Derek R.

RENOWN, I remember sitting in her one Christmas with several others, and the draws all opened as we all sat on one side cuasing the boat to tilt . . . And a wonderful chilli-concarne Sue cooked up in the back cabin after a one handed stint taking Yarmouth up Buckby. (Some things do not forgotten! 😉

Interior superbly done, and in good taste. Love it. "Gentleman's club" - spot on.

As to the widest 'narrow' locks - would they be on the Aylesbury arm?

Yes, I have heard the thoughts of consultants come at a high price.

Seems like new 'laws' are being concocted every day, and new 'lawmakers' too. Something is going to give soon.

I would suggest said 'turn' was between 1899 to 1900. They are all horse boats and the dress of the men and the way the materials are stacked would confirm this as so. Reckon we'll last that long?

Great work. Big 'Greenie'.

Anchor Bridge?

I wonder if Buccaneer66 has researched the Leeds & Liverpool Canal, Lancaster Canal South End? This tunnel business sparked a memory. I was born in 1947 and brought up in 4 Redvers Road Wood Green, London N22. During the early fifties, the family next door moved, and were replaced by Mr. & Mrs. Murch, with their two sons Paul & Alan. They hailed from Leyland, Lancashire. While the families got on well, they decided to move back to Lanacashire into a 'new build' house in Whittle-le-Woods. Being the very first residents in the new road, they had the opportunity to name the road, and they named it after me - 'Derek' Road. They invited us up as a family to help 'warm' the house. Derek Road is off Mill Lane, and their back garden was steep, rising up from the back of the house at the top of which was an overgrown path beside a waterway. Paul, Alan and myself ventured along the canal, beneath Moss Bridge as I now know it, but stopped at the Whittle Tunnels. The waterway was still in water but weedy. At the time I never knew about canals, and nothing about that one, except that there was a wider basin just below Moss Bridge. Using the National Library of Scotland maps, it is possible to see through the overlays where this brach went. From Johnsons Hillock locks to the Walton Summit, where an interchange basin looks to connect with a tramway leading to Preston. https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16.6&lat=53.69322&lon=-2.63601&layers=6&b=1 Derek Road runs through what was Swansey Mill. Mr. & Mrs. Murch lived in No 6 Redvers Rd, Wood Green, and moved into No 6 Derek Road around 1955. Moss Bridge remains, but not the canal. https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.6920959,-2.6350533,3a,45.5y,70.82h,85.96t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sQ47YaTPiFL9rjgZ9A7K3Sw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?hl=en

No, they were gifted by someone who did. I did once fish out a good riveted galvy bucket though. I was after a funnel for a small steam launch that accidentally got knocked in. Got that out too.

Blimey! Perhaps I should chuck this lot back in the cut . . . !

No, Thames waters, further up river. Managed to get West to Caversham and on one memorable journey to Southend-on-Sea. That's her Wheel in my avatar.

It was a bit bigger than 9' x 40' though. More like 16' x 110'. Unconverted, we lived in the crews quarters aft.

That's more like it! Excellent engines. Had a 6LW (94hp) in our Dutchman. Built 1889. Still around - somewhere in France as a house boat.

9 hp. Stay off the rivers! Unless they are quiet (not running). A single cylinder? I'm guessing the brush allows the movement of a quadrant attached to the rudder shaft to protrude without too much ingress of wind or water. Nice width for accommodation, but restrictive on waterways access. Good luck with it.

That was just before Fradley Junction on the Coventry. We stopped opposite some bluebell woods. We were heading for Chester. Tied in the basin at the bottom of Northgate locks, then headed back South to Aylesbury. (An aside) LACERTA was thereabouts tied up, still with the Waterways front cabin on.

Gosh! I'd forgotten. Can't help there then.

This is the IONA I knew in the late eighties - 1988. My wife Louise steering down Buckby. IONA on the left Ernie Carman steering at 'Suttons' I don't recall the BCN number. And clearly the superstructure is different, but a Bantock fore end. Are those vertical overlapping plates on the hull? Owned then by Ernie & Gwen Carman.

They were 'taking a look'.

Yes - Walter . . . Coat.

I was thinking that. The tube looks black enough to suggest it might be an exhaust, but a "broad narrowboat"? So it's a 'wide boat'?

Having steered TYCHO with a V botton (a very shallow one) and a 45' Springer with a similar V botton, they do stay on line quite well. More so the Springer in fact. That would be quite an unusual boat. Not many left I shouldn't think, very distinctive.

I very much doubt those are Diamond T units. Could be any one of a number of German manufacturers, MAN amongst them, but I don't think they are Deutz.

Sincere condolences. His heart is in you both.

Probably a bit on the big side . . . . Four feet long, and that's just the back cabin and rudder (which I have to alter as I made the ram's head too long). Apologies for the dolls, but it drew customers in.