Dartmouth Riverboats - www.simplonpc.co.uk

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	Dartmouth Riverboats Dartmouth Steam Railway & River Boat Company This page is under construction
	This page shows postcards and images of the Dartmouth Riverboats from 2010. The company previously operated as Dart Pleasure Craft (1975-1999) and River Link (1999-2010). The company also operates the Paignton-Kingswear steam railway and connecting bus services. In 2010 the combined boat, rail and bus operations were rebranded as the Dartmouth Steam Railway & River Boat Company. The boat operations are now marketed as Dartmouth Riverboats. In 2013 the paddle steamer Kingswear Castle returned to the Dart on long term charter. The small red Dartmouth-Dittisham ferries will be added. Website:- www.dartmouthrailriver.co.uk Telephone:- 01803 834488

	Vessels on this Page Cardiff Castle - Built 1964 Dart Explorer - Built 1991 Dart Venturer - Built 1982 Dartmouth Castle - Built 1947 Dartmouth Princess - Built 1990 Dittisham Princess - Built 1995 Edgcumbe Belle - Built 1957 Kingswear Castle - Built 1924 Kingswear Princess - Built 1978 Other Devon Pages Devon Header Page Dart Pleasure Craft - became Dartmouth Riverboats from 2010 Dartmouth Higher & Lower Ferries Dartmouth Riverboats -ex-River Link - this page! Dartmouth Steam Railway and River Boat Company Devon Railway Ferries & Tenders Devon Dock, Pier & SS Co Greenway Ferry - Torquay & Dart Millbrook SB & Trading Company - Plymouth Plymouth Boat Cruises - Sound Cruising from 2005 Plymouth Boat Trips River Dart SB Co - ceased trading 1974 River Link - became Dartmouth Riverboats from 2010 RiverRat Ferry - Totnes water taxi & ferry Sound Cruising - Plymouth Silverline Cruising - Plymouth Tamar Cruising & Cremyll Ferry Co - Plymouth Western Lady Ferry Service - Torquay	Associated Pages UK Excursion Vessels Cruise Ships Ocean Liners World Ferry Fleets Simplon Postcards. Home Page Simplon Postcards - Recent Updates - Simplon Postcards facebook page References Trip Out Guides - Various Editions 1985-2010 by Geoffrey Hamer Trip Out Guides are available from Geoffrey Hamer, PO Box 485, Southall, UB1 9BH Estuary & River Ferries of South West England - Martin Langley & Edwina Small - Waine Research (1984) Passenger Steamers of the River Tamar - Alan Kittridge - Twelveheads Press (1984) Passenger Steamers of the River Dart - Richard Clammer & Alan Kittridge - Twelveheads Press (1987) South Devon Ferries - Alan Kittridge - Tempus (2003) Steamers & Ferries of the River Tamar & Three Towns District - Alan Kittridge - Twelveheads Press (2003) Timetable Archive (PDF Files) 2012 Dartmouth-Totnes Timetable (500KB PDF File http://www.hollandamerica.com Contacts Website:- www.dartmouthrailriver.co.uk Telephone:- 01803 834488 http://www.hollandamerica.com
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Dartmouth Castle (3) was built in 1948 to replace the paddle steamer Dartmouth Castle (2) of the River Dart Steam Boat Company which was laid up during the war, and was sold in 1947. She was followed by the similar Berry Castle (3) the following year, both from Philip of Dartmouth.

In 1975, the Millbrook SB & Trading Co bought the large Dartmouth Castle (3) from the ailing River Dart Steam Boat Company. They sold the following year to Dart Pleasure Craft, who had effectively succeeded the River Dart Steam Boat Company on River Dart services. In 1977, the Millbrook SB & Trading Co also bought the Cardiff Castle from the River Dart Steam Boat Company. In 1980, the directors of the Millbrook SB & Trading Co (Derek Crawford, Les Worth and Sidney Mashford) sold their shares to Dart Pleasure Craft who then ran both Dart and Plymouth services.

The Dartmouth Castle has a length of 26.52 metres and a gross tonnage of 81. She was purpose built with both sea and river operations in mind and has a maximum load line draft of just over 95cm, thus making her ideal for Avocet Bird Watching Cruises on the River Exe.

In 2007, Devon Princess Cruises (Mike Barrow) ran the Dartmouth Castle on cruises from Exmouth and Torbay. She is listed as a Historic Ship (Certificate number: 299) in the National Register of Historic Vessels. The Dartmouth Castle seats nearly 300 passengers, with over twice the passenger space of the Devon Princess II & III previously used on the Avocet Cruises

In 2010, Dartmouth Castle was bought by the Dartmouth Steam Railway & River Boat Company, marketed as Dartmouth Riverboats and successors to earlier owners Dart Pleasure Craft. Dartmouth Castle (3) is the oldest large vessel in the Dartmouth Riverboats fleet.

Edgcumbe Belle was built as the Humphrey Gilbert. Sister vessels Humphrey Gilbert and Adrian Gilbert were built for British Railways(BR) in 1957 for the Dartmouth-Kingswear ferry service. The service and the two sisters passed into local authority ownership in 1972, when BR closed the Kingswear branch beyond Goodrington. Both boats were sold in 1976 for use on the St Mawes ferry in Cornwall, but proved unsuitable and were bought back by BR for use on the Tilbury-Gravesend ferry. They again proved unsuitable for this route, but were re-engined and offered for sale. Humphrey Gilbert was laid up at Newhaven, then bought by Meridian Line Cruises of Greenwich in 1978. She was not used by them, and was sold again to the Millbrook Steamboat & Trading Company in 1979 for use on the Drake's Island ferry as the Edgcumbe Belle. The following year, the Millbrook Steamboat & Trading Company was bought by Dart Free Houses, the owners of Dart Pleasure Craft. Edgcumbe Belle remained at Plymouth until 1985, when Dart Pleasure Craft withdrew from the area. She was moved to the Dart, officially joining the Dart Pleasure Craft fleet, and re-joining her sister Adrian Gilbert on the Dart ferry, and remained on the ferry service in 2004.

Edgcumbe Belle appears to be retained just as a backup ferry and had not been repainted in the 2010 Dartmouth Riverboats livery in June 2012.

The River Dart SB Co paddler Totnes Castle (2) required major expenditure in 1964. This expense was rejected and Totnes Castle (2) was replaced by the new Cardiff Castle, a sister to Conway Castle. When River Dart SB Co services ceased at the end of 1974, Cardiff Castle was initially laid up. In 1977 she was sold to replace the Dartmouth Castle (3) in the Millbrook Steamboat & Trading Company fleet and moved to Plymouth. In 1980, Dart Pleasure Craft took over the Millbrook Steamboat & Trading Company, and Cardiff Castle later moved back to Dartmouth.