billh

It will be MUCH easier to share locks on the Nine than with just one boat especially if you are single handing. The offer still stands- 10Am at Dukes 92, go on,you know it makes sense! Bill

There's a boat coming to us on the Ashton summit from Castlefield on Saturday morning, if you are in the right place at the right time *some lock sharing on the Nine should be possible as well as a bit of lock setting up on the Ashton. Bill ETA 10:00 AM * @ lock92 - our lock team will get you to Fairfield Top,lock18 in the day.Assuming no CRT induced problems.

That icebreaker looks like one of the seven built by the MS&L Railway at Gorton loco works, Stationed on the Peak Forest, Macclesfield or Ashton Canals. Do we know which one it is? They didn't have names as such just where they were kept: eg Whaley Bridge, Bosley, Marple etc. Built & maintained by boilermakers not boatbuilders

Did you see , at about 6 mins in, longboat " Ambush"? Still in the area in 2014 and still carrying coal. Superb.

If you don't see a need for a tacho on the boat, why concern yourself with trying to count dums, ticks and bangs? Surely the fact that the engine runs satisfyingly slow with a nice sound is enough? The actual RPMs aren't important. Our engine idles at something under 200 and is flat out at 700 and it isn't a Kelvin K (or a Bolinger)

Oh, and the sixth one: Sea Cadet HQ at Ashton Old Wharf near the junction with the Huddersfield Narrow.

There are actually 5 options that are non towpath providing short term moorings: Portland Basin Marina, over the aqueduct from PB Portland Basin itself , shared with the WCBS fleet Fairfield Marina,Droylsden operated by Portland Basin Marina (!) Ashton Packet Boat Co. in Audenshaw (not Droylsden) since 1975 New Islington in Central Manchester Bill

Even more of a joke is that Screwfix and B&Q are part of the same group- Kingfisher. Another example: BG garage consumer unit S'fix = £20, B&Q =£35

There's a boat up this way , named Basil- always reminds me of Ms Scales. I doubt it belongs to them though

That's what I thought too.There is indeed a replacement for a starter battery used for diesel engines for railway applications, As I understand it, a super capacitor plus a mass of supporting electronics has been developed which can provide sufficient energy to start the engine. Don't ask me how it works , far too modern! Google: MTU CaPoS

Plenty of BW signs round here. Still a couple of pick up trucks with dual signage. There was a gate up to a short time ago with "D & IWE " still readable and I think there are still a couple of lock side notice boards with LNER in raised letters at the top. There's a bridge at Bardsley on the Fairbottom branch with MS & L Railway cast into the beams, there hasn't been one of those since 1898.

Two gallon (that's 16pints) cast iron ex army kettle- takes a while to bring to the boil though and you need to strengthen the top of the Epping to support it and two people to fill the teapot. Copper kettles- cue discussion about copper poisoning or tin/lead poisoning if they are so lined. I've been using one for years , still here.Apparently it's very difficult to be poisoned by copper- most water pipes in houses are made from it so it can't be a problem.(can it?)

What happens when we get these new ROCs? I can see that axle counters can detect divided trains ( and stop everything for miles around) but checking passenger train doors? Lineside cameras that compare an image of a properly secured train with the actual passing train? Your 'box is a credit to you, will you take it home with you when it's eventually closed? Bill

My first 2 wheel commute was a 1964 Raleigh Runabout- a bike with an engine. On a rare good day it would top 40mph and on a bad day it would stop. The french engine was hopeless. Pedalling with the engine drive disconnected was very hard work. I sold it last year to a vintage vehicle collector. My last commuter bike was a Honda SFX scooter- limited to 30mph , it was fine in town traffic, would keep up , reliable but thirsty, the big deal for me was the leg protection afforded by the design in wet or cold weather- far better than the CG125 before that. The SFX never managed better than 50mpg, probably because it was on full throttle all the time. It would take a passenger if you could accept a top "speed " of 10mph!

Even better, the one time owners of RN diesels developed a filtering system to use waste lube oil as the fuel for the engine- that's what I call proper re-cycling. If your scrap batteries have a value then why not weigh them in yourself? Bill

The hilarious part about this episode was the advertising banner had "British Waterways" printed on it - referring to some canal side property development! Thank you , Mr Damager for your youthful enthusiasm . The whole day was very entertaining, even if we didn't win the tug of war- we never do . We stand a good chance in any speed trial though!

There are safety issues to consider if, for example, 240v 13a sockets are supplied from different phases in the same room( or boat). Under fault conditions possibly 2 appliances can have 440v between them , someone could get vapourised. Perhaps a professional electrician would care to comment?

They don't. the rats do a runner as soon as a mink stakes out its territory which can extend some considerable length along the canal, though only a short distance away from the water. The mink has no fear of other animals or even humans, maybe because it's stupid. They are a lot less trouble to us humans than rats in terms of damage and spread of disease. The other wildlife might not agree with this sentiment.

We have used a couple of devices in the past. See if you can get an old chain block hoist with an extra long chain- perhaps one that has been condemned for lifting purposes but still functional for pulling. They tend to be a bit heavy though - extra ballast in the boat. the 30cwt Tirfor is a fantastic device- that rating is for lifting . For pulling it is in excess of 3tonnes- can your T-stud stand that? As an example we moved a 10 tonne tracked excavator with this size Tirfor last week. Don't consider the bigger version- 5+ tonne pull, its just too heavy to lug about. You can store the cable on an old steel car wheel. There is a compressed air operated version of the Tirfor for use by persons of a weak disposition

Voltmeters and ammeters -"Cirscale" model made by Record Electrical of Broadheath ,Manchester have 270deg scale, high accuracy, large (6inch+ diam ), brass bezel , brass cases on old ones . They look great when polished up , new ones cost a packet though

The big clumsy chain arrangement has worked on our boat for 65 years. The hand wheel is right at the rear cabin bulkhead to the port side of the hatch. The long shaft through to the engine room is hung from pedestal bearings from the roof, at the engine end is the chain sprocket right against the roof, about a foot off the centre line of the engine and the adjustable chain goes to the gearbox thrust box not to a sprocket on the starting handle shaft ( there is no change wheel at the engine). I regard the chain as a "feature" , those non-Kelvin people who see it think it's some kind of very dangerous auxiliary PTO. The whole remote gear change kit is made from standard Kelvin parts.