Gate pulled off on T & M

[seaandland]

Lock 37 Trent and Mersey Stoke.

 

 

Canal reopened at 2.00pm today (Mon 24th Aug)

[Naughty Cal]

No mistaking who the culprit was

[MoominPapa]

No mistaking who the culprit was

Yes, difficult one to get out of, that!

 

 

MP.

[Naughty Cal]

Yes, difficult one to get out of, that!

 

 

MP.

 

Literally

[mayalld]

Lock 37 Trent and Mersey Stoke.

 

 

Canal reopened at 2.00pm today (Mon 24th Aug)

 

How the hell did it happen?

 

Are we certain that it was pulled off?

 

It is difficult to imagine what the boat in the lock could have done to cause this (a boat coming up could lift a T&M gate off, but not a boat going down - unless they were refloating it after a cilling?)

[Timleech]

Yes, difficult one to get out of, that!

 

 

MP.

 

Maybe, but how did they do it, going downhill?

 

Tim

[RLWP]

Literally

 

Naaa. He's going down so all he had to do was open the paddles and wait until the entire pound had emptied.

 

How on earth do you do that to a gate?

 

Richard

 

I mean, I'm a fairly robust lock user but that one is beyond me

[MoominPapa]

Maybe, but how did they do it, going downhill?

 

Tim

 

On the way in, hit the gate hard enough to break the metal band holding the rotating post? After the boat has gone past, the gate could just fall over. (What's the proper terminology for the various components of a lock gate and its fixings?)

 

MP.

[mayalld]

On the way in, hit the gate hard enough to break the metal band holding the rotating post? After the boat has gone past, the gate could just fall over. (What's the proper terminology for the various components of a lock gate and its fixings?)

 

MP.

 

You mean the gate collar.

 

It would be difficult to see any way of doing that on the way in. It just doesn't work.

 

I suppose that the previous boat up could have broken the collar as they were leaving, and the gate fell as they were closing it.

[RLWP]

On the way in, hit the gate hard enough to break the metal band holding the rotating post? After the boat has gone past, the gate could just fall over. (What's the proper terminology for the various components of a lock gate and its fixings?)

 

MP.

But you could only really do that if the gate was only about half open. The end would drop and you wouldn't be able to open it more.

 

I think the strap has failed while the gate was open and then its fallen over.

 

Richard

 

Surprising how short that gate is. From the hinge pin to the top of the handrail all fits diagonally into a narrow lock.

 

Richard

[Tiny]

Year's ago I saw a similar thing. In this case a crew of about a thousand Danish or some such who wanted to get the gate open early litterally pulled it off its collar but then hung onto it until the boat got out before letting go. Bw had to extract gate and re-concrete the collar strap holders and we had to wait while this set. Meanwhile the crew of thousands had gone on their way.

 

Having said that the cast of thousands were coming up in the lock. Maybe the crew of the boat in the picture tried to refill the emptying lock by opening the gate - or maybe, with all the extra lock uses the gate was already damaged and off its pivot - so when they slammed the bottom paddles up with it open (after it had refused to manually shut as it was already bent out of true)...

 

 

Is it a small share boat?

Edited August 24, 2009 by Tiny

[denboy]

if the wedges have come out of the collar it could easily have just fell off

[seaandland]

The boat went into the lock and its nylon fender rope on the side got under the collar and lifted it off straight up, off came the collar from its fixing (still attached to the gate) and the gate dropped down into its pincle dish lucky or what, when the boat sailed past the gate it just fell over in slow motion,, so they said.

 

It was put back on by lifting it with a gantry, you know where to look for more pics.

Edited August 24, 2009 by seaandland

[RLWP]

The boat went into the lock and its nylon fender rope on the side got under the collar and lifted it off straight up, off came the collar and it droped down into its pincle dish lucky or what, when the boat sailed past the gate it just fell over in slow motion,, so they said.

 

Pintle dish? The cup that the pin at the bottom of the gate stands in?

 

See, I knew cruising with fenders down was just wrong.

 

Richard

[churchward]

The boat went into the lock and its nylon fender rope on the side got under the collar and lifted it off straight up, off came the collar from its fixing (still attached to the gate) and the gate dropped down into its pincle dish lucky or what, when the boat sailed past the gate it just fell over in slow motion,, so they said.

 

It was put back on by lifting it with a gantry, you know where to look for more pics.

What's a pincle dish?

 

As Richard says another reason not to have fenders down when cruising and especially in locks. I imagine it could take a while to get the lifting gear and such like in place to fix that.

[mayalld]

if the wedges have come out of the collar it could easily have just fell off

 

Unless this is an unusual gate, that wouldn't happen.

 

T&M gates are not usually mounted with a strap in an A-frame on the lock side.

 

The strap is on the gate, bolted, and sits over a cast frame.

[RLWP]

 

That's why. The boat lifted the collar off the black bit in the foreground. When the fender dropped the collar didn't go back onto the black bit, the gate dropped down and gracefully fell over.

 

Richard

 

What's the bit this bloke is lifting?

 

edited to correct the reasoning

Edited August 24, 2009 by RLWP

[mayalld]

 

That's why. The boat lifted the collar off the black bit in the foreground. When the fender dropped the collar didn't go back onto the black bit, the gate dropped down and gracefully fell over.

 

Still don't see how a boat going down can do that.

[bramley]

going the the thread tittle i was expecting porn... im disapointed lol

[RLWP]

Still don't see how a boat going down can do that.

 

If you go back in the thread, his side fender caught up on the collar on the way into the lock. A side fender will swing in an upwards arc as it tightens up, lifting the collar.

 

Richard

[bramley]

going the the thread tittle i was expecting porn... im disapointed lol

 

 

after looking at it again i dont know how i missed the word gate lol

[mayalld]

If you go back in the thread, his side fender caught up on the collar on the way into the lock. A side fender will swing in an upwards arc as it tightens up, lifting the collar.

 

Richard

 

Ah, missed that post.

 

Doubtless those held up would have been delighted, particularly those heading south, who would have to face the interminably slow Stoke Bottom Lock next (slowest to fill and empty anywhere), before finding that they can't even make up any time because Trentham lock is closed overnight due to vandalism.

[NB Alnwick]

I have never seen this happen but a while back, a friend of ours (who works for BW maintaining locks and banks) warned us about this exact scenario when he saw us entering a lock with one of our pipe side fenders hanging down. He also warned us that bumping the gates hard with the front fender can result in a broken collar and that this is another fairly regular cause for long delays at locks.

[alan_fincher]

It doesn't appear to be the case here, but another possible cause can be vandalism.

 

There have been cases where the local youth have removed essential parts from gate securing mechanisms, and it is the unsuspecting first boat to try and work the lock afterwards that suffers the consequences.

[sueb]

I have never seen this happen but a while back, a friend of ours (who works for BW maintaining locks and banks) warned us about this exact scenario when he saw us entering a lock with one of our pipe side fenders hanging down. He also warned us that bumping the gates hard with the front fender can result in a broken collar and that this is another fairly regular cause for long delays at locks.

Stupid things, pipe fenders. Rubbing strakes don't wear out you don't need dangly things.

Sue