Eppleton Hall

[rclarke173]

Hi there
Just joined this group and found some old messages re Tyne Tug
Eppleton Hall. I've been researching this one for several years and
have just about got enough info, pics and plans together to start
building a working model. Has anyone else built one and have any
advice (useful or otherwise!)
Good to find such a good group, I've been building boats for 20 +
years and it's always good to find other folk out there sharing an
interest. I'm quite happy to share info if anyon'e looking.
Other subjects that interest me are the history of yachting and the
Royal cutter yacht Britannia (R/C model about to be rigged of this
one)
Look forward to any feed back
Cheers for now

[Dallinson]

R Clarke.
Firstly, a big welcome to the group.
Information on the Eppleton Hall?
Yes, I have some details from the book "150 years of the Maltese Cross", by
John Proud
ON 133548
Length 100.5 ft
Beam 21.1 ft
Depth 10.8 ft
Constructed of Steel
Engines 2 Cylinder 30"dia by 51" stroke.
Completed for The Lambton &, Hetton Collieries by Hepple & Co Ltd South
Shields in February 1914
1924 Owners renamed Lambton, Hetton and Joicey Collieries Ltd
Nov 1945 Transferred to France, Fenwick Tyne and Wear Ltd
Nov 1964 Sold to Seaham Harbour Dock Co
Nov 1967 Sold to Clayton and Davie Ltd Dunston for breaking up, but this did
not proceed very far.
May 1969 Sold to Scott Newall, San Francisco. Restored by R.B Harrison &
Son, Bill Quay, converted to oil firing and had sails fitted.
Sept 1969 Left river Tyne for USA via Lisbon, Madeira and Georgetown.
March 1970 Arrived in San Francisco. Transferred to Maritime Museum in that
port.
The voyage was an epic effort in itself. Amongst other adventures they had
to fit extra oil tanks in Lisbon, as she used more fuel than was expected.
I have another tug book called "British Steam Tugs" by PN Thomas which has a
great deal more info concerning the Eppleton Hall. If you like steam tugs,
and it seems you do, then I would suggest that you get this book, if you
don't already have it. It has a nice colour picture showing the Eppleton
Hall, red and black hull with a black funnel and a red stripe around it. The
superstructure is a buff colour.
If you want all the details from the above book I can send them to you.
All the best and good luck. Let us know your progress.
Regards
David

[Paulrjordan]

A warm welcome to Paddleducks "rclarke". So glad you have chosen
the much loved "Eppie" as an eminently worthy candidate for your
model. You've already met our David (Allinson) in Spain who shares a
similar fondness for paddle tugs and has provided you with some good
basic info on this one.

Do read back through previous messages using the "search" feature at
the top of each posting. I also have PN Thomas' excellent tome on
"British Steam Tugs" and if you need some material and images about
"Eppie" scanned and sent to you, then just holler.

Take a look in our files section
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Paddleducks/files/
Files > "EPPIE" - tribute to a Paddle Tug! (2)
And you'll find two images of her. Feel free to add additional
information and images of "Eppie" to our files.

She currently resides with the National Parks Service in San Francisco
Maritime National Historic Park, California and I believe she is
virtually the last surviving British sidewheel steam tug in existence.
She is the only vessel there not given the status of a National
Historic monument and from what I understand from people who have seen
her, sadly she has not been very well maintained. She languishes far
away from a country which should appreciate her far more. Greenwich
of course scandalously destroyed their almost perfect example of a
Sidewheel paddle tug, the beautiful "Reliant" (ex "Old Trafford")
...DON'T GET ME STARTED, folks!!

Unfortunately the NPS Website appears to be currently suspended:
www.cr.nps.gov/maritime/maripark.html
I do believe plans are available somewhere for "Eppie". Tell us where
you are with your planning/research so we can help if necessary. You
certainly won't find a shortage of encouragement from Paddleducks as
this is a lovely subject to model and, as David said, we're anxious to
hear of your progress.

Once again, Welcome to Paddleducks..glad to have you aboard.

PJ

[rclarke173]

David
Many thanks for info.
I've already got a copy of both Scott Newall's book and also the Thomas book
but other info is welcome.
I've got a mid-section plan from San Francisco which I'm working on as well
as a modified set of plans of the Reliant. Do you know of any other plans?

Many thanks once again

Richard

[rclarke173]

Dear Paul
Thanks for the warm welcome
I've just replied to a note from David offering help.
Briefly, I've got a copy of Scott Newall's book as well as a copy of "British
Steam Tugs" which has a nice colour photo. Plan wise I'm working off a set of
David MacGregors plans for the Reliant modified by Jonathan Tatlow who built
a display model for Scott Newall. This was based on actual measurments taken
by JT after she arrived in San Francisco. However as she was in the water at
the time no hull lines were taken. JT thought that they are almost identical
to the Reliant though.Do you know if there are any other plans in existence??

I've also got a load of photos of her after she arrived in SF but precious
few before she left these shores.

As you note the SF web site is down at the moment (somthing to do with all US
Govt sites after Sept 11th I've been told?) Hopefully they'll be back on
line soon.

I'm hoping to start on the hull in the new year once I've finished my present
project ( a modern buoy handling tug called Rotterdam - not very historic but
loads of R/C type fun with 12 channels needed!)

Many thanks for the warm welcome again

How about a "Bring Eppie home" campaign, now there's a project worth spending
lottery money on.....

Richard Clarke

[Alistair Deayton]

There is a rusting paddle tug on the Medway, John H Amos, which I think
better deserves lottery money than one which is already preserved.

Alistair Deayton

[Paulrjordan]

An appropriate reminder, Alistair, and one I tend to overlook in my
rantings! Does anybody have an update on her or involved in her
restoration?

There have certainly been some very nice models made of her in the UK
of which I have some pictures which I shall have to scan (when the new
scanner arrives as the old one won't work on Windows XP!)

PJ

[rclarke173]

Greetings everyone, it's been a while but I'm please to report that
The Eppleton Hall project is alive and well and living in Wiltshire.
Hull and superstructure are almost finished, just got the wheelhouse
to do and I've been puting it off and puting it off....

Thoughts are begining to turn to the details of colour scheme and I'd
appreciate a bit of advice. I'm aiming at an 'as built' finish which
seems to be based on black and white in all thew pics I've seen. Some
of the current batch of pics seem to feature a green hull tho.
Although most of the pics I've found on the web are B/W it all looks
pretty black to me (especially the ones from the Library of
Congress). I've also got Jonathan Tatlows article in Model Shiperight
and he makes no mention of green so I'm confused.

Anyone got any thoughts?

[Stuart Badger]

Perhaps I can help - having gone through a similar hunt for the TRUE colours
of 'Old Trafford'!

PS Eppleton Hall was completed for, and delivered to The Lambton and Hetton
Collieries Ltd in February 1914. Lambton's colour scheme at that time was
pretty unimaginative from what I can find out. Hull black - red oxide below
water line - white 'cheat' line at deck level. Paddle boxes were either
white OR cream with steps etc in black. The deckhouses etc were painted in a
mid brown which, in those days, was obtained by mixing the black and red
oxide together - cheap and simple. Lambton's tugs were identified by funnel
markings (as were most Tyne tug companies) - the funnel was black with three
broad horizontal stripes occupying the middle third of the funnel, each
stripe being a fifth of that height. Hope that makes sense!.

In November 1945 she was sold to France Fenwick ltd. Their colour scheme was
much more attractive!! The upper hull was black and the lower hull green
with a white stripe separating the two colours. A yellow cheat line ran
along the hull at deck level. Paddle boxes were white as was the bottom half
of the mast. Deck houses brown, but with the upper steering position in a
slightly lighter colour. The funnel was white with the top fifth painted
black. Below the black top the next section had France Fenwick,s emblem
which was a light blue anchor over a vertically striped light blue and white
background.

In 1964 she was transferred to Seaham Harbour Dock Co. Her colours were
then; Hull black upper, red below about halfway between the sponsons and the
water line. Paddle boxes cream with side upper 'rim' of the paddle box
black. Deck houses and steering position light brown. Engine casing and
centre machinery area cream. The funnel was black with a broad red stripe
about one fifth the height of the funnel one fifth down from the top.
Hope this helps!!

Stuart Badger