The Golden Years of the Clyde Steamers
- The Golden Years of the Clyde Steamers
- 1889-1914
- The 1890s were a remarkable and colourful period of Scottish transport history. The Scottish railways, unable to live at peace with each other, broke in upon the Firth of Clyde, poured money into new railheads and fleets of steamers, and inaugurated an era of flamboyant competition which even today is remembered with awe. They provided incredibly lavish services for the Glaswegian, they competed to the point of peril for coasting traffic, and they established a tradition of service and comfort second to none in British coastal waters.
- This book tells of the railways' invasion of the coast services and of their fleets, which included such famous ships as David MacBrayne's beautiful Columba and Iona, the Turbine Company's King edward, and railway vessels such as the South Wetsren Glen Sannox, the Caledonian Duchesses and the North British Waverley and her sisters. Drawing extensively on contemporary records, and at times on the rich fund of humour with which problems were faced, much also is told of the social problems of the period as they affected the Clyde steamers, and of the tragedies that fortunately were rare occurrences on the Firth.
- With its companion volume, also by Mr Paterson, The Victorian Summer of the Clyde Steamers 1864-1888, this covers the complete history of the most romantic era of pleasure steamer history. It was a time when there was a passionate partisanship among the enthusiasts for the different ships, and the beauty of their lines, very well brought out in the numerous illustrations, makes this immediately apparent.
- 296 pages, 1969, Case bound, 5¾" x 8¾"
- ISBN-10 0715342908
- ISBN-13 9780715342909
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Canals & Waterways
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