David McBrayne and Crinan Canal

MacBrayne’s predecessors used the canal from the earliest days of steam propulsion but it was David Hutcheson who introduced a passenger service through the canal by means of horse drawn track boats.

Because of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert’s journey through the canal from Ardrishaig to points north, David Hutcheson adopted the term “The Royal Route” for his steamer service from Glasgow to Ardrishaig, the transit of the canal and onward by steamer from Crinan to Oban and the North. The route to Ardrishaig was served in turn by such famous ships as Mountaineer, Iona, Columba, latterly the three funnelled Saint Columba and finally the diesel electric motor vessel Lochfyne.

From 1866 until 1929 passengers arriving at Ardrishaig and intending to proceed to Oban and northwards, boarded the small twin screw canal steamer Linnet which has been aptly described as resembling a water-borne steam tram!

For her size Linnet had large deck saloons fore and aft with a promenade deck on top and with a tall, spindly funnel out of all proportion to the vessel. This ‘lum’ was necessary to give the required draught for the boiler furnace as well as ensuring that smoke, soot and cinders did not rain down on the deck passengers.

After a number of years in service Linnet was given a flying bridge and like today’s Rover, she was bridge controlled with no intervention by speaking tube, knocker or engine room telegraph between bridge and engine room.

In her early years she sailed from a berth above Lock 4 but this was moved to a new berth above Lock 3 so that passengers to and from Ardrishaig Pier had less distance to walk. This remained her berth until her later years when it was moved back to above Lock 4.

Linnet never had more than a four month season and spent the remainder of the year in an especially stone-built boathouse below Lock 9, the remains of which can still be seen. There is still dubiety about where she was slipped or dry-docked for survey although shipping lore has it that she was towed by one of the Loch Fyne cargo steamers to either Greenock or Tarbert for annual underwater survey and painting.

The little ship soldiered on until 1929 when she was withdrawn and sold to the Glasgow Motor Boat Racing Club for use as a floating clubhouse on the Gareloch. A function she fulfilled until wrecked by a storm in 1932.

Despite the length of the canal and the number of locks to negotiate the transit of the canal was relatively fast as Linnet was given priority with all locks prepared for her arrival and all bridges open for her passage.

The locks on each side of Cairnbaan summit allowed the passengers time to stretch their legs and many took advantage of this by walking from Lock 5 to Lock 13. Others visited the Cairnbaan Post Office and General Store (now a house) from where many post cards showing Linnet at various points on the canal were purchased and sent.

As Linnet was the only MacBrayne ship with no on-board catering, a goodly number of the more ‘drouthy’ passengers also made a bee-line for the Cairnbaan Hotel for a quick dram. Others could get soft drinks and snacks at the Cairnbaan Store or fresh milk and home baking from the lockkeepers’ wives who all tended to keep a cow tethered either in the cottage garden or on the towpath.

Oh how the health and safety lobby would love that today – non-pasteurised milk! One of the less attractive features of those days was the local children who followed the ship while cadging for money to be thrown to them. Indeed, the Canal Company had to post notices requesting Linnet’s passengers not to do this.

At peak holiday weekends when Linnet could not cope with the number of intending passengers, the Canal Co.’s icebreaker/tender, Conway, was pressed into service as the relief passenger steamer. She survived for many years due no doubt to her very infrequent use and was seen at Scott & Sons’ shipyard at Bowling as late as the early 1950s.

On arrival at Crinan, passengers were met with the glorious sight of Chevalier awaiting their arrival and ready to transport them on to Oban and Corpach. Chevalier was always kept in spotless condition under the command of a famous MacBrayne martinet, Captain John MacMillan, who demanded the highest turnout and behaviour from his crew and which he got from a crew that, seemingly, changed little over the years.

The other regular MacBrayne user of the canal was the little cargo steamer Brenda which was on a regular service between Glasgow, Greenock and the Loch Linnhe ports and remained on this service until withdrawn and scrapped in 1929.

Her route was taken over by the new motor vessel Lochshiel but with the difference that she was routed round the Mull of Kintyre and not via the Kyles of Bute and the Crinan Canal. This replacement and the withdrawal of Linnet ended MacBrayne’s connection with this interesting old waterway.

By Ian Ramsay