An 1885 Cover

Welcome to this EXTRACT OF CLYDE STEAMER TIMETABLES from MURRAY'S ABC TIME TABLE for August 1st - September 4th, 1966.

And, to make better sense of the timetables, both a 1966 calendar AND a set of sun and moon rise and set tables AND tide tables have been extracted too.

Murray’s ABC Timetable, perhaps more often referred to as "Murray's Diary", was first published in 1842 and, that ancient stand-by of the travelling public, continued
continuously in print until 1966, it's selling price of just one penny remaining unchanged until after World War 2 and, having been increased to sixpence by the mid-1950's, its
final editions were sold at one shilling each.

Though the cover of the edition here, for August 1st - September 4th, 1966, almost certaily one of the final editions, has not survived, it was a small purple pocket book,
published monthly, to provide the time tables for all trains in Scotland. In addition to times and fares for trains, it listed sailing schedules for the Clyde Steamers, together with
a pocket calendar, times of sun and moon rises and sets, tide tables and a comprehesive list of local holidays across Scotland for the month of issue. As a bonus, each 'diary'
contained an insurance certificate which stated that, if the purchaser, aged between 15 and 65, had signed it and, carrying the current edition with them, was killed in a railway
accident then, the “General Accident Fire and Life Assurance Corporation Limited” would pay their 'legal representativ' a sum, in 1966, of £600.

The demise of 'the diary', which latterly too carried timetables for Scotlands air services, was lamented by many as 'a sign of the times'. The survival of this edition, adorned
with advertisements, gives us an insight into "how we were", some might even say better served then than now.

Welcome to the 1960's world of The Clyde Steamers, when steam remained dominant despite the advent of the "Maids" and the car ferries.

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