Always dark and downhill to the boat, and the echo, also the rattle of the chains and banging of the gangway being lowered and the smell of diesel and warmth coming out of the engine room door.
God help us, Come yourself, Don't send Jesus, This is no place for children.
Always dark and downhill to the boat, and the echo, also the rattle of the chains and banging of the gangway being lowered and the smell of diesel and warmth coming out of the engine room door.
i remember the smell and warmth like it was yeterday.
also thinking back, this smoking ban in public places is nothing new, i think I'm right in saying you could never smoke inside the ferry in the seating area, you had to smoke on deck, but you could smoke down below in the cafe.
God help us, Come yourself, Don't send Jesus, This is no place for children.
Have fond memories of the last of the steam ferry boats before the first of the diesel rattletraps entered service (Mountwood). The only good thing about the diesels was the tea bar down below.
The steamers had real character. You could look down into the engine room. Stoker(s) stripped to the waist shovelling coal. The smell of hot oil and steam. The glare from the boilers, gleaming, spinning propellor shafts. The thump-thump-thump of the triple expansion engines. For a youngster - pure magic.
On the top deck in the winter, folk would huddle around the base of the funnel. Great until the safety valves lifted (usually when at the stage), then you'd have about a seconds warning before a great dollop of hot water dropped down onto your head. This was the condensate being blown up the pipes by the escaping steam.
What a great pity one of the old steamers couldn't have been preserved.
