Richard T

There is one of the Rugby boats moored on the Trent at Beeston - I think its Lapwing. It still a wooden top. I have a photo of it somewhere. We never hired from Rugby but did many times from Middlewich.

Oak on the Llangollen Sycamore at Hurleston Middlewich Narrowboats on turn round day

Middlewich Narrowboats were a much respected hire company it was sad to see their slow decline and demise.Maple was an excellent boat. We did look at Willow with a view to buying it but it was in poor condition. If I would love to ownhowever anyone sees one of the wooden top boats for sale I would be interested. The 1960/70s hire fleet is not well represented among surviving boats. I would love to own Larch or pine or any of the other 50ft boats.

Cables do break at the most incovenient time. We had our throttle cable break about 18months ago. It went at the joint between the solid rod and the flexible cable at the single lever end of it. I guess it was caused by metal fatigue. We used a bit of string for about half an hour until we could get to a good morring point. It then took me about half an hour to change it - I carry a spare.

OK the lever where your toe is needs moving towards the black pipes. It will be stiff to start with it will then get easier as it goes into neutral. Stop at this point and try starting your engine the prop shaft should rotate. If it does try moving the lever whilst the engine is running to a point when the prop shaft stops rotating. If you can't move the lever unbolt the cable from the lever, there is a rusty nut holding it in place so you may have to oil it first or use WD40. When you've done that tyry moving the lever again. Don't lose any bits.

That looks like a PRM hydraulic box a 150 or 160. Agreed it looks like a snapped cable

If it is a broken cable, they are quite easy to replace if you have the right tools. They do come with different connectors so It would be a good idea to post a photo of the single lever control and the gearbox end of the cable on here as someone (RLWP) may be able to tell you the cable type. They also come in different lenghts so you need to measure the old one. Are you a member of RCR? It might be worth joining and then get one of their engineers to come out. Midland Chandlers supply cables https://www.midlandchandlers.co.uk/engineering-tools/engine-controls/control-cables

There has always been diseases which are transmittable from animals to humans. This is why most of the milk we use is pasteurised - bovine TB is transmitable and why in the late 1960s there was a national campaign to eradicate brusellosis in the national herd. This rather nasty disease is transmitted through drinking raw milk or eating cheese made from raw milk-one strain of it causes spontaneous abortion in cattle and humans, other strains give you flu like symptoms.

Our boatyard monitor boats on a daily basis and at times of flood more often. It helps that the owner lives on site. The service is what we pay for.

Moire images of the refloating here https://canalsonline.uk/rescue-of-river-soar-narrowboat/?fbclid=IwAR3_tRbLFcMA8o4LtmUX23jNHH80KGk-RscpTQ4RryBYMmw3B52f2fOL8kY

I have now received the hi res image from the Leicester Mercury. See below. I'm not certain if this helps or not. The image does remain of interest, Hopefully someone will now be able to further enhance it and read the lettering on the motor.

I will ask. Email sent requesting high res copy. I've also done some more digging about Gimsons. They had a saw mill on Sanvey Gate (there is a receipt for sale on ebay which gives that address) which is only about 100yards from the Pasture Lane wharf. This means that timber could arrive by boat and then be transferred to the mill for ripping to size planing etc. The boats are pointing south - the towpath for most of the way through Leicester is on the west bank - it changes from the east to west at Belgrave lock. The chimneys in the photo could easily be part of the dye and gas works which are visible on the map of the area. The boats could have arrived from the south and winded at Memory Lane wharf/arm which is just north of the location of the image. As an alternative they could have loaded somewhere on the Trent.

Given that there are three women at the back of the boats is it possible that it is a wartime photo - did the idle women run such a combination? I seem to recall that in one of the books timber to Leicester was mentioned as a load - possibly Emma Smiths book.

I have found an aerial view of Gimsons timber yard off Upperton Road but I'm not convinced it is where the first photo was taken because the yard is towpath side and in the original it is offside. In the new photo you can see Freemans weir and lock and the site of where the football stadium now is. I have done some further research and the only canal side timber yard I can find in Leicseter is on Pasture Lane. Whilst the buildings have changed this locations fits as there is an over bridge from which the original photo could have been taken. https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/#zoom=17&lat=52.64230&lon=-1.13769&layers=168&right=BingHyb

Some images on this FB page. They used Crouch a vehicle recovery firm to do the work. https://www.facebook.com/groups/canalsandrivers/