[Alistair Black]

Some of you may be aware, some of you may not, but Loch Lomond's Maid of the Loch is liable to be leaving her berth of some 24 years at Balloch in late Feb early March next year.

The Heritage Lottery Fund last year gave grant aid towards the restoration of the slipway & winch house at Balloch. The project is to return the slipway to full working condition and much progress has already been made.

The project is on schedule for completion by early March and one of the conditions of completion is that the restored engine, cradle & slipway are in fully operational condition. This of course means that the Maid will be towed across from the pier to the slip, secured on the cradle then hauled out of the water.

Watch this space for further developments!

Alistair.

[Hendo!]

Yay!

[fred henderson]

Great news Alistair. Let us hope that all goes well. I remember travelling on her as a schoolboy. It would be wonderful to think it may be possible to repeat the experience as an OAP.

Fred

[Alistair Black]

It will certainly be interesting to see the old girl out of the water after over 12 years of volunteer work in bringing her back from the brink. When I got involved with the Maid she was within 2 inches of sinking due to the accumulated rainwater in her hull. All of her (copper) scupper pipes had been thieved and the bilges were " a little damp"!

I'm sure I have a picture of the Maid taken just before we started work, must dig it out and post it.

Alistair.

[Alistair Black]

If any site members are in Glasgow next weekend, they will be welcome to the Renfield St Stephens church complex where I'm doing a short talk on this autumn's developments at Balloch. The talk is to the combined meeting of the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society and the West Highland Steamer Club, members of the public are welcome.

Hope to see some of you there,

Alistair.

[Tmac1720]

Some details for interest:
Built by Harland and Wolff Pointhouse yard number 1474P launched 5th March 1953 delivered 4th May 1953 555 gross tons for British Railways Scottish Region.

[neil maclachlan]

Hi Tmac,
Back to the old argument again,most people know Harland and Wolff as Harland and Wolf's, Pointhouse on the other hand may be owned by Harlands but is known as J & A Inglis,where "The Maid of The Loch" was built and engined by" Rankin & Blackmores" of Greenock. If it was'nt for the engines she would'nt go nowhere!
Neil Mac.

[EMMESSTEE]

I'm not getting into the Harland & Wolff/A & J Inglis argument!!

However, can anyone tell me why the beautiful, white hulled, yellow funnelled "Maid of the Loch" is being restored into a livery of a black topped red funnel with black hull? I can remember her in her prime and I think she was retired in her original 1953 condition, albeit minus her mainmast.

I am delighted that the intention of her restorers is to return her to service on Loch Lomond - but why not in her original livery, I ask? Whilst (thank goodness) her colour scheme is a far cry from the likes of "Queen Mary" and "Tattershall Castle" on the Thames - it is almost in the same vein as an unrealistic repaint job.

----------------
Mike.

[Tmac1720]

No argument from me I like the company here too much.
However having said that did you know that in its latter years the Belfast yard of Workman Clarke was also owned and controlled by H&W? The main difference being that those vessels did NOT receive H&W yard numbers but simply carried on the original number sequence. Believe me there is a lot about Harland and Wolff that is unknown and is very surprising, they really were a massive orginisation.

[Tmac1720]

Hi Neil,

Couldn't agree more but then I'm biased as I have an engineering background

As a point of interest did you know that "Maid of the Loch" was actually trial assembled at the Pointhouse yard before being partially dismantled and transported by road to Balloch on Loch Lomond were she was finally put back together again. Also she has two close relatives, well not what you could really consider as sisters. They were 1491P Maid of Argyll and 1492P Maid of Skelmorlie both built in 1953. I have a photo of the "Argyll" I'll dig out and post if you are interested.

[Alistair Black]

Originally Posted by EMMESSTEE

I'm not getting into the Harland & Wolff/A & J Inglis argument!!

However, can anyone tell me why the beautiful, white hulled, yellow funnelled "Maid of the Loch" is being restored into a livery of a black topped red funnel with black hull? I can remember her in her prime and I think she was retired in her original 1953 condition, albeit minus her mainmast.

I am delighted that the intention of her restorers is to return her to service on Loch Lomond - but why not in her original livery, I ask? Whilst (thank goodness) her colour scheme is a far cry from the likes of "Queen Mary" and "Tattershall Castle" on the Thames - it is almost in the same vein as an unrealistic repaint job.

----------------
Mike.

There is a very simple answer to your question, Mike. Upkeep. The job of maintaining a white hull is considerably greater than a black one. We have no full time employees and very little money, so the current colour scheme is one which will make the ship look as presentable as possible with the least upkeep.

Final decision on livery has not yet been made. The 1953 colour scheme is one option, another would be to give her "proper" Loch Lomond colours, ie dove grey hull with brown detail lines, scumbled deckhouses and a red funnel with black top.

Hope this explains things for you,

Alistair.

[neil maclachlan]

Hi Tmac,
Did not mean to be argumentative,just getting a wee plug in for good old "Rankin & Blackmores" who disappeared many years before the rest of the Clyde Engine Builders ? I have a very interesting book on Clyde Steamers put together by a Kenneth Davies and printed by "Kyle Publications Ltd., Ayr". Illustrates sreamers from1812 untill 1980,a very interesting book. Always had a love for steamers on the Clyde, since I was a wee boy,one of the reasons I went to sea.
Kindest regards,
Neil Mac.

[EMMESSTEE]

Alistair -

Fully understand the situation of maintenance and the difficulty in keeping white pristine - however, still hope that you will be able to restore her to her original appearance .... is that not what it's all about? As much as the original Loch Lomond company livery you mention is attractive, "Maid of the Loch" was never in it and thus would not be "restored", if she were so painted?

I know that in the railway preservation world, locomotives take on various guises in the manner that they are painted/repainted/renumbered, even remodelled - but I think there's room to do it with the numbers of locomotives left .... there was only one "Maid of the Loch"!!

Good luck to you and your teams of volunteers.

--------------
Mike.

[Alistair Black]

Originally Posted by EMMESSTEE

Alistair -

Fully understand the situation of maintenance and the difficulty in keeping white pristine - however, still hope that you will be able to restore her to her original appearance .... is that not what it's all about?

Partly. The main thrust is to restore her to operational condition rather than original condition.

As much as the original Loch Lomond company livery you mention is attractive, "Maid of the Loch" was never in it and thus would not be "restored", if she were so painted?

I know that in the railway preservation world, locomotives take on various guises in the manner that they are painted/repainted/renumbered, even remodelled - but I think there's room to do it with the numbers of locomotives left .... there was only one "Maid of the Loch"!!"

We are aware of the number of people who feel that she should be returned to her original livery. Given the number of "steamer dreamers" within the volunteer force there is a strong sense of history among the squad too!

Good luck to you and your teams of volunteers.

--------------
Mike.

Thanks for your encouragement,

Alistair.

[Fairfield]

Would like to see her back with the white hull and yellow funnel but just glad she/s there anyway.
Hope to have a visit in Feb with the CCA.

[Bob_F]

How I would like to see her again as well Paul.
Cheers.
Bob Frizzell.

[EMMESSTEE]

Originally Posted by Alistair Black

We are aware of the number of people who feel that she should be returned to her original livery. Given the number of "steamer dreamers" within the volunteer force there is a strong sense of history among the squad too!

Alistair -

Pray tell - what precisely is a "steamer dreamer"?

Thanks.

----------------
Mike.

[John Cassels]

Tom young sir,

Ref your post no.10. If the "maid" class were close relatives then they must be
different to the maids I remember.
There were 4 in that class;
Maid of Skelmorlie
Maid of Argyll
Maid of Ashton
Maid of Cumbrae
There were twin screw diesel - British Polar engines

Rgds

jc

[Tmac1720]

Originally Posted by John Cassels

Tom young sir,

Ref your post no.10. If the "maid" class were close relatives then they must be
different to the maids I remember.
There were 4 in that class;
Maid of Skelmorlie
Maid of Argyll
Maid of Ashton
Maid of Cumbrae
There were twin screw diesel - British Polar engines

Rgds

jc

John,
I don't have any knowledge of Ashton or Cumbrae and they certainly don't appear in any Harland and Wolff records, nor can I find any reference to those vessels in the Inglis records I have. I must assume therefore they were built by another yard. I'm sorry I can't be of any more help than that. I've posted the photograph of Maid of Argyll on the slips so perhaps that might help with identification.

Cheers and regards
Tom

[Bruce Carson]

Originally Posted by John Cassels

Tom young sir,

Ref your post no.10. If the "maid" class were close relatives then they must be
different to the maids I remember.
There were 4 in that class;
Maid of Skelmorlie
Maid of Argyll
Maid of Ashton
Maid of Cumbrae
There were twin screw diesel - British Polar engines

Rgds

jc

Photos of all four may be found here:
http://shipsofcalmac.co.uk/ships_timeline.asp

Bruce C.

[Tmac1720]

Hopefully I haven't confused anybody when I said the Maid of the Loch had "close relatives" If I did I apologise. I was simply referring to their size, owner and intended service. I'll shut up now

[Alistair Black]

Originally Posted by EMMESSTEE

Alistair -

Pray tell - what precisely is a "steamer dreamer"?

Thanks.

----------------
Mike.

Steamer dreamer = nutter = shipping enthusiast for the "Railway steamers"

basically, the CLyde coastal maritime equivalent of a trainspotter.

Received a picture todaywhich I shall add to the thread (I hope!). It was taken on the second weekend of work parties and shows the condition of the Maid when we walked on to her. Scary stuff!

[Alistair Black]

Here we are, Maid of the Loch in May 1993. We had been working for 2 weekends by this point during which time we had: scraped, primed and painted the upperworks for'ard, removed several skiploads of rubbish from the decks & accomodation spaces, replaced several mooring ropes (which had almost rotted through) and pumped so much water out of her bilges that we had raised her between 18 & 24 inches. Imagine the lowest line of portholes being only an inch or two above the surface and you start to get the picture. Scary, isn't it?

Would you believe that we weren't daunted by the ship's condition, we took it as a challenge! That summer of '93 was an amazing time; as a paddle steamer restorer I'll probably never get the chance to bring a ship back from such a state of dilapidation.

I ocasionally forget just how far we have come and it takes images such as this to jolt the memory!


Alistair.

[neil maclachlan]

Hi Alistair,
Beautifull photograph of the PS Maid Of The Loch,thanks to people like yourself for keeping the memory alive of the age of the Paddle Steamer. The other Maids were Argyll"A&J Inglis", Ashton"Yarrow & Co Ltd", Cumbrae "Ardrossan Dockyard Co Ltd" and Skelmorlie" A&J Inglis.They all had British Polar ,2 stroke,single -acting,6 cylinder diesel engines.
Thanks for the memories,
Neil Mac.

[Hendo!]

Having seen photos as she was and as she is now ( CLICK THE LINK! ), I would have to say I prefer the white with black hull. To me (anyway) it looks a bit more, how shall I say 'paddle steamery'.

It's current colours are very striking, and a nice contrast to the (dare I say it) 'pleasure boat' white. I honestly don't see what is so 'unrealistic' about her current livery.

Well done to the work parties involved.