Merioneth Railway Society
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  • Mercury Reprints & Articles
    • Copyright Notice
    • Acts of Parliament >
      • Original Act
      • Extension Acts
    • Mercury Reprints 1 - 6 >
      • MM No. 1. October 1974
      • MM No. 2. May 1975
      • MM No. 3. December 1975
      • MM No. 4. Spring 1976
      • MM No. 5. June 1976
      • MM No. 6 Autumn 1976
    • Mercury Articles 7 - 10 >
      • Mercury Issue 7 >
        • Festiniog & Blaenau Railway locomotives.
        • The weekend at Hassocks 7 - 9 January, 1977.
        • Quarry Workers Coach.
      • Mercury Issue 8 >
        • ELECTRONICS AND 16mm
        • THE WATERMOOR LIGHT CLOSES
        • Redlake Revisited
        • Rubbish
        • PHOTOPAGE `NO. 2
      • Mercury Issue 9 >
        • A Double Fairlie in 16mm scale
      • Mercury Issue 10 >
        • Copyright & Credits Page
        • Les Tortillards
        • The Presidents Carriage
        • Coffeepots I
        • Cerrobend Casting
        • A Double Fairlie in 16mm scale
    • Mercury Articles 11- 20 >
      • Mercury Issue 11 >
        • Skip Wagons
        • Fiji
        • Port Class Pictorial
        • Hohenzollern
        • Coffeepots II
        • Victoria Amused Me
      • Mercury Issue 12 >
        • Cerrobond Casting Part II
        • Coffee Pots III
        • Excelsior
        • Side Tip Wagons
        • The Binnie File
        • Westcock Tramway
        • Drawings from Mercury 12
      • Mercury Issue 13 >
        • Trains by Emett
      • Mercury Issue 14 >
        • Ashbury Contractors Van
        • Corris
        • Flocking
        • Lady M
        • Lister Auto Truck
        • Ruston 16hp
        • Sauterelles
      • Mercury Issue 15 >
        • The Gentle Annie
        • Portable & Permanent Trackwork
        • The Boat
        • Trevellas Quarry
        • The Cherry Tree Brisk & Tile
        • A Chest of Drawers
        • The Planet 60HP Diesel
        • Excelsior The Facts
        • Railplane
        • The Finishing Touch
        • Open Day Pictures
      • Mercury Issue 16 >
        • Portable Trackwork
        • Permanent Trackwork
        • Bryant Switch
        • A Chest of Drawers
        • General Electric
        • The Ten Laws for Narrow Gauge Modellers
      • Mercury Issue 17 >
        • A Chest of Drawers
        • An Article for Cranks
        • Ffestiniog Gunpowder Vans
        • Ramblings on a Sunny Morning
      • Mercury Issue 18
      • Mercury Issue 19 >
        • Hookers & Shunters.
        • 10hp Planet & Penrhyn carriage.
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      • 7mm Narrow Gauge (Chris Holmes)
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    • EPITAPH FOR A TRAIN SPOTTER
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    • Geoff's O-16.5 Layout

THE BOAT

For the learned enthusiast.
By Mike South.

The Ffestiniog Railway's 'Boat' is one of those delightful eccentricities which surface in rail mythology from time to time, and was its existence not (none too well) documented, one might be seriously tempted to dismiss it as too improbable to have ever existed.
 
As far as can be determined there has only ever been one photograph published of the Boat (see Boyd, Vol 1, 3rd. Edition, p40), and this is so indistinct and so much is obscured by foreground clutter, that - frankly - the photo might be of just about anything!
 Colin Binnie has long been fascinated by this aberration of the coach builder's art. A couple of years ago he got hold of some chairs, his children and a tape measure and proceeded to move the said seated children around until he had achieved a proportionately realistic relationship between his seated offspring and the seated figures in the Lee engraving (of which more anon). Then by nefarious Binnie means, he produced the original pencil tracing of the drawing which accompanies this article.
 
Ray Wyborn then sat down to produce a three-dimensional representation. Due to the unusually large wheels the form of drive is novel, being a transversely mounted double-ended slot-car motor with rubber sleeves on the motor spindles bearing directly onto the top of the front wheel rims. Wheel spin as the model gets under way is spectacular, but once this is overcome, the model - like its prototype - has a phenomenal turn of speed.
 
Very little is known of the origins of the full-size vehicle, such hard 'facts' as do exist being the sub­ject of considerable controversy regarding the proper interpretation to be placed on them. The source of the (*1*)' only known drawing (engraved from a photograph?) has not been established. Mr.. C.E. Lee, who first reproduced it in 'Narrow Gauge Railways In North Wales' dates it back to 1871, and the occupants' dress seems to fit that period. A very close copy of that engraving appeared in Scribner's Monthly Magazine in 1879, so we can assume that it was officially supplied and was regarded as a fair representation. Close examination of the engraving reveals bows having at the top a knob, rather like the 'bobble' on a rowing eight, with a T-shaped metal projection below, and a short rubbing strip running back from this; outside the wheels is a horizontal strip running the length of the body (*1*).'

There is a considerable amount of circumstantial evidence to suggest that the peculiar shape of the Boat, plus the rubbing strips down the side, was a direct consequence of the vehicle being designed to force open certain level crossing gates on the line when it impacted with them whilst gravitating down the line to Portmadoc. Michael Seymour (*2*)' would suggest that the gates in horse days were held closed but not latched across the line by some arrangement of chain and weight. They would be forced open in the down direction only against the weight by ... gravity trains ... The Boat would be hauled up the line and run down by gravity, prow first, a practice also adopted for the Oakeley Car (*2*)' - see Boyd, Vol 2, 4th. Edition, Illustration 23R, p458/9. For fuller details concerning the pros and cons of the gate opening arguments see 'Ffestiniog Railway Magazines' Nos. 78 (p25), 79 (p26), 80 (p28/9) and 81 (p31/2).

Picture
(*2*)' It would be of interest to know when the Boat was built; its existence is recorded back to 1869 and a "passenger carriage", which must be a gravity vehicle, appears in Boston Lodge accounts back to 1859 at least. An account for painting a railway carriage occurs in 1844, so that it may be that the Boat, or an ancestor, dates back to the earliest days of the (Ffestiniog) Railway. It is also recorded as having a sail, so (Michael Seymour) suspects that it was used for popping across from (Portmadoc) Harbour to Boston lodge ... (*2*).'
In contrast to the obscurity concerning its origins, the spectacular end of the Boat is well documented. Charles Easton Spooner (*3*)' lost patience waiting for the up train at Tan-Y-Grisiau and proceeded assuming a breakdown (*3*)1. The diaries of A.G. Crick take up the story: (*4*)"12.2.86. Mr.. Spooner went up with 10.30 train today with Miss Tidderman, Mr. and Miss Robinson and started down without the (train) staff and consequently came in collision with an up Passenger Train near the Tunnel causing the boat to smash to pieces and Mr. Spooner and Miss Robinson badly hurt. Miss Tidderman and Mr. Robinson came off luckily. Parkins driving the up train and did his best to stop the train but unsuccessfully. They were bandaged up and are now laid up in beds - damage to Engine, slight."
The words used by Crick suggest that this was the end of the Boat. No little embarrassment must have been caused to Spooner by this accident, for it stemmed directly from a breach of the rules for staff operating (*4*)'.
 
References:
*1* Michael Seqmour, 'Festiniog Railway Magazine' No. 81, p 31/2
*2* Michael Seqmour, 'Ffestiniog Railway Magazine' No. 79, p 26
*3* D.H. Wilson, 'Ffestiniog Railway Magazine' No. 77, p 22
*4* Michael Seqmour, 'Ffestiniog Railway Magazine' No. 4, p 10/1
Picture
Ray Wyborn's Boat.
Picture
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  • Home
    • Introduction
  • About Us
    • In the beginning
    • Copyright notice
    • Contact
  • Mercury Reprints & Articles
    • Copyright Notice
    • Acts of Parliament >
      • Original Act
      • Extension Acts
    • Mercury Reprints 1 - 6 >
      • MM No. 1. October 1974
      • MM No. 2. May 1975
      • MM No. 3. December 1975
      • MM No. 4. Spring 1976
      • MM No. 5. June 1976
      • MM No. 6 Autumn 1976
    • Mercury Articles 7 - 10 >
      • Mercury Issue 7 >
        • Festiniog & Blaenau Railway locomotives.
        • The weekend at Hassocks 7 - 9 January, 1977.
        • Quarry Workers Coach.
      • Mercury Issue 8 >
        • ELECTRONICS AND 16mm
        • THE WATERMOOR LIGHT CLOSES
        • Redlake Revisited
        • Rubbish
        • PHOTOPAGE `NO. 2
      • Mercury Issue 9 >
        • A Double Fairlie in 16mm scale
      • Mercury Issue 10 >
        • Copyright & Credits Page
        • Les Tortillards
        • The Presidents Carriage
        • Coffeepots I
        • Cerrobend Casting
        • A Double Fairlie in 16mm scale
    • Mercury Articles 11- 20 >
      • Mercury Issue 11 >
        • Skip Wagons
        • Fiji
        • Port Class Pictorial
        • Hohenzollern
        • Coffeepots II
        • Victoria Amused Me
      • Mercury Issue 12 >
        • Cerrobond Casting Part II
        • Coffee Pots III
        • Excelsior
        • Side Tip Wagons
        • The Binnie File
        • Westcock Tramway
        • Drawings from Mercury 12
      • Mercury Issue 13 >
        • Trains by Emett
      • Mercury Issue 14 >
        • Ashbury Contractors Van
        • Corris
        • Flocking
        • Lady M
        • Lister Auto Truck
        • Ruston 16hp
        • Sauterelles
      • Mercury Issue 15 >
        • The Gentle Annie
        • Portable & Permanent Trackwork
        • The Boat
        • Trevellas Quarry
        • The Cherry Tree Brisk & Tile
        • A Chest of Drawers
        • The Planet 60HP Diesel
        • Excelsior The Facts
        • Railplane
        • The Finishing Touch
        • Open Day Pictures
      • Mercury Issue 16 >
        • Portable Trackwork
        • Permanent Trackwork
        • Bryant Switch
        • A Chest of Drawers
        • General Electric
        • The Ten Laws for Narrow Gauge Modellers
      • Mercury Issue 17 >
        • A Chest of Drawers
        • An Article for Cranks
        • Ffestiniog Gunpowder Vans
        • Ramblings on a Sunny Morning
      • Mercury Issue 18
      • Mercury Issue 19 >
        • Hookers & Shunters.
        • 10hp Planet & Penrhyn carriage.
  • Gallery
    • Drawings Register
    • Archive
    • Outings >
      • Mad Hatter's Tea Party - 2014
      • Statfold Barn - 2014
      • Apedale Gala Day - 2014
      • FR and WHR (Dave P) - Aug 2014
      • Statfold Barn - 2015
    • Models >
      • 7mm Narrow Gauge (Chris Holmes)
      • Clockwork Models
    • Members Open Days >
      • The Startops And Tringford Railway - 2014
      • Dave's July 2015
      • Dave's May 2016
      • Dave's December 2016
      • Dave's January 2017
      • Dave's July 2017
      • Graham's August 2017
      • Dave's July 2018
  • Technical
    • Scales and Gauges
    • Wheel & rail standards
    • Data sheet
    • Binnie Conversion chart
    • Pontifications
    • Muddling through with Desperate Dan
    • Mercury Drawings Index
    • Links
  • Modelling News
    • EPITAPH FOR A TRAIN SPOTTER
    • Dave P's Mogul
    • Geoff's articulated steam Sentinel "Updated"
    • Geoff's Kerr Stuart
    • Geoff's O-16.5 Layout