Unseen slides of QE2 being built, fitted out, on trials and early years.

[Rob Lightbody]

See attached, look for clues, and then you should be able to use the forum to say almost exactly when it was taken...

[Alex Tarry]

Oh, another great image...I am no expert but I see the first set of penthouses, but not the big suites which were added later...

[Rod]

I would say 71-72. Penthouses were put on after I went back to college, one of the reasons we had to get off so that Vospers workers could use the cadet cabins for accom,  but before I returned in August of 73.
During my final year at college they also changed out boats 9,10 11 and 12 to the Harding launches with the Volvo Penta engines. The pic dhows the original 9,10,11 and 12.

[Rob Lightbody]

You're both right... I know I had to lower the resolution, but if you look carefully you'll see that the penthouses have literally just been fitted (the workers are still there and the end hasn't been painted yet) and windows of the lookout lounge have only just been plated over (they're yellow).

[Trevor Harris]

I've attached a couple more, both taken on deck in September 1967 just before launch.  I'm afraid I've lowered the resolution, while I consider how to best handle these.  If you've been on board QE2, you should have stood in both spots I'd imagine!

So far (I am 2/3rds of the way through the first of the 5 slide boxes) the photos are mainly 1967 and 1968 while in Clydebank, both interior, on-deck and dockside.  There are a number of fascinating photos, and things I've never seen before.

All images are Copyright © 2019 The QE2 Story and not to be reused without permission.

My goodness these are absolutely gorgeous!

[Rob Lightbody]

My heart skipped a beat, when I held this slide up to the light and saw what it was of.

(sorry for the watermark).

[Chris Thompson]

Does anyone know how that red console worked and what it displayed??
Always been fascinated by that contraption...wonder where it ended up......

[Rob Lightbody]

Does anyone know how that red console worked and what it displayed??
Always been fascinated by that contraption...wonder where it ended up......

Our member Bob C remembers it - I'm sure he's told us on here before what it showed...

[Rob Lightbody]

One of the things that is fascinating in the photos, is seeing the detail, often in the background, in otherwise mundane photos.

For example the attached, which I think is during the December 68>Jan 69 trials, shows the sliding glass panels that the Queens Room incorporated on each side.  I've never seen such a close shot as this, in colour. 

Another photo shows the colour that the window blinds were (cream with an orange check) as well as the internal curtain colour (cream/yellow/orange).

Having been immersed in these slides for nearly a week now, I do feel like my dream of going back in time to the as-built QE2 has virtually been realised.

[Cunarder Man]

Rob, same guy with the child is sitting by the piano with the group of children. Maybe he’s a member of the social staff?  I think the wee girl features in the other picture too.

[Alex Tarry]

Amazing photos, so modern, would look great even now...this is the QE2 I wish I had seen...

One thing is for sure, she's always changed and let's acknowledge it, she has always survived...

A lot has changed inside now, some of it for the better...by which I mean I didn't like the 'red and white stripes era' on the cabin chairs!

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

Superb pictures, Rob, and a wonderful find for the QE2Story!

I love that early-years look, so light and cheerful and modern. Great to catch those glimpses into a period most of us never got to see for real.

[Rod]

Gentleman with the beard and dark glasses....Commodore Warwick?

[Rod]

I think the console showed direction one side, speed the other than a map in the middle. This wa all later displayed on a screen, much larger on the forward bulkhead.

[Peter Mugridge]

My heart skipped a beat, when I held this slide up to the light and saw what it was of.

The Lookout Bar...?