Bluebird K7 Latest
Discussion
dr_gn said:
If it ever ran again on Coniston, I’d have thought the entire area would be gridlocked to the extent that it would defeat the object of running it at all. Unless you’re up for a very long walk, once the local car parks are full, that would be it.
Robin will have to spend some of his millions reconstructing the Coniston branchline to mitigate the chaos. hidetheelephants said:
dr_gn said:
If it ever ran again on Coniston, I’d have thought the entire area would be gridlocked to the extent that it would defeat the object of running it at all. Unless you’re up for a very long walk, once the local car parks are full, that would be it.
Robin will have to spend some of his millions reconstructing the Coniston branchline to mitigate the chaos. 
I’m sure I’ve said this before previously in the thread. My father used to tell me all the roads were totally gridlocked around Coniston during the attempts back in the sixties. When there were not as many people who could afford cars back then. Certainly not like today.
I was amazed that I had a free road returning from the museum on Friday. No towed caravans, no massive motor homes - which is why usually I avoid driving in that location. And visiting.
I was talking to a mate of mine at work this morning about all this. He went to visit the boat a few weeks previously. He’s also very passionate on this subject.
He was telling me that according to the Arthur Knowles book: ‘ With Campbell at Coniston’ which I do have a copy. The final attempt was supposed to take place the day before (?)
And the team couldn’t get everyone in position for the run. Due to the traffic.
I’ve not read the book for many years so I’m stretching somewhat.
I always remember going to view the Lombard RAC rally through the eighties / early nineties that always had two fantastic stages on the East side of Coniston water in Grizedale Forrest.
The traffic was absolutely bedlam. I do wonder if that’s why it got binned from Rally GB as it is now.
And that was nearly 30 years ago.
I was amazed that I had a free road returning from the museum on Friday. No towed caravans, no massive motor homes - which is why usually I avoid driving in that location. And visiting.
I was talking to a mate of mine at work this morning about all this. He went to visit the boat a few weeks previously. He’s also very passionate on this subject.
He was telling me that according to the Arthur Knowles book: ‘ With Campbell at Coniston’ which I do have a copy. The final attempt was supposed to take place the day before (?)
And the team couldn’t get everyone in position for the run. Due to the traffic.
I’ve not read the book for many years so I’m stretching somewhat.
I always remember going to view the Lombard RAC rally through the eighties / early nineties that always had two fantastic stages on the East side of Coniston water in Grizedale Forrest.
The traffic was absolutely bedlam. I do wonder if that’s why it got binned from Rally GB as it is now.
And that was nearly 30 years ago.
Edited by Jim H on Monday 22 April 16:57
dr_gn said:
Presumably it would be in school holidays in good weather (summer).
That was certainly BBP's assumption... and I understand that it was one of the sticking points in the negotiations between them and the Ruskin: BBP wanted 'their' 3-month custody of the boat to be over the summer months (when, of course, the Ruskin's footfall is also at its peak), and to be topped and tailed with maintenance periods away from the museum, when necessary.I've said several times on these threads that I was there for Campbell's funeral, which was on the foulest day possible in Autumn, and even just for that the entire village (never mind the long, single lane down to the steamer jetty, which is where everyone will head if they're running the boat on the lake) was completely gridlocked with traffic queuing for literally hours to get in and out.
Add to which the fact that once you've announced your going to be running the boat, you're pretty much obliged to put on some sort of a show. Going back to the safety issues of running her at anything like high speed*, Campbell would wait weeks, sometimes months, for the perfect lake conditions. And even if you restrict yourself to a slow taxi around the jetty if the conditions are poor, you risk doing a K777 or Lake Mead... and then you're back to having to call in Billy in his rubber gimp suit and silly hat to dredge her up off the bottom again.
* and to answer your earlier question, dr_gn, no, certainly by modern standards, she never was 'fundamentally very safe' up to her design speed. These days, the UIM wouldn't allow a jet boat on the water at any speed without a safety cockpit.
We went to the Ruskin on Friday. As a boy I'd followed the exploits of Donald Campbell and watched the crash on TV at the time and felt stunned. On and off over the years I've read about the aftermath, the recovery attempts and the restoration and on Friday I just felt deflated.
Having made a special trip to see Bluebird K7, I have mixed feelings about it all. I'm not sure restoration was the right thing to do and the way it was accomplished has left a bitter taste. I think that either the boat should have been displayed 'as found' or it should have been left where it crashed forever; I'm not sure what has been accomplished by a restoration of dubious quality and subsequent display at the Ruskin. I somehow doubt that it will ever float again, never mind run.
For comparison, on Sunday, we went to the Lakeland Motor Museum where a replica of K7 is on show together with more Campbell items including cars. I felt more comfortable viewing that than the sad display at the Ruskin.
Having made a special trip to see Bluebird K7, I have mixed feelings about it all. I'm not sure restoration was the right thing to do and the way it was accomplished has left a bitter taste. I think that either the boat should have been displayed 'as found' or it should have been left where it crashed forever; I'm not sure what has been accomplished by a restoration of dubious quality and subsequent display at the Ruskin. I somehow doubt that it will ever float again, never mind run.
For comparison, on Sunday, we went to the Lakeland Motor Museum where a replica of K7 is on show together with more Campbell items including cars. I felt more comfortable viewing that than the sad display at the Ruskin.
Riley Blue said:
I'm not sure restoration was the right thing to do and the way it was accomplished has left a bitter taste.
Agreed.I would have left it where it was I think, certainly with hindsight. But if bringing it back up, I would say careful preservation in 'as-is' condition would have been the way forward. Perhaps with careful measurements to allow an accurate working reproduction.
Heyho, we all learn.
It is still an awesome thing, an amazing story of a unique induvial, and the pinnacle of what could be done at the time.
I think Equus has a rose tinted view of how K7 looked in her prime. This image from 1966 attests to the fact that K7 was nothing like as clean as CN7 with regards to her bodywork. By the end of her life, notwithstanding a very comprehensive refurb and repaint in October 66, K7 had been subject to a pretty punishing life, especially in transit to and from and in Australia. 
To say K7 as it exists at the moment is a bit of a hotch potch is to rather forget that the hull did lie on the bed of Coniston water for 34 years. It is remarkable that it looks as good as it does. If it were to be a pristine restoration, then many body panels would have been replaced, but that would upset a whole other bunch of opinions. It is what it is, and in my opinion far better to be available for all to see, than what would now almost certainly be pretty much rotted away on the lake bed.
P.S, after the Lake Mead sinking in 55, the rudder never regained its shine. It is in as good a condition now as it was in 66.
To say K7 as it exists at the moment is a bit of a hotch potch is to rather forget that the hull did lie on the bed of Coniston water for 34 years. It is remarkable that it looks as good as it does. If it were to be a pristine restoration, then many body panels would have been replaced, but that would upset a whole other bunch of opinions. It is what it is, and in my opinion far better to be available for all to see, than what would now almost certainly be pretty much rotted away on the lake bed.
P.S, after the Lake Mead sinking in 55, the rudder never regained its shine. It is in as good a condition now as it was in 66.
Edited by sheppane on Friday 3rd May 21:03
sheppane said:
I think Equus has a rose tinted view of how K7 looked in her prime. This image from 1966 attests to the fact that K7 was nothing like as clean as CN7 with regards to her bodywork. By the end of her life, notwithstanding a very comprehensive refurb and repaint in October 66, K7 had been subject to a pretty punishing life, especially in transit to and from and in Australia.
To say K7 as it exists at the moment is a bit of a hotch potch is to rather forget that the hull did lie on the bed of Coniston water for 34 years. It is remarkable that it looks as good as it does. If it were to be a pristine restoration, then many body panels would have been replaced, but that would upset a whole other bunch of opinions. It is what it is, and in my opinion far better to be available for all to see, than what would now almost certainly be pretty much rotted away on the lake bed.
P.S, after the Lake Mead sinking in 55, the rudder never regained its shine. It is in as good a condition now as it was in 66.
I think you’ve posted the wrong photo as that looks a lot better than what is in the museum today. To say K7 as it exists at the moment is a bit of a hotch potch is to rather forget that the hull did lie on the bed of Coniston water for 34 years. It is remarkable that it looks as good as it does. If it were to be a pristine restoration, then many body panels would have been replaced, but that would upset a whole other bunch of opinions. It is what it is, and in my opinion far better to be available for all to see, than what would now almost certainly be pretty much rotted away on the lake bed.
P.S, after the Lake Mead sinking in 55, the rudder never regained its shine. It is in as good a condition now as it was in 66.
Edited by sheppane on Friday 3rd May 21:03
sheppane said:
To say K7 as it exists at the moment is a bit of a hotch potch is to rather forget that the hull did lie on the bed of Coniston water for 34 years. It is remarkable that it looks as good as it does.
It's the fact that it is a bit of a hotch-potch that's the problem (IMO).As I've said above, it's neither one thing nor the other: neither properly restored, nor properly conserved. It's a bodge.
Riley Blue said:
That is an original closing strip plate is made from aluminium. It would be easy to replace it withe the same item made from new alluminium if that was what was desired. It's up to the Ruskin museum now if that's the way they want to go. If the 3 strips of aluminium on each side are all you can truly find fault with, the BBP did a pretty good job. Here are some images taken in November 66 that illustrate the point.
The closing strip fits in the are detailed in the first image. There were 3 on each side. The other two images show the rudder and the fin. Never stainless or pristine.
Edited by sheppane on Saturday 4th May 08:35
sheppane said:
Riley Blue said:
That is an original closing plate made from aluminium. It would be easy to replace it withe the same item made from new alluminium if that was what was desired. It's up to the Ruskin museum now if that's the way they want to go. Or do rose tinted glasses hide that!
sheppane said:
It would be easy to replace it withe the same item made from new alluminium if that was what was desired.
Quite.It would have been easy to do many things better if the clear intent was to restore the boat to its condition immediately prior to the crash (which was their instruction)
It would have been more difficult, but possible, to do many things better if the clear intent was to conserve the historic fabric of the vehicle.
They tried to do both and neither at the same time and the result is a mess.
If a quality restoration of Bluebird was handed over to those who re-build WW2 Spitfires, as much of the original would be used as possible but brought into a better state of appearance and structural integrity. Even a badly distorted aluminum panel can be returned to an almost perfect visual and structural item with the skills of a good panel beater.
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