Barton Swing Aqueduct

[Paul Evans]

After that discussion about the Barton Swing Aqueduct in the Where Are We Game (and particularly the comment about my nostalgic picture), I went digging through that box of photographs and found some more. I've posted them in the gallery but thought you might appreciate a bit more about them.

 

The first:

shows the road bridge opening. Just after it opened two tugs came up the Manchester Ship Canal at high speed, putting wash over the bank! No pictures, I'm afraid - I was too busy getting away from the wash. They had come up to turn the ship you can see moored in the second:

Later the ship came down the canal, through the open aqueduct. I swear there was no more than 12" between the hull sides and the bank.

And finally, here's part of the bearing on which the aqueduct sits and turns:

Before turning, the whole thing has to be lifted slightly to reduce the friction. When built, there were steam engines pumping water into a tower accumulator to provide the hydraulic power to lift the aqueduct. Now it's all done with pumps driven by electric motors.

 

I've been over the aqueduct several times since these pictures were taken but it's never been as exciting as that first trip.

Edited February 16, 2006 by Paul Evans

[DHutch]

It really is quite a machine isnt it!!

- Ive never seen it swing. But ive watched the bridges at northwich.

 

 

Daniel

[Paul Evans]

It really is quite a machine isn't it!!

Absolutely! A 1450 ton (including the water) magnificent piece of Victorian over-engineering. It's just a pity that so few ships go that far up the MSC these days so that the opportunities to see it swinging are very limited.

[TimYoung]

Absolutely! A 1450 ton (including the water) magnificent piece of Victorian over-engineering. It's just a pity that so few ships go that far up the MSC these days so that the opportunities to see it swinging are very limited.

 

 

All,

 

The acqueduct is swung sometime in late afternoon at a pretty variable time to park it on the island overnight. i.e. open to the ship canal.

 

Most mornings, unless there is shipping due, it is put back for the Bridgewater at 9.15am so you are pretty sure of seeing it swinging. You can get a good view of proceedings from the footbridge at the Trafford Park end.

 

Tim

[GRPCruiserman]

All,

 

The acqueduct is swung sometime in late afternoon at a pretty variable time to park it on the island overnight. i.e. open to the ship canal.

 

Most mornings, unless there is shipping due, it is put back for the Bridgewater at 9.15am so you are pretty sure of seeing it swinging. You can get a good view of proceedings from the footbridge at the Trafford Park end.

 

Tim

 

Yes, I've had to stop a couple of times in the mooring to wait for it to open, once for a very large ship to pass; very interesting.

 

It does seem bizarre to close it every night, you would think that it was more likely that traffic would use The Bridgewater than The Ship Canal, so you would think they'd only open it when needed for the Ship Canal, but I suppose commercial has right of way etc.

 

Any thoughts (or knowledge of why?), anyone?

[TimYoung]

Yes, I've had to stop a couple of times in the mooring to wait for it to open, once for a very large ship to pass; very interesting.

 

It does seem bizarre to close it every night, you would think that it was more likely that traffic would use The Bridgewater than The Ship Canal, so you would think they'd only open it when needed for the Ship Canal, but I suppose commercial has right of way etc.

 

Any thoughts (or knowledge of why?), anyone?

 

This might be a rather cynical answer but as it is more likely to fail having been left overnight, they might prefer it to fail open for the Ship Canal as ships don't stop so well. Also as what shipping there is is operated to the tides at Eastham. There is night time traffic through, to and from the scrap wharves at Salford. Certainly when there were specific 'tank men' the tank was left on for the Bridgewater overnight and the men got night rates to come and swing it for shipping. They didn't seem to mind.

 

Now the crew travel in a van operating the locks and bridges all the way up, including Barton Swing Bridge which shares the island with the tank, so maybe they just don't like doing the acqueduct in the dark.

 

Tim

[DHutch]

...so maybe they just don't like doing the acqueduct in the dark.

Or else H&S got in the way?

 

 

Daniel