Tanker Narrowboats.

[DandV]

27 minutes ago, fanshaft said:

In view of the law mentioned by Mac (of which I was unaware)  presumably the enclosed arrangement per Claytons and their larger brethren counted as tanks. It didn't stop Mattys from running with phosphorous waste in open holds! 

The Severn tankers were operated by a variety of companies  but the best known were Harkers and Bowker and King. 

In shipping, any enclosed space, regardless of shape, dedicated for the storage of liquids was designated as a tank.

So big oil tankers had both fore and aft, and transverse bulkheads to divide the below deck space into a number of tanks. 

[Pluto]

An interesting article on the BP tanker barges operating on the Danube: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Tanker_Company

[zenataomm]

17 hours ago, agg221 said:

You could model Trent 5?

Ah, but Trent 5 wasn't rivetted you see?

[ditchcrawler]

2 hours ago, zenataomm said:

Ah, but Trent 5 wasn't rivetted you see?

Sandpaper. the opposite of welded washers 

[MtB]

2 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

Sandpaper. the opposite of welded washers 

 

If you sandpapered all the rivet heads off, the model would fall to bits! 

 

Obviously...

 

 

 

[ditchcrawler]

1 minute ago, MtB said:

 

If you sandpapered all the rivet heads off, the model would fall to bits! 

 

Obviously...

 

 

 

Bugger, I didn't consider that 

[fanshaft]

7 hours ago, DandV said:

In shipping, any enclosed space, regardless of shape, dedicated for the storage of liquids was designated as a tank.

So big oil tankers had both fore and aft, and transverse bulkheads to divide the below deck space into a number of tanks. 

Thanks - that makes sense. 

 

[alan_fincher]

Great photo Ian.  I don't think I have ever seen one that shows the actual tanks until now.

 

I assume they may have been travelling empty in this photo - they look too high out of the water to be carrying a meaningful load.

[Pluto]

Yeoford and Pictor descending Wolverhampton locks in 1970.

[Greenpen]

The gates of Midland Tar Distillery in Banbury are still there.   

[John Brightley]

8 hours ago, Greenpen said:

The gates of Midland Tar Distillery in Banbury are still there.   

Where's this, just out of curiosity ?

[Greenpen]

Turn off Bridge Street into Station Approach Road and there is a car park on your right.    Just past the entrance to the car park there is an unnamed road between the car park and a brick building.   Go down that road to the end, about 70m to the end and the two gates are on your left.   There are some chalet type houses in the yard behind the gates.    
 

I will take a snap next time I am in town.   
 

Walk down the canal towpath from the car park and you come to a bridgehole with no bridge!    Just before that narrowing you’ll see tar on the coping stones which is where the tar boats were pumped out.   A spill left in time ……

[Greenpen]

And when you visit spare some time to go to Tooley’s Historic Boatyard, open 10.00-1.00pm Tuesday to Saturday.    
 

In the small museum is a display showing the Oxford Canal through Banbury.   There are the 1880 OS maps of the canal with  then and now photographs of the various wharfs.   Well, the then ones don’t date from the end of the 19th century but they do give a flavour of the role of the canals in their heyday.  Some interesting photos of the Atkins family who worked on the tar boats.  
 

If you go on a Saturday there is usually someone available to give you a tour of the boatyard.   

[Ray T]

Been keeping myself busy.
A model of STOUR, more a representation rather than an exact copy as I have had to make several compromises along the way. Scale 1:24. 1m 40cm long.

BTW the hull didn't have rivets on it.

 

 

Edited May 25, 2024 by Ray T

[ditchcrawler]

1 hour ago, Ray T said:

Been keeping myself busy.
A model of STOUR, more a representation rather than an exact copy as I have had to make several compromises along the way. Scale 1:24. 1m 40cm long.

BTW the hull didn't have rivets on it.

 

 

Looks good, you soon got that finished with a very nice paint job

 

[John Brightley]

2 hours ago, Ray T said:

Been keeping myself busy.
A model of STOUR, more a representation rather than an exact copy as I have had to make several compromises along the way. Scale 1:24. 1m 40cm long.

 

Out of curiosity, what were the compromises Ray ? It looks pretty perfect to me. Well done.

Edited May 25, 2024 by John Brightley

[Ray T]

1 hour ago, John Brightley said:

Out of curiosity, what were the compromises Ray ? It looks pretty perfect to me. Well done.

 

John, thank you.
The counter bands should be red, top, white, middle and blue bottom. The hull came with moulded rubbing strakes which would have taken a lot of work to rub down and replace. The deck should be curved to allow water to run away, whereas it is flat on the model. The deck should also curve up to the top of the deckboard. The cabin top should also have a curve rather than being flat. I didn't notice until the model was very near completion that the centre access hatch should be longer than the fore and aft ones. As I used superglue throughout the construction I was reluctant to prise the hatch off as I would cause damage to the deck. The hull is a GRP generic copy of a steel hull whereas the actual boats were of wood construction. I may scribe planks at a future date.

The owners name on the cabin side is too shallow. Despite fiddling about with a computer art package the proportions were distorted if I tried to make the owners name taller.

I mainly used these photos as a guide. Photo 1, Stour & Spey from NarrowBoat Magazine. Photo 2 from the BCLM.

Not perfect, but overall I am happy with it.

Edited May 25, 2024 by Ray T

[Derek R.]

A model to be proud of! Well done.

[Ian Mac]

A nice representation,  as always the devil is in the detail.  The BCN block is too high as are the side plank leading up to it should be flat to the deck. The centre hatch is a double hatch one either side of the bulk head so there should be 4 hinges two to the front and two at the back. I can live with the others.

I just point these things out to keep the record correct, which is hard enough already, with just the two of us left in fighting trim.

The discussion over the colour of the bottom band is interesting as the one on Spey is green, and as far as we can tell is always was. If you want to check the remains are now a centre piece of a flower bed in North Wales. Not that there was a lot of original timber on the outer surface left. All those iron nails holding the 5 strakes on, the bottom one should be a double one, currently not so, can't find the correct feather edged D bar, it should go to the start of the swim on both sides.
The first image shows attempt two at prolonging the counter block undertaken in the mid 80's The second image is after the new backend rebuild last year. The discussion in the group was should the colours end straight as shown or scalloped. When we researched it we discovered both had been used at various times over the years with Claytons, so its a what do you fancy this time question.

Edited May 25, 2024 by Ian Mac
added a bit more

[Ray T]

12 hours ago, Ian Mac said:

A nice representation,  as always the devil is in the detail.  The BCN block is too high as are the side plank leading up to it should be flat to the deck. The centre hatch is a double hatch one either side of the bulk head so there should be 4 hinges two to the front and two at the back. I can live with the others.

 

 Ian, I don't think the BCN block/deckboard is too high, it is made obvious by the fact that the deck does not rise up to meet the block as on the actual boat. 
The second picture only shows one set of hinges at the middle hatch cover, ironically at the back whereas other pictures show the hinges at the front.  I suppose it is just what the yard decided to do.
Not having any plans I based it on the various photographs I could find on the 'net.

Anyway what's done is done, I doubt Robbie Cummings running past my model would notice! 😁

Edited May 26, 2024 by Ray T

[Ray T]

18 hours ago, Derek R. said:

A model to be proud of! Well done.

Derek, thank you.

 

[cuthound]

On 25/05/2024 at 16:17, Ray T said:

Been keeping myself busy.
A model of STOUR, more a representation rather than an exact copy as I have had to make several compromises along the way. Scale 1:24. 1m 40cm long.

BTW the hull didn't have rivets on it.

 

 

 

Very impressive Ray,compromises and all.

 

I wish I had the patience to make a model like that.

 

 

[Onewheeler]

Not a NB but a former bunkering tanker from probably Amsterdam. About 100 years old, but the engine is only 65 years old. Original steering gear built like a brick outhouse.

[Greenpen]

Somewhere up thread I said I would post a photo of the present entrance to what used to be Midland Tar Distillers in Banbury.   Here it is:

 

I am standing on Station Approach with my back to the left hand side car park.   The small road to the MTD entrance is between the building and the car par (right hand side one).   At the end on the left are the gates. 

 

Someone’s spilt paint alas!

Edited May 29, 2024 by Greenpen

[Ian Mac]

On 26/05/2024 at 10:33, Ray T said:

The second picture only shows one set of hinges at the middle hatch cover, ironically at the back whereas other pictures show the hinges at the front.  I suppose it is just what the yard decided to do.
 

 

I can assure you there are two hatches, with hinges pointing forwards and backwards. Its a motor boat built to the standard design. To operate you need two hatches in the centre, otherwise you can not load the boat effectively. Below the hatches is a central bullhead. This has a paddle in it to enable the front to be loaded down till the boat is level, then the back tank can be loaded, the front topped up and then finally the paddle can be opened to finally trim the boat. Without this centre bulkhead if a motor is loaded all the load runs to the back and you quickly sink the boat.
If one looks at the motor boat on the right hand side of the three, you can clearly see both central hatches and the centre bulkhead, as the slide is not there.
The reason for the slide is to stop water entering the tanks and spoiling the Saudi light Crude. The tanks were also sealed with lead seals once the loading had been completed. Notice the hatch pins, each one has a hole in the top for a lead seal to be applied.

Having looked though my collection the attached image shows both hatches open and the centre slide at the edge of the boat. It does not show the hinges but I assure you both sets are there. You can see the paddle handle folded down in the back tank.
I am not sure if when Stour was rebuilt if the central bulkhead was reinstalled. I believe NB Spey is the only motor with its original paddle and bulkhead still in place. Tay does have a bulk head not sure how old, however the paddle is not originally from her, I believe.
Just for the record there is another bulkhead at the back of the back tank separating the hold from the engine room bulkhead by 4 inches. This is (was) a legal requirement. Same gap is present on the butties between their cabins and the tanks. Same law insisted that the boats had decks.

Edited May 29, 2024 by Ian Mac
spelling etc.