⚓ ELIDIR ⚓
Thames steamer (XIX. sec.)
Thames steamers
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Steamboat services started on the Thames in around 1815 and for nearly 25 years were the main use of steam to carry passengers before the emergence of railways in the south of England. During this time at least 80 steamers are recorded in the Thames and the Steamboat Act of 1819 became the first statute to regulate the safety of the new technology for the public.[1] Wooden boats driven by paddle-wheels, they managed during this time to establish themselves as faster and more reliable than the earlier use of sailing and rowing boats for passenger transport within the Thames estuary.
The early lead in practical steamboats established by William Symington in 1803 with the Charlotte Dundas in Scotland was not maintained, and the first steamboat passenger service was established in the United States in 1807 by Robert Fulton with his North River Steamboat on the Hudson River, using an engine manufactured in Birmingham. The first service on the Thames that can be established properly is the Margery in 1815, though the Richmond may have started taking passengers in 1813.
Excursion traffic developed in the mid-19th century with the large city population increasingly looking to take holidays in the resorts developing on the north and south banks of the estuary, the coasts of the counties of Essex and Kent. Packet steamers also plied longer routes such as up the east coast of England to Great Yarmouth and across the English Channel to French and Belgian ports. Shorter ferry services were established on the Thames - London County Council's fleet of paddlers for a "river-bus" service within London, and the London, Tilbury & Southend Railway's Tilbury-Gravesend ferry which continues to perate and was run with small paddlers until 1893.
Windsor Belle – steam launch
Alaska – steam launch at Bourne End in 2006
At the end of the 19th century pretty little steamboats like the Elidir were a common sight on the River Thames. Between 20 and 40 feet long, these boats had a simple but efficient boiler system, cooled by water from the river itself. A number of them, in perfect condition after 100 years of service, are still in operation on the Thames.
Elidir
| Owner: G.R. Wallace-Sims. (SBA member) Area: River Thames (UK). |
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| HULL | Saloon launch Built 1976-78 by Robin Wallace-Sims at Reading. LOA: 23', LWL: 20', Beam: 5', Draft: 1' 7". Riveted & welded steel Straight stem, counter stern, white, aft saloon, 6 seats, wheel steering, balanced rudder, steam electric light engine 3/4" x 1", 6 knots. |
| ENGINE | Compound, 2" + 3" x 3". Built 1975 by Robin Wallace-Sims. Valve(s): Balanced sv, Gear: Joy Radial (modified). 3 tfc, girder frame at back, ecc driven ram air and fp, Kcond. |
| BOILER | VWT. Built 1976 by Robin Wallace-Sims. Fuel: coal, Pressure: 110 psi, Grate: 0.8 sqft, Heating Area: 14 sqft, Output: 60 lbs/hr. 2-drums 10" dia x 10" high, 40 x 1.9/32" od tubes, hand fp, superheater, blower, 40 lbs bunker, 14 gall fw tank, hotwell, bilge ejector, Wkettle. |
| PROP | 3 blades, 14" x 19". Shaft: 7/8" SS. |
| HISTORY | Built and fitted out entirely by owner to own designs, plant fitted Feb 1978. Steamed every year since. (Steel salvaged from old oil tanks, hot water cylinders etc.). |
Elidir (Lyn Smith) Kennet and Avon Canal, Kintbury, 1993
Ismertető
A 19. század végén ezek a kis gőzhajók mint az Elidir, megszokott látvány volt Londonban a Temzén.
Általában 20-40 láb hosszuak voltak, meghajtásukat egy egyszerű de hatékony gőzgép biztosította melynek vizellátásáról és hűtéséről maga a folyó vize gondoskodott.
Abban az időben főleg személyszállításra alkalmazták, általában a mai taxi szerepét töltötték be, mivel gyorsan és hatékonyan tudták megközelíteni London számos részét.
Sokuk, 100 év szolgálat után még napjainkban is működésben van.