90 years of the Empire State Building

[Lee Mannering]

Nice to see the celebrations for the Empire State Building.
We are proud in Accrington Lancashire to have manufactured the Nori bricks which the building stands on. The unique brick contain a high content of Iron and if ever you have drilled one brick you will learn you need many drill bits to hand.

If you have visited Blackpool Tower the main build is also made from our Nori brick which was certainly made to last.

So, not only has Accrington a Film Fair but has quite a history in international construction.

Congratulations to the Empire State Building built to last.

[David Baker]

[Steve Klare]

It has a special place in my life, Lee!

It was 1978 and I was 16 years old. Polk's Hobby Shop was still there, just a couple of blocks away from the Empire State Building. It was a multi-story orgy of toys for men old enough to know better: If somebody made a radio control aircraft carrier loaded with radio control jets, Polk's had two of them.

It was one floor each of Model Boats, Model Planes, Model Cars, and I was a regular denizen of Floor #4: Model Trains. I couldn't afford very much, I just went there to drool!

I was in the City one day and I stopped by Polk's. They had live steam locomotives at prices I'd still have to mortgage the house for! (The lady who is the other name on the deed just might object!). More down to Earth was an LGB #1 Gauge starter set: 0-4-0T locomotive, two ore wagons, circle of track.

I didn't buy anything that day, but that train set kind of knawed at me inside! I already had O gauge, HO gauge, N gauge: did I need another size of trains? -of course not! (Does anyone, really?)

-but over the next few days,...somehow I talked myself into it! (I'm a reasonable guy...especially with myself!) I mean, we're talking about engines that can weigh more than ten pounds and can haul an entire case of beer (-as proven at a New Years' party half a decade later...) Of course, I needed that!

So a couple of friends and I ventured back into Manhattan and went to Polk's. I bought the starter set and they agreed to hold it while we did other things.

We went over to the Empire State to buy tickets to the observation deck. Then we found out that we wouldn't get back to ground level until after Polk's closed for the day. -back to Polk's to pick up my trains!

I hauled this one foot by two foot by two foot box Eighty-Eight stories in the sky, saw the sites of New York City and went Eighty-Eight stories back down. Then we hauled it thirty miles East on the Long Island Railroad and manhandled it a mile down the street to my parents' house. (-because I was still a year away from having a car!).

-just a long story about how badly young people put a plan together.

(-and it was completely worth it!)

[David Skillern]

My wife and daughter went to New York in January and went up The Empire State Building - and sent me back some live videos - what a place and a view - hopefully I will go and visit there in the not too distant future.