Doxford Marine Diesel Memories (1 Viewer)

[34127]

All this talk of Sunderland is making me a proud "Makam". Here's a short video of the works going on around the old Doxfords yard at present and apparently you can see the gatehouse been removed, not 100% sure if it's been saved or destroyed.Doxford video

Which part of Makam land do you know. Do you remember the Night Club that was near the Wheatsheaf.

 

[2x2camper]

All this talk of Sunderland is making me a proud "Makam". Here's a short video of the works going on around the old Doxfords yard at present and apparently you can see the gatehouse been removed, not 100% sure if it's been saved or destroyed.Doxford video

Pallion's 116 year-old Doxford shipyard gatehouse will be demolished within weeks

Demolition has begun on the historic gateway to the former Doxford shipyard in Pallion – with its arch and gate set to be relocated as a monument to Sunderland’s proud shipbuilding history.

www.sunderlandecho.com

 

[Boringfrog]

Which part of Makam land do you know. Do you remember the Night Club that was near the Wheatsheaf.

The Mecca?

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[34127]

The Mecca?
View attachment 390687

Thanks for that. I remember that being a popular haunt and it was so crowded that it was at times almost impossible to move. The bowling alley below it was visited many times

 

[Boringfrog]

Thanks for that. I remember that being a popular haunt and it was so crowded that it was at times almost impossible to move. The bowling alley below it was visited many times

Yeah, I had some good night's in the Chief and the Mecca/Mayfair (now Tesco's)

 

[DuxDeluxe]

The Mecca?
View attachment 390687

Bowled there a few times...... with Fred Flintstone tappy feet and low scores

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[DuxDeluxe]

When up for second mates stayed in Seaburn, about 50 yards from the Roker hotel.....

 

[34127]

So, going back to those days, what were your favourite pubs. Mine was the Britannia in Cleadon.

 

[retiredrovers]

This is a spin off from the “This is an Engine” thread as it appears there are a couple of us on here who remember the mighty Doxford Marine Diesel engine and by giving the subject a thread of its own then it might reach a few others.

My own experience began as a fresh faced lad straight out of a motor trade apprenticeship who managed to join the Royal Fleet Auxiliary as a junior engineering officer. Having seen nothing bigger than a lorry engine my first visit to the ships engine room was totally embarrassing. I remember looking at this huge engine purring away in front of me and saying something stupid like “blimey that's a big engine, how fast does this ship go?” only to be told that the engine I was looking at was a generator,of which the ship had four, and that the main engine was the big grey thing I was casually leaning against. It was just not possible for me to comprehend that this gigantic structure that seemed to fill the whole cavernous engine room was in fact a single engine; but this was not any old engine; no, this was a six cylinder vertically opposed piston Doxford which I was later to fall in love with the way that only saddo engineers can.

Others have brought back memories of measuring bore wear and actually stepping inside the crank case to see how bad the lower piston glands were leaking, as well as the fuel valve set up and all the plumbing that went with it. To give people who have never seen the beast a flavour of its unique qualities it was possible to lie flat on top of one of the pistons (of which there were 12) and to go astern the engine was stopped and then re-started backwards, there 'aint many engines that can do that trick.

One of my favourite memories was, on promotion, being allowed to actually drive the thing, if you've never started a Doxford on 600 psi compressed air and settled her down to her 32 revs per minute “dead slow ahead” before leaving harbour and slowly accelerating to a full speed of 105 revs per minute then you have missed out on one of engineering's great joys.

So, if there are any more of you out there who would like to share a memory or two feel free to come back

Mr Tinca

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[andy63]

All this talk of Sunderland is making me a proud "Makam". Here's a short video of the works going on around the old Doxfords yard at present and apparently you can see the gatehouse been removed, not 100% sure if it's been saved or destroyed.Doxford video

I don't know Sunderland that well but i recognise the huge indoor dry dock building where I believe the famous SD14 cargo ships were born .

I remember going through to Sunderland to that building to train with our rope rescue gear..
It would have been in the late 1980's and the yards were in decline but the huge dry dock with the overhead gantry cranes made an excellent rope rescue training venue...
You will have gathered by then I had left the sea and joined the fire service..
Andy..

 

[Boringfrog]

When up for second mates stayed in Seaburn, about 50 yards from the Roker hotel.....

More like a Mile......?

 

[Boringfrog]

So, going back to those days, what were your favourite pubs. Mine was the Britannia in Cleadon.

Too posh for Mackams.

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[andy63]

Annabell's night club maybe.. Think that was around in the 70's??
Andy

 

[DuxDeluxe]

More like a Mile......?

No..... Roker hotel on the corner and we were just up the road from the junction as the road turned left toward Roker Park a mile or two down the road

 

[DuxDeluxe]

So, going back to those days, what were your favourite pubs. Mine was the Britannia in Cleadon.

We called it something else ..... nice pub

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[Boringfrog]

Annabell's night club maybe.. Think that was around in the 70's??
Andy

Met a GF in there.

 

[Boringfrog]

No..... Roker hotel on the corner and we were just up the road from the junction as the road turned left toward Roker Park a mile or two down the road

Houses converted to B+B ?

 

[andy63]

Met a GF in there.
View attachment 390704

That place has a lot to answer for?? ..
It was a favourite of a few of my mates at college..
Andy.

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[34127]

Too posh for Mackams.

That was in the days when it was a proper pup with a dartboard in bar and before it got changed to be more upmarket which ruined it for me and most of the locals.
I didn't live in Cleadon, or debtors row as it was Known locally, but it was a central meeting point for me and my mates.

 

[DuxDeluxe]

Houses converted to B+B ?

Huge semi now a B&B but then was contracted to the college as student accommodation. It was ok

 

[Sandancers]

South Shields was great. Did all my (deck) tickets up there and by some fluke got them all first time.

I can confirm that South Shields is still great !!

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[Sandancers]

I remember the Latino, La Strada and Chelsea Cat and there was one underneath a car park, can't remember the name (might have been the Jungle) but you only went there when you couldn't get into any of the others. They were very popular and had to queue to get in. The Latino used to be a casino as well as a nightclub and dress rules meant you had to wear a jacket at all times, to make it harder to fight as this was not unusual.

Under the carpark was "The Ranchouse". The Jungle was on the North Shields quayside just opposite where the South Shields ferry docked.

 

[34127]

Under the carpark was "The Ranchouse". The Jungle was on the North Shields quayside just opposite where the South Shields ferry docked.

The Ranchouse, that's the one, it was rough but if you couldn't get in anywhere else it was the only option. I remember the Jungle now that you have reminded me.

 

[DuxDeluxe]

I can confirm that South Shields is still great !!

Yep... remember a lock-in at the Ocean Grill, where some of the lads were staying (mostly BP cadets) - came out of there so late that even all the curry houses were shut

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[34127]

Yep... remember a lock-in at the Ocean Grill, where some of the lads were staying (mostly BP cadets) - came out of there so late that even all the curry houses were shut

And there was a lot of curry houses to choose from.

 

[Boringfrog]

I can confirm that South Shields is still great !!

Had some good nights out in Shields, long walk home to Sunderland though. ?

 

[DuxDeluxe]

Houses converted to B+B ?

Mayfield B&B - just checked. Roker hotel now the Grand hotel

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[34127]

Had some good nights out in Shields, long walk home to Sunderland though. ?

I used to walk home to East Boldon, probably not quite as far.

 

[34127]

Thanks everyone for all your posts, it was good to reminisce about my youthful days.

 

[Sandancers]

Did none of you used to go into the Brunswick in Laygate ? Had all the strippers on. Jackie was the Queen of them all.

Great story about the later days of the Brunny, (it's closed now, like properly closed, not CV closed). Saturday afternoon and I'm moping round the house, the wife says "your getting under my feet, here's £10 off to the Brunny with you". Now the Brunny was always a rough pub but if you kept yourself to yourself you'd be OK. Anyway I'm standing in the Brunny (it literally had no seats) waiting for the next stripper to come on when the bar door bursts open and this guy piles in and starts beating up two lads at the front of the bar. The barman (I swear to this day he was some sort of East European War Criminal) rushed round from behind the bar and with one hand took all three of them and threw them out of the front door.

Now, the Brunny only had a narrow pavement onto the fairly busy road outside and we could hear all the cars screeching to a halt to avoid these people who were now rolling round the road.

It was a narrow escape for me, the barman almost spilled some of my beer as he went past !!

So the next Saturday I'm sent off to the Brunny again and on the front door was a notice, in crayon, which said "anyone fighting in this pub will be barred" so obviously the management were being proactive.

However, a week later (yes I had developed "getting under her feet" to an art form now), there must have been more bother as there was a new notice, again in crayon, on the door which said, "anyone fighting with the barman will be REALLY barred".

There was also the "Ferry" pub near the ferry landing which was rough and had even rougher strippers.

And the "Kismit" club round the corner from the Brunny, now that WAS rough. If you ever heard of any females that you knew were going there you'd round up your mates and go in mob handed to drag them out.

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