royg

We don't appear to have any boaters or "Sherlock Holmes" type persons on the Middlsex G""rand Union able to identify the boat in question on this post!!

Yes it is identity unknown. Photo was taken in 1933 between Chorley and Blackburn.

Thanks for the photo of the boat in question. The photos I posted of the A 40 was to show where the letter and number would be situated on the boat on the Grand Union. Hope that clarifies the situation for you. Thank you for posting.

I have on good authority from a guy who replated the bottom of this boat the front 15 ft that it is A 37

ISIS Mike I always thought the B.I Boat at Castlefields was A 37 and known as Isis !!

The defining clue to this boat is the bollard configuation on the bow deck in line with the B I T Fleet.

This blue hulled boat is moored by Cowley Lake on the Grand Union Canal. I am convinced it is one of the seven original British Isles Transportn Company Limited (Ranks) Boats The existence of four of this fleet I am aware of, so I think it is either A 36 or A 38 or A 42. For i.d purposes the letter and numbers are stamped on either side of the Bow and on the Port Side of the Stern end. Various posters on thie forum have suggested this is A 38. So an appeal ro all you boat owners in the vicinity near Cowley Lake to get up close to this boat to i.d. it, or better still if the owner can confirm which boat this is. Another photo of the location of the letter plus numbers stamped on the stern end under the white paint.

II had the privilige of meetimg Sam Yates at the turn of this century and it was a great pleasure to hearing him talk of the boats and boatyard of Hodsons of Whitebirk Boatyard Blackburn I enclose a photo of The Leopard Award he created in 1993

Hi Roy Batty Locks Just posted two photos of A 39, one at Westwood Power Station the day the contract finished. All the Sister Boats together left to right A 40 , A 37 , A 39 in the foreground A 41. The other photo shows A 39 approaching Poolstock Locks on the Leigh Branch Nr. Wigan Regards Roy Gibbons

Hi Roy Batty From another guy called Roy posting as Angelo on Thunderboats. If you connect to this site there are several photos of the ex B I Fleet. under heading Leeds & Liverpool Short Boats. On page 5 are two of my favourite photos showing A 40 loaded with 50 tons of Grain for delivery to either ex Appleby's Daisyfield Mill or Greenwoods Mill both in Blackburn the boat in the distance on one photo is the A 38. There are also on that forum several photos of A 39 carrying coal on the Westwood Power Station run at Wigan. My connection with these photos is because my Father Peter Gibbons was the Captain of the A 40. Best Wishes for a successful restoration.

We did not have a great amount of snow in West Lancashire, but the fleet of John Parke recently taken over by BW in Spring 1962 was split into two. Many managed to return to Liverpool before the freeze set in. Several were stranded at Dean Lock Gathurst Nr Wigan, including M/b Atherton (BW) Wooden Dumb Boats 'Bembo' (short boat) and long boats 'Scorpio', 'Juno','Marco' and 'Carlo' plus tug 'Sulzer', until early March. See pictures in Narrowboat Spring 2011. Coal was sent by road to Litherland Lift Bridge where a temporary ramp was made to load the boats. What a fiasco it was, plenty of coal ended up in the canal and if reports are to be believed some of the wagon drivers were selling coal end route from Shevington. Due to the many factories using and returning water into the canal it never froze to a great depth and the steel boats of BW were able to ice break. I remember M/b 'Angelo' returning light with the brass nut only just holding the prop on, due to the ice blocks vibrating against it. I lived on fish and chips nearly every lunch at Litherland and help check the wagons in as their was no weigh bridge. The main carriers were Oliver Hart (8 leggers) and S. T. Rosbothams. I ended up ruining a beige crombie coat. Happy Days. Roy Gibbons

The boat weights in Pluto's list, 'Bradford' built at Mayor's Tarleton and 'Darlington' built at Mayor's Wigan, shows that the Tarleton boat had the better carrying capacity.

No problem at all. The B I Fleet never got much publicity. I posted many comments and photos under the heading 'Shirley Short Boat' a good few weeks ago, with many anecdotes told to me by my Dad. Regards. Roy Gibbons.

David A 40 was the last surviving B.I. on this run mid to late 1950, although some deliveries continued after with British Waterways boats. I have a Litherland Lift Bridge record of M/b Bacup dated 9th January 1951 carrying 46 tons from North Shore Mills Liverpool to Blackburn. Dates of sale of each boat A 36 January 1949, A 37 December 1949, A38 January, 1948, A39 November 1949, A 40 November 1950, A 41 December 1946 and A 42 February 1949. Dates sold, supplied to me, courtesy of the late Clive Guthrie. Roy Gibbons