Forty Bridges or Giltbrook/ Kimberley/ Awsworth Viaduct


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It probably was plant hire. And yes, I remember the big stuff being used to build the M1 in the 60s. The giant Euclids wacking up and down at high speed used to terrify me when I tried to cross over when cycling to Kimberley. No health and Safety then. You just took your chances crossing where the footpath used to be.

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BR Standard loco in the rarely photographed Awsworth Station. Forty Bridges visible in the background. Loco is pointing towards Derby (Friargate GN).  Judging by the sate of the loco I guess it is in

I don't know about Facebook but isn't that what we are all doing, taking stuff off the Internet and putting it onto Nottstalgia and vice versa. I think it's fantastic how anyone in the World can share

Picture below is of Forty Bridges taken from Kimberley side of the first arch, which is the one that Main Street Awsworth went through. As a guide as to it its whereabouts Bridges Van Hire is immediat

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There was a fork lift truck manufacturer near where Ikea stands today, Bonser Engineering, I worked there for a week when on holiday from Heanor Technical college in 1966. They sold quite a few to the NCB, I helped fill in some of the vehicle history file cards. I did notice much larger plant sited there after Bonser Engineering closed. The firm was taken over by Lansing Bagnall in 1985

9292105535_c81e1406a2_c.jpg

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I detect a bit of a misunderstanding.

What Ashley was saying is that #70-76 mentioned the fact that Dyggor Gaylord used to occupy the site where ikea is now.

briyeo in #78 referred to another company called Bonser Engineering who were "near where Ikea stands today".

Possibly two different things.

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Yes, I wasn't questioning anything about Dyggor Gaylord. I have no idea about them at all.

I was making the point that up to the early 1970's at least, the only business occupying the IKEA shopping centre site was Bonser Engineering. The rest of the area was still fields, probably connected to the nearby Giltbrook farm.

Bonser Eng. works was originally a leather works, the map below should show what I mean.

12722354343_97a487bef4_b.jpg

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To be honest I now don't know what the truth is! As mentioned I saw the Motorcycle in the Brough Vernon Road works pre 1976, I then saw the same bike later cosmetically restored (told no internal engine parts, pistons, crank etc) in the as I recall glass doored reception area of a fairly modern factory that best as I remember faced the old A610 as it dropped down from Kimberley, they may have been a small island there later, I was told that company/factory had took over Brough's, This I now realise was Bonsor Engineering, Rightly or Wrongly (I guess the latter?) I was told it was that factory that was the site of the fatalities.

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Hi Ashley, I found an image of Bonser Engineering office block, there are certainly glass doors.

It wasn't like that in 1966 when I was there, so I don't know when it changed, I think then most of the buildings were the old leather works ones with a few alterations.

I was in the drawing office, I remember being especially impressed by the draughtsman who had to draw the exploded assembly drawings for the manuals, all done by hand no computers back then.

Office Block

http://www.kilkennymotorclub.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/b1.jpg

And I would guess these images again from a brochure were taken in the yard at Giltbrook.

http://www.agrimanuals.com/ekmps/shops/vintagetractor/images/bonser-forklift-truck-diesel-series-50d-50d-hyd-brochure-5163-p.jpg

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Ashley you are right on all points. My father was a manager at Bonsor until it was taken over by Lansing Bagnall in the mid 80's The bike in question stood in the reception area . Bonsor owned Brough Engineering and this was an engineering show bike with cut-aways to show the internal workings. I remember sitting on it as a small kid waiting for my dad to finish work in the offices. Often wondered what happened to it. Must be worth an absolute fortune.

Bonsor was the only company to stand where Ikea now is. The factory grounds use to go up to the A610 and were used as a testing area for the dumper trucks and also housed the works football pitch

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As I recall, Bonser's moved out after the takeover by Lansing Bagnall, maybe around the time of the takeover by Linde AG as found on Wikipedia.

The premises were then occupied by Dyggor Gaylord who moved from Ilkeston I believe. They were in court not too long after the move over three deaths:

http://www.cnplus.co.uk/08mar91-uk-plant-firm-dyggor-gaylord-is-fined-for-fatal-tyre-explosion/1677866.article#.U1qdqPldXIk

There were always lots of machines stored in the works yard, one of which was brand new, some kind of large, (as in bucket big enough for a couple of cars!) front loader. I suspect in anticipation of the proposed huge amount of opencasting in the area, but it was never used. I think they then moved to Langley Mill where Heanor Haulage were for a while, site now partly occupied by Asda.

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Someone mentioned the motorcycle in the Bonser factory entrance again today on a local Facebook page, and I remembered that Ashley had spoken of it here. Is this the bike Ashley? It's now at the National Motorcycle Museum. Like you said, the engine has no internal parts.

MuseumNov09056.jpg

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They look like the ones I posted a while ago on this thread, I put the red markings on the map, see post #82 ;-)

That is no surprise though, if you google "Bonser Engineering" this site is the second one down in the search results.

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I don't know about Facebook but isn't that what we are all doing, taking stuff off the Internet and putting it onto Nottstalgia and vice versa. I think it's fantastic how anyone in the World can share information on any subject to anyone who is interested. Like briyeo mentioned (#93), isn't it something special when you Google something and you see a post from Nottstalgia near the top. It's even better when you're the one that posted it...lol

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Can't say 100% that is the bike I saw, It's getting on for 40 years ago! seem to recall it was green when I saw it on display? Pure speculation on my part here,but at the time I saw it, a transverse 4 cylinder shaft driven motorcycle with the name gold or golden dream I instantly reminded of another bike wth the name gold init, but this time made in japan

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hope it is, wonder if any of you have read Edward Marstons Railway Detective Novels, one of them, 2nd i think, talks about a train on a viaduct, always imagine this picture of Forty Bridges when reading it, these were magnificent structures.

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On 27/06/2009 at 9:29 AM, mick2me said:

If you are talking about the structure that can be seen to the right when going down Challans Way Ilkeston,

I was on the top of that structure with a work commitment earlier in the year.

Takes some getting to, an I had to access it via railway land off a Bridge (Awsworth Road Perhaps?)

There is no public access AFAIK?

Looking at Google Earth or Maps.Google.co.uk might be good?

Images anyone?

Possibly you mean Bennerley Viaduct known locally as a Black Bridge. It's constructed of iron and still standing whereas Forty Bridges was demolished in 1973 to make way for the A610 bypass.

if I remb correctly there may be a picture in one of the books by Arthur Plumb; called Kimberley in old picture postcards. My books are currently 'in a safe place' so I cannot look and tell you which edition.

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On 23/02/2014 at 2:13 PM, Cliff Ton said:

I detect a bit of a misunderstanding.

What Ashley was saying is that #70-76 mentioned the fact that Dyggor Gaylord used to occupy the site where ikea is now.

briyeo in #78 referred to another company called Bonser Engineering who were "near where Ikea stands today".

Possibly two different things.

 

Dyggor Gaylord weren't exactly where Ikea is but in the old Bonser Engineering /Lansing Bagnall yard (They also had an office just off the A610 on the eastbound side of the dual carriageway at the turn off for New Eastwood which later became something to do with Raleigh) DG had massive earth moving machines used in road building and during the late eighties/1990, I was in my home above Gilthill (near the white house high on the hill above the farm) and I heard and felt a huge bang. I got up and checked around the home as it sounded like something so close. I found out later that day that a tyre blew out killing a Kimberley man; Colin Keitley and two others. I was haunted for years that I'd effectively 'heard them die'

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On 27/06/2009 at 4:08 PM, Ashley said:

Was wrong re it being white but not the shipley gate (boat) if still there it's on the old road where you now go to the hog's head which was main road from kimberley to ilkeston, theres a good photo of it and other parts of the viaduct on picture the past

The pub is called 'The Gate' and is locally known nowadays as The sweet shop. No idea why, it's still a pub.

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IMG_8475.jpeg

this image is for sale on eBay by its artist Malcolm Parnham. He lists lots of rail pictures besides this one of Forty Bridges. Another I love is of an old Midland General blue bus heading Kimberley to Eastwood and is passing under the rail bridge which was at the bottom of the forecourt of the old National Garage/BP/Kimberley Caravans on the bend from Kimberley fairly close to Kettlebrook Lodge and Church Hill. He also lists a picture of the old Wolsey Nylons factory in Kimberley. 

Loving others' pictures of the area and Bonser Engineering where my husband served his apprenticeship as a young man.

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