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Joe at TravelPage.com
quote:Originally posted by Patsy:Very interesting pics. I still prefer the original funnel though. Looked sleek. But I suppose I'm in a minority.
I agree with you. The first funnel was far better in my opinion.
Joe an interrestin pic. Very interresting to see the inner construction off the funnel.
Greetings Ben.
quote:Originally posted by Maasdam:Patsy and Vikingcrown. The funnel casing is removed, at this time of the job. The funnel is never chansed and is still the same. Maybe there was work to do on the funnel. Joe an interrestin pic. Very interresting to see the inner construction off the funnel.Greetings Ben.
Sorry Ben, the funnel casing and the inner piping did change. The piping as seen in the above pictures (which were made in February 1987) are from her newly installed diesel engines. De former steam engines did not need so much piping, hence the slender funnel from before 1987. With the new engines came also more piping and thus they installed the fat funnel casing.Basically the old funnel (side shields) were cracked open and widened and a bigger black inner funnel tube was placed between the widened shields.
The white slender funnel looked best on the original 1969 QE2, the slender funnel started to look out of place after the apartment blocks and other conversions were don to QE2. It’s no secret I like QE2 best as she was designed to look like but I also must admit that the current QE2 looks better with the fat funnel.
Onno
[ 06-10-2005: Message edited by: Onno ]
quote:Originally posted by lasuvidaboy:IMO the beautiful original funnel started to look out of place when the 1st penthouse cabins were installed in the early 1970s and with the QE and QM suites added in the late 70s. It would have looked completely wrong (again IMO) when the penthouses were extended aft towards the funnel in the late 80s. The thicker deckhouse needed a more massive stack and with the new engines a new one was installed. I also noticed that QE2's name and port of registry at her stern are painted over in those pics. I wonder if that is a custom to paint a ship's name over when being refitted. I have seen other pics of her during other refits and her name is painted over.
When she featured in the old British soap Crossroads back at the end of 1981, she did look smart and they filmed in the Queen Mary suite as well. The lights made everything so hot, the sprinklers came on and Cunard were worried the carpets would get ruined. I presume they'd fixed that problem by the time of the Coronation Street cruise video in 1995. I didn't like it when they painted the hull grey. I've often wondered if it was trying to cash in on the popularity of the Canberra after her more successful and dangerous Falklands service but thought going white would make it too obvious. I didn't much like it when they painted the funnel red and black either at the time. That also looked out of place but you get used to things, don't you?
Here is a drawing I made for a model QE2 conversion, being a model It is of course simplified but it gives an impression what they did with the real funnel.
quote:Originally posted by Noordam:what happened to the old funnel? perhaps its sitting around somewhere in Germany as modern art, it would be rather striking!!!!
There is a pic of her taken after the original funnel was removed and it is seen at the corner of the drydock. It is one of the books I have on QE2 and I would guess it was scrapped along with all the other metal removed when her engines, davits etc. were removed. The completely new funnel though similar in design is actually very different from the original funnel as Onno's renderings and models depict. As for her change to the light grey hull, I readl that the reason she was painted in that color was that Cunard wanted a new look for her after the Falklands war. The look was a combination of traditional Cunard funnels colors along with the NAC pebble grey hull color used on Sagafjord/Vistafjord. The new black stripes on her funnel were not painted but black tape! By the end of her 1st voyage sections were torn off and flapping in the wind. It was later changed to proper paint. The light grey hull was returned to charcoal/Federal grey after the maintenance became overwhelming. She could be seen with great streaks of rust and Cunard always stingy w/the fresh paint returned her to the easier to maintain dark hull color. IMO beginning in the late 1980s, she finally began to receive the proper upkeep externally as before she usually sported large rust stains all over the hull. Today she looks in excellent condition compared to the 1970s and early 1980s.
quote:Originally posted by lasuvidaboy:As for her change to the light grey hull, I readl that the reason she was painted in that color was that Cunard wanted a new look for her after the Falklands war. The look was a combination of traditional Cunard funnels colors along with the NAC pebble grey hull color used on Sagafjord/Vistafjord.
As for her change to the light grey hull, I readl that the reason she was painted in that color was that Cunard wanted a new look for her after the Falklands war. The look was a combination of traditional Cunard funnels colors along with the NAC pebble grey hull color used on Sagafjord/Vistafjord.
By the time Cunard acquired NAC, QE2's pebble grey hull was history. Cunard simply wanted to project a new image for QE2 with her early post-Falklands brochures and pamphlets referring to her as the "New QE2". Cunard was even going to give her a broad red stripe around the hull. The painting of the red stripe was scheduled to be done during her stay in Hong Kong on her 1983 Circle Pacific cruise. The pebble grey hull turned into a maintenance nightmare so the plans for the red stripe were cancelled and the decision to return to a dark hull at the earliest convenient date was made. As it turned out the hull was repainted in June 1983.
The new black stripes on her funnel were not painted but black tape! By the end of her 1st voyage sections were torn off and flapping in the wind.
The tape was still flapping in the breeze in October 1982, 2 months after returning to service.
The light grey hull was returned to charcoal/Federal grey
Actually the colour of QE2's hull after the pebble grey fiasco was not the same as it had been before. The dark grey had a strong hint of blue that was not present in her original colour scheme.
Brian
The new one is far better for QE2's current look
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