through the hospital. Unfortunately it means the destruction of another bridge which links the main hospital block with the newer Treatment Centre.

I've never really studied this bridge before, as it's something that you think is going to be there forever, so as it's probably only got a few days of life left, I thought that I would do some close up shots. I think the outside has quite a sci fi look to it; like it is one of those airlock tubes that connect spaceships with space stations

The Bridge Arriving At Platform One

Here's a shot of the new bridge that is slowly being constructed over Nottingham's railway station. It is for the new tram line and will join up with the existing tram stop, which you can see in the distance.

The railway station is going to be closing at the end of July for a whole month, as it is presently being renovated and they will be installing some new signals etc.  Buses are going to be laid on to take passengers to the Parkway station, where I was stuck there for a while last month. Here's a LINK to the story, if you want to read more.

All Wrapped Up

Here's Nottingham Railway Station all wrapped and sealed up whilst construction workers turn this Victorian building into the new transport hub of the future.

Well that what it says on the publicity blurb. But I hope they don't destroy too much of this beloved and highly decorative building.

I'm not sure how long people will have to use the alternative routes onto the platforms. I do know that the whole station is closing for a month from this weekend.  Which will be fun for the passengers.

It will certainly be interesting to see what the building looks like when the scaffolding comes down. I will of course if possible, pop down and see the reopening ceremony, if they have one.

Poppy

A simple shot today, that I took whilst going to the post office in Beeston.

At the moment, the town is like a bomb site whilst the tramworks are taking place. Everyone is fed up with it, with roads closed, holes everywhere, trees cut down, and there's still probably nearly two years to go.

One of the things that has happened is that all the mature bushes at the front of the parish church have been cut down, and all that remains are the stumps of the bushes and weeds everywhere. So I was pleased to see this brave poppy raising its head to the sky as it twitched in the summer breeze.

They always use the poppy as a tribute to fallen soldiers, so this is my tribute to the devastation that has hit our little town and all the plants, trees and people's homes that have been sacrificed in the name of progress.

And The Walls Came Tumbling Down

Due to the very extensive tram works that are taking place at the moment, Beeston has become like a war zone. Buildings demolished, trees cut down, holes in the ground and thousands of cones and fencing everywhere. Nowhere is left unaffected. Even where I live; which incidentally is nowhere near the route is having to put up with a lot more traffic, as it has been diverted from the main road in Chilwell.

This row of shops in the Square is the next in the bulldozer's sights. Or should that be sites! I used to go in Diane's Cabin a lot, as they used to sell reasonably priced greetings cards. Then there was Hunts, who sold all sorts of goodies at reasonable prices. But that will all be gone very shortly. I'll probably post a photo when it does.

Bridging The Gap

The construction works for the new tram lines is moving along slowly. Unfortunately this has meant the chopping down of even more mature trees. And they say that it's an environmentally friendly form of transport!

One big development has been the installation of a new bridge over Queens Road. It also runs over the railway station, and will eventually join up with the existing terminus.

I can't say that it looks particularly attractive, and I'm not sure that it is in keeping with the area. It will certainly stick out against the Edwardian majestic splendour of the station, with it's ornate brickwork and art nouveau motifs.

But things are designed these days to be as cheap and as easily built as possible, with hardly any thought into the aesthetics, or how it will look in relation to the other buildings around it.

Building Sight

Here's an updated shot of the former Odeon cinema site.

As you can see, all the rubble has been taken away and the big hole has been filled in.  So now work can begin on constructing the new student flats that are going to be built there.

Personally I think the site could be used for a much better purpose like a swimming pool or a group of small independent shops.

A Bridge Too Far

At the moment, the bridge on Carrington Street outside the railway station is being reinforced with lots of steel and concrete. The work is causing a fair amount of congestion for the traffic going over it. I took this photo while they were pumping concrete over the steel gridwork.