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British Waterways Carrying Fleet

This section contains information about some of the boats built for the various nationalised bodies from the late 1940s onwards:

BTC - British Transport Commission (1947)
D&IWE - Docks and Inland Waterways Executive (1947)
BTW - British Transport Waterways (1955)
BWB - British Waterways Board (1963)

In some photos on the following pages, the distinctive blue tops (interlocking fibreglass cargo coverings) can still be seen. These were an innovation in the 1960s to allow the hold to be covered very quickly.

Too Many Boats by Robert J Wilson, published 1980, gives a history of British Waterways' narrow boat carrying fleets.

Content is still being added from various sources.  Please contact us if you have information that does not appear in this section.