The ex ICI boat.

[Roger Murray]

Over recent years have done a few trips from the River Weaver, down the ship canal to Liverpool and back on the old ex ICI coaster 'James Jackson Grundy.' Sister ship of the 'Wincham' and a number of those little vessels which used to operate out of Northwich. Think the James Jackson Grundy the last of that fleet. Certainly the only one still operable.

Until very recently she regularly carried 400 tons of grain from the silo's at Canada Dock up to Runcorn. I think for Warburton's bread. But don't sue me Warburton's if this was not so! Anyway good for your publicity by saving hundreds of road truck loads, helping the environment etc!
Well she did carry this grain until just recently, as the old girl was probably beginning to run out of puff bless her.

On one of those gallant voyages we made a very shaky amateur film and have now put it on YouTube for posterity. So if you want to see this iconic vintage vessel still working for her living, or if you are contemplating the Mersey crossing from Eastham Locks and would like to see a bit more of that Mersey River, go to YouTube, then to Search, key in Roger Murray. Amongst the stuff which will come up you should find the heading 'James Jackson Grundy.' Fingers crossed, the film should come up.

 

Roger.

[Leo No2]

Lovely video Roger

 

Direct link to it here:

 

[gazza]

Very good! Thanks for the heads up.

 

Beaten to the link!

Edited March 23, 2016 by gazza

[Ray T]

Lovely little video, thank you.

[Pluto]

Here seen towing Mossdale to the Boat Museum in 1976.

[DHutch]

Good video that, thanks a lot for sharing it.

 

I do wonder if it time we will look back to declining use of such methods and think it mad to have gone away from it, much like the railways are not seeing a steady rise in freight and passenger use.

 

What is the date of the video footage?

 

 

Daniel

[Guest]

superb

[Bee]

That's a lovely bit of film, well done. As for Daniel wondering about the declining use of water and rail I always used to accept that road transport was always going to win because of the door to door advantage and lots of other reasons but having had to drive up and down the M1/M6 rather a lot lately and seen much of the road network being stuffed to capacity and more I can't see how its possible to increase the amount of traffic any more. How about scrapping HS2 and buildind a ship canal for container traffic, Harwich and Tilbury to Brum for a start

[DHutch]

How about scrapping HS2 and buildind a ship canal for container traffic, Harwich and Tilbury to Brum for a start

 

Given HS2 is about adding capacity and performance to a struggling rail network, which would increase options as well as seeing less traffic on the north/south motorways, how about NOT scrapping HS2 and buildind a ship canal for container traffic, Harwich and Tilbury to Brum?

 

 

 

Daniel

[Bee]

 

Given HS2 is about adding capacity and performance to a struggling rail network, which would increase options as well as seeing less traffic on the north/south motorways, how about NOT scrapping HS2 and buildind a ship canal for container traffic, Harwich and Tilbury to Brum?

 

 

 

Daniel

I just have a nagging feeling that HS2 is a bit like a trophy wife, expensive, something to boast about and not really much use in the kitchen. I wonder if HS2 will really add much capacity to existing routes or if, by the time its built, we will still be jammed solid everywhere and realise that a boring old 'normal' rail line that could shift freight as well would have been more use. Actually it probably makes more sense to build it with a really big loading gauge to take roll on - roll off lorries straight from the channel tunnel to half a dozen distribution points.

[Pluto]

As we have so little traditional industry left, is it worth building new railways, canals or roads? Successful canals were built by and for local merchants, mill and colliery owners; they were directly linked to the local economy, and that is why they were successful. Only a few Canal Mania canals were successful because most lacked that link with the existing local economy, and they thought, incorrectly, that building a new canal would create a new local economy. We need to identify what it is we want our transport system to carry. Most new routes soon get filled with commuters. Is that a good use of money, providing somewhere that people can waste their time travelling long distances to and from work? Is it sensible to build expensive routes for carrying biscuits from Glasgow to London and vice versa? In all the current proposals, there seems to be a complete lack of understanding that transport is wasted time and effort, and although important needs to be kept to a minimum. Of course, that means we would have less choice, but the success of Aldi and Lidl would suggest that people don't necessarily want a vast number of choices.

[baz gimson]

fascinating film, cheers Roger.

 

just been doing a google and it seems that James Jackson Grundy was sold at the end of 2015 and taken to the Thames to be converted into a houseboat....bloody typical!!!

 

Also looked at your other vids Roger, really interesting. Do you have a copy of the Greenall Whitley bitter ad with Fred Dibnah? Never seen it but I do remember the Greenall Whitley Land ads.

 

Just been reading your website Roger. bloody hell what an eventful life !!!! Top Man !!!!

Edited March 26, 2016 by baz gimson

[Roger Murray]

Unfortunately Baz, as the 'Right Said Fred' commercials were shot on 35m film they possibly didn't survive. The agency 'Royds' who shot them is no longer in existence, nor the film unit. Seems I'm the only living survivor to tell the tale. Frightening isn't it!

Roger