[The Paddle Gear Thread (formerly Cheshire Paddle Gear)]

One for Magpie Patrick,

A couple of years ago there was a thread on the Glamorganshire Canal, discussing the North Road bridge by Cardiff Castle and the paddle gear.

Not the best pic, but does it help?

JCO

 

[Toilets!]

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On our boat, with a pumpout I'm constantly wondering when we'll get problems as the whole process is so mechanical/electrical - loads to go wrong...  Simpler the better!

Rob, 

If I'm reading your avatar pic correctly, you have no. 7 in the fleet of which we had no. 8. In over 12 years of cruising, we never had a problem with the pumpout process at the end of a cruise nor needing intermediate pumpouts on a fortnight's cruise with a crew of 4+. At the input end of the system, the principle of "don't put anything down here that's not been eaten first" served us well. I have no memory of any problems - major or minor - in all the time we had the boat.

JCO

[Glamorganshire Canal Cardiff]

Fascinating stuff from Ogwr. I spent my Uni days in the late 70's in Cardiff and used to use this underpass regularly. I don't recall whether the paddle gear was a bolt-on or a genuine relic of a former lock there. The North Road car park Graham refers to was the car park for our Uni buildings and I also used to mooch around and see what bits of the old Glamorganshire Canal I could find. I never got as far as Melingriffith though.

As you do, I clicked on some of Bob's Rail Relics other videos and found some more fascinating stuff. I used to commute regularly between Barry and Rhymney or Merthyr by rail and would wonder at the bits of long-lost railway architecture I'd go past. I found the clips of the Walnut Tree and Llanbradach viaducts very interesting.

Thanks for the post Ogwr.

[The Union Flag]

Similar to my thoughts Mr Athy. When I first saw it on my GCSE Physics paper markscheme, I thought it had leaked across from the EngLit (Chaucer) markscheme.

[The Union Flag]

Or words to that effect - I wasn't sure if I had remembered the wording accurately, outwith the "outwith".

[The Union Flag]

"Door kept locked outwith office hours" (owtte) - seen on a ground-floor entrance to Prince's Quay car park, Hull, a few years ago.

[Wide beams on the right canals]

Thanks for that Pluto - it all makes sense to me. I would often wonder - whilst  chugging along at 3.5 mi/h on a quaint, hopelessly-outdated transport system that is no longer fit for original purpose - what would have happened if Brindley had had the foresight, finance and civil engineering capability to build the T & M to broad dimensions. How might the rest of the system have evolved differently?

JCO

[Wide beams on the right canals]

To follow on from Pluto's point above about Worsley to Manchester coal traffic being carried in 7 foot beam boats, I have a question:

When the Trent and Mersey was being planned, did the pre-existence of narrow craft inform the decision to build it to 7 foot dimensions - even though it linked two broad navigations - or were the constructional difficulties of boring Harecastle Tunnel any wider the deciding factor? 

JCO

[What is it?]

Howard,

Thanks for that.

JCO

[What is it?]

Howard,

Thanks for the detail. I have vague memories of it being seen and discussed elsewhere but it was the the first time I’d seen it in real life on a recent visit to Grovehill lock. As others have commented, I expect it’s a pig to steer but it’s an interesting piece of kit nevertheless.

It is a shame about the cancellation of the barge-pulling contest, especially as the weather seems to have improved. Are there any plans to reschedule it? (Good picture of Syntan in natural habitat by the way)

 

JCO

[What is it?]

TheBiscuits,

 

Good research - thanks for that.

 

JCO.

[What is it?]

In response to Messrs Athy’s and Ray T’s posts, that was my first thought when I saw the boat. I remember sharing locks with the Navy’s boats on the way up the Trent in 1976 (I think) to the National Rally of Boats in Nottingham. The four boats cruised as fairly bog-standard narrowboats (tiller-steered) and only when in exhibition mode had bits of naval superstructure added on. The boat in my picture looks wider than 7” beam as well.

JCO.

[What is it?]

Good morning all,

I came across this boat on my travels the other day. I'm interested to know more about it - there was no one around to ask when I took the pictures. Can any forum member help.

Thanks

JCO