17 replies to this topic

[DJH]

I'm looking for any photos of the Shell Tower .

What happened to it ?

Any snaps out there of the top of the mountain PA control centre ?

Edited by DJH, 05 January 2017 - 10:40.

[GreenMachine]

I was looking at it at the 2016 B12Hr - it seems derelict, a sad sight.  I have a photo in which it appears in the background, if I can get it to appear ...

[GreenMachine]

 

[GreenMachine]

This won't post as a picture, but click on the link and it will take you to a better one.

https://edcory.smugm...urs/i-Hb389zr/A

Edited by GreenMachine, 05 January 2017 - 12:14.

[Ray Bell]

That is by no means the Shell Tower...

This was a small timber building which barely contained more than two commentators. I'm looking for photos.

Castrol took over in the early seventies and eventually built a much more elaborate structure, which is now the 'core' of the structure shown.

[DJH]

Yes , I should have been more specific , I 'm after pics of the 1960 's Shell tower .

I intend building a model replica for a slot car track .

Thanks for the replies anyway .

[Ray Bell]

John Medley might have something...

Send him a PM.

I would estimate (at this juncture) that it was about 8' to 10' square, placed maybe 20' back from the spectator fence, photos clearly show it had very wide eves to the roof and that the front half of the upper floor had glass round the front 50% of the building about 5' deep from the line of the eves.

It was old weatherboard when I knew it, I thought that the stairs went up from the door to the upper floor inside the building but maybe I'm wrong about that.

P209 of John's book has a sighting of it in the background of one pic, there's a later partial pic in RCN October 1965.

[DJH]

I have found a reasonable likeness of the tower available from this gentleman in the U.K.

It even has a Shell sign .

http://grahampoulton...m/gp-miniatures

Look in the buildings section for the Shell control tower .

Edited by DJH, 07 January 2017 - 06:03.

[Ray Bell]

Not really like it...

There must be other pictures somewhere. I'll keep working on it.

[Librules]

Might it be visible in the background of some of the 60's Bathurst 500 videos?

[cooper997]

John, In the Tuckey Bathurst book 'Australia's Greatest Motor Race - the complete history' there's a photo of the crashed Keran Torana with the tower in the background on p151. It's not brilliant, but better than nothing.

 

Then in the later Tuckey  & Greenhalgh version of the book, there's a Castrol sponsored version (plus another level added, I suspect) on p193.

 

Stephen

[Ray Bell]

Originally posted by cooper997
.....Then in the later Tuckey & Greenhalgh version of the book there's a Castrol sponsored version (plus another level added, I suspect) on p193.

Is that similar to the pic on P263 of the 'first 40 years' book, Stephen?

If so, I would suggest it's a total replacement, that the old Shell Tower was demolished and this one built in its place.

[cooper997]

Ray, I don't have the 40 years book. The 2 versions I have are 1982 published edition and the 30 years edition.

 

So the relevant years from each edition mentioned above are 1970 and 1980 Bathurst events. The Castrol tower has the RECAR Commodores as the subject of the photo.

 

Stephen

[Ray Bell]

Yes, that's the same pic...

Definitely nothing to do with the original Shell Tower, a brand new construction.

The original had two levels, but the lower level was not full height. It was a very basic structure.

[Ray Bell]

The photos mentioned:



I will ask Max if he has more of this, but this pic clearly shows that the lower section was not full height. The old weatherboard structure doesn't look in bad shape here, but it often wasn't so smart. It also clearly shows that the tower was angled to the right to give a good view down the Esses, it's not parallel to the circuit at Skyline. There is a brick or concrete foundation below the timber structure.



Again the angle shows here. Also that the viewing windows cover more than the 50% I estimated earlier. Roof angle and wide eaves are just visible behind loudspeakers etc.



John Lackey's photo from John Medley's Bathurst book, P209. The roof and eaves visible again, no sign of a door so far, so I'm thinking that the door was either further right at the back and therefore not visible in the first photo, or it's at the front. My first impression that there was an internal staircase holds good at this stage, I did go into the tower once and these are vague recollections.



As can be seen here, the Castrol tower erected some time in the seventies was on or near the same spot, but much bigger.

[DJH]

Thanks for your replies and research everyone .

I have enough to now go ahead building a miniature Shell Tower for my grandson ' s ( and mine )  slot car layout .

Edited by DJH, 09 January 2017 - 02:07.

[GreenMachine]

I have been following this out of curiosity, to see how today's structure differs from the original.

I am wondering whether there were one or more 'knock down and rebuilds' (to use the term popular amongst the McMansion set), or to what extent was the existing building reused/extended? There are obvious similarities between the versions above, but that may be no more than a case of 'form follows function'.

The evolution this tower, and its demise, would make an interesting vignette on the evolution of Bathurst and the impact of technology ... hint to authors/journalists/etc ... but maybe I am the only one who would find it interesting.

[Ray Bell]

I think you can clearly see that the Castrol Tower as pictured is the core of the major catastrophe posted and linked early in the thread by yourself...

I am certain that these have nothing to do with the original Shell Tower other than to cover the same piece of ground. And the spectators must love having to walk around the back of it all as they head between McPhillamy and the Esses!