She arrived in a puff of magic from a bygone age, but the Vital Spark may have been a portent for the future when she backed into her berth with inches to spare yesterday.

The Clyde puffer, whose namesake appeared in the popular Para Handy books and a classic television series, was in Bowling harbour to mark the 150th anniversary of the first puffer.

She is the first of her kind for 40 years to sail into Bowling, western terminal of the Forth and Clyde Canal where the vessels plied their trade.

Now canal operator British Waterways Scotland is hoping to revive that trade on the regenerated canal, albeit with barges rather than puffers.

The Vital Spark towers over the yachts moored in the basin alongside and, in spite of their shallow draft, boats like her would not get under the new fixed bridges which currently restrict the canal to pleasure craft. She is on permanent loan to the Inveraray Maritime Museum, and will be moored at Bowling alongside the Wee Spark, a one-third replica, until Saturday.

Simon Hickman, heritage adviser to British Waterways Scotland, said: "There is still potential, especially on canals, for coastal and inland freight traffic, using barges which would go under the bridges.

"If you have a cargo which is not time-sensitive you can carry vast tonnages, such as timber and other building materials, in an environmentally-friendly fashion. We have people looking into it and I would think we will have a freight presence on the canals in the next few years, especially with the roads getting more crowded. It is all about investing in facilities, such as better hard standing and freight transfer facilities along the waterway.

"British Waterways already runs commercial freight. In London they are using them for some of the construction traffic for the Olympics."

Originally the canal had bascule bridges or swing bridges, but nowadays Bowling is as far inland as a puffer could get. With freight to the Highlands and Islands now largely taken by lorry and CalMac ferry, said Mr Hickman, nothing has really replaced the puffers.

Named after the distinct puffing sound emitted by the non-condensing steam engines that powered them, the Clyde puffers were originally designed to fit the locks of the Forth and Clyde and Crinan canals, and later developed to withstand the elements out at sea.

The Glasgow, built at Swan's boatyard at Kelvin dock, Maryhill, was the first to be completed on December 3, 1857.

Approximately 230 puffers were built along the canal, the last, Chindit, launched at Kirkintilloch in 1945.

The Vital Spark was originally named Eilean Eisdeal before her celebrity status was borrowed from author Neil Munro's creation. One of the most important characteristics of the puffer was its ability to beach, which allowed it to supply a mix of supplies to remote settlements otherwise near impossible to reach.

During both world wars the puffer played a vital role as fleet tenders for the Navy. But by the late 1940s the steam puffer was becoming uneconomical, the last commercial one decommissioned in 1967. Diesel-powered vessels continued to operate, with the Vital Spark - one of the last true working puffers - operating commercially until 1995.

Guthrie Hutton, canal historian and author of Puffers, said: "The puffer was the lifeblood of Scotland's canals, prolonging their usefulness long after many other inland waterways had closed. They made trade and commerce a reality for the west of Scotland, ensuring coal and supplies could reach even the smallest community.

"They could get into tiny harbours, failing which they could simply beach and unload. The ingenious crewmen would take the anchor out and drop it offshore, then reel it in to pull the boat off the shore when the tide came up.

"The Forth and Clyde Canal was built principally to extend coastal shipping routes and give access to the seas - I have seen shipping lists for cargo going from Bangor in Wales to Berwick and from Ayr to Aberdeen.

"We don't use the sea and rivers for transport the way we should. The canals could play a part and get some of these lorries off the roads."