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Steam tugs

The Pipe

By The Pipe
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andywatson Rising Star

andywatson

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WRT to Derek's post 14 above. Some time ago Ian mentioned how much he would charge for another and it struck me as an absolute bargain. I'll be seeing him at the yard tomorrow so I'll see if he's prepared to give current estimate/quote to post on here.

 

 

He has a pretty full programme but anyone in the market for a new boat should seriously consider him.

 

Of course anyone wanting another "Gazelle" would have to pay a royalty fee to Jim.......

 

The man has such talent (Ian, I mean!) that he can build a beautiful boat from a photo.

 

 

ETA

When Peter came to the yard he flattened the batttery and filled his memory card taking photos of Gazelle.

Edited by andywatson
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The Pipe Rising Star

The Pipe

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In the 80's I was staying in a B&B in Tring not far from Meads mill. I was talking to a an retired Meads employee in the local pub and he said that he would buy a full boat load of grain 2000 tons and the 2 tugs would deal with it in one go from the port of London to Tring, which when you look at the existing photo's with there long trains of widebeam boats is probably right.

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MarkyP Engager

MarkyP

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Jim, Gazelle looks superb - just the part. It would be fun to take a photo in the right setting, then play around with it in Paintshop Pro to give it a period feel (sepia, graining etc....).

 

The book "Dust 'Til Dawn" http://tinyurl.com/dydjumu has photos of mid blue / golden yellow liveried H. Sabey trucks in 1970's. I think "Chimneychain" (Darren) had a relative who remembered a blue / white scheme on the boats (is that right Darren?).

 

I'd be interested to know where you found info to say Antelope / Buffalo had been built at Bushells? (Not Uxbridge?)

 

Mark

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The Pipe Rising Star

The Pipe

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Jim, Gazelle looks superb - just the part. It would be fun to take a photo in the right setting, then play around with it in Paintshop Pro to give it a period feel (sepia, graining etc....).

 

The book "Dust 'Til Dawn" http://tinyurl.com/dydjumu has photos of mid blue / golden yellow liveried H. Sabey trucks in 1970's. I think "Chimneychain" (Darren) had a relative who remembered a blue / white scheme on the boats (is that right Darren?).

 

I'd be interested to know where you found info to say Antelope / Buffalo had been built at Bushells? (Not Uxbridge?)

 

Mark

Hi Mark.

No evidence about where they were built except talking many years ago to Phil and Rodney Weaver (Steam on the Canals) they believed that if they were built for W. Mead they would have been built at Bushell's. I know that the Antelope burnt on the bank was not the boat you see in the pictures the forend was totally different I did have a photo of it at one time. That there was at least 2 Antelopes so it is possible there was more than 1 Buffalo.

Thanks for the tip with the book which could also lead to Meads, did they have any road transport? If so would the boats be painted the same?

Since Rodney Weaver died I have no idea where all there research went, hopfully it has been saved.

The history of Phil Weaver is very interesting starting pre-war he even wrote a book on cave diving, the rest of his life with Bristol Aeroengines and later with the Jaguar racing team is facinating and he was such a modest unassuming person.

 

Bit of an attempt. Don't look too close!

 

639px-Gazelle_on_the_river_-_geographorguk_-_14520521.jpg

Ah.. the crunchy fender has gone, can you get rid of the fat git on the back.

Nice work.

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Paul H Rising Star

Paul H

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Hi Mark.

No evidence about where they were built except talking many years ago to Phil and Rodney Weaver (Steam on the Canals) they believed that if they were built for W. Mead they would have been built at Bushell's. I know that the Antelope burnt on the bank was not the boat you see in the pictures the forend was totally different I did have a photo of it at one time. That there was at least 2 Antelopes so it is possible there was more than 1 Buffalo.

Thanks for the tip with the book which could also lead to Meads, did they have any road transport? If so would the boats be painted the same?

.

 

Have you looked at Richard Thomas's website?

 

http://www.steamershistorical.co.uk/

 

He would suggest the tugs were bult at Uxbridge although maintained at Bushell Brothers

 

Paul

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The Pipe Rising Star

The Pipe

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I have seen Richard's site it's book marked! He could be correct as to where they were built and also to the fact that they went to Mead's as 10 year old secondhand boats.

There is some nice history about Buffalo's captain, one of the difficult kind.

It would be interesting to see the Weavers collection they did allot when there was still things out there to see.

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Paul H Rising Star

Paul H

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I have seen Richard's site it's book marked! He could be correct as to where they were built and also to the fact that they went to Mead's as 10 year old secondhand boats.

There is some nice history about Buffalo's captain, one of the difficult kind.

It would be interesting to see the Weavers collection they did allot when there was still things out there to see.

 

The Historic Narrow Boat owners Club hold the Weaver photo archive but I'm not sure how well indexed it is yet.

http://www.hnboc.org.uk/contact

 

Paul

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bargemast Influencer

bargemast

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Bit of an attempt. Don't look too close!

 

639px-Gazelle_on_the_river_-_geographorguk_-_14520521.jpg

 

 

Hello Derek,

 

I think you did a very good job, I would love to be able to do that sort of thing myself, and maybe one day I will force myself to do so.

 

To bad Jim doesn't like to see the fat git on the back with his phone, he doesn't bother me at all, and has all the right to be in the picture as a proud owner.

 

Thanks a lot,

 

Peter.

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Derek R. Veteran

Derek R.

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Thank you Peter. The sepia is just a one click job. A cloning tool was used to eliminate and reproduce small sections, the tricky bit is pixel by pixel elimination of unwanted too light or too dark spots. I've no fancy software and there may be easier ways, so it does take some patience! Blow it up and you will see the mess it really is!! But there has to come a point where the 'artist' has to leave it alone - that's probably the most difficult bit.

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Derek R. Veteran

Derek R.

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The latter, to cope with long exposure times on early cameras needing good light. Move, and you become a 'ghost' in the frame. Certain portraits were taken with steel braces behind the subject into which they had to remain for the duration of the exposure, and which were carefully positioned so as not to be seen in the end result. I don't think a windy day would have been any early photographers friend! Some of those 'clouds' of steam may only have been whisps that wouldn't stay still!!

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MarkyP Engager

MarkyP

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This topic title allows the opportunity of highlighting to those who've not already seen, a couple of weblinks to film clips of London Steam Canal Tugs:

 

Silent clip including a few seconds of H.Sabey's PIONEER at Paddington Basin towards the end (the film clip can be played or "view as stills" as preferred... http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=10143

 

Charrington, Gardner, Locket & Co's BUFFALO. Is this the only original clip of a steam narrowboat with sound?

http://www.movietone.com. You need to register and go to Clip No 1196/2 (well worth the effort)

 

Mark

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