Small disused lift in Paddington Station Car Park (UK)

[mrmattandmrchay]

Please read a story from CHAIRMANMICK in the video description. He has told of some history behind this platform. Matt

[harrihealey02]

I seem to love old elevators that have history and are very small that are blocked off. I would just love to open the door and look inside. You never know what there could be. This is interesting and it looks ezactly like that Old Disused Evans Lift outside woolworths you made a video of. Do you know if this is a traction or hydraulic and where abouts does it lead to? Interesting video! Thanks for posting and telling me about it :-)

[mrmattandmrchay]

Funny you should mention 'just opening the doors' etc!

Pretty sure it's a traction, as I don't think hydraulic lifts were around until late 70s/early 80s? This lift looks like 60s/70s at a guess.

If you see the photo at the end of the movie, it goes into the offices above.

"If" this was the old platform, maybe it went up to a ticket office in the build above (this is a complete guess!). Everything has changed now, so the office above is probably something else now.

[mrmattandmrchay]

Wouldn't it be cool to go into the offices and see what call button is up there. It's a bit featureless down here, but I suppose it could be an old Evans lift?

Getting into the lift car would be cooler than cool! And getting into that motor room.....AHGGH, it's getting too much!!

I too like older lifts, "unmodernised" being the key word!!

All unbranded lifts (like local lift companies) all look the same, characterless - yes, I'm talking about those damn black buttons again!!!!!!

[harrihealey02]

Haha, that would be cooler than cool to get in the lift cab. Also, I would definately love to get into the machine room! I would have loved to go back in time and see what it was like and how it was to ride it, I would love to have filmed it back then. I wish that with all these old lifts, they could place it into a history museum and let people walk around them and see the technical workings of them. It's a good idea and fun. But you're right about the old lifts always looking the same here...

[harrihealey02]

(Cont)... Especially in essex they look the same. It would be cool to go to the offices up there. The older companies it could possibly be are, well, Evans, E.R.S (part of porn & dunwoody lift company) or mabey an Otis! I also like Origional, unmodernised lifts!! The modernised ones always look modernised with the panel sticking a CM out or two voices from the new and origional ones. Thanks for the replying!!!

[Ham549]

@mrmattandmrchay I don't think hydraulic lifts were around until late 70s/early 80s? hydraulic lifts have been around for over 100 years.

[thyssenelevator95]

That relay is odd-it seems to be like the "system heartbeat" LED on microprocessor-based lift control boards. It may be used for timing something.

Also, that door probably wouldn't meet the Americans with Disabilities Act here in the US-it states that doors "must provide at least 36.0" clear opening". It seems to be a lot smaller than that!

Also, I had some strange feeling that that Paddington Bear programme would show up in the related videos box...

[mrmattandmrchay]

I doubt whether any microprocessors have been anywhere near this lift. Due to the offices being 'potentially' accessable from this lift (security risk), it would have been closed off for years and years. Maybe there was once a connection between the offices and this old platform(?)which required a lift. This is almost certainly a relay motor room, as it's unlikely anyone would have spent any money on it.

(continued...)

[mrmattandmrchay]

My idea is the relay is used for a warning lamp to make it flash on and off. Possibly a 'coming' lamp or 'out of service' lamp? I get the feeling that the action of this relay is connected in some way to it being out of service. Strange they left the motor room powered up?!