Pete Curry and George Parkes
Pete Curry was the council’s Structures and Safety Manager and Bridge Engineer who co-ordinated and controlled the raising, closing and swinging of all the bridges for the original Open Bridges event in 2017.
We asked Pete if he remembered the events captured from June 1977 by George Parkes in the gallery below. Pete told us:
“This was before I started at the council in 1979, I don’t recognise anyone in the pictures, but I can put them into context. As far as I am aware, the bridge had been lifted for a coaster, therefore a top lift (full height). When the bridge lowers it starts off slowly and then accelerates to full speed. At approximately 11 degrees it should have decelerated to almost a stop before driving into the deck and holding on the brakes for the nose bolts to go in. On this occasion it did not decelerate and drove straight into the deck at full speed. Because the motors were still driving, it wound up the gears to the point where the main drive shafts sheared and shattered several of the gears (replacements can be seen on one of the photographs waiting to be fitted in the yard). There was an investigation because the operator of the bridge had a dead man’s pedal which if released should have caused the bridge to do an emergency stop, but as far as I am aware this didn’t happen. I was told it was down to a combination or operator error and machine failure because the bridge should have slowed down when it hit a limit switch but don’t hold me to that. As a result of this incident, over speed units were fitted to all of the bascule bridges. The first one was fitted on North Bridge which was where I was sent on my first day at work, followed by Drypool and Sutton Road which I also assisted in fitting as an apprentice fitter working with David Wilson. The overspeed units (star wheels) are still in place to this day, they were designed by a very talented engineer who worked in the city engineers bridges department call Alan Bateson, a well-spoken old fashioned engineer who always wore a brown mac, trilby hat and carried a full size brolly, which he prodded you with, he scared the life out of me as a 17 year old, but commanded a huge amount of respect.”
All photographs are by George Parkes
Photographs are copyright the heirs of George Parkes published under licence with permission here
The photographs of George Parkes are held at Hull History Centre. Copyright belongs to the heirs of George Parkes. Restoration and re-processing of the original slides are by Richard Duffy-Howard and are licenced from, and with thanks to, Hull University Archives. If you have any information regarding George and his photographic work, please get in touch.
Rich and Lou Duffy-Howard
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