In 1970 my family was almost run down by The Waverley. We were on holiday staying at the Kames Hotel on the Kyles Of Bute (hotel is still there and still a great place for a quiet break by the way). The Waverley was one of a number of steamers which would call in at the pier in nearby Tighnabruaich and a magnificent sight in a stunning location. One day my dad rowed us across to the Isle Of Bute a mile or so away. After a picnic, we started the row back but, being Scotland, the sea fog quickly rolled in and it was all a bit dicey (or exciting if you were six). Then we heard it, the unmistakable sound of an approaching paddle steamer. We had no idea where it was until it loomed out of the murk, missing us by maybe 30m and we got tossed about a bit in the wake. Still, we didn't drown and made it back in time for tea.
She still plies that route today. It might surprise you to know the distance from the shore by the Colintraive Hotel to the Isle of Bute is 350 metres!
The ferry Calmac uses is massive. It's one of the old Kyle of Lochalsh ferries that was being used at the time they ran them 24 hrs a day while the bridge was being built. @@beaumontluke
Mazel Tov on the new play! Break a leg! Chookas! Give 'em the old razzle-dazzle! That would be the best thing to come out of Teddington since Two-Ton Ted and the Baker's Van! Barring an extensive tour bringing your production to Broadway via Los Angeles, I should hope for a video recording! You mentioned "tangential" connections at the close, and I am tangentially connected to this video! My ancestor is Robert Fulton, an engineer and inventor of some note who helped to make steam-powered ships a viable mode of transport! And you know, I don't see a thin dime from that work. It is a remarkable sight seeing a steamship move across the water. The footage always looks sped up because we are so used to boat of size moving at a more leisurely clip. I am very pleased that you left space for ambient sound near the end to capture the sound of the Waverley's engines as she moved across the water. In way, that was the only justification needed for inclusion of the ship on a channel about locomotives. It is almost uncanny to hear THAT specific cadence on a watercraft!
I travelled from Melbourne, Australia to see and go for a trip aboard the Waverley. It was treasured experience and I'm very glad that she is kept in service and in great condition.
The Waverley's smaller and lighter sister ship, 'Maid of the Loch', was built in 1953, seven years after the Waverley, and is situated on Loch Lomond at Balloch Pier, where it is presently being restored whilst open to the public. She is the last paddleship built in Britain, being a simpler and lighter version of the Waverley (555 tons against 693 tons), designed for freshwater cruising. She had to be transported overland to Loch Lomond in parts after being built by A. & J. Inglis of Glasgow (as was the Waverley), then deconstructed for rail wagon transport and after an 8 mile trip to Balloch Pier was finally reconstructed on Loch Lomond, operating scheduled services on the loch from the rail terminus at Balloch Pier until 1981. Well worth a visit if you are in the Glasgow area, and certainly worthy of a video from Mr Hazzard sometime!
Enjoyed a voyage on the Maid from Balloch to Rowardden in 1978 to walk up the East side of Loch Lomond long before there was a proper path. Got eaten alive by the 'wee peskies'.
Since this video was filmed she has been put up on the slipway for work on her Hull and paddles: th-cam.com/video/ABNuV_NLgZA/w-d-xo.htmlsi=oeA3dTgD3FAaBzxc
My father recalled a locally-made silent film in Glasgow in the 1920s, about Bonnie Prince Charlie. As Fiona MacDonald rowed him over the sea to Skye, and the pianist played the appropriate tune, in the background a ferry packet steamed past in the opposite direction.
A true Clydebuilt and Scottish icon, been a long-term goal to travel on her (one day as I keep promising myself). Honestly wasn't expecting this video from you, but it's a very pleasant surprise as you can imagine. ;) Despite how late in the game she was built, the Waverley of 1947 wasn't the last paddle steamer to be built in the UK (or the last built in a Clyde shipyard), that honour goes to the Maid of the Loch (also built by A.& J. Inglis) of 1953. Ordered by the British Transport Commission, she was built for Loch Lomond cruises between Balloch and Ardlui (Inversnaid in later years) for over 28 years. She would undergo the same ownership changes as the Waverley did in 1969 and 1973, finally being retired in August 1981. After over a decade of decay and neglect, she was bought by the local council in 1992, who later supported a local group of enthusiasts to set up a charity to oversee further restoration work in 1995. As of me writing this, there is a ongoing project to restore her to operational condition. One interesting thing to note is that she is a 'knock-down' ship: in other words, she was launched, then dismantled and transported by rail to Balloch Pier (this was pre-Glasgow Blue Train of course, so no need to worry about overhead wires) and put back together on a purpose-built slipway there.
BTC must have been mad to order a 555t vessel in 1953. they would've been better simply continuing on with the Edwardian boat 'Prince Edward' they had. freshwater/condition cant have been that bad. ships of a similar age and older continue on Swiss lakes. would've made a nice contrast with Waverley as well. Instead they blew a load of cash on a boat twice the size of the previous loch lomond boats just a few years before the people of Scotland started jetting off to Marbella. hindsight's 20/20 but even so...
@@andrewyoung749 Hindsight is just that as you say. She wasn't the most questionable investment the BTC made or signed off on in the 50s, but whatever hangups I may have over her being built so late on, am glad she's still with us given her historical significance.
It looks like you've answered my - probably dumb - question. I was travelling up the West Coast a few weeks ago. In Balloch I overheard a couple talking about their forthcoming trip on the Waverley. It had me thinking - can she travel up the Vale to Loch Lomond? Given your comment about the other steamer travelling by rail - I guess not!
I took a trip on her in the early 80s, Bideford to Lundy and back. A storm blew up on the return journey and she struggled in the rough seas entering the Taw/Torridge Estuary (renowned as being potentially dangerous due to sandbanks). Us passengers had to huddle in the indoor compartments as spray covered the deck. It took about 20 minutes to cover a few hundred yards in the estuary mouth but she got us back safely in the end. It was a great adventure for me as a young lad and lovely to be reminded of it all these years later. Also good to see the old girl is still going strong. Thanks, Jago.
Huh. I knew "Menzies" and "Dalziel", but I wasn't expecting "Inglis" to be pronounced like that. But knowing a bit about how Scottish English and Scots have been written through the years, it makes complete sense. Neat. I love learning little tidbits like this in completely incidental ways. 😻
I hope your play gets well received by the audience. Given your writing skills which we have the pleasure of listening to while viewing your uploads on this channel, I'm certain they won't force you to walk the plank at the end of the show. I do love watching your tales of all things train related, both overground and of the below ground variety. Keep it up, Jago. Cheers from a faithful subscriber in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Southend on Sea Pier was originally a steam boat pier for trips for France. So the second Waverly was a Dunkirk hero, like so many other little boats. ❤ So now Uber has the Thames taxi boats, typical, I bet they don't make much money from them, except in summer.
The Clippers are a fun way to travel into the city and are surprisingly fast. I only realised this while travelling on one and noticed we were overtaking the cars driving along The Embankment. Oh and the engines sound fantastic as well. 👍
@@PesmogI think there's a 30 knot limit throughout most of central London on the Thames now. The Top Gear speedboat/transport/car/bicycle race would not be as good if it were re-enacted.
Ive been on the Waverley many times - the best Clyde booze-cruise around! The engine room is the best place to be though, as the sight, sound and smell is mesmerising :) In recent years shes been re-boilered, grounded on the Gantocks at Dunoon, crashed into the pier at Arran and suffered a pranged bow at Rothesay, so shes been out of service quite alot, but this year she thankfully managed to stay in one piece :) Im so glad you got to have a trip "doon the watter" on our grand old lady of the Clyde.
Agree, the two times I have travelled on Waverley I spent a great deal of time in the engine room just watching the wonders of reciprocating steam engines.
What a wonderful episode, it made me cry with pride for such a beautiful, beautiful piece of British engineering...Greetings from Lutherstadt Wittenberg ,Germany.
I first heard of the PS Waverley about 4 hours ago, having attempted to google the station in Edinburgh. Safe to say I was a bit spooked to get the notification for this video.
A manager i worked with was born in Oban and took the Waverley ‘doon the waater’ to Glasgow to attend Uni. He went back to see parents in the mid 2000s and due to rail strike. Had to take, yep Waverley to Oban.
Great video, as always. I am Dutch but I met Waverley in Portsmouth back in 1997, where she helped to spark my interest into passengersships. I also have a great interest in trains and play theater myself so this vid just combines all of my hobbies in one, thanks! And have a few wonderfull shows in London!
She is a very, very fine vessel. The trip down the Thames is fascinating, very graceful and catches eyes where ever she goes. I did the trip to the Thames Forts and back in early October (p.s. the fish & chips were excellent).
Ah, I missed that! I contemplated going this year but didnt get the brochure with the Thames dates until it was too late. Another time, hopefully. Which of the forts did it go to, or was it both?
My Dad has just completed her last two sailings up on the Clyde last weekend before her Winter Layoff. As a family we have clocked up over 500 trips on her . She is a beautiful vessel . Back in 2016 i did a day trip from Southampton around the Solent & Isle Of Wight, Unknown to me until the taxi driver advised me on my trip from Southampton to the Docks that Queen Mary 2 the Cunard Liner was in , I was totally in awe that Waverley was on the berth opposite Queen Mary 2 , Later in the cruise while heading back up the River to Southampton Queen Mary 2 passed us . What a day 😀 Good luck Jago with your Play and Arrrrrrrrr
Despite living on the Firth of Clyde coast for over forty years, I only broke my Waverley duck last year and went on it again this summer. It's a splendid way to spend a few hours, retaining as it does its old world charm. I'm glad to see it being used in other areas of the UK but it is really at home cruising around places such as Arran and Ailsa Craig.
Seeing the Waverley brings back happy memories of travelling from Portsmouth to the Isle of Wight on the Paddle Steamers back in the 1950's, for days out with family and friends. I have no idea when they were withdrawn from service, as my father's employment took us overseas for several years and when we returned to the UK, he was posted to West Wales for six years, until the late 1960's. Thanks for an excellent and informative episode.
The last paddle steamer, Ryde, was used till 1970 although only for extras in the high summer peak period. There were attempts to preserve and reuse her (as a floating nightclub at one stage) but sadly it just proved Jago's point that historic ships are VERY costly to maintain, and she is now a rusting hulk in the River Medina.
I often visited towns near the Murray River in Australia when I was young, so sometimes I got the chance to travel on heritage paddle steamers along the river. Although in comparison to the Waveley, those river-bound vessels might as well be toys.
Went on her to Southend and back with a mate about 18 years ago, coming back into London at night is amazing as everyone stops and looks as she passes under Tower Bridge
It was nice to see the Waverly and HMS Belfast side by side, as one of my grandfathers helped build the Waverly, and the other helped build the Belfast.
She used to come to Bournemouth quite frequently, which was when I rode her during my school days in the 80s. I've seen her more recently down in Swanage.
I am old enough to remember travelling on a paddle steamer on the Clyde and being entranced by the rhythm of the engines, it was amazing. I also remember the shipbuilding yards and the assault ship Fearless being built in one of the yards. A trip to Arran followed again absolutely completely memorable.
@@andrewyoung749 Many thanks, to be honest I was guessing it was Fearless, I have a black and white photo of Intrepid I took at the time facing backwards out of the yard toward the Clyde. Somewhere I still have a cigarette card painted picture of the class of ship!
A hull of a video, Jago! I bow to your ability to funnel your talent toward another ocean of interest. Hopefully you won't garner any stern comments for your effort. Cherrio.
I had a lovely day trip around the Scottish island of Arran a few years ago. Highly recommended for anyone who gets the chance. Since I live in Aberdeenshire I’m afraid Treasure Island will have to wait until it goes on a national tour, but good luck with it.
Thank you Jago. As an retired seafarer, as well as a railway buff, I found this particularly interesting. I have followed the Wakerley for many years, and my kids and grandkids, went on one of the London Thames cruises you mention. No ticker for poor old granddad, but, there you go. Keep up your excellent newsy, interesting and humorous work. Cheers Mike
Had the absolute pleasure of boarding her at Southend Pier and bidding her a fond farewell at London Bridge this month, she a lovely old girl and the opportunity to have a sparkly lit London bridge open her bascules so we could travel through was an opportunity too great to miss, definitely the highlight of the trip, closely followed by the macaroni cheese. I think I'll do the forts cruise next year :)
Well done to the ship, her crews and the people who keep her afloat. This video reminds me of one made by military historian Mark Felton about WW2 warships that have been in active service in 2021.
Oh nice! I've love a ride on a boat like that someday. Closest thing to this for me (here in Minnesota, US) is the _Minnehaha,_ an old "streetcar" steamboat on Lake Minnetonka, a large lake ~10 miles west of Minneapolis. Originally built in 1906, it was one of a fleet of small steamboats styled like streetcars (trams) and owned by our local streetcar company Twin City Lines. From the 1900s on, they shuttled passengers around the lake's many bays and inlets from spring through fall. But by the mid 1920s, they'd lost too much traffic to cars and improved roads, so Twin City Lines took them out of service in 1926. A few were sold off; the rest (including the _Minnehaha)_ were sunk in the lake. In 1979, the _Minnehaha's_ hull was found again on the bottom of the lake.* Restored in the 1990s, the _Minnehaha_ operated in museum service from 1996 on, shutting passengers across the lake between Excelsior and Wayzata. Sadly, she's been laid up since 2019; the Museum of Lake Minnetonka lost their launch site after that fall's take-out. They're still looking for a new place to get the boat in and out of the lake; I assume all the public boat launches are too small. More info: steamboatminnehaha.org/ As for something bigger... The _SS Badger_ is a coal-fired _car ferry_ steamship built in 1953. From May to October every year, she carries US Highway 10 the ~60 miles/100 km across Lake Michigan, between Luddington, Michigan and Manitowoc, Wisconsin. More info: www.ssbadger.com/ * Side note: When first found on the bottom, the _Minnehaha_ was thought to be a sister boat the _Hopkins_ -- one of the sold-off streetcar boats. The mistake wasn't found until _after_ they'd already raised her and cleaned the hull name off better. This led to years of legal limbo, because... 1.) The mistaken identity itself was a problem; the salvage permit had been for the _Hopkins,_ not the _Minnehaha._ 2.) The _Minnehaha_ had been sunk too long ago (>50 years at the time) to legally salvage under state preservation laws. (The _Hopkins_ had been sunk two decades later, recent enough at the time to still legally salvage.) And... 3.) Intentionally sinking the boat back to where it was would probably violate state pollution laws. Fortunately, preservation sense eventually won out. Especially since a volunteer group had already been keeping the boat from rotting away during that limbo. And in a final twist, the _Minnehaha's_ steering wheel _is_ from the _Hopkins,_ having been salvaged before the _Hopkins_ was sunk.
Thanks for sharing this informative video. I recently visited Loch Lomand in Scotland where they are currently repairing a paddle boat called Maid of The Loch which they hope to get working again.
@@bentilbury2002 Or walk across Hungerford Bridge footpath, being on Tower Bridge watching the roadway rise or the view from Westminster Bridge as it is now, remembering Wordsworth's poem on his view from that bridge. It's also worth sitting anywhere near the Thames on either bank, or on being any bridge. I have a photograph from the eighties I took on Victoria Rail Bridge looking up stream, at Vauxhall Bridge, on returning from Brighton, British Rail train, with the orange curtain from my side of the carriage in the view, at sunset.
The last Paddle steamer to work for British Rail was the Lincoln Castle, which was also built in Glasgow by A&J Inglis. She weas built in 1941 for the Humber ferry service which was run by the LNER and later, under British Railways, as a branch of Sealink. She was withdrawn in 1978 (four years after Waverley was sold by CalMac) , as her boiler certificate had expired and replacing it was not economic given that the ferry service would be withdrawn within three years when the Humber Bridge opened - the three year gap was filled by the "Farringford", a diesel-powered vessel that had been displaced from the Isle of Wight service by a larger ship. Lincoln Castle was converted to a floating restaurant, lying first at Hessle near Hull, later in Grimsby, but her condition deteriorated and she was cut up in 2010. Two older sisters, Tattershall Castle, and Wingfield Castle, were built in Hartlepool in 1934 and withdrawn in 1974. Tattershall is now a floating restaurant on the Thames, Wingfield is an exhibit at a Hartlepool maritime exhibition.
What a vessel. She looks like she could easily cruise along the north coast of Europe, get into the Med without too much difficulty, and honestly, if provisioned properly, I would believe that she could shoot the North Atlantic and make the crossing to Nova Scotia and North America. Would love to see her sail over here.
Two of her former fleet sailed very long distances. King Edward 1901-worlds first turbine passenger steamer, sailed to Murmansk and back during ww1. Queen Alexandra 1902 sailed to Vancouver to become Canadian Pacifics Princess Patricia in 1912.
What a fantastic little ship. It reminds me of the Earnslaw, a small steamer that has been running on lake Wakatipu since 1912 in the south island of New Zealand. Also originally owned and operated by a railway company, the NZGR or New Zealand Government Railways. It is the largest steamer ever built in NZ and is one of the last coal-fired steamers still operating.
Wonderful Waverley 😍 i had a lovely trip in her from Ipswich to Gravesend via tower bridge about the same time. She's a shining example of how a vessel in preservation should be, unlike how so many ships in museums are 'preserved'... My hat is doffed to this very hardworking ship and her equally hardworking crew⭐
Thankyou,, My Dad was passionate about the Waverley and if I recall correctly was at onetime a treasurer to their fundraising drive committee. We all had badges and I may still have mine somewhere, This was probably late 1970s
My wife and I took our first trip on the Waverley late June this year. We were off to the Isle of Bute as some of my distant relatives are from there. My father and uncle had many a holiday on the Island. She really is a magnificent vessel and being able to see the engines are something to belong.
..and "steaming" is Scottish slang for drunk 🥴. So called because you could enjoy alcohol on the Clyde steamers where licencing hours were less restricted than in Glasgow toon 😅
Never been on her down south but was on the last Scottish sailing before she headed down there. I got a tour of the bridge and the new boilers partly because I paid for part of them (and the dry dock appeal last winter - the term 'money pit' is not inappropriate here). Looking at the various videos of her on the south coast I can see why they do it - you'd never get that many folk on board in October on the Clyde.
She is a dear thing and a big part of our railway heritage. And will absolutely look up your play although I cannot promise to come without checking the diary
Thank you for restoring some sense of wonder to her. I knew she was significant as the (only?) paddle steamer still in service, but I've gotten so accustomed to seeing her go up and down the river all day on sunny days it's become just a normal thing for me. Somewhat how like I used to live along the route of a steam traction parade's yearly showing, so all sorts of steam-powered farm equipment would trundle along by the house every year and I never thought anything of it. But plenty of people travel across the country to see those!
Finally a method of transport I have actually been on! When it visited Milford Haven earlier in the year and we did actually go on the ocean (well the Celtic Sea anyway) 😀
@@thesloaneranger1 But she certainly gets to plenty of other places all around the country, typically spending 2-3 weeks in a given location. I travelled on her from Southampton at the beginning of September. A great experience! Another ex-Clyde boat is based there, the Shieldhall, though it had a less glamorous career, transporting sewage for dumping!
@@iankemp1131fyi The Shieldhall and her sister ships also carried passengers on their journeys up and down the Clyde, a tradition started by Glasgow Corporation during the First World War to help recuperating servicemen…
I'm from Australia and I have been enjoying many of your videos; in 2010 I visited the UK and had a cruise on the Waverley down the Clyde to Rothesay on the Isle of Bute, it was lovely. I was determined to do train travel and steam train trips such as The Jacobite to Mallaig, and Nth Yorkshire rail to Whitby, I travel again next year and I'll see what else I can find!
I went on the Waverly on the Clyde, in the early 80s - it went from Glasgow to Dunoon to Rothesay and back. All I really remember was the engine room and that there was a Pacman machine. Glad to see it's still going.
Great video. I hope that the other historic ship video you hinted at is the SS Shieldhall - much less well known than the Waverley but equally special and also still in service. In fact the Waverley and the Shieldhall met up this Septemeber off Bournemouth for a historic cruise.
I did a sailing course on the Kyles of Bute in the early 70's and remember being almost run down twice a day by a paddle steamer. We could hear it miles away and on it thundered towards us idiots who had no clue how to sail a small boat, especially in driving rain and strong winds - I never went sailing again!
The Clyde steamers were the origin of the use of the worf "steaming" for being drunk! Day trips down the Clyde and out to sea were not subject to the strict licensing laws of Victorian Presbyterian Scotland. So if you went on a steamer trip, you could get steaming drunk!
Went on it two weeks ago from Southend to Tower Hill, we go on it annually either from Southend or Whitstable. Truly fascinating trips, something new every year. London at night is an amazing sight as is the flood barrier and Tower bridge. Amazing value.
Hi Jago I can remember my Dad taking me on the Woolwich Ferry in the mid to late 60s and it was a Paddle Steamer,unfortunately can't remember its name. I loved my trip to high school from Colindale to Hendon Central on the old 1938 stock when they put the experimental carriage on with the round widows. Great memories keep up the good work. Ron.
I've taken many trips down the Thames on the Waverley, to Southend and beyond, over the last 30 years but not so much in recent years. It is quite expensive now but it is a lovely, relaxing trip and worth it, and I recommend a sail on it at least once. Thank you, Jago, for the review, and good luck with your play!
I gather there is a reason why LNER opted for a paddle steamer as late as 1947, to do with the shallow draught needed to get in to their steamer base at Craigendoran at low tide. That was where the railway to Helensburgh ran close to the water so passengers could walk from the train straight onto the ship. I can just remember steam trains (tank engines) from Glasgow Queen St Lower Level out to Craigendoran. Waverley draws only just over 6ft, whereas a propeller ship would need more to keep the propeller submerged. The diesel-electric paddle steamer Talisman was also one of theirs. They must have had a quite a fleet of them. When I was a child enjoying summer holidays on the Clyde in the 1960s, there were 3 paddle steamers operating: Waverley, Jeanie Deans and the single funnelled Caledonia. The LNER's rival on the south bank, LMS, used Gourock as their transfer terminal. They had no need for shallow draught paddle steamers, evidently. I was delighted to sail once more on Waverley, from Glasgow to Arrochar and back, this summer, some 60 years on.
Thank you, that has answered a question in my mind why they built paddle steamers so late, when other routes e.g. the Isle of Wight ferries were going over to twin-screw diesel boats. The Humber ferry was also a paddle steamer and I remember seeing comments on how it was churning up the mud at low tide, so that sounds the same reason. The last one is now moored in the Thames.
The Wiki entry on the Humber ferries says they were paddle steamers to cope with the shifting sands and shallows - so you are spot on, evidently. I see it is the Tattershall Castle that is still on the Thames, as a floating pub/restaurant. That has been the fate of a number of Clyde steamers too, including Maid of Ashton (twin screw diesel, which was our regular transport as kids, between Gourock, Kilcreggan and Blairmore) and Caledonia previously mentioned. Jeanie Deans cruised the Thames estuary, under the name Queen of the South, for a bit, before being broken up at Antwerp.
yes. specifically there is a sand bar off Craigendoran which limits the draught. Thats also why Jeanie Deans and Waverley were built to be pretty fast and quite large relative to CSP/LMS paddlers such as Caledonia because they were competing not just with the rival paddlers but with the LMS's snazzy turbine excursion steamers Duchess of Hamilton/Montrose. After nationalisation the duchesses did very occasionally visit Craigendoran at very high tides, theres probably a picture on google somewhere. ive definitely got a couple in books/crsc magazines. but it was pretty rare. Apparently at low tide Jeanie's bow was nestling in the sand so the turbines would need a lot more water.
Aha, a sand bar. So now we know. Thanks for that. I've seen pictures of the "Maids" (twin screw diesel boats) at Craigendoran, but of course they were quite small. And according Wiki, even so they drew 9ft, so 3ft more than the paddle steamers. I understand Waverley does 15 knots these days but can do 18 at a push (though probably not recommended for 75yr old machinery). Re competition, I would not be surprised if the open engines on these paddle steamers added to their attraction for excursions, certainly for generations of small boys and their dads. It would not have been all about speed.
i can't wait to see it. I live a few minutes walk from Killester Dart statio. This was built to service the "estate" of houses(where I live) built for the ex servicemen who fought in the first world war and was (I think ) originally a request stop.
My grandfather piloted her for years, she shouldn't have been the one chosen to be kept. But she's still beautiful and a welcome sight from my house for a good part of the year
My wife and I had the pleasure of a trip on the Waverley going from Dover to Tower Bridge via the Sea Forts. Brilliant, enjoyable day out, I still cherish the picture of my wife sitting on deck rain sodden and frozen!
I happened to see the PS Waverley when I was staying in Portsmouth last month after having gone to Goodwood Revival for the first time! Sadly I didn't get to sail on her since any of the sailing I would have taken where sold out before I got a chance.
I had the pleasure of a day cruise aboard from Glasgow to Tarbert and back this spring. The weather was not great, but you'd never have known it from the size and enthusiasm of the crowd on board and off. Truly an amazing experience, especially for anyone who loves steam engines, mechanical devices and hand stamped postcards!
![[UNCUT] The Loyal Pin ปิ่นภักดิ์ EP.6 (2/4)](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/GgeGQOP10RQ/mqdefault.jpg)
In 1970 my family was almost run down by The Waverley. We were on holiday staying at the Kames Hotel on the Kyles Of Bute (hotel is still there and still a great place for a quiet break by the way). The Waverley was one of a number of steamers which would call in at the pier in nearby Tighnabruaich and a magnificent sight in a stunning location. One day my dad rowed us across to the Isle Of Bute a mile or so away. After a picnic, we started the row back but, being Scotland, the sea fog quickly rolled in and it was all a bit dicey (or exciting if you were six). Then we heard it, the unmistakable sound of an approaching paddle steamer. We had no idea where it was until it loomed out of the murk, missing us by maybe 30m and we got tossed about a bit in the wake. Still, we didn't drown and made it back in time for tea.
Charmingly Blyton-esque!
Surely you were totally safe because she saw you on her radar?
She does have radar but would a rowing boat show up on it?@@tt-ew7rx
She still plies that route today. It might surprise you to know the distance from the shore by the Colintraive Hotel to the Isle of Bute is 350 metres!
The ferry Calmac uses is massive. It's one of the old Kyle of Lochalsh ferries that was being used at the time they ran them 24 hrs a day while the bridge was being built. @@beaumontluke
Mazel Tov on the new play! Break a leg! Chookas! Give 'em the old razzle-dazzle! That would be the best thing to come out of Teddington since Two-Ton Ted and the Baker's Van! Barring an extensive tour bringing your production to Broadway via Los Angeles, I should hope for a video recording!
You mentioned "tangential" connections at the close, and I am tangentially connected to this video! My ancestor is Robert Fulton, an engineer and inventor of some note who helped to make steam-powered ships a viable mode of transport! And you know, I don't see a thin dime from that work.
It is a remarkable sight seeing a steamship move across the water. The footage always looks sped up because we are so used to boat of size moving at a more leisurely clip. I am very pleased that you left space for ambient sound near the end to capture the sound of the Waverley's engines as she moved across the water. In way, that was the only justification needed for inclusion of the ship on a channel about locomotives. It is almost uncanny to hear THAT specific cadence on a watercraft!
Had the pleasure of her company from Minehead to Ilfracombe pre-pandemic. What a wonderful, atmospheric craft she is. You can smell her history.
Like Wetherspoons?
Crashed into Ilfracombe a few times
You can't say that last bit about MANY other things.
Far more class!@@frogandspanner
I travelled from Melbourne, Australia to see and go for a trip aboard the Waverley. It was treasured experience and I'm very glad that she is kept in service and in great condition.
The Waverley's smaller and lighter sister ship, 'Maid of the Loch', was built in 1953, seven years after the Waverley, and is situated on Loch Lomond at Balloch Pier, where it is presently being restored whilst open to the public. She is the last paddleship built in Britain, being a simpler and lighter version of the Waverley (555 tons against 693 tons), designed for freshwater cruising.
She had to be transported overland to Loch Lomond in parts after being built by A. & J. Inglis of Glasgow (as was the Waverley), then deconstructed for rail wagon transport and after an 8 mile trip to Balloch Pier was finally reconstructed on Loch Lomond, operating scheduled services on the loch from the rail terminus at Balloch Pier until 1981.
Well worth a visit if you are in the Glasgow area, and certainly worthy of a video from Mr Hazzard sometime!
Enjoyed a voyage on the Maid from Balloch to Rowardden in 1978 to walk up the East side of Loch Lomond long before there was a proper path. Got eaten alive by the 'wee peskies'.
Since this video was filmed she has been put up on the slipway for work on her Hull and paddles:
th-cam.com/video/ABNuV_NLgZA/w-d-xo.htmlsi=oeA3dTgD3FAaBzxc
My father recalled a locally-made silent film in Glasgow in the 1920s, about Bonnie Prince Charlie. As Fiona MacDonald rowed him over the sea to Skye, and the pianist played the appropriate tune, in the background a ferry packet steamed past in the opposite direction.
A true Clydebuilt and Scottish icon, been a long-term goal to travel on her (one day as I keep promising myself). Honestly wasn't expecting this video from you, but it's a very pleasant surprise as you can imagine. ;)
Despite how late in the game she was built, the Waverley of 1947 wasn't the last paddle steamer to be built in the UK (or the last built in a Clyde shipyard), that honour goes to the Maid of the Loch (also built by A.& J. Inglis) of 1953. Ordered by the British Transport Commission, she was built for Loch Lomond cruises between Balloch and Ardlui (Inversnaid in later years) for over 28 years. She would undergo the same ownership changes as the Waverley did in 1969 and 1973, finally being retired in August 1981. After over a decade of decay and neglect, she was bought by the local council in 1992, who later supported a local group of enthusiasts to set up a charity to oversee further restoration work in 1995. As of me writing this, there is a ongoing project to restore her to operational condition.
One interesting thing to note is that she is a 'knock-down' ship: in other words, she was launched, then dismantled and transported by rail to Balloch Pier (this was pre-Glasgow Blue Train of course, so no need to worry about overhead wires) and put back together on a purpose-built slipway there.
BTC must have been mad to order a 555t vessel in 1953. they would've been better simply continuing on with the Edwardian boat 'Prince Edward' they had. freshwater/condition cant have been that bad. ships of a similar age and older continue on Swiss lakes. would've made a nice contrast with Waverley as well.
Instead they blew a load of cash on a boat twice the size of the previous loch lomond boats just a few years before the people of Scotland started jetting off to Marbella. hindsight's 20/20 but even so...
@@andrewyoung749 BTC obviously had wangled a "capital" budget from the Govt that had to be spent
@@andrewyoung749 Hindsight is just that as you say. She wasn't the most questionable investment the BTC made or signed off on in the 50s, but whatever hangups I may have over her being built so late on, am glad she's still with us given her historical significance.
I have been on both the Maid of the Loch and the Waverley. Spent most of the time watching the engines!
It looks like you've answered my - probably dumb - question. I was travelling up the West Coast a few weeks ago. In Balloch I overheard a couple talking about their forthcoming trip on the Waverley. It had me thinking - can she travel up the Vale to Loch Lomond? Given your comment about the other steamer travelling by rail - I guess not!
I took a trip on her in the early 80s, Bideford to Lundy and back. A storm blew up on the return journey and she struggled in the rough seas entering the Taw/Torridge Estuary (renowned as being potentially dangerous due to sandbanks). Us passengers had to huddle in the indoor compartments as spray covered the deck. It took about 20 minutes to cover a few hundred yards in the estuary mouth but she got us back safely in the end. It was a great adventure for me as a young lad and lovely to be reminded of it all these years later. Also good to see the old girl is still going strong. Thanks, Jago.
Huh. I knew "Menzies" and "Dalziel", but I wasn't expecting "Inglis" to be pronounced like that. But knowing a bit about how Scottish English and Scots have been written through the years, it makes complete sense. Neat. I love learning little tidbits like this in completely incidental ways. 😻
It's a zogh not a z that's why.
I hope your play gets well received by the audience. Given your writing skills which we have the pleasure of listening to while viewing your uploads on this channel, I'm certain they won't force you to walk the plank at the end of the show. I do love watching your tales of all things train related, both overground and of the below ground variety. Keep it up, Jago. Cheers from a faithful subscriber in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Southend on Sea Pier was originally a steam boat pier for trips for France.
So the second Waverly was a Dunkirk hero, like so many other little boats. ❤
So now Uber has the Thames taxi boats, typical, I bet they don't make much money from them, except in summer.
Uber boats ( Thames Clipper ) are cool. Much more civilised than an overcrowded tube or train. If you live east of Tower Bridge you should try it.
I don't think Uber ever makes money.
Just checked, they finally made a profit in 1 quarter this year.
The Clippers are a fun way to travel into the city and are surprisingly fast. I only realised this while travelling on one and noticed we were overtaking the cars driving along The Embankment. Oh and the engines sound fantastic as well. 👍
@@PesmogI think there's a 30 knot limit throughout most of central London on the Thames now. The Top Gear speedboat/transport/car/bicycle race would not be as good if it were re-enacted.
7:56 WAIT, WHAT! WOW such wonderful news! Good luck to you and the team 👏🏽
Ive been on the Waverley many times - the best Clyde booze-cruise around! The engine room is the best place to be though, as the sight, sound and smell is mesmerising :) In recent years shes been re-boilered, grounded on the Gantocks at Dunoon, crashed into the pier at Arran and suffered a pranged bow at Rothesay, so shes been out of service quite alot, but this year she thankfully managed to stay in one piece :) Im so glad you got to have a trip "doon the watter" on our grand old lady of the Clyde.
Agree, the two times I have travelled on Waverley I spent a great deal of time in the engine room just watching the wonders of reciprocating steam engines.
What a wonderful episode, it made me cry with pride for such a beautiful, beautiful piece of British engineering...Greetings from Lutherstadt Wittenberg ,Germany.
Great boat - and hope your play goes well!
I first heard of the PS Waverley about 4 hours ago, having attempted to google the station in Edinburgh. Safe to say I was a bit spooked to get the notification for this video.
Much success with your play. Let us know how it went.
Ah, you have been Doon the Watter, young sir! A rite of passage for any Glaswegian, I did it to Dunoon when I was 11.
Airdrieonians too.Into the 1960s you could still get a connection off Craigendoran Pier from the brand new electric "Blue Trains".
A manager i worked with was born in Oban and took the Waverley ‘doon the waater’ to Glasgow to attend Uni. He went back to see parents in the mid 2000s and due to rail strike. Had to take, yep Waverley to Oban.
I used to live next to the Thames. When the Waverley was coming you knew from the thumping of the paddles. Always a glorious sight.
Great video, as always. I am Dutch but I met Waverley in Portsmouth back in 1997, where she helped to spark my interest into passengersships. I also have a great interest in trains and play theater myself so this vid just combines all of my hobbies in one, thanks! And have a few wonderfull shows in London!
She is a very, very fine vessel. The trip down the Thames is fascinating, very graceful and catches eyes where ever she goes. I did the trip to the Thames Forts and back in early October (p.s. the fish & chips were excellent).
Ah, I missed that! I contemplated going this year but didnt get the brochure with the Thames dates until it was too late. Another time, hopefully. Which of the forts did it go to, or was it both?
@@nelliemelba4967 We sailed round both of them. The light was really good so one could really see the amount of corrosion damage.
Amazing news on the play! Absolutely brilliant! Well done and best of luck!
My Dad has just completed her last two sailings up on the Clyde last weekend before her Winter Layoff.
As a family we have clocked up over 500 trips on her .
She is a beautiful vessel .
Back in 2016 i did a day trip from Southampton around the Solent & Isle Of Wight, Unknown to me until the taxi driver advised me on my trip from Southampton to the Docks that Queen Mary 2 the Cunard Liner was in , I was totally in awe that Waverley was on the berth opposite Queen Mary 2 , Later in the cruise while heading back up the River to Southampton Queen Mary 2 passed us . What a day 😀
Good luck Jago with your Play and Arrrrrrrrr
Despite living on the Firth of Clyde coast for over forty years, I only broke my Waverley duck last year and went on it again this summer. It's a splendid way to spend a few hours, retaining as it does its old world charm. I'm glad to see it being used in other areas of the UK but it is really at home cruising around places such as Arran and Ailsa Craig.
Seeing the Waverley brings back happy memories of travelling from Portsmouth to the Isle of Wight on the Paddle Steamers back in the 1950's, for days out with family and friends. I have no idea when they were withdrawn from service, as my father's employment took us overseas for several years and when we returned to the UK, he was posted to West Wales for six years, until the late 1960's. Thanks for an excellent and informative episode.
The last paddle steamer, Ryde, was used till 1970 although only for extras in the high summer peak period. There were attempts to preserve and reuse her (as a floating nightclub at one stage) but sadly it just proved Jago's point that historic ships are VERY costly to maintain, and she is now a rusting hulk in the River Medina.
What a wonderful story. Thanks, Jago.😀
I often visited towns near the Murray River in Australia when I was young, so sometimes I got the chance to travel on heritage paddle steamers along the river.
Although in comparison to the Waveley, those river-bound vessels might as well be toys.
Went on her to Southend and back with a mate about 18 years ago, coming back into London at night is amazing as everyone stops and looks as she passes under Tower Bridge
It was nice to see the Waverly and HMS Belfast side by side, as one of my grandfathers helped build the Waverly, and the other helped build the Belfast.
Congratulations on the play! Hope it goes wonderfully!
She used to come to Bournemouth quite frequently, which was when I rode her during my school days in the 80s. I've seen her more recently down in Swanage.
I get to see this little beauty fairly regularly off the coast of Clacton.
I am old enough to remember travelling on a paddle steamer on the Clyde and being entranced by the rhythm of the engines, it was amazing. I also remember the shipbuilding yards and the assault ship Fearless being built in one of the yards. A trip to Arran followed again absolutely completely memorable.
fearless was built in belfast by harlands
the sister ship , intrepid, was clydebuilt by no less than Browns.
@@andrewyoung749 Many thanks, to be honest I was guessing it was Fearless, I have a black and white photo of Intrepid I took at the time facing backwards out of the yard toward the Clyde. Somewhere I still have a cigarette card painted picture of the class of ship!
A hull of a video, Jago! I bow to your ability to funnel your talent toward another ocean of interest. Hopefully you won't garner any stern comments for your effort. Cherrio.
I had a lovely day trip around the Scottish island of Arran a few years ago. Highly recommended for anyone who gets the chance. Since I live in Aberdeenshire I’m afraid Treasure Island will have to wait until it goes on a national tour, but good luck with it.
Thank you Jago. As an retired seafarer, as well as a railway buff, I found this particularly interesting. I have followed the Wakerley for many years, and my kids and grandkids, went on one of the London Thames cruises you mention. No ticker for poor old granddad, but, there you go.
Keep up your excellent newsy, interesting and humorous work.
Cheers
Mike
What a gorgeous vessel. Thanks for sharing
A tale from the boiler tube!
So good to see she's still sailing. Went on the jazz cruise on the Thames a couple of times 30+ years ago. Beautiful vessel.
If you get a chance to travel on her, do so. I did in Scotland in 1993 and it was fantastic. The sounds and smells are like nothing you get today.
Going from railway history to writing plays? Jago is a man of many talents. Hope it does well!
Thanks again Jago. My parents have travelled on the Waverley..i have yet to but will. You are making "waves" with this video.
Had the absolute pleasure of boarding her at Southend Pier and bidding her a fond farewell at London Bridge this month, she a lovely old girl and the opportunity to have a sparkly lit London bridge open her bascules so we could travel through was an opportunity too great to miss, definitely the highlight of the trip, closely followed by the macaroni cheese.
I think I'll do the forts cruise next year :)
Well done to the ship, her crews and the people who keep her afloat. This video reminds me of one made by military historian Mark Felton about WW2 warships that have been in active service in 2021.
Oh nice! I've love a ride on a boat like that someday.
Closest thing to this for me (here in Minnesota, US) is the _Minnehaha,_ an old "streetcar" steamboat on Lake Minnetonka, a large lake ~10 miles west of Minneapolis.
Originally built in 1906, it was one of a fleet of small steamboats styled like streetcars (trams) and owned by our local streetcar company Twin City Lines. From the 1900s on, they shuttled passengers around the lake's many bays and inlets from spring through fall. But by the mid 1920s, they'd lost too much traffic to cars and improved roads, so Twin City Lines took them out of service in 1926. A few were sold off; the rest (including the _Minnehaha)_ were sunk in the lake.
In 1979, the _Minnehaha's_ hull was found again on the bottom of the lake.* Restored in the 1990s, the _Minnehaha_ operated in museum service from 1996 on, shutting passengers across the lake between Excelsior and Wayzata. Sadly, she's been laid up since 2019; the Museum of Lake Minnetonka lost their launch site after that fall's take-out. They're still looking for a new place to get the boat in and out of the lake; I assume all the public boat launches are too small.
More info: steamboatminnehaha.org/
As for something bigger... The _SS Badger_ is a coal-fired _car ferry_ steamship built in 1953. From May to October every year, she carries US Highway 10 the ~60 miles/100 km across Lake Michigan, between Luddington, Michigan and Manitowoc, Wisconsin.
More info: www.ssbadger.com/
* Side note: When first found on the bottom, the _Minnehaha_ was thought to be a sister boat the _Hopkins_ -- one of the sold-off streetcar boats. The mistake wasn't found until _after_ they'd already raised her and cleaned the hull name off better. This led to years of legal limbo, because...
1.) The mistaken identity itself was a problem; the salvage permit had been for the _Hopkins,_ not the _Minnehaha._
2.) The _Minnehaha_ had been sunk too long ago (>50 years at the time) to legally salvage under state preservation laws. (The _Hopkins_ had been sunk two decades later, recent enough at the time to still legally salvage.) And...
3.) Intentionally sinking the boat back to where it was would probably violate state pollution laws.
Fortunately, preservation sense eventually won out. Especially since a volunteer group had already been keeping the boat from rotting away during that limbo.
And in a final twist, the _Minnehaha's_ steering wheel _is_ from the _Hopkins,_ having been salvaged before the _Hopkins_ was sunk.
She’s a lovely boat. Best of luck with the play!
Thanks for sharing this informative video. I recently visited Loch Lomand in Scotland where they are currently repairing a paddle boat called Maid of The Loch which they hope to get working again.
I love the Thames.
Have you been on the ferries at Woolwich? It's an interesting experience.
@@julianaylor4351 indeed I have.
The view from Blackfriars Bridge station is worth a trip in itself.
@@bentilbury2002 Or walk across Hungerford Bridge footpath, being on Tower Bridge watching the roadway rise or the view from Westminster Bridge as it is now, remembering Wordsworth's poem on his view from that bridge. It's also worth sitting anywhere near the Thames on either bank, or on being any bridge. I have a photograph from the eighties I took on Victoria Rail Bridge looking up stream, at Vauxhall Bridge, on returning from Brighton, British Rail train, with the orange curtain from my side of the carriage in the view, at sunset.
The last Paddle steamer to work for British Rail was the Lincoln Castle, which was also built in Glasgow by A&J Inglis. She weas built in 1941 for the Humber ferry service which was run by the LNER and later, under British Railways, as a branch of Sealink. She was withdrawn in 1978 (four years after Waverley was sold by CalMac) , as her boiler certificate had expired and replacing it was not economic given that the ferry service would be withdrawn within three years when the Humber Bridge opened - the three year gap was filled by the "Farringford", a diesel-powered vessel that had been displaced from the Isle of Wight service by a larger ship. Lincoln Castle was converted to a floating restaurant, lying first at Hessle near Hull, later in Grimsby, but her condition deteriorated and she was cut up in 2010.
Two older sisters, Tattershall Castle, and Wingfield Castle, were built in Hartlepool in 1934 and withdrawn in 1974. Tattershall is now a floating restaurant on the Thames, Wingfield is an exhibit at a Hartlepool maritime exhibition.
What a vessel. She looks like she could easily cruise along the north coast of Europe, get into the Med without too much difficulty, and honestly, if provisioned properly, I would believe that she could shoot the North Atlantic and make the crossing to Nova Scotia and North America. Would love to see her sail over here.
Two of her former fleet sailed very long distances.
King Edward 1901-worlds first turbine passenger steamer, sailed to Murmansk and back during ww1.
Queen Alexandra 1902 sailed to Vancouver to become Canadian Pacifics Princess Patricia in 1912.
What a fantastic little ship. It reminds me of the Earnslaw, a small steamer that has been running on lake Wakatipu since 1912 in the south island of New Zealand. Also originally owned and operated by a railway company, the NZGR or New Zealand Government Railways. It is the largest steamer ever built in NZ and is one of the last coal-fired steamers still operating.
I saw the Waverley from the Gun in the Docklands a couple of weeks ago. Shortly afterwards a cruise ship went by. Didn't get half as much attention. 😊
Wonderful Waverley 😍 i had a lovely trip in her from Ipswich to Gravesend via tower bridge about the same time. She's a shining example of how a vessel in preservation should be, unlike how so many ships in museums are 'preserved'...
My hat is doffed to this very hardworking ship and her equally hardworking crew⭐
Thankyou,, My Dad was passionate about the Waverley and if I recall correctly was at onetime a treasurer to their fundraising drive committee. We all had badges and I may still have mine somewhere, This was probably late 1970s
Wow! What a fine ship. Thanks for covering this.
My wife and I took our first trip on the Waverley late June this year. We were off to the Isle of Bute as some of my distant relatives are from there. My father and uncle had many a holiday on the Island. She really is a magnificent vessel and being able to see the engines are something to belong.
..and "steaming" is Scottish slang for drunk 🥴. So called because you could enjoy alcohol on the Clyde steamers where licencing hours were less restricted than in Glasgow toon 😅
SS Shieldhall in Southampton is another museum ship that is worthy of the Jago Hazard treatment,
The interiors of the Waverley are very retro and I love that! 👏🏽
Never been on her down south but was on the last Scottish sailing before she headed down there. I got a tour of the bridge and the new boilers partly because I paid for part of them (and the dry dock appeal last winter - the term 'money pit' is not inappropriate here). Looking at the various videos of her on the south coast I can see why they do it - you'd never get that many folk on board in October on the Clyde.
She is a dear thing and a big part of our railway heritage.
And will absolutely look up your play although I cannot promise to come without checking the diary
I demand an episode on train ferries!
Thank you for restoring some sense of wonder to her. I knew she was significant as the (only?) paddle steamer still in service, but I've gotten so accustomed to seeing her go up and down the river all day on sunny days it's become just a normal thing for me.
Somewhat how like I used to live along the route of a steam traction parade's yearly showing, so all sorts of steam-powered farm equipment would trundle along by the house every year and I never thought anything of it. But plenty of people travel across the country to see those!
my first school trip was on the ship, it was great going up the Clyde watching the water wheels push the boat
Finally a method of transport I have actually been on! When it visited Milford Haven earlier in the year and we did actually go on the ocean (well the Celtic Sea anyway) 😀
Sailed on the White Funnel fleet from Swansea to Ilfacombe many times. Wonderful vessels
Waverly's out there living her best life💅🏾
What a beautiful ship. How can we know where she's going to be sailing?
She has her own website. Search Waverley Excursions.
The Waverley website. However, she spends most of the year on the Clyde.
@@thesloaneranger1 But she certainly gets to plenty of other places all around the country, typically spending 2-3 weeks in a given location. I travelled on her from Southampton at the beginning of September. A great experience! Another ex-Clyde boat is based there, the Shieldhall, though it had a less glamorous career, transporting sewage for dumping!
@@iankemp1131fyi The Shieldhall and her sister ships also carried passengers on their journeys up and down the Clyde, a tradition started by Glasgow Corporation during the First World War to help recuperating servicemen…
I'm from Australia and I have been enjoying many of your videos; in 2010 I visited the UK and had a cruise on the Waverley down the Clyde to Rothesay on the Isle of Bute, it was lovely. I was determined to do train travel and steam train trips such as The Jacobite to Mallaig, and Nth Yorkshire rail to Whitby, I travel again next year and I'll see what else I can find!
I’ve only ever been on once, around 1981. I remember being quite excited by Jonathan Cohen, of Play Away and Play School fame being on board
I went on the Waverly on the Clyde, in the early 80s - it went from Glasgow to Dunoon to Rothesay and back. All I really remember was the engine room and that there was a Pacman machine. Glad to see it's still going.
Great video. I hope that the other historic ship video you hinted at is the SS Shieldhall - much less well known than the Waverley but equally special and also still in service. In fact the Waverley and the Shieldhall met up this Septemeber off Bournemouth for a historic cruise.
I did a sailing course on the Kyles of Bute in the early 70's and remember being almost run down twice a day by a paddle steamer. We could hear it miles away and on it thundered towards us idiots who had no clue how to sail a small boat, especially in driving rain and strong winds - I never went sailing again!
Happy memories of this beauty.
That opening shot of Waverley next to HMS Belfast is *Chef's kiss*.
The Clyde steamers were the origin of the use of the worf "steaming" for being drunk! Day trips down the Clyde and out to sea were not subject to the strict licensing laws of Victorian Presbyterian Scotland. So if you went on a steamer trip, you could get steaming drunk!
Went on it two weeks ago from Southend to Tower Hill, we go on it annually either from Southend or Whitstable. Truly fascinating trips, something new every year. London at night is an amazing sight as is the flood barrier and Tower bridge. Amazing value.
Hi Jago
I can remember my Dad taking me on the Woolwich Ferry in the mid to late 60s and it was a Paddle Steamer,unfortunately can't remember its name.
I loved my trip to high school from Colindale to Hendon Central on the old 1938 stock when they put the experimental carriage on with the round widows.
Great memories keep up the good work.
Ron.
Another excellent video, thanks. I rode around Dublin bay on board her in what must have been 1985. (was it really that long ago!)
"...You are the New Boilers to my Triple-Expansion Engine..."
Best Line Yet!
“You are the new boilers to my triple expansion engine” sounds like something said to Barbara Windsor in “Carry On, Rail Hazzard” 😀
Another outstanding video. If I lived in London I would definitely go to see Treasure Island. 👍👍👍⭐️⭐️⭐️ from 🇦🇺
I've taken many trips down the Thames on the Waverley, to Southend and beyond, over the last 30 years but not so much in recent years. It is quite expensive now but it is a lovely, relaxing trip and worth it, and I recommend a sail on it at least once. Thank you, Jago, for the review, and good luck with your play!
I gather there is a reason why LNER opted for a paddle steamer as late as 1947, to do with the shallow draught needed to get in to their steamer base at Craigendoran at low tide. That was where the railway to Helensburgh ran close to the water so passengers could walk from the train straight onto the ship. I can just remember steam trains (tank engines) from Glasgow Queen St Lower Level out to Craigendoran. Waverley draws only just over 6ft, whereas a propeller ship would need more to keep the propeller submerged. The diesel-electric paddle steamer Talisman was also one of theirs. They must have had a quite a fleet of them. When I was a child enjoying summer holidays on the Clyde in the 1960s, there were 3 paddle steamers operating: Waverley, Jeanie Deans and the single funnelled Caledonia. The LNER's rival on the south bank, LMS, used Gourock as their transfer terminal. They had no need for shallow draught paddle steamers, evidently.
I was delighted to sail once more on Waverley, from Glasgow to Arrochar and back, this summer, some 60 years on.
Thank you, that has answered a question in my mind why they built paddle steamers so late, when other routes e.g. the Isle of Wight ferries were going over to twin-screw diesel boats. The Humber ferry was also a paddle steamer and I remember seeing comments on how it was churning up the mud at low tide, so that sounds the same reason. The last one is now moored in the Thames.
The Wiki entry on the Humber ferries says they were paddle steamers to cope with the shifting sands and shallows - so you are spot on, evidently. I see it is the Tattershall Castle that is still on the Thames, as a floating pub/restaurant. That has been the fate of a number of Clyde steamers too, including Maid of Ashton (twin screw diesel, which was our regular transport as kids, between Gourock, Kilcreggan and Blairmore) and Caledonia previously mentioned. Jeanie Deans cruised the Thames estuary, under the name Queen of the South, for a bit, before being broken up at Antwerp.
yes. specifically there is a sand bar off Craigendoran which limits the draught. Thats also why Jeanie Deans and Waverley were built to be pretty fast and quite large relative to CSP/LMS paddlers such as Caledonia because they were competing not just with the rival paddlers but with the LMS's snazzy turbine excursion steamers Duchess of Hamilton/Montrose.
After nationalisation the duchesses did very occasionally visit Craigendoran at very high tides, theres probably a picture on google somewhere. ive definitely got a couple in books/crsc magazines. but it was pretty rare. Apparently at low tide Jeanie's bow was nestling in the sand so the turbines would need a lot more water.
Aha, a sand bar. So now we know. Thanks for that. I've seen pictures of the "Maids" (twin screw diesel boats) at Craigendoran, but of course they were quite small. And according Wiki, even so they drew 9ft, so 3ft more than the paddle steamers. I understand Waverley does 15 knots these days but can do 18 at a push (though probably not recommended for 75yr old machinery).
Re competition, I would not be surprised if the open engines on these paddle steamers added to their attraction for excursions, certainly for generations of small boys and their dads. It would not have been all about speed.
I went on her a few weeks ago to visit the Maunsell Forts in the Estuary! Was absolutely fantastic
i can't wait to see it. I live a few minutes walk from Killester Dart statio. This was built to service the "estate" of houses(where I live) built for the ex servicemen who fought in the first world war and was (I think ) originally a request stop.
brilliant history from the best on TH-cam, bravo JH
...and best of luck with your play
My grandfather piloted her for years, she shouldn't have been the one chosen to be kept. But she's still beautiful and a welcome sight from my house for a good part of the year
Did a trip 'doon the water' in the mid 1960s. A fascinating journey for a young boy.
Lovely piece of machinery. It spent some time at Penarth, which is South West of Cardiff, a few years ago.
If you like transport, for me this is the best days out of the year.
My wife and I had the pleasure of a trip on the Waverley going from Dover to Tower Bridge via the Sea Forts. Brilliant, enjoyable day out, I still cherish the picture of my wife sitting on deck rain sodden and frozen!
I happened to see the PS Waverley when I was staying in Portsmouth last month after having gone to Goodwood Revival for the first time! Sadly I didn't get to sail on her since any of the sailing I would have taken where sold out before I got a chance.
I was on that boat on the 3 October. I got on at gravesend and went up to Southend and Whitstable and back nice day out
I had the pleasure of a day cruise aboard from Glasgow to Tarbert and back this spring. The weather was not great, but you'd never have known it from the size and enthusiasm of the crowd on board and off. Truly an amazing experience, especially for anyone who loves steam engines, mechanical devices and hand stamped postcards!
Hi Jago from Spain. My favourite was the Medway Queen and I rode on it several times from Southnd pier to Chatham and back.
I did it to Loch Long in July with my parents. A great trip
I was on Waverley's last commercial voyage under Macbrayne's ownership. She's a wonderful boat.
What a lovely dear old girl she is!!!!!