Tucked away on a quiet St. George's road, unsung and largely unnoticed, is a remarkable example of Bermuda's technological heritage.

Two or three times a month, a billow of smoke soars into the sky over the old capital, a reminder to its residents that it's business as usual -- as it has been for the last 120 years - over at the marine slip.

It was in 1866 that the St. George's Marine Slip was inaugurated, a triumph of the industrial revolution, in the form of a steam engine that drove a slip's winching operation.

Incredibly, the steam-run marine railway is still in regular use, the only concession to modernity being the new, fully automatic boiler installed this year.

Now owned by Meyer & Company, the hauling winch represented a hefty investment when ordered by the St. George's Marine Slip Company, back in 1865.

In March 1866, the Norwegian barque, the Granmar , weighing 441 tons, christened the new slip, in front of a crowd of proud Bermudians, who watched in amazement as the steam got under way, the huge locomotive wheels turned in hissing rotation and the giant, two-way anchor chain edged into motion, pulling the cradle up on to the slip.

Designed to take a load of 1,000 tons, private and navy vessels from around the world made this corner of Bermuda a hive of activity for as long as Bermuda remained a strategically placed marine centre.

Inside the old stone building that houses the steam engine (and which must have been custom-built to accommodate the cumbersome wheels and machinery) is a list of hundreds of ships that were serviced there between 1866 and 1874.

Brigantines, schooners, sloops, steamers and the British convict hulk ships, the Kibby and Diadem , were all hauled on this winch for repairs and service.

Operator Mr. Ritchie Foggo, who has worked at the historic marine slip for 26 years, is not so busy these days: "We only do about two or three a month, usually in the winter or early spring. It takes me about an hour to an hour and a half to get the steam built up -- but it's a lot easier with the new boiler. Before that we had to put the water in manually and monitor the heat and pressure.'' Mr. Henry Hayward, president of Meyer & Co., says his company bought the slip about 40 years ago.

"The company who were planning this new marine slip went all over the place, trying to find a location that had a good gradient, which was essential for a marine railway. They eventually decided that Slip Road was the ideal place,'' he explained.

Workmanship was obviously of the highest order, as the engine has worked with virtually no mechanical problems since it was installed.

To give some idea of its length of service, it is worth recalling that when the Marine Slip was first put in operation, the American Civil War had just ended and President Lincoln had been assassinated the year before.

Still full steam ahead at the old marine slip From Page 15 The era of prosperity for St. George's had, ironically, just come to an end as American hostilities ceased, bringing an abrupt close to the profitable blockade-running that had its unofficial headquarters in the harbour of St.

George's.

Overseas, in 1866, Alfred Nobel (of Nobel Prize fame) had just invented dynamite, in London, Karl Marx was putting the finishing touches on his masterpiece, Das Kapital, and the establishment of the Dominion of Canada was still one year away.

Historian H.C. Wilkinson writes of the St. George's marine slip in his book, "Bermuda from Sail to Steam'', noting that the blockade running had underlined the need to keep ships in reliable working order. The McColl family, who had settled in the Island from Nova Scotia, promoted a company to build the slip, and asked for the payment of one third of the capital of 160 shares at 50 to start the enterprise.

It proved so successful that the company was soon applying for permission to issue more shares. Mr. Wilkinson concludes that the slip was a great asset for St. George's and proved what could be achieved by the old town when efforts were co-ordinated as they had been with this ambitious scheme.

Today, the steam locomotive remains a fascinating reminder that Bermuda, back in the mid-19th century, was an early -- and active -- participator in the fruits of the new industrial age.

ALL STEAMED UP -- For 26 years, Mr. Ritchie Foggo has brought the massive engine to life each time a vessel has to be winched on to the marine slip.

THE AGE OF STEAM is still in full swing at St. George's. Mr. Foggo watches as a hiss of steam sets the pistons in motion.

LIVING HISTORY -- For more than 120 years, a steam engine has operated the winching system at St. George's Marine Slip. Here, the cable edges over the rollers as the giant wheels turn.