billh

3VRH (=Lister JP3) has no bling to polish like, for instance, a Kelvin J3 so not that attractive for boats. They are very robust and will start and keep going without much attention for donkey's years. Most of those still about were originally in Ruston Bucyrus navvies working on construction sites and quarries or from WW2 searchlight generators. They still appear in scrapyards and on ebay for not much and looking somewhat care worn. The one I am very familiar with, not in a boat, last had a major overhaul , including crankshaft regrind,in 1959, it still runs fine on the few occasions in the year when it has to. A 3VRH in a narrowboat will not get fully loaded and will smoke, sound marvellous and run too cool. As Bengo says we need more info, on condition and its heritage, otherwise value is circa £120 /tonne.

The "old BW sanitary station" was built by the owner of the house just above about 15 years ago! It replicates a lengthsman's hut and was a workshop/storage room for the boat that was moored there for some years. I do like the way it has fooled many into thinking it's old or something to do with BW. The story of the trip boat that operated from Uppermill for perhaps 30 years is long and varied, the first boat here had a "Hotchkiss" variable water jet propulsion system , the last was a very conventional 70ft boat.

You would do 1), because you are a boater IIRC.

Hi Dan, All is well on the Ashton as long as it keeps raining. Water level drops steadily as soon as there's a couple of dry days. I can't answer your question about Anderton horse boats, oddly enough I was talking to a famous* wooden canal boater last week who said there were loads of boat ironwork sets all over the place. As to any of them being Anderton boats I couldn't say. Do I detect a potential re-build project at the planning stage? I'm glad to hear Norway is still progressing. Bill * As in famous boat and famous boater....

The sailing club at Toddbrook had just got an expensive new clubhouse , opened by the Princess Royal and mostly paid for by Sports England or some such when the near disaster occurred. The clubhouse was unaffected in the emergency, but C&RT have now decided it is in the way of their new works.Can't really blame the sailing club for wanting a respectable deal! Ditto, the reservoir keeper's house, sold off cheap , the new owners spent a lot of money doing it up , only for it to have to be bought back by C&RT , at market value ,to be demolished because it's in the way. Perhaps if C&RT had not re-deployed elsewhere the reservoir keeper and not evicted him , none of this dangerous farce would have resulted? I am seriously considering not renewing my boat licence this year (it isn't kept on the canal) as ,yet again , it's almost impossible to plan any reliable boating time, thanks to C&RT.

Oak sides,shearing, stem and stern posts and elm bottoms are/were standard for wooden NBs on all those I am familiar with. Wrought iron spikes are ok , galvanised, not plated, fixings are ok. All of these materials are now very expensive. Vast quantities of European oak have been sourced for restoring Notre Dame in Paris, pushing the price up. Beware of American oak, much used for fancy staircases etc in buildings, some versions are porous and not at all suited to wet conditions, you can actually blow air through a small sample!

and Joel (70ft), Tommo ,Alan (reading the paper)& mesel'! Also seen in Huddersfield Broad top lock at IWA national whenever that was.

That's the one "British Brown Boveri" Problems with the wire wound resistances disintegrating if left unused and damp. Still a fascinating mechanism. I thought you would know the PO specs for generators. I'm surprised it wasn't more than 5days unattended run time though.

Funny you should say that! This story is from about 40 years ago: at work we had a large computer installation , several main frame machines with a back up generator, Dorman 6QT, 360HP, for orderly shut down in the event of mains failure installed in the main building. So this guy is digging the pavement outside with a hand pick and hits the 3300v ring main, he's surprised by the bang and the flying pick but uninjured. Power goes off, generator starts up...... The generator was supposed to be tested every month or so, but maintenance had not done this,so there was a build up of lube oil on the exhaust manifold , leaked from the tank above. As the gen warmed up the oil was burned off , didn't catch fire but loads of smoke, setting off fire alarm and full building evacuation of about 400 people. After a few minutes, power from the ring main was restored and the gen. shut down, evacuation reversed but the ring main dropped out again, generator starts up, repeat performance, smoke, evacuation etc. Complication added by the fire brigade turning up with 4 machines and escape ladder.

There should be a fancy automatic voltage regulator, I don't think its built in the terminal box on the generator is it? Ours has a rather nice looking moving coil regulator that looks like a giant Avometer without a scale in a seperate glass fronted steel case, beautifully made and replacement would be expensive. It might be possible to build a modern electronic regulator at reasonable cost, though not something I would like to do!

ETA: I don't think it's a dry sump system, I think you will find there 's only one pipe from the oil tank and no scavenge pump in the sump, I could be wrong, I was once😀

Looks like a 'phone exchange standby generator to me. The various control boxes at the base are to do with automatic start up and shut down. If it's anything like the much bigger one we have (straight eight Dorman engine), that tank on the top is a lube oil supply , not a fuel tank and there is a float valve connected to the sump that lets oil in from the tank if the sump level drops. There may also be a mains immersion heater (about 300watt) in the cooling circuit to keep the engine warmed for a quick start up. The square thing on the side of the engine is a solenoid stop valve connected to the fuel pump rack. The engine speed needs to be kept constant for all electrical loads to maintain the output at 50HZ.

I should think that green traffic cone could be classed as an "unusual item"?😀 I haven't seen one before.

Sorry , yes, of course. I watched the film after I posted above. Remarkable engineering either way!

I have seen a video recently where a pipeline under the sea IS a steel pipe, 8 to 10inch? on a drum uncoiled from the shore and towed out to its destination. Amazing how flexible the pipe is! The Pluto pipelines were more like undersea/ ground electricity cables without the conductors as shown in the post above. In fact many miles were constructed at Glover's Cables in Trafford Park , Manchester

That's No.7, Park Lock or Wood's lock , Mr & Mrs Walter Woods(lock keepers) lived in the still extant cottage there. Deepest lock is 10 as Alan pointed out , comparable with Marple Top but a bit deeper. I have mentioned before on here that lock 4 currently with a fall of around 3ft is actually as deep as eg 5 or 7 at around 12ft but mining subsidence in the 1950s mucked it up.

In 1974 I was shown round a Humber barge moored at Nottingham. The owner had fitted a V16 Glenifer of 320HP. It had been a standby generator in a hospital. A huge thing with ,I guess, a matching fuel consumption. Years later I looked at a Glenifer at Tarleton, it was either three or four cylinders, the interesting part was the capstan winch stuck out of the top of the gearbox , was this for hauling trawl nets? That capstan would be great for dragging a NB off the mud on our shallow canals! Sorry I can't help with spares.

Lots of engines do this until warmed up. As I understand it, the lubricating oil around the governor mechanism is a bit sticky when cold so the speed control of the governor becomes sluggish. Once warmed up, the mechanism works as it should. Reference videos on the net of older railway locos starting from cold, the engine speed is all over the place to start with but gradually improves as they warm up.

Sincere condolences to you Patrick and Ade. I have known your father for about 50 years via Uncle Irv. He was always the fount of all knowledge concerning railways & canals particularly in the North West. I attended several of his nightschool classes in Marple a few years ago featuring many of his vast collection of slides,he had a story to go with each one. A remarkable man ,who will be sadly missed.

Just come up from Brum, through Manchester to Ashton. Very few boats actually on the move anywhere. However, many boats were moored not moving particularly at Nantwich, seemed like miles of boats, many with people aboard .Perhaps " we can't go anywhere cos of water shortage" so staying put. Normal water levels on all canals except part of Rochdale 9 and summit of Ashton (about 6ins down). Slight delays at Audlem with slow boats.

A wood burner?

I visited the abandoned site of Mr Shackleton's boat yard in the early 1980s, I must be mistaken about its location , that is , it wasn't at the junction but further along adjacent to , as I recall ,derelict locks. It was certainly a boaty sort of place with engines and boat parts scattered around- some deal had been done with an aquaintance for purchase of the more valuable items. I see that a railway bridge over the canal was replaced with an embankment , cutting off the canal near the junction, when was this?.Perhaps this was reason for closure of the yard?

Am I correct in thinking there was a boatyard at the junction of this canal in the 1970's? I was told it was owned by a Mr Michael(?) Shackleton who was the grandson of explorer Earnest Shackleton. Can anyone confirm?

Original fuel filter is a felt /metal mesh canister on the side of the engine, it just needs cleaning out from time to time with paraffin or diesel. You would be unlikely to get a new element but doubt you need one.. I can't remember what happens with the oil, it might just have a perforated screen in the sump. I'll have a look at our 1941 vintage loco in a day or two.