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Identifying a Stewarts & Lloyds boat


D. W. Walker

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I'm trying to research the history of an ex Stewarts & Lloyds boat from Coombswood tube works, but so far have drawn a bit of a blank. There are a few possible leads on this forum, especially from some of our experienced contributors such as Pete Harrison, but nothing that I can conclusively tie in firmly to this boat. The story from the guy I bought it from (who was a rather odd character) is that it had been an open day boat at Coombswood, numbered 101, which suggests that it is a later (post war?) addition to that fleet. She did have the faded remains of "British Steel" lettering inside

In her lines she is not as crude as some Joey boats, and clearly was not a double ended boat by the shape of the bows, which are nice and quite distinctive, and might suggest a maker (Bantock?) to somebody more knowledgeable than me! Historical evidence from the knees has gone, as these are now made from 3" x 3" angle. The main part of the hull is rivetted iron, and has clearly had quite a hard life as there are inevitable knocks and bumps, which you would expect from a boat of this ancestry. More drastically, she has been cut down to 58' and had a motor stern welded on, but quite a long while ago. This has been rather nicely done, with long curved swims, and is not as crude as some that were apparently done by some yards such as Harris - and it's welded not rivetted, and has clearly not been done recently. The boat has also been re- bottomed (in 12mm plate!!), presumably at the same time as the new stern was fitted. The engine and all other mechanical parts that must have been fitted at this same time had all been removed before I got her, so no clues there. The previous owner started to fit a Ruston & Hornsby 3YDA, which sounds lovely, but the installation is unfinished. He also built the cabin conversion, but it's almost bare inside. I'm plodding on to try and get her right, but some of this is undoing previous work in order to get her "right" - even though I do recognise that she will be a cabin conversion, but on top of what I feel is a nice looking hull which should be saved.

I'm trying to find out anything about the history of this boat, as I find this fascinating, and I think is a really nice looking hull. Beyond the detail above, I don't have much to go on, as I don't know any more identity - I don't know her BCN number, or a BW registration number, or even a name! I assume that she must have been registered with BW at some time as she has clearly operated for some considerable time with the previous engine installation. Also, who did the motor conversion and the shortening, when and how?

Questions, questions, anybody got any ideas?

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I have known this boat since 1976, and possibly earlier, when we removed it as a full length open boat from Stewarts and Lloyds Ltd. (well British Steel Corporation), Coombswood. I can confirm hat this boat was Stewarts and Lloyds Ltd. 101, and it was me who identified it as such to a previous owner at Welford :captain:

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Pete, Well that's a good start, and it does confirm that part of the tale that the previous owner told me - I take much of what he told me with a bit of a pinch of salt!

Since she was full length in 1976 it also narrows down the shortening, replacement stern and new bottom to post 1976.

Thanks, David

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On 07/03/2017 at 20:45, D. W. Walker said:

She doesn't have one!

I will probably choose a new name at some point - I can choose something appropriate when I have more of her history

David

 

Apologies in advance for pressing the point, but it seems to have been in the water so was it not BW licenced ever?If yes then it must have had a registration number at least, surely? Do you not know what it is? No paperwork came with it?

(Forgive me but calling a S&L tug in particular 'she' seems a bit precious to me. Mine's definitely a boy. Although viewing mine as an S&L tug is a bit precious too, I suppose... ;) )

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6 minutes ago, D. W. Walker said:

Since she was full length in 1976 it also narrows down the shortening, replacement stern and new bottom to post 1976.

Thanks, David

Although the previous owner of your boat did once make contact with me it was the owner before him that I met at the end of the Welford Arm on 02 March 2002, and I took five or six photographs at that time. Back then your boat was just an open hull, with a newish counter stern and some modification to the fore end (as seen in you photographs above).

The last time I saw 101 as a full length open boat was in the late 1980's when it was on the bank at Oldbury, and the first time I saw it as a cut down counter sterned hull was August 2001, it having being sold from Oldbury a few months before - so that narrows it down a bit more for you :captain:

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Exactly my point - she has clearly been in the water and this is all part of what I'm trying to identify

The previous owner was a bit erratic and in the middle of a relationship breakdown, so I didn't get much from him.

In terms of "she" - I always have it that all boats and steam engines, however humble, are female. Hence "Sir Nigel Gresley", (the locomotive, not the man), is definitely female!

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On 07/03/2017 at 21:33, D. W. Walker said:

In terms of "she" - I always have it that all boats and steam engines, however humble, are female. Hence "Sir Nigel Gresley", (the locomotive, not the man), is definitely female!

 

Given the amount of grief, trouble and expense involved with mine I'm reluctantly driven to accept you may partially have a point!

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I am pretty sure I can also provide a previous B.W.B. Index Number.

I have a few scraps and notes under my settee, and amongst these are some original early 1980's printouts of boat licence details. In both 1982 and 1985 B.W.B. Index 76921 has 'BCN SOCIETY' recorded as the boat name. At that time 101 was on long term loan to the BCN Society, and they had no other boat that I recall (I was operating a pair of camping boats out of Birmingham at that time so I knew what was going on locally). This leads me to think that 76921 is the B.W.B. Index Number for 101, although it has not been issued for donkeys years by the sounds of it :captain: 

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Pete, That's great, if this is the BW number for this boat then that's a massive step forward, however I don't think I'll stick with "BCN Society" as her name!

On a more practical level, it might mean I don't have to newly register her when I get her back in the water.

Presumably, in view of her last working abode, she should have also carried a BCN registration number if she went to Coombswood (presumably) in the 40's?

Thanks, David

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20 minutes ago, D. W. Walker said:

Pete, That's great, if this is the BW number for this boat then that's a massive step forward, however I don't think I'll stick with "BCN Society" as her name!

On a more practical level, it might mean I don't have to newly register her when I get her back in the water.

Presumably, in view of her last working abode, she should have also carried a BCN registration number if she went to Coombswood (presumably) in the 40's?

Thanks, David

You have probably struck lucky with this particular boat as generally speaking B.C.N. Day Boats fall outside of my field of research, although I do try to maintain records for them. I was a very active member of the B.C.N. Society from about 1972 to 1980 and 101 and my misspent youth undoubtedly go hand in hand.

101 will have a B.C.N. gauge number but its plates went missing a long time ago, so its number is lost for now. As you already know this boat will have entered the Stewarts and Lloyds Ltd. fleet post 11 August 1948, the date of B.C.N. gauging for Stewarts and Lloyds Ltd. 90 - the highest fleet number recorded for this Company in the consecutive list of gauge Registers :captain:   

edit = the highest fleet number I have recorded in the B.C.N. Registers is 124, but trying to establish the fleet numbers / gauge numbers post 90 is a nightmare.

Edited by pete harrison
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17 minutes ago, Derek R. said:

Models are all very well, but can't beat working on or driving the real thing (10RB and 22RB). To digress even further, I was test driving a Ruston loco (11/13DL)this afternoon  after a very overdue oil change. Standard repair kit for all these is a hammer, welding set and some chuffin' big spanners.:D

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Since this went to Stewarts & Lloyds post 1948 it looks as if the original BCN number might now take some finding. However, the BW number has already come to light so that is good progress.

I wonder where she was pre - 1948? A very humble boat at this time, ignored by most, these boats were considered as little more than floating skips at that time.

David

Got a 14lb hammer if that helps!

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13 minutes ago, D. W. Walker said:

A very humble boat at this time, ignored by most, these boats were considered as little more than floating skips at that time.

David

Got a 14lb hammer if that helps!

Funny you should say that. Some years ago we were doing odd jobs for BW. We managed to get 3x standard  8yard skips into an iron BCN boat, then load them up with canal muck, total load about 24tons. Taking the full skips out of the boat was , to say the least ,unconventional with a skip lorry. Later we used a crane. The loaded boat had about 3inches of freeboard- I think the term is:  "a sparrer-drinker"

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37 minutes ago, D. W. Walker said:

Believe that the Ruston & Hornsby 3YDA that she currently has came out of a Ruston Bucyrus 10RB, don't know what it had previously.

You're right though, mend it with a 2lb hammer!

David

David

Yes, the 3YDA was in the later sloping cab 10RB. Our 10 ,(built 1949 with "Continental" cab) predates the YDA by some years- it has a 3VRH which is very similar to a Lister JP3 and sounds gorgeous. 

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