The North British paddle steamers sailing out of their base at Craigendoran were able to maintain services well into the early years of the First World War. In 1915, Waverley continued sailing to Arrochar and Lochgoilhead until September when she was called up to join Marmion which had gone in June. Kenilworth had been reboilered early in the year and appeared that season with her fore-saloon extended to the full width of the hull and her bridge brought forward of the funnel. She served the Dunoon and Holy Loch connection along with Talisman while Lucy Ashton maintained service to the Gareloch piers. Dandie Dinmont was the spare boat. It was 1917 before Talisman and Kenilworth went to war, leaving Lucy Ashton and Dandie Dimont to cover the Craigendoran services for the remainder of the emergency.

Dandie Dinmont approaching Dunoon around 1920 (McGeachie)

 

Kenilworth in Rothesay Bay around 1923 (Adamson)

Craigendoran Pier in 1919

Kenilworth and Talisman were first to return in March 1919 while Waverley and Marmion arrived a month later. Little renovation was required for Kenilworth and she joined Lucy Ashton and Dandie Dinmont in May, providing the Arrochar connection that summer. Talisman appeared in October, now modified with a full-width fore-saloon and bridge forward of the funnel like her quasi-sister.

Lucy Ashton at Garelochhead

Talisman in 1920

Talisman approaching Dunoon around 1920 (McGeachie)

For wartime duties, both Marmion and Waverley had been plated to the bow and Waverley’s bridge brought forward of the funnel and these features were retained when the steamers entered service in the summer of 1920. The new configurations had an effect and Waverley experienced little more than a loss of speed. However, Marmion had more serious defects and her new arrangement made her unstable with a crowd on board; so much so that she was laid up at the end of the season in Bowling Harbour.

Waverley at Craigendoran

Waverley at Arrrochar

 

Waverley at Arrochar

Waverley at speed

Sailing on Loch Long in Waverley in 1920

Waverley, when she appeared had new life-saving equipment stowed in lockers on the top of the aft deck houses. This feature was was introduced on all the steamers over the next few years.

Waverley off Gourock around 1923 (Robertson)

Waverley off Dunoon around 1923 (McGeachie)

Waverley (Adamson)

The services over the next two years had Waverley on the Arrochar and Lochgoilhead connections, Talisman and Kenilworth sailing to Rothesay with Dandie Dinmont on the Holy Loch route and Lucy Ashton on the Gareloch and Greenock ferry connections.

On January 1, 1923, ownership of the Craigendoran fleet was transferred from the North British Railway to the London and North Eastern Railway. However, there was little change to outward appearances as the North British colours were retained.

Kenilworth approaching Dunoon in 1923 (McGeachie)

Kenilworth off Gourock (Robertson)

Talisman in Rothesay Bay (Adamson)

Talisman in Rothesay Bay in 1924 (Valentine)

Craigendoran around 1923

Craigendoran around 1923

The new owners took some interest in Marmion and her plated in bow was removed and replaced by a short fore-saloon, restoring her trim. She was not required for service and remained the spare steamer, laid up at Bowling in her newly renovated condition.

Kenilworth in Rothesay Bay (Adamson)

Talisman off Gourock (Robertson)

Lucy Ashton (Robertson)

Dandie Dinmont (Robertson)

Dandie Dinmont on the Holy Loch service at Craigendoran

Dandie Dinmont at Craigendoran

Early in 1926, Dandie Dinmont was laid up in Bowling Harbour and was replaced by Marmion. The following year, Dandie sailed round the coast to the Humber where she was renamed Frodingham and maintained the Humber ferry service for many years.

Marmion (Adamson)

Marmion approaching Innellan

Marmion approaching Auchenlochan (Spencer)

Marmion at Auchenlochan (Spencer)

Marmion in the Kyles (Spencer)

The rejuvenated Marmion was to be found mainly on the Rothesay service, sharing duties with Kenilworth and Talisman. She took up the Kyles sailing.

Waverley on a choppy day in 1927

Waverley at Ardnadam

Talisman at Innellan

Talisman at Rothesay with Eagle III

Increased competition from the new Glen Sannox and Duchess of Montrose of the Caledonian Company prompted an investment in a new steamer at Craigendoran. The order for a paddler, necessary because of the shallow waters at Craignedoran, went to the Fairfield Company, and the Jeanie Deans was launched at Govan on April 7, 1931.

In going to the Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Co. Ltd., for their new steamer, the L.N.E.R. was breaking with tradition. Most of their vessels had come from the yard of Messrs A. & J. Inglis but in the late 1920s and early 1930s, the shipbuilding industry on the Clyde was in crisis mode due to lack of orders, and competition was keen. These problems were alluded to by Sir Alexander Kennedy, Chairman of the Fairfield Company in his remarks after the launch as recorded in the Glasgow Herald on Wednesday April 8.

Jeanie Deans in Rothesay Bay (Adamson)

Jeanie Deans (Robertson)

Jeanie Deans posing off Arrochar (Valentine)

Jeanie Deans off Dunoon in 1931

The new Jeanie was 258 ft long by 30 ft in breadth with a gross tonnage of 540. She was designed for a speed of 18¼ knots and had accommodation for 1730. Jeanie Deans was launched by Miss Rhoda Forbes Whitelaw, daughter of William Whitelaw, Chairman of the L.N.E.R. who was presented with a diamond and platinum wristlet watch to commemorate the occasion.

Jeanie Deans in 1932

Jeanie Deans (Adamson)

Jeanie Deans (Adamson)

Jeanie Deans leaving Dunoon

Jeanie Deans approaching Craigendoran at low tide

Jeanie Deans at Craigendoran with Lucy Ashton at the end of the pier

Jeanie Deans was ready for service in May, and a month later took up the regular run to Lochgoilhead, connecting with the Loch Lomond cruise at Arrochar and returning to Craigendoran to collect the passengers for their return Dunoon and Rothesay. She proved to be fast and would, under favourable conditions, successfully race some of the Caledonian turbine steamers. Outwardly, she had a modern art-deco look with two short funnels but these caused some discomfort with smoke on the promenade deck. For the 1932 season, the funnels were replaced by a new taller pair that differed in height from each other. With her new funnels she was also given new deck houses but looked rather old-fashioned.

Waverley with new deck houses (Adamson)

Waverley (Adamson)

In the following year, the deck saloons of Waverley were also modified to resemble those of the Jeanie Deans. The L.N.E.R. produced a set of postcards of the fleet in 1934.

Jeanie Deans (Valentine)

Waverley (Valentine)

Talisman (Valentine)

Kenilworth (Valentine)

Marmion (Valentine)

Lucy Ashton (Valentine)

At the end of the 1934 season, Talisman was withdrawn and in November, she was towed to Barrow and broken up. In her place, a revolutionary new diesel-electric paddle steamer was planned and the order placed with Messrs A. & J. Inglis at Pointhouse.

The new Talisman was launched by Miss Evelyn W. Whitelaw whose sister had launched Jeanie Deans. The speeches at the launch commended the government scheme of scrap and build for stimulating the shipbuilding industry. Talisman was 215 feet long by 27½ feet in breadth and of 450 tons gross. It was her propulsion, however, that was the revolution. Four eight-cylinder four-stoke diesel engines generated power for tandem electric motors.

Talisman new in 1935 in Rothesay Bay (Adamson)

Talisman in 1935 (Valentine)

Talisman in 1935

On trials, she is reported to have reached 17 knots and settled in to the Rothesay station when she entered service. Talisman suffered greatly from vibrations and noise and was always looked on warily by the public. However, despite these defects and the inevitable mechanical problems with her new propulsion methods, she was a useful vessel and took over the Kyles service from Marmion.

Lucy Ashton in 1935 (Fielden)

Jeanie Deans in 1935 (Salmon)

The next year, 1936, saw the L.N.E.R. fleet in a new livery. The funnel colour was retained but the hulls were grey and the paddle-boxes and deck saloons were white. Overall, the lighter look was quite pleasing and helped modernize the image.

Jeanie Deans in 1936 (Adamson)

Jeanie Deans in 1937 in Loch Long (Valentine)

Waverley at Craigendoran in 1936

Waverley in 1936 (Adamson)

Waverley in 1937 (Valentine)

Waverley off Dunoon in 1936

Waverley in Loch Long

Talisman in 1936

Talisman in 1937 (Valentine)

Marmion in 1936

Marmion in 1937 (Valentine)

Marmion at Craigendoran

Marmion

Lucy Ashton at Craigenoran

Lucy Ashton in 1936 (Valentine)

Lucy Ashton in 1936 (Douglas Brown)

Kenilworth with Waverley at Craigendoran in 1936

Kenilworth (Adamson)

Kenilworth’s time in the new livery was limited, and in 1937, she was broken up on the Kelvin where she had been built 39 years earlier.

Talisman approaching Auchenlochan Pier (Spencer)

Talisman at Auchenlochan Pier

Talisman at Tighnabruaich (Spencer)

Talisman leaving Craigmore in September 1938

And so it was as the Craigendoran fleet approached another war. Waverley was withdrawn at the end of the 1938 season, and awaiting disposal, was pressed into service for the Dunkirk evacuation where she was bombed and sunk.

Talisman suffered an engine breakdown mid-way through the 1939 season and was laid up in Bowling Harbour.

Talisman laid up in Bowling Harbour in 1939. Her grey hull extended above the saloon windows for that season.

Waverley and Talisman at Inglis’ yard undergoing conversion for wartime service

Marmion, Jeanie Deans and Talisman were also taken for war service, leaving Lucy Ashton as the sole representative of the Craigendoran fleet on the river during the emergency. With little time for overhaul, Lucy Ashton served the Gareloch and Dunoon, above the Clyde Boom till the end of hostilities, earning herself a place in the hearts of many on the upper Firth.

Lucy Ashton in wartime garb (Clyde River Steamer Club)

Marmion was sunk on active duty and it was only Jeanie Deans and Talisman that would return to join Lucy Ashton in the post war era.

G. M. Stromier “The Craigendoran Story,” Clyde River Steamer Club, Glasgow 1983

A. Brown “Craigendoran Steamers,” Aggregate Publications, Johnstone, 1979