THE Liverpool Overhead Railway was an ingenious solution to the problem of rapidly moving labour along a Dock Road which was already choked with goods traffic.
Truly a British first when it was opened on February 4, 1893, by the Prime Minister, Lord Salisbury, the Overhead boasted electrically-powered multiple-unit trains elevated on stilts above the Dock Road's horse-drawn congestion.
Besides the cargo moving workforce, the LOR was used by ship repairers and a myriad of people taking paperwork between ships, offices and the Custom House.
Prof Peter Toyne, transport expert and former vice chancellor of Liverpool John Moores University, says: "The 50th anniversary of the LOR's closure is important for Liverpool as it was unique in Britain and indicated how go-ahead this city once was in devising rapid transport systems.
"I hope the new Pier Head Liverpool Museum will really showcase the significant history of Liverpool's railways.
"The Overhead would have been hugely expensive to restore and maintain, but it's an important part of British history and must be permanently commemorat-ed.
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