In 1970 my family was almost run down by The Waverley. We were on holiday staying at the Kames Hotel on the Kyles Of Bute (hotel is still there and still a great place for a quiet break by the way). The Waverley was one of a number of steamers which would call in at the pier in nearby Tighnabruaich and a magnificent sight in a stunning location. One day my dad rowed us across to the Isle Of Bute a mile or so away. After a picnic, we started the row back but, being Scotland, the sea fog quickly rolled in and it was all a bit dicey (or exciting if you were six). Then we heard it, the unmistakable sound of an approaching paddle steamer. We had no idea where it was until it loomed out of the murk, missing us by maybe 30m and we got tossed about a bit in the wake. Still, we didn't drown and made it back in time for tea.

Mazel Tov on the new play! Break a leg! Chookas! Give 'em the old razzle-dazzle! That would be the best thing to come out of Teddington since Two-Ton Ted and the Baker's Van! Barring an extensive tour bringing your production to Broadway via Los Angeles, I should hope for a video recording! You mentioned "tangential" connections at the close, and I am tangentially connected to this video! My ancestor is Robert Fulton, an engineer and inventor of some note who helped to make steam-powered ships a viable mode of transport! And you know, I don't see a thin dime from that work. It is a remarkable sight seeing a steamship move across the water. The footage always looks sped up because we are so used to boat of size moving at a more leisurely clip. I am very pleased that you left space for ambient sound near the end to capture the sound of the Waverley's engines as she moved across the water. In way, that was the only justification needed for inclusion of the ship on a channel about locomotives. It is almost uncanny to hear THAT specific cadence on a watercraft!

Had the pleasure of her company from Minehead to Ilfracombe pre-pandemic. What a wonderful, atmospheric craft she is. You can smell her history.

My father recalled a locally-made silent film in Glasgow in the 1920s, about Bonnie Prince Charlie. As Fiona MacDonald rowed him over the sea to Skye, and the pianist played the appropriate tune, in the background a ferry packet steamed past in the opposite direction.

I took a trip on her in the early 80s, Bideford to Lundy and back. A storm blew up on the return journey and she struggled in the rough seas entering the Taw/Torridge Estuary (renowned as being potentially dangerous due to sandbanks). Us passengers had to huddle in the indoor compartments as spray covered the deck. It took about 20 minutes to cover a few hundred yards in the estuary mouth but she got us back safely in the end. It was a great adventure for me as a young lad and lovely to be reminded of it all these years later. Also good to see the old girl is still going strong. Thanks, Jago.

I travelled from Melbourne, Australia to see and go for a trip aboard the Waverley. It was treasured experience and I'm very glad that she is kept in service and in great condition.

The Waverley's smaller and lighter sister ship, 'Maid of the Loch', was built in 1953, seven years after the Waverley, and is situated on Loch Lomond at Balloch Pier, where it is presently being restored whilst open to the public. She is the last paddleship built in Britain, being a simpler and lighter version of the Waverley (555 tons against 693 tons), designed for freshwater cruising. She had to be transported overland to Loch Lomond in parts after being built by A. & J. Inglis of Glasgow (as was the Waverley), then deconstructed for rail wagon transport and after an 8 mile trip to Balloch Pier was finally reconstructed on Loch Lomond, operating scheduled services on the loch from the rail terminus at Balloch Pier until 1981. Well worth a visit if you are in the Glasgow area, and certainly worthy of a video from Mr Hazzard sometime!

I hope your play gets well received by the audience. Given your writing skills which we have the pleasure of listening to while viewing your uploads on this channel, I'm certain they won't force you to walk the plank at the end of the show. I do love watching your tales of all things train related, both overground and of the below ground variety. Keep it up, Jago. Cheers from a faithful subscriber in Ljubljana, Slovenia.

Much success with your play. Let us know how it went.

A true Clydebuilt and Scottish icon, been a long-term goal to travel on her (one day as I keep promising myself). Honestly wasn't expecting this video from you, but it's a very pleasant surprise as you can imagine. ;) Despite how late in the game she was built, the Waverley of 1947 wasn't the last paddle steamer to be built in the UK (or the last built in a Clyde shipyard), that honour goes to the Maid of the Loch (also built by A.& J. Inglis) of 1953. Ordered by the British Transport Commission, she was built for Loch Lomond cruises between Balloch and Ardlui (Inversnaid in later years) for over 28 years. She would undergo the same ownership changes as the Waverley did in 1969 and 1973, finally being retired in August 1981. After over a decade of decay and neglect, she was bought by the local council in 1992, who later supported a local group of enthusiasts to set up a charity to oversee further restoration work in 1995. As of me writing this, there is a ongoing project to restore her to operational condition. One interesting thing to note is that she is a 'knock-down' ship: in other words, she was launched, then dismantled and transported by rail to Balloch Pier (this was pre-Glasgow Blue Train of course, so no need to worry about overhead wires) and put back together on a purpose-built slipway there.

Great boat - and hope your play goes well!

I used to live next to the Thames. When the Waverley was coming you knew from the thumping of the paddles. Always a glorious sight.

I first heard of the PS Waverley about 4 hours ago, having attempted to google the station in Edinburgh. Safe to say I was a bit spooked to get the notification for this video.

7:56 WAIT, WHAT! WOW such wonderful news! Good luck to you and the team 👏🏽

Ive been on the Waverley many times - the best Clyde booze-cruise around! The engine room is the best place to be though, as the sight, sound and smell is mesmerising :) In recent years shes been re-boilered, grounded on the Gantocks at Dunoon, crashed into the pier at Arran and suffered a pranged bow at Rothesay, so shes been out of service quite alot, but this year she thankfully managed to stay in one piece :) Im so glad you got to have a trip "doon the watter" on our grand old lady of the Clyde.

Southend on Sea Pier was originally a steam boat pier for trips for France. So the second Waverly was a Dunkirk hero, like so many other little boats. ❤ So now Uber has the Thames taxi boats, typical, I bet they don't make much money from them, except in summer.

I get to see this little beauty fairly regularly off the coast of Clacton.

What a wonderful episode, it made me cry with pride for such a beautiful, beautiful piece of British engineering...Greetings from Lutherstadt Wittenberg ,Germany.

Despite living on the Firth of Clyde coast for over forty years, I only broke my Waverley duck last year and went on it again this summer. It's a splendid way to spend a few hours, retaining as it does its old world charm. I'm glad to see it being used in other areas of the UK but it is really at home cruising around places such as Arran and Ailsa Craig.

I often visited towns near the Murray River in Australia when I was young, so sometimes I got the chance to travel on heritage paddle steamers along the river. Although in comparison to the Waveley, those river-bound vessels might as well be toys.

My Dad has just completed her last two sailings up on the Clyde last weekend before her Winter Layoff. As a family we have clocked up over 500 trips on her . She is a beautiful vessel . Back in 2016 i did a day trip from Southampton around the Solent & Isle Of Wight, Unknown to me until the taxi driver advised me on my trip from Southampton to the Docks that Queen Mary 2 the Cunard Liner was in , I was totally in awe that Waverley was on the berth opposite Queen Mary 2 , Later in the cruise while heading back up the River to Southampton Queen Mary 2 passed us . What a day 😀 Good luck Jago with your Play and Arrrrrrrrr

A manager i worked with was born in Oban and took the Waverley ‘doon the waater’ to Glasgow to attend Uni. He went back to see parents in the mid 2000s and due to rail strike. Had to take, yep Waverley to Oban.

Went on her to Southend and back with a mate about 18 years ago, coming back into London at night is amazing as everyone stops and looks as she passes under Tower Bridge

What a wonderful story. Thanks, Jago.😀

Great video, as always. I am Dutch but I met Waverley in Portsmouth back in 1997, where she helped to spark my interest into passengersships. I also have a great interest in trains and play theater myself so this vid just combines all of my hobbies in one, thanks! And have a few wonderfull shows in London!

Amazing news on the play! Absolutely brilliant! Well done and best of luck!

Huh. I knew "Menzies" and "Dalziel", but I wasn't expecting "Inglis" to be pronounced like that. But knowing a bit about how Scottish English and Scots have been written through the years, it makes complete sense. Neat. I love learning little tidbits like this in completely incidental ways. 😻

She is a very, very fine vessel. The trip down the Thames is fascinating, very graceful and catches eyes where ever she goes. I did the trip to the Thames Forts and back in early October (p.s. the fish & chips were excellent).

Congratulations on the play! Hope it goes wonderfully!

Seeing the Waverley brings back happy memories of travelling from Portsmouth to the Isle of Wight on the Paddle Steamers back in the 1950's, for days out with family and friends. I have no idea when they were withdrawn from service, as my father's employment took us overseas for several years and when we returned to the UK, he was posted to West Wales for six years, until the late 1960's. Thanks for an excellent and informative episode.

It was nice to see the Waverly and HMS Belfast side by side, as one of my grandfathers helped build the Waverly, and the other helped build the Belfast.

Ah, you have been Doon the Watter, young sir! A rite of passage for any Glaswegian, I did it to Dunoon when I was 11.

What a gorgeous vessel. Thanks for sharing

I am old enough to remember travelling on a paddle steamer on the Clyde and being entranced by the rhythm of the engines, it was amazing. I also remember the shipbuilding yards and the assault ship Fearless being built in one of the yards. A trip to Arran followed again absolutely completely memorable.

A tale from the boiler tube!

Going from railway history to writing plays? Jago is a man of many talents. Hope it does well!

So good to see she's still sailing. Went on the jazz cruise on the Thames a couple of times 30+ years ago. Beautiful vessel.

A hull of a video, Jago! I bow to your ability to funnel your talent toward another ocean of interest. Hopefully you won't garner any stern comments for your effort. Cherrio.

Well done to the ship, her crews and the people who keep her afloat. This video reminds me of one made by military historian Mark Felton about WW2 warships that have been in active service in 2021.

My wife and I took our first trip on the Waverley late June this year. We were off to the Isle of Bute as some of my distant relatives are from there. My father and uncle had many a holiday on the Island. She really is a magnificent vessel and being able to see the engines are something to belong.

She used to come to Bournemouth quite frequently, which was when I rode her during my school days in the 80s. I've seen her more recently down in Swanage.

What a fantastic little ship. It reminds me of the Earnslaw, a small steamer that has been running on lake Wakatipu since 1912 in the south island of New Zealand. Also originally owned and operated by a railway company, the NZGR or New Zealand Government Railways. It is the largest steamer ever built in NZ and is one of the last coal-fired steamers still operating.

Wow! What a fine ship. Thanks for covering this.

She’s a lovely boat. Best of luck with the play!

If you get a chance to travel on her, do so. I did in Scotland in 1993 and it was fantastic. The sounds and smells are like nothing you get today.

Happy memories of this beauty.

Had the absolute pleasure of boarding her at Southend Pier and bidding her a fond farewell at London Bridge this month, she a lovely old girl and the opportunity to have a sparkly lit London bridge open her bascules so we could travel through was an opportunity too great to miss, definitely the highlight of the trip, closely followed by the macaroni cheese. I think I'll do the forts cruise next year :)

Thank you Jago. As an retired seafarer, as well as a railway buff, I found this particularly interesting. I have followed the Wakerley for many years, and my kids and grandkids, went on one of the London Thames cruises you mention. No ticker for poor old granddad, but, there you go. Keep up your excellent newsy, interesting and humorous work. Cheers Mike

Thankyou,, My Dad was passionate about the Waverley and if I recall correctly was at onetime a treasurer to their fundraising drive committee. We all had badges and I may still have mine somewhere, This was probably late 1970s

SS Shieldhall in Southampton is another museum ship that is worthy of the Jago Hazard treatment,

Thanks again Jago. My parents have travelled on the Waverley..i have yet to but will. You are making "waves" with this video.

Waverly's out there living her best life💅🏾

my first school trip was on the ship, it was great going up the Clyde watching the water wheels push the boat

Wonderful Waverley 😍 i had a lovely trip in her from Ipswich to Gravesend via tower bridge about the same time. She's a shining example of how a vessel in preservation should be, unlike how so many ships in museums are 'preserved'... My hat is doffed to this very hardworking ship and her equally hardworking crew⭐

I demand an episode on train ferries!

That opening shot of Waverley next to HMS Belfast is *Chef's kiss*.

Thank you for restoring some sense of wonder to her. I knew she was significant as the (only?) paddle steamer still in service, but I've gotten so accustomed to seeing her go up and down the river all day on sunny days it's become just a normal thing for me. Somewhat how like I used to live along the route of a steam traction parade's yearly showing, so all sorts of steam-powered farm equipment would trundle along by the house every year and I never thought anything of it. But plenty of people travel across the country to see those!

Sailed on the White Funnel fleet from Swansea to Ilfacombe many times. Wonderful vessels

The last Paddle steamer to work for British Rail was the Lincoln Castle, which was also built in Glasgow by A&J Inglis. She weas built in 1941 for the Humber ferry service which was run by the LNER and later, under British Railways, as a branch of Sealink. She was withdrawn in 1978 (four years after Waverley was sold by CalMac) , as her boiler certificate had expired and replacing it was not economic given that the ferry service would be withdrawn within three years when the Humber Bridge opened - the three year gap was filled by the "Farringford", a diesel-powered vessel that had been displaced from the Isle of Wight service by a larger ship. Lincoln Castle was converted to a floating restaurant, lying first at Hessle near Hull, later in Grimsby, but her condition deteriorated and she was cut up in 2010. Two older sisters, Tattershall Castle, and Wingfield Castle, were built in Hartlepool in 1934 and withdrawn in 1974. Tattershall is now a floating restaurant on the Thames, Wingfield is an exhibit at a Hartlepool maritime exhibition.

Thanks for sharing this informative video. I recently visited Loch Lomand in Scotland where they are currently repairing a paddle boat called Maid of The Loch which they hope to get working again.

Oh nice! I've love a ride on a boat like that someday. Closest thing to this for me (here in Minnesota, US) is the _Minnehaha,_ an old "streetcar" steamboat on Lake Minnetonka, a large lake ~10 miles west of Minneapolis. Originally built in 1906, it was one of a fleet of small steamboats styled like streetcars (trams) and owned by our local streetcar company Twin City Lines. From the 1900s on, they shuttled passengers around the lake's many bays and inlets from spring through fall. But by the mid 1920s, they'd lost too much traffic to cars and improved roads, so Twin City Lines took them out of service in 1926. A few were sold off; the rest (including the _Minnehaha)_ were sunk in the lake. In 1979, the _Minnehaha's_ hull was found again on the bottom of the lake.* Restored in the 1990s, the _Minnehaha_ operated in museum service from 1996 on, shutting passengers across the lake between Excelsior and Wayzata. Sadly, she's been laid up since 2019; the Museum of Lake Minnetonka lost their launch site after that fall's take-out. They're still looking for a new place to get the boat in and out of the lake; I assume all the public boat launches are too small. More info: steamboatminnehaha.org/ As for something bigger... The _SS Badger_ is a coal-fired _car ferry_ steamship built in 1953. From May to October every year, she carries US Highway 10 the ~60 miles/100 km across Lake Michigan, between Luddington, Michigan and Manitowoc, Wisconsin. More info: www.ssbadger.com/ * Side note: When first found on the bottom, the _Minnehaha_ was thought to be a sister boat the _Hopkins_ -- one of the sold-off streetcar boats. The mistake wasn't found until _after_ they'd already raised her and cleaned the hull name off better. This led to years of legal limbo, because... 1.) The mistaken identity itself was a problem; the salvage permit had been for the _Hopkins,_ not the _Minnehaha._ 2.) The _Minnehaha_ had been sunk too long ago (>50 years at the time) to legally salvage under state preservation laws. (The _Hopkins_ had been sunk two decades later, recent enough at the time to still legally salvage.) And... 3.) Intentionally sinking the boat back to where it was would probably violate state pollution laws. Fortunately, preservation sense eventually won out. Especially since a volunteer group had already been keeping the boat from rotting away during that limbo. And in a final twist, the _Minnehaha's_ steering wheel _is_ from the _Hopkins,_ having been salvaged before the _Hopkins_ was sunk.

I had a lovely day trip around the Scottish island of Arran a few years ago. Highly recommended for anyone who gets the chance. Since I live in Aberdeenshire I’m afraid Treasure Island will have to wait until it goes on a national tour, but good luck with it.

I went on the Waverly on the Clyde, in the early 80s - it went from Glasgow to Dunoon to Rothesay and back. All I really remember was the engine room and that there was a Pacman machine. Glad to see it's still going.

I’ve only ever been on once, around 1981. I remember being quite excited by Jonathan Cohen, of Play Away and Play School fame being on board

I love the Thames.

I did a sailing course on the Kyles of Bute in the early 70's and remember being almost run down twice a day by a paddle steamer. We could hear it miles away and on it thundered towards us idiots who had no clue how to sail a small boat, especially in driving rain and strong winds - I never went sailing again!

I'm from Australia and I have been enjoying many of your videos; in 2010 I visited the UK and had a cruise on the Waverley down the Clyde to Rothesay on the Isle of Bute, it was lovely. I was determined to do train travel and steam train trips such as The Jacobite to Mallaig, and Nth Yorkshire rail to Whitby, I travel again next year and I'll see what else I can find!

"...You are the New Boilers to my Triple-Expansion Engine..." Best Line Yet!

My grandfather piloted her for years, she shouldn't have been the one chosen to be kept. But she's still beautiful and a welcome sight from my house for a good part of the year

Went on it two weeks ago from Southend to Tower Hill, we go on it annually either from Southend or Whitstable. Truly fascinating trips, something new every year. London at night is an amazing sight as is the flood barrier and Tower bridge. Amazing value.

The phrase "stately as a galleon" enters my mind...

“You are the new boilers to my triple expansion engine” sounds like something said to Barbara Windsor in “Carry On, Rail Hazzard” 😀

Had the pleasure in seeing her in Swanage in September

I was on Waverley's last commercial voyage under Macbrayne's ownership. She's a wonderful boat.

The Clyde steamers were the origin of the use of the worf "steaming" for being drunk! Day trips down the Clyde and out to sea were not subject to the strict licensing laws of Victorian Presbyterian Scotland. So if you went on a steamer trip, you could get steaming drunk!

She is a dear thing and a big part of our railway heritage. And will absolutely look up your play although I cannot promise to come without checking the diary

excellent, loved every minute.👏👏👏👏

Took a cruise to the islands on the Waverly in 1996 while visiting a cousin living near Glasgow. Wonderful memory.

I had the pleasure of a day cruise aboard from Glasgow to Tarbert and back this spring. The weather was not great, but you'd never have known it from the size and enthusiasm of the crowd on board and off. Truly an amazing experience, especially for anyone who loves steam engines, mechanical devices and hand stamped postcards!

Lovely piece of machinery. It spent some time at Penarth, which is South West of Cardiff, a few years ago.

What a vessel. She looks like she could easily cruise along the north coast of Europe, get into the Med without too much difficulty, and honestly, if provisioned properly, I would believe that she could shoot the North Atlantic and make the crossing to Nova Scotia and North America. Would love to see her sail over here.

i can't wait to see it. I live a few minutes walk from Killester Dart statio. This was built to service the "estate" of houses(where I live) built for the ex servicemen who fought in the first world war and was (I think ) originally a request stop.

Finally a method of transport I have actually been on! When it visited Milford Haven earlier in the year and we did actually go on the ocean (well the Celtic Sea anyway) 😀

Did a trip 'doon the water' in the mid 1960s. A fascinating journey for a young boy.

What a beautiful ship. How can we know where she's going to be sailing?

I think SS Nomadic can relate to knowing how it feels to be the last surviving ship of an entire company...

Hi Jago I can remember my Dad taking me on the Woolwich Ferry in the mid to late 60s and it was a Paddle Steamer,unfortunately can't remember its name. I loved my trip to high school from Colindale to Hendon Central on the old 1938 stock when they put the experimental carriage on with the round widows. Great memories keep up the good work. Ron.

Another outstanding video. If I lived in London I would definitely go to see Treasure Island. 👍👍👍⭐️⭐️⭐️ from 🇦🇺

If you like transport, for me this is the best days out of the year.

I did it to Loch Long in July with my parents. A great trip

I went on her a few weeks ago to visit the Maunsell Forts in the Estuary! Was absolutely fantastic

Thanks again John in Chicago

I've taken many trips down the Thames on the Waverley, to Southend and beyond, over the last 30 years but not so much in recent years. It is quite expensive now but it is a lovely, relaxing trip and worth it, and I recommend a sail on it at least once. Thank you, Jago, for the review, and good luck with your play!

At one point one in five ships in the entire world was build on the Clyde which is mind blowing.

Yet another brilliant story! 👍

brilliant history from the best on KZfaq, bravo JH ...and best of luck with your play

Great video. I hope that the other historic ship video you hinted at is the SS Shieldhall - much less well known than the Waverley but equally special and also still in service. In fact the Waverley and the Shieldhall met up this Septemeber off Bournemouth for a historic cruise.

I happened to see the PS Waverley when I was staying in Portsmouth last month after having gone to Goodwood Revival for the first time! Sadly I didn't get to sail on her since any of the sailing I would have taken where sold out before I got a chance.

Another excellent video, thanks. I rode around Dublin bay on board her in what must have been 1985. (was it really that long ago!)

I'll bet half of Scotland has some sort of connection to Waverley. Mine is that my grandmother's family used to take day breaks to Dunoon on board, and the company I work for was banned from having any more work's outings onboard following excessive debauchery. So they went by train to Blackpool instead.