Can anyone help identify this boat...........

[Tony K]

Many thanks

 

 

 

[bigste]

This might help. Always better if we can see the picture.

[sarahavfc]

Josher with a forecabin. From looking at the name panel it may say Perch?

[Paul H]

I don't think its Perch. If the picture was taken in say the 1950s or early 1960s it has to be one of the boats that were no longer in "traffic" then as it appears to be a maintenance boat lettered Shropshire Union Canal. I can almost persuade myself I can read the name Bream - although the rams head and dollies are different to the stern of Bream (which forms a tug) today.

 

Paul

[pete harrison]

I can almost persuade myself I can read the name Bream - although the rams head and dollies are different to the stern of Bream (which forms a tug) today.

 

Paul

BREAM was not built with a fore-cabin.

[pete harrison]

Josher with a forecabin. From looking at the name panel it may say Perch?

Unlikely to be PERCH, which was in trade until 1967. Also PERCH was fitted with a Lister HA2 by 'British Waterways', leaving it with a vent in the cabinside of the engine room (see NarrowBoat magazine Winter 2012 page 35). There is no vent on the boat in the above photograph.

[Timleech]

The extended rudder tube is a bit unusual, could be diagnostic?

 

Tim

[Laurence Hogg]

Hi All, this is not "Perch".

"Perch" was in scruffy but recognisable carrying livery in 1969, I have several photos of it in Stoke. Before that it was in carrying and operated by John Jinks for a while.

The livery shouts Bradley yard as the lettering is in their trademark stencilled straight line style. The name may well be a fleet number as many of these maintenance boats did not carry their names, "Ling" was a prime example of this, afetr coming out of carrying nicely kept in midnight blue and gold but nameless for many years.

The lettering on the engine room may well be NWD with a number, most of the maintenance boats had that applied. The extended rudder tube can be seen on many pictures of the boats named after fish and the horse boat conversions.

Discussing this with Pete Harrison and pawing through countless images I would go along with Peters suggestion that it may be the "Holland".

I cannot remember any fore cabin boat around up there in the 1970's except one old half of a wooden butty on the Weaver.

the location looks like Barbridge.

[luctor et emergo]

.

Edited May 4, 2013 by luctor et emergo

[Paul H]

Holland was one of the series of composite built horseboats converted by Yarwoods to motor boats between 1937 and 1939. Alan Faulkner asserts that although 8 of these originally had forecabins these were removed as part of the conversion process.

 

 

Is this correct? I know that the FMC book (like almost any book) cannot be relied on to be 100% accurate but I'd be interested to know which Fish Class (other than Lamprey) and motor boat conversions were known to be fitted with forecabins that lasted into BW ownership.

 

 

To my eye it has slightly too much rise to the stern to be one of the conversions

 

 

Paul

 

[pete harrison]

Holland was one of the series of composite built horseboats converted by Yarwoods to motor boats between 1937 and 1939. Alan Faulkner asserts that although 8 of these originally had forecabins these were removed as part of the conversion process.

 

 

Is this correct?

 

Paul

No. ARABIA, ENGLAND, HOLLAND and PORTUGAL kept their forecabins on conversion from horse boats to motor boats. This can be confirmed by inspecting each boats health registration and B.C.N. gauge table.

Edited May 5, 2013 by pete harrison

[pete harrison]

I know that the FMC book (like almost any book) cannot be relied on to be 100% accurate but I'd be interested to know which Fish Class (other than Lamprey) and motor boat conversions were known to be fitted with forecabins that lasted into BW ownership.

 

 

Paul

The following F.M.C. Ltd. iron motor's were fitted with forecabins that remained as such into 'British Waterways' ownership:-

 

LAMPREY - removed November 1953

LING - 2 cabins @ 18 November 1949 - not health registered at Northwich in October 1958 - transfer to mtce circa 1962 - no evidence of fore cabin removal whilst in carrying service (Tom Foxon could confirm this one way or the other)

MINNOW - removed June 1955

MULLET - removed February 1954

PERCH - still in place October 1958 - removed by July 1969

PIKE - 2 cabins @ 16 September 1949 - removed by October 1958

ARABIA - 2 cabins @ 18 November 1949 - removed 1956 as part of pleasure boat conversion

ENGLAND - 2 cabins @ 18 November 1949 - not health registered at Northwich in October 1958 - transfer to mtce - no evidence of fore cabin removal whilst in carrying service (although entire fore end was removed as a mtce boat)

HOLLAND - 2 cabins @ 18 November 1949 - not health registered at Northwich in October 1958 - transfer to mtce - no evidence of fore cabin removal whilst in carrying service

PORTUGAL - 2 cabins @ 18 November 1949 - sold circa 1950 - no evidence of fore cabin removal whilst in carrying service (fore cabin deleted from B.C.N. gauge table 02 April 1952)

 

All of these motors were used in the North Western Division.

 

edit - to add PORTUGAL's details

Edited May 5, 2013 by pete harrison

[Paul H]

Thanks Pete for such a comprehensive reply - I never realised that forecabins on motors were quite so common.. Holland certainly looks a strong contender with Ling and England being possibles.

 

Ironcally forecabins seem to be all the rage on Josher motors again at the moment but can't say I like them myself.

 

Paul

[Heartland]

Whilst I sort out the means of posting images, I asked Tony to post this query. The image was taken at Barbridge in 1958 and belongs to the RCHS slide collection.

 

So I take it this boat belonged to BW North Western fleet.

 

Ray Shill

[djgoode1980]

my moneys on her being Pike as I am sure 321 is in the forward pannel!