[Offside overgrowth and towpath erosion, Husbands Bosworth]

We went along the Leicester Line from Welford to Foxton and back over the weekend. I was pleased to see that a decent section of the hedge (or more correctly row of 30' high vegetation...) to the north of Husbands Bosworth on the towpath side has been drastically reduced in height, allowing some of the glorious views before you reach Laughton Hills to be seen again.

 

However, being able to see through the hedge made me aware of just how little of the canalside bank that the towpath sits on is left between water and field. The towpath erosion along there is dreadful, in places it's positively dangerous. What a walker couldn't see is how much undercut of the remaining towpath has taken place

 

A fair length of it seems to be just the bank at the base of the hedge, with the undercut path only being about 2' wide, muddy and steeply inclined. I would be very reluctant to try to walk it, and if it erodes much more, it looks quite likely it could break through, with the whole of the 20 mile summit pound at liberty to empty via it.

 

I've just e-mailed C&RT about it, but it got me thinking.

 

Opposite the towpath along there, there is considerable overgrowth of the canal from some pretty mature trees. This has had the effect of making all traffic move over closer to the towpath. The result is the towpath side is much more susceptible to the wash of boats, hence it has eroded so badly.

 

Had the vegetation been maintained properly over the last few years, chances are the towpath would not now need the (undoubtedly very expensive) remedial work that is going to have to be done.

 

If further ammunition is needed as to just how vital the regular maintenance of canalside shrubbery is, I'm sure this is it.

Natural England wont permit the required bank repairs there due to water voles is what i hear. Now the farmer has fenced the4 field with barb wire you cant even utilise the gaps in the hedge to walk along the field.

[Reserved Mooring]

But if the sign has not got the CRT header on it its not official so as said bin it.

[LH150 Gearbox stuck in forward]

When checking the oil level make sure that the reverse box dipstick is the shorter of the two. I had an LH150 that would not come out of forward and investigation showed that both boxes had dipsticks for the reduction box, result that even on the high mark the oil pump was sucking air.

[2LW revs and is it possible to up them?]

When were the fuel filters last changed? it could be fuel starvation if it has got worse as time has gone on or has it always been like it?

 

[Hillmorton delays]

Lock 2 had a binding top offside paddle last week, maybe that has jammed up.

[Walsh 2LW Fuel Filter - What Thread?]

Metal on metal pipe joints no goo needed unless its taper threads then a turn of PTFE tape.

[Walsh 2LW Fuel Filter - What Thread?]

Edit.

What Tim leach says as his reply appeared while i composed my reply

[look left then right]

In Oxford and Banbury i have actualy been hit by cyclists passing too close and too fast with no warning of their approach from behind and its my fault acording to them.

[Lock bollards by Antony Gormley]

Strapping 20 tons of boat with the rope around its neck will see how well its anchored down.

[Lock bollards by Antony Gormley]

Use it as a bollard, woops its fallen over.

[injectors]

HR, ST etc, no problem with returning to the filter, its how ours were piped from the factory.

[Oil for SR2]

API CC, any higher will not be a good idea, i had to glaze bust and re ring a bunch of hand crank listers which had been run on Castrol RX Super 15w40 which was something like API CE. I removed an oil filler cap on a running engine which was a bit of a pig to start(they all were) and it shot the filler cap the length of the workshop followed by a blast of oil which left a black sprayed line on the underside of the roof about 10ft above. All the engines were badly glazed in the bores. The glaze bust and re-ring cured the starting while using the manufacturers recomended spec of API CC.

[3J5]

 

I haven't seen any on utoob, I expect you've seen the footage of the Pochins engine but I don't remember any starting or reversing.

 

Why do you ask?

I asked because i got the chap with it at Llandudno to demonstrate the reversing for me and i thought that it might interest some to see it. To reverse it without altering the revs setting you wind the direction handwheel(painted red) to mid gear and just before the engine stops turning wind rapidly into gear the other way giving the start air valve a quick lift to help. I believe that at full air pressure the built in linkage from the direction control should be enough. The Pochins engine is the other of the pair also pictured on here.

[3J5]

Hi,

 

Have uploaded my video, it's a bit long at 14+ mins, the 3J5 is close to the start.

 

Interesting the rev counter shows revs Ahead& Astern.

 

link - https://youtu.be/kpQHk_xZQ8k

 

 

Direct reversing so you know how many revs and in which direction its running.

 

[3J5]

Anybody got any footage of the starting and reversing of a 3J5.

[Want to buy a dredger, or a dumb barge, or a gearbox......]

You can even buy a tractor that has snapped in half!

[Little Bourton Lock cottage]

the access to Kings Sutton lock is the just an unbound stone farm track. For 3K a year i would want tarmac.

[What hazards & dangers Rugby -> Stoke-on-Trent -> Marple -> Huddersfield?]

Its all i have ever seen and that includes modern boats.

[What hazards & dangers Rugby -> Stoke-on-Trent -> Marple -> Huddersfield?]

Rose Narrowboats have a slipway which would probably be cheaper than a dry dock and from your route you are passing right thro the yard.

[Did you know this recently deceased boater – relatives sought.]

Any idea which farm or the name of the farmer?

[FMC Bramble]

Back in 1996...

 

Bramble

by Ian Mulford, on Flickr

Ron Withey is the steersman in the pic, the other is Simon Ainley waterway manager for the OX/GUCC patch.

When Bramble left Buckby where it had been residing on the bank it went to Bob Knowles's yard at Leicester along with Centauri, the bottom plate had gone thro at the bow on Bramble. After a while both then went from Knowles's yard to BW Newark and then disposal.

[CRT Showers/facilities]

Absolutely no CRT showers or toilets between Hawsbury and Braunston.

[Hillmorton delays]

Quite right as the other year the idiots kept piling thro even tho there was noware to go and caused absolute caos, hence now when one lock is out the whole flight gets restricted.

[Don't want to get a licence? Here's a solution.]

CRT do know, my informed source is an employee who was with the engineer when they did an annual length inspection the other week.

[Don't want to get a licence? Here's a solution.]

Which pound is this anyway?

 

If it suffers low water we will know why.

Its the summit pound not far from Marston Doles and its on the uphill side of the cut. In fact its the same farmer who has several times blocked the canal due to a dispute with BW/CRT over a leak he claims is flooding his field, but has never been seen leaking as i was told by somebody very in the know. The pictures dont show it but the nikospan soft bank protection has been torn out and not replaced.