NB Alnwick

A very nice boat at a sensible price!

Quite right but that was squeezed in ahead of the restrictive legislation. The merchants and factory owners of the period recognised that railways or tramways presented many advantages over canals in terms of speed (being able to trot rather than walk!) and the elimination of locks. One of the first railways to be built for general carrying was the Stratford and Moreton Tramway which was built as an extension to the Stratford upon Avon Canal in1825 or thereabouts. An interesting fact about this long abandoned route was that the 'stations' (some of which are still standing as residential properties) were called 'Wharfs'! In fact the term station did not come into use until the establishment of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway in the 1830s and the term was derived from the building provided for early railway policemen who were "stationed" at points along the route to signal trains. This is why in railway terminology a signal person is still colloquially known as a 'Bobbie'

During the early 1800s some canals were converted into railways but this resulted in a backlash of protests from independent boat owner/operators. As a result, legislation passed in 1855 required any railway company owning or acquiring a navigable waterway to keep that waterway in navigable condition. The result of this legislation (which was eventually repealed as part of the 1947 nationalisation of transport) was that many canals survived well into the 20th Century even though they were no longer commercially viable. The Kennet & Avon Canal and the the Stratford upon Avon Canal were two examples that survived until 1948 as a result of railway ownership - there were others. In a way, railways may take the credit for saving many otherwise unprofitable canals long enough so that they could be restored for present day use!

The GWR didn't put the canal out of business. They bought it and had to keep it open to navigation (more or less) even though it proved to be a significant cost. Sadly it was the nationalisation of transport in 1947/8 that brought about the closure of certain previously railway owned navigations.

Last week my fuel filter became blocked with black slime. I changed the filter and added Marine 16 'Complete' to the day tank - this being recommended by the staff at Midland Chandlers. It appears to have worked and I immediately noticed that the exhaust appeared cleaner. I have since checked the main tank which is well below the waterline and the fuel in there is clean with no trace of water or black slime in the bottom - I used 'Kolor Kut' Water Finding Paste. There is about 200 litres of fuel in the main tank and I have now added Marine 16 to that too. Presumably if there is any emulsified water in the main fuel tank it will now separate right at the bottom.

This is the downside of buying from international (Chinese) sellers on eBay - for safety, I always source propane fittings from reliable local dealers.