Stoom in Dordt (May 26th - 27th, 2018)
Steam on the Water
This is one of a series of pages which I have uploaded to illustrate facets of steam rallies we have attended in the UK and now the Netherlands. Such events occur all over the country in the summer months, they are easily found by using your favourite search engine and may have anything between a handful of steam engines and hundreds (as at the Great Dorset Steam Fair which could probably be fairly described as having an excess of riches). Click here for the Stoom in Dordt 2018 index and click here for the overall index for 2018.
Click here for the main Steam on the Water page.
Owing to our travel arrangements from the UK which involved leaving home at 07.00 and arriving in Dordrecht at 21.00, we missed the impressive steam parade on the river on the Friday night. I had no time to systematically photograph the exhibits, but just grabbed shots in passing. Several of these steam ships were giving half hour rides and visits to the engine room were generally possible. On our first visit, there was simply no time for more because until the rain came there were long queues for the rides. We went out on 'Dockyard V' the steam kit of which I photographed in some detail, courtesy of the friendly crew, and also the Baggermolen Friesland.
I would be very surprised if we were not back again in 2020, these boats merit a more detailed study, it's a marvellous opportunity to see so many steam powered vessels gathered in one place.
This is a steam dredge built ca 1935, utilising a pretty standard horizontal steam engine with a belt drive, said to have been built in 1935 although I would not be surprised to learn that it is a much older machine having an unexpected second life... The ship also has a number of steam winches.
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We had a standard group trip on this tug (included in the day pass) and the hospitable crew were happy for me to go below. It was laid down before WW2, scuttled on invasion and then recovered at the end of hostilities. Built to burn coal, it was converted to bunker oil but now has to burn diesel owing to environmental regulation. There are twin vertical compound engines and a number of pumps and an electrical generator.
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