pegisoo

ok.......... well I just arrived back from my holiday in Greece to find I am missing all the excitement right on my doorstep!" where are they likely to be now and when does their holiday end? can anyone tell me? I may be able to catch up with them at a pub one evening?

I once bought a rare old 1960's BMW car which had been standing for a number of years. Prior to being left it had been partially stripped down. It was an old air cooled (petrol) 600cc engine. We felt certain that the engine would require a complete rebuild but decided to just see if it would turn over before stripping it. There were rags stuffed in the inlet and a box of sundry bits with the carbs in. We removed the spark plugs and the engine seemed to turn over ok manually but the loom had been cut through and there seemed to be some water in the pots. We got a decent battery and jump leads and allowed the engine to turn over without plugs during which time it was firing rusty coloured sludge out of the spark plug holes and the exhaust ports! We really were amazed that it was not seized solid when we saw this. figuring that the bores/ crank would be well past saving at this point we decided for the hell of it we would replace the spark plugs and fix up a feed from a petrol can to the carbs (we had nothing better to do at that point) Yes you guessed it, within a few turns of the engine to get fuel through she coughed a bit and spluttered but fired up and within a few minutes was running sweetly! amazing! We did consequently strip the engine down to rebuild it and found it to be in excellent condition with no visible scars from its years of neglect. Having spoken owners and and enthusiasts of the model none of them were in the least surprised that this was the case! I was repeatedly told that these engines were so well engineered that it took a great deal to finish them off. It would seem that BMW engineering during the 1960's really was amazing! Maybe they should have made boat engines.

pay and display? well they can take it a tad further and build a brand new 'toll' canal through some picturesque area. of course there would be all the discussion about whether it is worth paying the toll to avoid the congestion at the locks and then would it lead to people speeding in their boats as there was a lack of traffic to slow them down. Of course commercial traffic would be up in arns that they would have to pay through he nose to use it and it was beyond the reach of their coffers but would hire boats buy an annual pass so their clientel could use it? They could evenn build a canalside pub but then with the lack of traffic on the toll canal (because no one could afford to pay the toll) it would probably soon be closed down through lack of business

I think it is in Rufford itself? certainly it is very new at least that is what I am told. Thanks for the info

Time to pick your brains again guys! I have been told about a new marina on the Rufford branch of the Leeds Liverpool. I decided to have a gander on here because someone MUST have started a thread about this before now but unless my searches are not working I was finding precious little information about this marina. So... what it like? does anyone know anything about it at all? I wait with baited breath

Speaking with no experience whatsoever for marine engines but for an excellent gloss finish that really lasts on a car engine we used to use 'Japlac' they do not do a vast array of colours but it might be worth checking if there is a green in the shade you want. The paint always used to withstand heat excellently with the exception of a small area in the immediate vicinity under the exhaust manifolds which was usually unseen in a car. We did a whole host of classic car engines and for that matter high performance engine blocks in this paint.

Well ... we decided to go via Middlewich to Chester and take a rain check on the situation at Chester. it seems the problem was no longer the low water level but now a wall has collapsed. We were assured there was unlikely to be any passage through there 'for a while' While we were in Chester (Wednesday 26th) we met the BW engineers on their way through the staircase taking plant to 'assess' the situation and they informed us that a floating crane was being brought in off the MSC for repairs later that afternoon. They had no idea how long the canal was likely to be closed for at that point because they had not seen the extent of the problem. We spent a couple of very enjoyable days in Chester before winding and heading back the way we came. We had a wonderful trip with only a 10 minute shower of rain in the entire 9 days. I returned to work today and colleagues thought that with my suntan I had been to the Bahamas! only problem now is how to get back up to the pace required to do my job!

Sorry Mikevye but I am not sure I understand your post? I am completely unaware of having had any exchange of correspondance with you previously. I certainly do not remember asking you anything in the past and certainly not about this particular question. The ONLY this I know of the restrictions is what I have posted original question and that is why I was asking for any personal experience from the good people here. I know I have to be patient and wait and see if we will be able to do the loop we were hoping for but I was hoping that someone might have experience of how long these situations tend to go on for once the level drops. Did I say something wrong?

There is one right by a bridge on at Hopwas too, the track over bridge leads into Hopwas woods which is used as a rifle range by The Staffordshire Regiment based 'next door' at Whittington Barracks. I sometimes walk both that towpath and the adjoining woods but you cannot walk in the woods when the red flag is flying (unless you want to be shot that is!) it has made me stop and think on more than one occasion when I spot that pill box during my walk and hear the sound of gunfire so close just how lucky we are to be able to persue our leisure without fear! There are a few more on the flood plain of the rivers Tame and Anker where they meet by Tamworth Castle as well.