Southwestern Steamers in L.M.S. days

on May 13, 2018

The post World War I fleets of the Caledonian Steam Packet Co., Ltd. and the Glasgow and South Western Railway Co., Ltd, have been documented in a previous article, along with their amalgamation on January 1, 1923, and the initial years under the control of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway Co., Ltd. In 1923, the Glasgow and South Western steamers came under the ownership of the newly formed railway company while the Caledonian steamers remained with the Caledonian Steam Packet Co., allowing them greater freedom to sail to destinations on Kintyre and Loch Fyne. Both sets of steamers retained their hull colours but appeared with yellow funnels with a red band and black top. In the following year, the hull colour was standardized to black. This article follows the steamers from the 1925 season when the red band was removed and the fleet had the yellow black-topped funnel that...

Lochfyne

on May 8, 2018

At the Dumbarton yard of Messrs William Denny & Brothers, Ltd., on March 20, 1931, Lochfyne was named by Lady Stamp, wife of Sir Josiah Stamp, President of the L.M.S. Railway Co., and she slid down the ways to the accompaniment of bagpipe music. So began the story of a vessel built for the Clyde and West Highland trade of Messrs David Macbrayne (1928) Ltd., with an innovative Diesel-electric propulsion. The year 1927 had not been kind to Messrs Macbrayne. In that year, two fine paddle steamers, Chevalier and Grenadier had been lost and the subsequent reorganization of the struggling company promised the addition of four new vessels to the fleet. The Lochfyne was the last of the four, and some idea of the novelty she provided can be gleaned from her description in “The Rock” magazine. “Twin Screw Diesel-Electric Vessel Lochfyne “This vessel has recently been delivered to Messrs...

Pirnmill and the west of Arran

on Apr 29, 2018

The hamlet of Pirnmill on the west coast of Arran derives its name from the mill set up by the Clark family of Paisley for the production of bobbins or pirns. The photograph above shows the pirn mill itself after it became Currie’s grocer and general merchants. With the advent of the steamboat, Pirnmill became a calling point, served by a ferry-boat. It was the Campbeltown and Glasgow Steam Packet Co. that opened up the trade and included the ferry stop in its itinerary, and for many years this was the only regular stop on the west coast of Arran. In the 1860s, the steamboat Herald was placed on a new route to Campbeltown from Fairlie and it called at the ferries of Pirnmill, Machrie and Blackwaterfoot, favouring the Arran shore of the Kilbrannan Sound rather than Carradale and the Kintyre shore. Indeed the calls at Blackwaterfoot and Machrie were also made by the turbine steamers...

Erskine Ferry

on Apr 25, 2018

There has been a crossing point of the Clyde at Erskine for about as long as records have been kept. In fact there were two crossings, the West Ferry, closer to Dumbarton and the East Ferry, at Old Kilpatrick. The early ferries were rowed across and also provided a connection to the early steamboats passing on the river. Unfortunately there were accidents. “Friday afternoon, at Erskine Ferry, a ferry-boat, containing three passengers and the boatman, was run down by the Helensburgh steam-boat. The passengers were immediately picked up, owing to the activity of the crew of the Helensburgh, but the boatman never rose. We understand that no blame whatever can be attached to the persons who managed the steam-boat, the unhappy accident being entirely attributable to the unskillful conduct of the poor man who has lost his life. He was from the Isle of Mull.—Edinburgh Observer”—The Globe,...

Hoppers

on Mar 27, 2018

I’ve a special liking for the work of the Wishaw photographer, Charles Reid whose photographs of animals, both domestic and wild are delightful. This unusual photograph entitled “Gulls” brings to the fore a sight that was at one time very familiar on the river and estuary of the Clyde; the modest hopper. Designed to take the spoil from the dredging of the river and harbour, hoppers were self-propelled and took the place of mud punts that continued in use until the 1880s and beyond. Mud punts had sufficed when the dredged material was used as fill on the river banks, but with the widening of the river, it was necessary to move the material over much greater distances. The first of the hoppers came from the yard of Messrs William Simons & Co., Renfrew, in 1862. The vessel could be filled with spoil and then sail to the dumping ground in deep water where the bottom of the hold opened...

Skipness

on Mar 25, 2018

The Estate of Skipness, since ancient times, was in the hands of the Campbell family, and during that time, in 1834, a quay was built to protect the fishing fleet from the regular gales that roared up the Sound of Kilbrannan. The village itself is strung out along a sandy bay with the Mansion House and Skipness Castle to the east, to Skipness point that marks the entrance to Loch Fyne. The little harbour was located north of the point. In 1843, the estate was sold to William Fraser, who sold it in 1866 to the trustees for the Robert G. Graham family of licensed grocers from Glasgow. At the time, Robert Graham had not reached the age of majority. The Graham family quickly set about improving the policies. Skipness Pier with Minard Castle Around 1878, a new iron pier was erected, made from used rails of the Great Western Railway. It was built north of the fishing quay and roughly two...