RN Diesel Engine Co. Ltd.

Grand Union Boats

As described in part 1 of our company history, the assocation between the English Canals and Russell Newbery started in 1934 with the supply of marine version of the "D2" engine to the Grand Union Canal Carrying Company Limited (GUCCCL). Between November 1934 and March 1937 a total of 38 motor narrowboats powered by Russell Newbery "DM2" engines were delivered to the canal carrying company. The remaining 141 motor boats of the Star and Town classes were fitted with the very similar "2DM" engine made by the National Oil Engine Company at Ashton under Lyme.

Here we list the 38 boats which were delivered with RN engines. It is known that engine swaps took place when boats were docked for repairs or maintenance.

• Fleet number. The GUCCCL introduced boat numbers around the time of the delivery of the last of the Star class in 1936. This was to assist in boat movement control. The Star class and other existant motor boats were numbered 1 to 100 in alphabetical order, this does not match the order in which the boats were delivered. Town class motor boats were allocated numbers 101 to 186, again with names in alphabetical order. However, with the Town class, three blocks of numbers and names in sequence were allocated. These corresponded to the three sets of orders, 24 steel pairs from Harland and Wolff, 24 steel motors only from Harland and Wolff, 38 steel motors from Yarwoods. Butty boats originally carried the same number as their paired motor, followed by the letter "B". Thus Altair was 66B. During 1937 all the butty boats were renumbered between 201 and 387 in alpahbetical order. This may have been due to the fact that the boat pairings had changed during dockings for maintenance. Also the last two batches of Town class boats were not ordered as pairs. The GUCCCL orderd 62 wooden butty boats to work with the 24 steel motors from Harland and Wolff (125 to 148) and the 38 steel motors from Yarwoods (149 to 186). Delivery of the butty and the motor often took place a couple of months apart. In fact, it is probably that apart from the prototype Star class pairs and a few of the standard Star class pairs, very few of these intended pairings actually took place.
• Original butty. As noted above, this is the intended butty boat pairing.
• Registered. All canal boats in the United Kingdom had to be registered with a local authority if they were used for living accomodation.
• GUC Gauge No. Before licenses were issued for canal boats, each boat paid a toll for each mile of canal travelled, the toll amount varied according to the cargo carried and the amount (tonnage) carried. To determine the tonnage carried all boats were gauged by one (or more) of the canal companies. Gauging was a process to record the amount of freeboard, a four points on the boat, for each ton carried. These dimensions were then recorded in a log book, copies of which were issued to all the toll collectors. The index to these entries was by the Gauge number - a system which avoided the non-uniqueness of boat names. Almost all the GUCCCL boats were gauged by the Grand Union Canal, a few had Oxford canal gauging.

Prototype Star class

Ordered 1934

Wooden boats built by Walkers, Rickmansworth

Star class prototype, GUCCCL type code "C", nickname "Small Ricky"

Wooden boats built by E. G. Woods, Brentford

Star class prototype, GUCCCL type code "C"

Iron and elm composite boats built by Harland and Wolff

Star class prototype, GUCCCL type code "C", nickname "Small Woolwich"

January 1935 order

Wooden boats built by Walkers, Rickmansworth

Star class, GUCCCL type code "D", nickname "Small Ricky"

Iron and elm composite boats built by Yarwoods, Northwich

Star class, GUCCCL type code "D", nickname "Small Northwich"

May 1935 order

Steel boats with Vee bottom, built by Yarwoods, Northwich

Star class, GUCCCL type code "E", nickname "Middle Northwich"

May 1936 order

Steel boats, built by Yarwoods, Northwich

Town class, GUCCCL type code "F", nickname "Large Northwich"

And finally...

A now famous "Large Northwich" steel motor from the May 1936 order for Town class boats has an Upminster built RN DM2 fitted.

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This page updated 31 January 2004.