Sea tractor

[bigstraight6]

While at Bigbury on Sea today when my car wasn’t being destroyed we did get to see the famous sea tractor that links the mainland and Burgh Island in operation, I’m guessing this vehicle is unique...

[Disco Fever]

Seen it many times but never ridden it. Love Bigbury. Generally we’ve timed our visits so you can walk over the spit in order to get to the Pilchard Inn. Staying at the eponymous hotel is on my bucket list. Like most of the South Hams, it’s not the easiest to get to especially if like me you’re used to the ‘LA jr’ road network round Birmingham as I am!

[fatharris]

Used to go to Bigbury loads as a kid but never got to ride it.

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[Bren]

They have disco's to transport the hotel guests. Agatha Christie was a regular there.

We should have been there in July - if pubs/ restaurants / attractions are still closed there is no point - stuck in a caravan with two kids will be about as desirable as broken glass up yer rectum.

[UltraWomble]

Sea Tractor

Get in the sea Tractor

[Jenson Velcro]

There’s a good video on YouTube of the Burgh Island tractor making a crossing in high winds/ choppy seas. Very hairy and very glad I wasn’t on it.

[N Dentressangle]

38 minutes ago, Jenson Velcro said:

There’s a good video on YouTube of the Burgh Island tractor making a crossing in high winds/ choppy seas. Very hairy and very glad I wasn’t on it.

[Jenson Velcro]

Thanks for posting that, wouldn’t have a clue on how to do it from an iPad (or anything else for that matter).

[barefoot]

I've seen that up close, but couldn't quite understand how it works? Does the motor on the top power a pump and is the transmission hydraulic? 

[Jenson Velcro]

13 hours ago, Disco Fever said:

Seen it many times but never ridden it. Love Bigbury. Generally we’ve timed our visits so you can walk over the spit in order to get to the Pilchard Inn. Staying at the eponymous hotel is on my bucket list. Like most of the South Hams, it’s not the easiest to get to especially if like me you’re used to the ‘LA jr’ road network round Birmingham as I am!

You soon get used to the lanes, and I much prefer driving on them to any town or city now. 

[anonymous user]

Burgh Island is somewhere I'd like to visit, it was where Agatha  Christie wrote Evil under the sun and was used for the filming of Poirot complete with the slightly dressed up for the occasion sea tractor 

[bigstraight6]

On 6/1/2020 at 11:24 AM, barefoot said:

I've seen that up close, but couldn't quite understand how it works? Does the motor on the top power a pump and is the transmission hydraulic? 

That’s indeed how it works, that video of it in the rough! Must have been horrendous being on it. This area is known for strong rip tides...

[Zelandeth]

You really do have to wonder why the heck they were out in those conditions...even assuming that thing is (and surely it must be) more heavily ballasted at the base than it looks, that was way too close to going over for my liking.  The line there surely should have been "Crossing closed due to weather conditions." No questions asked on safety grounds.

...This coming from someone who has decided to personally answer questions like "how hard is it to make a double decker bus fall over?" (Surprisingly hard) and "can you handbrake turn a coach?" (Sort of), and spent many hours hurtling around a farm on a scrap built buggy that spent as much time in the air as on the ground...that just looks like madness.  Admittedly I can't swim...but even if you're the best swimmer in the world I don't think it's going to help you in seas like that!

It looks shonky enough on a good day!

[stephenD57]

Man that's one impressive tractor battling the waves and metal biting rust.

[Rocket88]

One of these in Jersey,,,,,,,,

[jollyfkr2]

There was one of these in Bognor Regis in the 1970´s

rather pointlessly it just drove out to sea with a hand full of passengers  a few hundred yards and back again, that was excitement back then I guess 

[castros_bro]

If you look at duck boats (not sea tractors) in waves you'll find video of several  serious accidents and there were moves to get them banned for tourist use.

[Volksy]

It reminds me of this.. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brighton_and_Rottingdean_Seashore_Electric_Railway

[martc]

On ‎5‎/‎31‎/‎2020 at 9:15 PM, bigstraight6 said:

While at Bigbury on Sea today when my car wasn’t being destroyed we did get to see the famous sea tractor that links the mainland and Burgh Island in operation, I’m guessing this vehicle is unique...

 

First class passengers on the top floor, second class on the bottom.

[Jenson Velcro]

There is another similar contraption relatively local at South Sands, Salcombe

 

[bigstraight6]

37 minutes ago, Jenson Velcro said:

There is another similar contraption relatively local at South Sands, Salcombe

 

Blimey, I didn’t know about that one! I need to get that one in when I can...

[stephenD57]

20 hours ago, colc said:

One of these in Jersey,,,,,,,,

Looks like it can carry at least 20 passengers.

[New POD]

On 6/1/2020 at 11:16 AM, Jenson Velcro said:

Thanks for posting that, wouldn’t have a clue on how to do it from an iPad (or anything else for that matter).

Top right hand corner.  3 dots? 

Brings up the option to share.

Brings up.options on how to share.

Click.on copy to clipboard.

Come back to AS

And paste.

 

[Sudsprint]

We stayed at Burgh Island Hotel ten years ago.

A Fawlty Towers  experience - not to be repeated.

We came down to dinner and I was told we couldn't go into the dining room as I wasn't wearing a tie.

'Fine' I said, 'lend me one and I will wear it' ....but no, they hadn't one to lend to me  (like this situation had never happened before).

So we ate our dinner in the breakfast room on our own. 

 

 

[Jenson Velcro]

1 hour ago, New POD said:

Top right hand corner.  3 dots? 

Brings up the option to share.

Brings up.options on how to share.

Click.on copy to clipboard.

Come back to AS

And paste

Thanks for that, pretty straightforward in the end

 

this video shows the previous version of the sea tractor

 

[stephenD57]

17 hours ago, Jenson Velcro said:

Thanks for that, pretty straightforward in the end

 

this video shows the previous version of the sea tractor

 

Man that one's legendary!

[timolloyd]

It broke down yesterday! https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-53317613

[Mrs6C]

Not quite a sea tractor, but almost! Unique ferryboat 'Glansteffan' came into service in 2019 on the Towy estuary between Llansteffan and Ferryside in Carmarthenshire, operated by a Community Interest Company:
https://www.carmarthenbayferries.co.uk/about/the-boat/

One for @Squirrel2 to try, perhaps?

[wuvvum]

The episode of Poirot with the sea tractor was on t'telly at the weekend.