The North British Railway Company had taken over the Helensburgh Railway in July 1866, a subsidiary, the North British Steam Packet Co., formed to run steamer services with their new well-appointed saloon steamers Meg Merrilies and Dandie Dinmont, immediately pressured the Helensburgh authorities for improved steamboat accommodation and a railway connection with the pier. The failure of this initial venture to attract a greater portion of the coast trade with steamers so obviously superior to those on other routes with the exception of the Iona must have been a tremendous blow to those involved. At the end of the season, Meg Merrilies and Dandie Dinmont were laid up in Bowling and offered for sale. The former was sold in 1868 to Turkish owners.
Meg Merrilies
Dandie Dinmont was moved to the Forth and tried on ferry services there. Her deck space was unsuitable for the requirements of cargo carrying on the Forth and she was laid up but returned to the Clyde in 1869.
Interestingly, both the Meg Merrilies and Dandie Dinmont originally appeared with short funnels, much like the Iona, but like that vessel, Dandie Dinmont’s funnels were extended in height while she was on the Forth.
Dandie Dinmont at Aberdour
To accompany Dandie Dinmont on her return to the Clyde in 1869, and provide a service over the winter months, the North British Company brought in a small flush-decked steamer from the Solway called the Carham. Built by Messrs A. & J. Inglis in 1864, she provided connections to the Gareloch piers from Helensburgh. With Dandie Dinmont, services were extended to Dunoon and the Holy Loch, and for a few weeks also to Rothesay. The two steamers maintained a limited service during the next year as the financial state of the North British Company improved. Carham was sold to the Dingwall and Skye Railway in 1871 and she sailed between Strome Ferry and Portree until 1877.
Carham at Strome Ferry (Valentine)
Carham at Portree (Valentine)
To replace Carham on the Gareloch service, a new vessel, appropriately named Gareloch was ordered from Messrs H. Murray & Co. of Port Glasgow in 1872. She was of raised quarter-deck design, and a significant advance on the Carham.
Dandie Dinmont at Helensburgh Pier
Gareloch at Helensburgh Pier
The pier at Helensburgh was further extended in 1872, but the service failed to attract the passenger numbers that the North British Company anticipated in return for their investments. As early as 1873 the Company were searching for a new location for a pier, first at Cardross and then at Craigendoran at the eastern end of Helensburgh itself. Negotiations progressed with the town authorities and in 1877 the railway company made a proposal to purchase Helensburgh pier and run a railway line to the pier-head, taking measures to mitigate the disruption to the town. This final attempt failed and the company moved to obtain the powers necessary to construct a station in the sea at Craigendoran.
The good people of Helensburgh responded to the proposal of a station “in the sea” at Craigendoran with disbelief. In his opening statements to a meeting he chaired in the King Street Hall on February 6, 1877, Mr William Kidston of Ferniegair called the plan an outrage, metaphorically much the same as a proposition to gouge out their eyes or pull out their teeth. The town of Helensburgh was the best customer of the railway company, and what right did the railway have to disregard the interest, comfort, and convenience of the town and all for a modicum of extra traffic to Kilcreggan and Dunoon. The conclusion of the meeting was that it would injure the town and be unprofitable to the railway company. A meeting at the Mission Hall on January 28, 1879, chaired by the Provost, highlighted the loss of revenue to the town, the depreciation of property values and inconvenience to the residents that the loss of the steamboat connection would bring. The debt for Helensburgh pier, extended in 1872, would never be cleared if the Craigendoran works went ahead, and there was an expression of regret that the proposals of 1877 had been so quickly rejected.
Loch Lomond Steamboat Co.’s Chancellor at Arrochar
In 1880, two significant new tourist ventures were started from Helensburgh in connection with the North British trains. The teetotal steamer Ivanhoe owned by the Frith of Clyde Steam Packet Company sailed to Arran, and the Loch Lomond Steamboat Company’s new Chancellor, sailing to Arrochar, completed the circular tour connection with the Loch Lomond steamers. The former was covered in a previous article, and the latter will be dealt with in a future article as the North British connection with the Arrochar route was to prove of some importance.
Gareloch leaving Craigendoran
Gareloch on the Gareloch approaching Row
The new pier at Craigendoran was opened in 1882 and the North British Company purchased the Sheila from the Wemyss Bay Company. Sheila, a raised-quarterdeck vessel was built by Messrs Caird & Co. of Greenock in 1877 and had been a considerable asset to the Wemyss Bay Co, racing for the Rothesay traffic in competition with the Sultana that sailed in conjunction wit the Glasgow and South Western Railway from Greenock. However, she had a serious collision with the new Columba at Innellan in 1882 and had been under repair at the yard of Messrs Caird & Co. when the North British purchased her. With a fast steamer that had a good reputation on the Rothesay route, the company extended their sailings to the capital of Bute.
Guy Mannering in Rothesay Bay (Adamson)
Guy Mannering
The new pier at Craigendoran also signaled a change in the funnel colours of the fleet with an added white band between the red funnel and black top. With their black hulls and paddle boxes adorned with gilt paint and their varnished wooden upper-works, the steamers presented a most attractive picture.
Dandie Dinmont at Garelochhead
Dandie Dinmont among the yachts in the Holy Loch
To serve as consort to the Sheila on the Rothesay station, a new Meg Merrilies was ordered in 1883 from the yard of Messrs Barclay Curle & Co. She had a deck saloon aft but proved to be much slower than Sheila, unable to meet specifications, and was returned to her builders at the end of the season. Meg Merrilies underwent some modifications with her builders that appeared to correct some of her deficiencies and spent some time at Belfast before returning to Clyde to sail for Captain Campbell on the Holy Loch route in 1885.
Meg Merrilies off Gourock (Robertson)
The bow of Meg Merrilies with Columba at Rothesay (Washington Wilson)
The tourist steamers, Ivanhoe and Chancellor, also moved to Craigendoran, adding to the loss of visitors at Helensburgh. The North British Greenock and Gareloch services and the Chancellor, however, maintained a call at Helensburgh.
To replace the Meg Merrilies and redeem themselves, Messrs Barclay Curle & Co. produced a raised quarterdeck steamer for the 1884 season. Named Jeanie Deans, she was faster than Sheila, probably the fastest on the Firth, and together the two steamers established a successful reputation on the Rothesay route. Sheila, was renamed Guy Mannering, setting the nomenclature for the subsequent steamers in the fleet in choosing names from the novels of Sir Walter Scott.
Jeanie Deans (Poulton)
Jeanie Deans leaving Craigendoran
Jeanie Deans in Rothesay Bay (Adamson)
Jeanie Deans leaving Rothesay (Reliable Series)
The following year, a replacement for the aging Dandie Dinmont was ordered. Coming from the yard of Messrs Barclay, Curle & Co. Ltd., Diana Vernon was an up-to-date saloon steamer with a full-width saloon aft and a narrow saloon forward and though without the speed of the Jeanie Deans, provided comfortable accommodation on the Dunoon and Holy Loch service where a more leisurely pace was acceptable. The Dandie Dinmont was laid up until she was sold in 1887 to owners on the south coast of England.
Diana Vernon
Diana Vernon approaching Row Pier passing Shandon.
Diana Vernon at Garelochhead (Valentine)
Dandie Dinmont on the South Coast
In 1885, the Loch Lomond Steamboat Company sold the Chancellor to the Lochgoil Company and from that season, the Arrochar connection began at the Broomielaw. Further expansion of the services from Craigendoran came in 1888 when Lucy Ashton appeared from the yard of Messrs T. B. Seath & Co. at Rutherglen. She was larger than the Diana Vernon and better suited to the Dunoon and Holy Loch service.
Lucy Ashton
Lucy Ashton
Lucy Ashton at Helensburgh Pier (Stengel)
Lucy Ashton at Roseneath (Stengel)
Lucy Ashton at Craigendoran (Stengel)
Towards the end of 1888, the North British Company took over the steamer service on Loch Lomond and the four vessels there, the Prince of Wales dating from 1858, Prince Consort from 1862, The Queen, a more modern vessel of 1883 and the Empress, that was still in the process of building at the yard of Napier Shanks & Bell at Yoker.
Prince of Wales at Balloch
Prince Consort approaching Luss
The Queen at Tarbet
The Queen at Balloch
Empress off Inversnaid
Empress at Ardlui
Empress at Luss
The addition of the Loch Lomond steamers renewed interest in the service to Arrochar and an order was placed with Messrs S. M‘Knight & Co. of Ayr for a saloon steamer suitable for the tourist excursion traffic. Ready for the 1891 season, Lady Rowena differed internally from the other steamers of the fleet with a large dining saloon forward extending the full width of the hull, allowing diners to view the passing scenery. That year, ownership of the Chancellor passed to the Glasgow and South Western Railway, sailing from Princes Pier.
Lady Rowena off Arrochar in her first season
Lady Rowena off Gourock (Robertson)
Lady Rowena at Dunoon
Lady Rowena at Arrochar
A replacement for Gareloch was also introduced in 1891. Lady Clare was a smaller version of the Lucy Ashton and came from the yard of Messrs J. M‘Arthur & Co. of Paisley. She was designed for the Gareloch service and her improved saloon accommodation proved popular.
Lady Clare
Lady Clare at Garelochhead (Stengel)
Lady Clare at Barreman Pier
Lady Clare at Row
Lady Clare with a deck cargo of sheep (Robertson)
The Gareloch was sent to the Forth where she was renamed Wemyss Castle.
Wemyss Castle at Aberdour
Wemyss Castle at Elie
Competition from the new fleets of the Caledonian Steam Packet Company from Gourock and Glasgow and South Western Railway from Princes Pier exposed the inadequacies of the North British fleet. The flush deck Jeanie Deans and Guy Mannering might be fast enough to compete on the longer sea journey from Craigendoran but the lack of saloon accommodation compared with the new steamers of the south bank fleets proved to be a disadvantage in attracting passengers. The first attempt to remedy the situation was the addition of an aft saloon and a small detached fore saloon on Guy Mannering in 1892. The result was a hugely disappointing drop in her performance and in 1894 she was sold to Captain Buchanan.
Guy Mannering with deck saloons in 1892
Jeanie Deans with saloons in 1894
A similar conversion was inflicted in the Jeanie Deans in 1894 with the same predictable results and steps were taken to order a much larger vessel, Redgauntlet, from Messrs Barclay Curle & Co. The Redgauntlet appeared for the 1895 season, but was never really a success and lacked the speed necessary to signal a recovery of the traffic on the Rothesay route.
Redgauntlet (Adamson)
Redgauntlet
Redgauntlet at Kilmun (Wrench)
A second, smaller steamer, a second Dandie Dinmont, was ordered from the yard of Messrs A. & J. Inglis of Pointhouse. She was intended for the Dunoon and Holy Loch service.
Dandie Dinmont (Adamson)
Dandie Dinmont on the Gareloch
Dandie Dinmont at Shandon
Dandie Dinmont at Kilmun
Dandie Dinmont
Around this time, Dr. John Inglis joined the board of the North British Railway and, perhaps not surprisingly, the replacement for Jeanie Deans on the Rothesay route also came from the yard of Messrs A. & J. Inglis in 1896. The Talisman, was a flyer and restored the reputation of the North British. She had a full width saloon aft and a narrow saloon forward but was well equipped for the Rothesay service. The Jeanie Deans was sold to Derry but returned to the Clyde a few years later under the name Duchess of York.
Talisman leaving Dunoon (Stengel)
Talisman in 1900
Talisman (Robertson, Glasgow)
Also in 1896, the Loch Lomond fleet came under the control of a Joint Line Committee run by the North British and Caledonian concerns.
Kenilworth off Helensburgh (Valentine)
Kenilworth leaving Dunoon (Stengel)
Kenilworth (Robertson)
Talisman at Rothesay in 1903
A sister ship to the Talisman was ordered from the same builders for the 1898 season. Named Kenilworth, she was the faster of the pair and this allowed Redgauntlet to be used on less exacting excursion work.
Talisman and Kenilworth at Craigmore
Redgauntlet leaving Dunoon (Robertson, Glasgow)
The next addition to the fleet was the Waverley in the following year, 1899. Like her immediate predecessors, she came from the yard of Messrs A. & J. Inglis but her compound diagonal machinery marked a departure from earlier steamers. A frequent complaint of the North British steamers was the fore-and-aft surging motion caused by the heavy crank of the single diagonal engine. This was especially uncomfortable on long trips such as the sailing to Rothesay or on excursions, but more acceptable on short ferry routes. The Waverley did not suffer from this problem and with her full width saloons both fore and aft, she was a sound addition to the Rothesay service and took up the round Bute cruise that had been pioneered with Redgauntlet, allowing that vessel to travel further afield.
Redgauntlet aground on the rocks at Sliddery
In August of 1899, while on one lengthy excursion round Arran, Redgauntlet ran onto rocks at the south end of the island and sank, fortunately without loss of life. She was raised and repaired and sailed on the Clyde for a further decade.
Waverley (Adamson)
Waverley (Robertson)
Waverley at Craigendoran
Waverley at Innellan
Waverley at Rothesay with Bute (III)
Waverley at Ormidale
Waverley at Arrochar with G&SW Ry Co Minerva and Lady Clare
The new century saw a period of retrenchment. In 1901, Diana Vernon was sold to owners in Brighton and renamed Worthing Belle.
Worthing Belle
The following year, the steam-packet company was subsumed into the North British Railway. Although this placed additional restrictions on operations, it consolidated management and capital. That year, Lucy Ashton was spare steamer and the opportunity was taken to compound her engines ensuring her a future with the company. She also acquired deck shelters around this time. Lady Rowena was not so fortunate. She was sold in 1903 to Italian owners but eventually made her way back to the Clyde for Captain Cameron.
Lucy Ashton at Helensburgh
Helensburgh continued as a call for the Gareloch steamers and the ferry connection with Greenock. Visitors arrived by train to the station.
Helensburgh station (Macneur & Bryden)
Helensburgh station
Lucy Ashton in 1902 (Robertson)
Lucy Ashton with deck shelters (Robertson, Glasgow)
A replacement for the Arrochar service was ordered and Marmion duly appeared from the yard of Messrs A. & J. Inglis in 1906. A smaller version of the Waverley, designed to work both summer and winter, she was the first in the fleet to have her bridge placed forward of the funnel and as a result is easily recognized in contemporary photographs.
Marmion (Robertson)
Marmion (Robertson)
Marmion making an environmental statement at Kirn
Marmion on an excursion (Robertson)
On board Marmion sailing down Loch Long
Marmion in Rothesay Bay (Judges)
There was no expansion of the fleet however. Lady Clare was laid up and sold to owners in Moville, Loch Foyle.
In 1909, the three railway companies vying for the Clyde traffic agreed to fleet reductions, and it was the lot of Redgauntlet to be sent to the Forth where she carried out excursion work for the North British subsidiary, the Galloway Saloon Steam Packet Company.
Red gauntlet at the Isle of May in the Forth
Redgauntlet at Berwick
The remaining steamers, Lucy Ashton, Dandie Dinmont, Talisman, Kenilworth, Waverley, and Marmion maintained the North British connection until the first world war.
North British Schedule July 1909 (Murray’s Diary)
It was quite commonplace to find some of the larger units taking ferry runs.
Talisman at Row
Kenilworth at Row
Talisman at Shandon Pier around 1910 with the laid up Allan Liner Siberian in the background. Siberian dragged her anchors in a storm in December of that year into the path of the Lucy Ashton.
During the war, the four newer steamers were requisitioned. All four returned from active service and the six steamers formed the Clyde fleet of London and North Eastern Railway Co. when the amalgamations of 1923 took place.
Craigendoran station in 1919
Craigendoran station in 1919
April 27, 2016
Absolutely wonderful article and photos. Thank you.
May 15, 2016
I notice that in the photo of Dandie Dinmont at Helensburgh, she has two funnels but in other pictures she has one.
Once again, this site is a great resource.
May 15, 2016
Robert: There were two Dandie Dinmonts. The two funneled vessel dates from 1866 and the single funnel vessel from 1895. There were also two steamers named Meg Merrilies, two named Jeanie Deans and several named Waverley. Graham
June 16, 2016
My grandfather piloted the Clyde Steamers.
Wonderful photographs on this site!
January 26, 2017
My great-grandfather, Robert Darling 1842-1893, was General Manager of the North British Steam Packet Company. Any information on him would be very welcome!
January 27, 2017
Mike: I have not yet focussed on many of the personalities associated with the Clyde but will try to fit that in in the near future. Graham
February 1, 2017
My apologies – Robert Darling died (at Helensburgh) in 1899 – not 1893
February 1, 2017
Graham
Further to Robert Darling, here’s an interesting excerpt from the Royal Forth Yacht Club’s website:
The Royal Forth Yacht Club was founded on the 16th of May 1868 as ‘Granton Yacht Club’ by a group of 26 local gentlemen who were interested in the encouragement of active boating among the people of Edinburgh and the annual subscription was 6 shillings. Mr George Stevenson of Granton was the first President and Mr Robert Darling of Trinity the first Secretary. Its name was changed in 1872 the Forth Yacht Club then in 1883 by “command” of Queen Victoria to The Royal Forth Yacht Club.
May 5, 2021
Hello, my Great grandfather Malcolm Carmichael who died in 1888 was Captain of the SS Ferret and after that the Lochawe which was probably his last commision. Prior to that I think he was First mate or other rank on the Clansman and the Carham. I have found out quite a bit about him and his family but have now hit a brick wall. I know about the Ferret being stolen and the fascinating story that goes with it as well. He died when he was only 52 and there was no cause of death on the registration document which is rather odd! If you know any more about him please let me know. Best regards, Ian.