A Colorful Interlude (II)

on Sep 3, 2025

Messrs MacBrayne provided a lifeline to the communities of the western highlands and islands. In addition to the Royal Route by swift steamers the larger vessels sailing from the Clyde round the Mull of Kintyre brought passengers and goods to villages and lodges around the coast. Cavalier at Custom House Quay, Greenock. Cavalier dated from 1883 and was built to the maximum length fitting the locks on the Caledonian Canal for the service to Inverness. Astern of her is the Islay of 1872. She was built as Princess Louise for the Stranraer to Larne service, and in 1890, was acquired by Messrs MacBrayne, and renamed Islay. She sailed from Glasgow round the Mull of Kintyre to her namesake island. In 1902, she ran aground at Port Ellen. Approaching the pier is Messrs Campbell’s Meg Merrilies. Cavalier on the Caledonian Canal. Sailing round the Mull of Kintyre was not without its dangers....

A Colourful Interlude (I)

on Sep 1, 2025

This summer I began rescanning my collection of glass slides and negatives. They are heavy and it would seem that a good digital record might be the best means of preservation. Many show the signs of the fungus that is their bane and required restoration. Although my focus has always been on black and white photographs that I convert to sepia as I find it provides a more pleasing way of capturing detail, I also began to play with colouring software. The high resolution of the slides and negatives (roughly x5 what I can post on this site) makes them good candidates for colourisation. I use an older version of photoshop that I frequently use to set the colours of the background and use the painting palette for the detail, keeping the opacity low to preserve shading in the original photograph. It is an exercise in colouring between the lines for the most part and quite straightforward. I...

All the way to Stornoway

on Jan 22, 2019

The prospects of serving the most remote parts of the western isles by steamboat featured early the annals. In the Herald of December 22, 1820, the following appeared:— “Steam-Packets to the Hebrides and North-west of Scotland.—The great facilities now afforded for visiting many parts of this country, by means of the cheap and safe conveyance of these vessels, continue to be everywhere on the increase. At present, it must afford much satisfaction to all interested in the northern parts of our Island, to learn, that a communication is now to be opened, by this admirable invention, to many parts of the Highlands which were lately, and are yet, comparatively inaccessible by roads. It is now intended that a Steam-boat shall begin to ply from the Clyde—to the Lewes, through the Crinan Canal and Sound of Mull—to call at Tobermory—from thence to the Sound of Skye—call at Isle Ornsay,...

Lochfyne

on May 8, 2018

At the Dumbarton yard of Messrs William Denny & Brothers, Ltd., on March 20, 1931, Lochfyne was named by Lady Stamp, wife of Sir Josiah Stamp, President of the L.M.S. Railway Co., and she slid down the ways to the accompaniment of bagpipe music. So began the story of a vessel built for the Clyde and West Highland trade of Messrs David Macbrayne (1928) Ltd., with an innovative Diesel-electric propulsion. The year 1927 had not been kind to Messrs Macbrayne. In that year, two fine paddle steamers, Chevalier and Grenadier had been lost and the subsequent reorganization of the struggling company promised the addition of four new vessels to the fleet. The Lochfyne was the last of the four, and some idea of the novelty she provided can be gleaned from her description in “The Rock” magazine. “Twin Screw Diesel-Electric Vessel Lochfyne “This vessel has recently been delivered to Messrs...

The Latter Years of Iona

on Jun 13, 2017

In the previous article on MacBrayne’s Iona from May 31, 2017, the story left off when Iona had been displaced from the Ardrishaig mail service by Columba and sent to work out of Oban to serve the anticipated increase in traffic when the railway reached the town in 1880. The arrival of the Grenadier allowed Iona to return to the Clyde in 1886 where she provided a second service on the Ardrishaig mail run. Based overnight at Ardrishaig, she sailed for Greenock and the Broomielaw at 5:45 in the morning, making the usual calls at Tarbert, Tighnabruich, Colintraive, Rothesay, Innellan, Dunoon, and Greenock. She made her run from the Broomielaw, leaving at 1:30, and returning to Ardrishaig by the same route. Iona canting at the Broomielaw with Daniel Adamson and Benmore (Annan) Iona and Strathmore at the Broomielaw awaiting the 1:30 departure Iona and Strathmore at the Broomielaw...

Macbrayne’s Fusilier

on Jun 11, 2017

Traffic to the Highlands and Islands through Oban grew rapidly through the 1880s as a result of the connection by rail and the improvements to MacBrayne’s “Royal Route” by steamer from the Clyde. A new steamer was ordered from Messrs Hutson & Corbett of Glasgow and they subcontracted the construction of the hull to the Paisley yard of M‘Arthur & Co. Fusilier was intended for the Portree and Gairloch mail service and it is interesting to note that in the report of her launch in the Glasgow Herald, there is also an article on the meeting of the Crofter’s Commission at Gairloch. Fusilier and Claymore at Portree “On Saturday afternoon Messrs J. M‘Arthur & Co. launched from their shipbuilding yard at Paisley a beautifully modeled paddle-steamer names the Fusilier, which has been built by them for Mr David MacBrayne, and will form a useful addition to his large fleet of West...