Malcolm Nixon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >On Sat, 13 Oct 2007 18:03:32 +0100 (BST), [EMAIL PROTECTED] >wrote: > >>Can some of you folks give me some information about the way commercial >>boats were powered (after horses) >> >>To what extent did steam power become common and and when did the ICE take >>over.
Initially, inland boats were moved through towing by horses or men (the latter especially where there was no towpath, with the men walking in the shallows). They were also sailed in many locations. And, of course, they drifted with the current/tide where possible. A few barges (e.g. on the Thames through London) were rowed. Steam was tried on a boat quite early, but the canal company concerned didn't like the idea because it thought the wash would damage the banks. How right it was! One some navigations (e.g. some of the German rivers) barges were towed by a tug which used its power to haul itself along a chain laid in the river bed. On the French waterways in particular, there used to be a very extensive use of towing by small electric locomotives running on narrow-gauge railways, on the (often non-towpath) bank. One locomotive met another coming the other way, they swapped towlines reversed changed direction. This lasted into the later 1900s. >http://alltalkthomas.co.uk/steamers_home.htm Nonetheless steam did take hold, IIRC starting in about the 1890s, and Richard's site gives an idea of how much. However, as soon as diesel (initially semi-diesel) engines were available, they started replacing steam ones, because they are so much more energy efficient, cleaner, less demanding of labour, safer, and easier to fuel. Diesel had generally become dominant by the 1920s, although horse towing persisted much later in some places . Steam engines have some nice features, though, including silence, lack of vibration, maximum torque at zero revs, and of course the opportunity to have a whistle. I seriously looked into steam power when I was planning my barge conversion, even to the extent of having a modern, compact, and fully automatic engine and boiler (About three minutes to steam from cold start) designed, but the expected fuel consumption even with optimum heat recover etc., and the scarcity in most places of people who would know how to repair it, persuaded me to give up the idea. Adrian PS As Richard lives just down the river from me, I have had the pleasure of attending several of his waterway talks. Highly recommended. However, I think he doesn't do a steamer one. I guess it is too specialised for most audiences. Too bad - I'd be sitting near the front. Adrian Stott 07956-299966
