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archie57

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Everything posted by archie57

  1. By 1976 I was steering the "Brummagem Fly" aka "Corolla" for Brummagem Trip Boats, a subsidiary of Brummagem Boats, which Bob Turner set up that year. Had to struggle a bit with low water levels at times, but at least it was easy to trim the boat if you got fast in a bridgehole!
  2. The earlier Brum Boats hire fleet (3 I think) were built by Rugby Boatbuilders from Hillmorton Wharf IIRC. Manager was Bob Turner (Captain Mainwaring!)
  3. Sam and Vi Minton lived on a small boat called the "Mavis" but they didn't work on the boats. I don't recall Midland canal Carriers in Gas St at that time, the camping boats were leased from Birmingham and Midland for the summer in 1974-6, and during the winter the steerers did their own thing. The "Yeoford" and "Ash" were at that time painted blue and yellow and lettered "Associated Carriers" http://collections.canalrivertrust.org.uk/bw197.2.24.41
  4. Gas St. basin, and its fleets of camping, carrying, trip and hire boats was very busy in the early 70s. There were many characters there, such as "Mark the Dark", "Nick the window", "Reg the dredge" and also others such as Sam and Vi Minton and their son John (tragically killed in a road accident) and Harry and Flo. I could reminisce for hours about the goings-on there ( but some are unrepeatable!)
  5. Thinking again, I think it is the Tarporley, Alf Best had at one time the Tarpoley, Badsey (two motors) and Bakewell
  6. Kelso once owned by Sammy Lawton, who lived at Denham and later Cowley lock. He used to boat "Down the North" but came down to the Bulls Bridge fleet along with the likes of Reg Barnett. I think the last boats he had were "Whitby" and "Crux"
  7. Hi Tony Jones I believe still lives in Stroud, Ian Kemp is at Dadfords Wharf Stourbridge
  8. http://collections.canalrivertrust.org.uk/bw197.2.25.25 Reviving an earlier thread, this back-to-front picture of a Northwich motor in the lay-by at Bulls Bridge clearly shows a cable throttle Second picture, needless to say!
  9. Reduced in width about 20 years ago for ease of piling - I saw it being done
  10. Regarding the can on the wrong side, I believe that at one time on the Worcs and B'ham canal boats kept to the left and met on the opposite side to what we do nowadays - no idea when it changed - nationalisation?
  11. Must bear in mind that BW in their wisdom reduced the width quite a bit outside the "Greyhound" . As I have said elsewhere, we must be the only country in Europe that keeps reducing the width of our canals!
  12. Perhaps reference to the published trainee diaries in the HNBC magazine will share more light on this
  13. If it took nearly three weeks to do a round trip to Birmingham, such as the Pathe news clip refers to, one must wonder what the likes of Jack James must have thought of the trainees. Mr. James worked on the Guinness job all through the war, loading at Park Royal for Birmingham every seven days.
  14. Regarding the Autherley picture, I haven't yet turned up a photo, but looking at the DVD "By Canal in the Fifties (which incidentally features some marvellous boats!) you can see the hipped-roof house in question in the distance
  15. There was a house on the outside of the lock at Autherley, long since demolished - but can't presently lay my hands on a photo at the moment
  16. Tony - sorry I can't lay my hands on that famous and rather impressive picture of "Achilles" passing Fenny Stratford loaded - you can only see a little bit of it though!
  17. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/POSTCARD-Motor-Boat-Jaguar-And-Butty-Achilles-Carrying-Coal-Canal-/291264750202?pt=UK_Collectables_Postcards_MJ&hash=item43d0bb627a Here's one for Tony!
  18. I think the "Letchworth" is one of those extensively rebuilt on the Thames in the fifties - perhaps Pete can tell us more. The new plating and riveting stands out on these. Some of the Captains whose boats were so rebuilt claimed the identities of some were swapped !
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