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| Image from here |
Go here for details of times and how to find Galgael.
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| One of the model railways at HMRS |
It was a very interesting two days, very useful from our point of view to hear how other organisations manage and use technical records and has given me lots of things to think about.
There is a full write-up of the conference over on Turnip Rail (a blog written by PhD student David Turner about railway history).
One of the most interesting developments we heard about was the Transport Archive Register. This is an online register that aims to "describe archives containing railway and canal records which are not linked to national databases and which might otherwise escape notice. Local libraries, societies and individuals often have collections about which information is hard to find. Anyone is welcome to use the information provided and equally anyone can contribute."
Here at the Ballast Trust we have a processed a collection which belongs to Glasgow City Archives. It is the papers of R McAlister & Sons, Yachtbuilders based in Dumbarton.
It is a lovely collection, a great example of the work of a smaller firm of boat and yachtbuilders founded in 1857 to build small boats, including racing boats, gigs, canoes and other oared craft which were the main output of the firm. By 1886, expansion of the business meant that McAlister now built sailing yachts, lifeboats, steam yachts and launches. In May 1911 McAlister entered into an arrangement with Mr Valdemar Engelhardt (a Danish captain) to build his collapsible lifeboats and make the McAlister yard his British headquarters. By February 1912 they had delivered the 4 Engelhardt lifeboats that the Titanic carried which they built.
This image on the right of Order Book no. 4 (ref TD1347/10/14) that contains the order for the four lifeboats. You can see some images of the boats at the end of the pages here (fig 5 and 6) which discuss the development of the Englehardt Collapsible Lifeboat.
The page from the order book is shown below. It notes that the order is for Messrs Harland & Wolff Ltd Belfast for vessel no. 401 for four Englehardt boats measuring 28' x 8'6" x 3'1" to be delivered February 1912. The opposite page then records the dates that the four boats were delivered from Greenock by G & J Burns Ltd.
There is obviously a wealth of information online about the Titanic. One of the advantages of this is that we can see how the four collapsible lifeboats were used. This website records the names of each of the passengers the different lifeboats held and you can click through on their names to find some biographical information about them and details of their journey plans. For example, collapsible lifeboat C rescued Joseph Bruce Ismay, the President of the White Star Line.
The is a larger version of the order image available on our Flickr page. Please contact us if you have any questions about the order book.
It is a lovely collection, a great example of the work of a smaller firm of boat and yachtbuilders founded in 1857 to build small boats, including racing boats, gigs, canoes and other oared craft which were the main output of the firm. By 1886, expansion of the business meant that McAlister now built sailing yachts, lifeboats, steam yachts and launches. In May 1911 McAlister entered into an arrangement with Mr Valdemar Engelhardt (a Danish captain) to build his collapsible lifeboats and make the McAlister yard his British headquarters. By February 1912 they had delivered the 4 Engelhardt lifeboats that the Titanic carried which they built. This image on the right of Order Book no. 4 (ref TD1347/10/14) that contains the order for the four lifeboats. You can see some images of the boats at the end of the pages here (fig 5 and 6) which discuss the development of the Englehardt Collapsible Lifeboat.
The page from the order book is shown below. It notes that the order is for Messrs Harland & Wolff Ltd Belfast for vessel no. 401 for four Englehardt boats measuring 28' x 8'6" x 3'1" to be delivered February 1912. The opposite page then records the dates that the four boats were delivered from Greenock by G & J Burns Ltd.
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| [click to enlarge] |
- Englehardt collapsible lifeboat A
- Englehardt collapsible lifeboat B
- Englehardt collapsible lifeboat C
- Englehardt collapsible lifeboat D
The is a larger version of the order image available on our Flickr page. Please contact us if you have any questions about the order book.
This week I have been pulling together statistics on our Flickr views for our annual report which needs to be ready for the Trustees' meeting in May. This year views of our Flickr photostream increased by 56% to 20,695 all time views. This is on top of last year's increase of 65% so it's great to know that there's an audience for the images we have.
The most viewed image by a long lead with 991 views is HMS Candytuft. The next closest is Campbelltown and Machrihanish Light Railway Locomotive with 426 views.
The most viewed image by a long lead with 991 views is HMS Candytuft. The next closest is Campbelltown and Machrihanish Light Railway Locomotive with 426 views.
Our large catalogue for the collection of British Corporation records has been transferred from its card index files to a spreadsheet, and can now be viewed online! The catalogue, numbering just shy of 1000 ships, contains details of the ships name, the builder, year built, yard number, and the accompanying plans that we hold here, at the Ballast Trust.
The British Corporation Records
The collection dates from around 1890 to the mid 1960's. Most of the records contain essential details on the yard number, and ship dimensions. Many of these records themselves are accompanied by numerous specification sheets. Due to the substantial material of specifications that many of the ships have, a key has been devised to ensure that the maximum detail is provided.
WP = White Print
BP = Blue Print
BLP = Blue Linen Print
PP = Photographic Print
Our searchable document has also included (where possible) the location of the shipbuilder, as many firms had yards in more than one city. Whilst the index of records, as to be expected, includes mainly British Ship Yards, there is a significant minority of boats that have been constructed at foreign yards. We have strived to provide extra detail, where possible, including details on ships built as part of the 1939 Emergency Programme.
We hope that by uploading the collection online, it can find an audience, and any interest or feedback would be much appreciated!
The British Corporation Records
The collection dates from around 1890 to the mid 1960's. Most of the records contain essential details on the yard number, and ship dimensions. Many of these records themselves are accompanied by numerous specification sheets. Due to the substantial material of specifications that many of the ships have, a key has been devised to ensure that the maximum detail is provided.
WP = White Print
BP = Blue Print
BLP = Blue Linen Print
PP = Photographic Print
Our searchable document has also included (where possible) the location of the shipbuilder, as many firms had yards in more than one city. Whilst the index of records, as to be expected, includes mainly British Ship Yards, there is a significant minority of boats that have been constructed at foreign yards. We have strived to provide extra detail, where possible, including details on ships built as part of the 1939 Emergency Programme.
We hope that by uploading the collection online, it can find an audience, and any interest or feedback would be much appreciated!