Trafford Park

[b4mmy]

Top pics eddy, no railway ones? I need to get up there I reckon.

[The Longford]

Originally Posted by b4mmy

Top pics eddy, no railway ones?

I'll see what i can do next time but they are a bit thin on the ground nowadays round those parts!

[Northbeach]

Get yourself down to the World Freight Centre, although the iron horses are indeed short on the ground unfortunately, but if you like cargo jungles then it's the bees...reminds me of final scenes of Heat. I think it's Europa Way/Westinghouse where the train track runs through the streets, rare sightings of Thomas...it's mainly 'rubber duck 911 my jive donkey' trucks.

[The Longford]

My meanderings did get me as far as the WFC but none of the pictures made the final cut. The overhead cranes were positioned wrong! Anyway here is a pic that didnt make the grade but may delight fans of canals and/or containers!

[High-Fi]

and/or sky...

Where's this lampost shot longlight - I'm waiting to judge yours against roly's.

[jrb]

Cargill has officially opened its new wheat processing plant at Trafford Park after investing £75m to convert it from processing imported maize to home-grown wheat, thus creating a major new customer for Britain's arable farmers. The Guinness Road site will process 750,000 tonnes a year, supplying the food, feed, paper and pharmaceutical sectors and also manufacturing Trafford Gold brand animal feed.

[SleepyOne]

I love Trafford Park and may do a 'photo essay' of the place to post up here so those not familiar with the place can get so.
TP is so ruthless - it has no respect for the past. If something is no longer functional it will just get rid and something new will appear in its place. the heritage nazi in my shudders at this but on the other hand it means it stays a working, functioning mass of industry.
There have been a couple of really fine buildings that have come down in the past few years but no one seems to care about the past - cant really argue with that can you.

Indeed. Since you posted this one more has sadly bitten the dust. Proctor and Gamble's fine pre-war warehouse was demolished towards the end of last year. There's a set of quite heart wrenching photos documenting its destruction on Flickr.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/alr1970...7602636479881/

Anyone know why its come down or what's being built in its place?



Longford's pic from June 2006



Flickr pic from October 2007 (credit: Andrew L Roberts)
image hosted on flickr

[SleepyOne]

no railway ones?

I have something of a fascination with some of the disused railway lines running through Trafford Park.

Here's a couple of images what was the largest private railway system in the country.


Imported components being delivered to the Westinghouse factory, 1902



Westinghouse Road, 1963

[SleepyOne]

Here's another rather sad image of the Westinghouse (later Metro Vicks, AEI and GEC) building being demolished in the mid 90s.



image hosted on flickr

flickr picture credit - "GEC office building" JayT47


The site has recently been redeveloped and now houses the UK headquarters of Adidas - a inward investment that although comes nowhere near to the significance and scale of the previous occupant at least carries on in the same spirit, that of a large multinational firm establishing a significant presence in the heart of historic Trafford Park. That for me, makes the loss of the previous building and infrastructure easier to accept in that it signals that the park is no mere museum piece and continues to play an important role in the economic life of the city - as it has done for over a century now.

[The Longford]

I too took some pictures as they were tearing it down. I tried to stand in the same spot as the pic above.
If i find them i'll post them.
Great shame. Probably put a mega-shed in its place.
Just finished reading a book about Westinghouse. The offices that you show above (which had beautiful interiors - staircases, cage lifts, panelled boardroom etc) were an exact 'copy' of the firms HQ in Pittsburgh (?)
So taken with TP was the head honcho of Westinghouse i think they named a town in the US after it - Traffordville or something!

[Isaac Newell]

http://www.penntrafford.org/

[dannyb]

Drove through T.P. today and was wondering - Are the railway lines completely disused now, or are they used occasionally?

[Isaac Newell]

If you go to google maps you can see a container train in depot near the Trafford Centre that would need to use the line that runs alongside Barton Dock Road.

[Isaac Newell]

Someone's filmed a shunter

[Chogmook]

Tis a good sight that is

[The Longford]

Originally Posted by Isaac Newell

Someone's filmed a shunter

Internet gold that!

David Attenborough has found his natural successor.

[Isaac Newell]

That loco's got no lights on. Someone has nicked it.

[jrb]

Note the bit in bold. I wonder how that will go down?

From Crains.

Trafford Park vision to transform area into creative hub
By Simon Binns

Trafford Park could be transformed into a new hub for the professional and creative industries as part of a new masterplan being drawn up by the borough council.

The Trafford Economic Alliance, a partnership between Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council and the private sector, has commissioned research and design consultancies to draw up a 20-year vision for 3,000 acres of land currently occupied by industry and warehousing.

Work will soon begin on an extensive survey of businesses in the area, to establish which industries remain strong and identify areas of growth.

The project is being managed by Manchester-based EkosGen, with the urban design contract awarded to Urbed. A strategy document is expected to be ready in early 2009, which will form the basis of a final masterplan. CB Richard Ellis will also be involved in drawing up the strategy.

Steve Potter, director at EkosGen, said the plan was to connect Trafford Park more effectively to the surrounding areas.

“Our remit is to come up with a vision for the whole of Trafford Park, which means the 3,000 acres that lie within the boundaries of Salford Quays, Old Trafford football ground and The Trafford Centre,” he said.

“It's one of the most important business locations in the region. It's been around for 100 years and had various uses, from docking to development corporations. What we need to do now is look at the types of businesses we might see in the next 10 to 20 years in the area and how we re-plan the infrastructure. We have to address what the business needs will be.”

Potential growth


Potter said that potential growth areas in Trafford are the financial and professional services and digital and new media, and part of the study will look at how Trafford Park could link up with Media City on Salford Quays. “Trafford Park could have a supporting role to play,” he said. “Being close to Trafford Wharf and the Quays could mean that the borough develops a high value in leisure. Trafford Park is such a big area that different parts could play different roles. The heart is still important to the manufacturing and industrial sectors and that will probably continue. But we need to look at what new skills we need to create and which are missing.”

The area under scrutiny is sandwiched between the Trafford Centre and Salford Quays, so Peel Holdings will have a key role, possibly as the private funder of a new Metrolink line through the borough. Potter said money from the Transport Innovation Fund was also important.

“We'll certainly be talking to Peel as well as other major landowners,” said Potter. “We don't want to create a plan in isolation. Any tram route linking up Manchester and the Trafford Centre would make Trafford Park more accessible,[b] but any improvements in public transport that come from the Transport Innovation Fund can only be a good thing.”]/b]

Chris Wermann, director of corporate communications at Kellogg's, said that the initiative was a good thing and that the infrastructure of Trafford Park needed addressing. “Such a large amount of this area is dedicated to manufacturing, through companies like us, Unilever and United Biscuits, that transport links and moving freight from road to rail would be huge wins,” he said.

“In terms of trying to attract new industries, it's always healthy to have a mix and having a balanced portfolio is common sense. Looking at retail and regeneration through housing would be a good idea too, and we'd be happy to engage with any such study.”

[SleepyOne]

From the MEN

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co...._t_in_the_park

Vintage T in the Park
Don Frame
9/ 9/2008



MANCHESTER'S role in a mass-production motoring revolution is celebrated in a new book.

The Ford Model T was the first affordable car of the people and thousands were produced in Trafford Park at Ford's first factory outside America.

Now a book telling the story of `Tin Lizzie' has been published to help celebrate 100 years of the car in Britain - and particularly its early history in Manchester.

It was launched at the Museum of Science and Industry on Liverpool Road, where two vintage models of the vehicle that started mass vehicle production were put on display.

First shown at the London Motor Show in 1908, by 1923 half of all cars in Britain were Model Ts made at a former tramcar depot in Trafford Park.

Ford opened it in 1911, initially as an assembly shop and distribution point, but it soon went into on-site production and Model Ts were manufactured there until the late 1920s.

Museum transport curator Nick Forder said: "It seems strange in this day and age to think of Manchester as a motor city but that's what it was.

Transformation

"Ford chose Trafford Park largely because of its well-established communications links. Cars and parts could be sent across the Atlantic, coming right up the Ship Canal into the heart of Trafford Park.

"Production on site followed and by around 1914 the first moving production line in Europe and only the second in the world, was set up there.

"There has never been a book written about the story of the T in Britain and it is high time that Trafford Park and Manchester were put firmly back on the motoring map."

Martin Riley, one of the three authors of The English Model T Ford, said: "The car really did transform the industry. It was reliable, easy to work on, and easy to drive.

"Today there are probably still around 500 in regular use and it remains an extremely practical car."

Martin, who was given a Model T for his 60th birthday by his wife, said: "For the first time it brought the motor car within reach of ordinary folk."

[jrb]

From Crains.

Can't see this getting refused.

SAICA, the Spanish company that wants to open a £250m recycled paper mill in Partington, will have its planning application considered by Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council's planning committee on October 9. SAICA undertook a pre-application consultation programme which involved sending out 1,300 newsletters to local households, holding two public information days and attending meetings of Partington Town Council and Partington Neighbourhood Forum. Over 130 local residents attended the public information days, with 93 per cent of attendees expressing support for the mill. Bev Hughes, MP for Stretford and Urmston, has also declared her support for the project. SAICA has also set up a community liaison group with local councillors and representatives of the Partington community. No major objections have been submitted to Trafford MBC.