billh

One of these:

As can be seen from the above photographs, Marsden was getting past its sell by date. The following requires verification : British Waterways were looking for a replacement for Marsden. It so happened that the wooden maintenance boat "Mary" had undergone major rebuilding at Gorton Depot, around 1955(?) Within a short time of rebuilding, the Mary was subject to an arson attack while on the Stockport Branch at Reddish, the stern end and cabin was badly damaged and the boat sank. It was taken back to Gorton and the damaged parts were cut off, a crude transom stern fastened on and small cabin built, the boat length now being around 45ft and re-named "Saddleworth" This being the district of Yorkshire (pre 1974) at the west end of Standedge. It would have been necessary to take the boat to the tunnel by road- not that difficult for a shortened boat. For reasons unknown, this boat was taken from Gorton Depot and out to the mainline of the Ashton Canal near to Lock 7 where it eventually sank at it's mooring. Saddleworth was eventually broken up where it sank during the restoration of the canal in the early 1970s. Never made it to Standedge, later Tunnel inspections were carried out from a GRP(?) dinghy, until even that became difficult due to roof falls blocking the channel.

Marsden was sunk near the eastern end of the Tunnel until about 25 years ago. Later removed to the bank outside the cottages where it rotted away and as far as I know no longer in existence. Members of the Railway& Canal Historical Society had at least one trip through the tunnel on Marsden about 1960, Magpie Patrick will have more information about this. IIRC, the "jet" pump was petrol powered with plenty of carbon monoxide exhaust output combined with smoke and steam in the tunnel from the connected (then) steam railway tunnels.The tunnel light was a "Tilley" pressurized paraffin floodlamp contributing even more CO. Pictures exist of this exciting trip and remarkably, everybody aboard survived to tell the tale.

Memorable to me because I spotted the main body of an Epping stove in shallow water just before the aqueduct! Recovered it and rebuilt it, now in use in a boat. Amazing what some people throw away and what others find in the cut?.

One of these: https://richardcarterltd.co.uk/our-products/66-hickory-shunt-pole/ for the last near half century. No weedhatch, but sometimes useful if there is one too. Technique for use is either get on the bank or lie over the side of the counter, aim the hook end at the propshaft just forward of the prop then twist the pole in a clockwise direction to engage the plastic bag/wire/rope /whatever and pull . You can even use it to couple old railway wagons together? Re-use,Re-cycle,Re-purpose!

A piece of almost anything stuck under the gate? Scale rust, sliver of wood etc etc. Possible push it back into the tank with air pressure or poke something in from the open end of the pipe whilst collecting the issuing diesel into a tundish? Need to open the valve fully first though. I've seen this before with steam valves not closing.

High pressure sodium discharge lamps? The ballast gear for these is complex and heavy- be careful when taking them down. Usual lamp designation is SON-T, 250 or 400watt . Excellent general lighting in factory or car parks etc. Colour rendering poor but a lot better than those low pressure sodium street lights that are still about. All obsolete now with super efficient LED lighting. In the picture there is a small depression in the end of the bulb, this is to fit a small spring metal bracket which supports the bulb in a horizontal type fitting , but not necessary here where it is vertical.

The factory over the road in your first picture was Ira Stephens belt works.Makers of transmission leather belting for the surrounding textile mills- all those 1000's of Lancashire looms powered from overhead line shafting. They were still in business at the time of the photo. The sheds in the second picture are the premises of Eli Whalley Co, famous for making "donkey stones" used all over the north for cleaning and colouring stone doorsteps. The site is now known as Donkeystone Wharf. In fact it was the original Ashton Canal wharf for the town, later replaced by Ashton New Wharf and warehouse at Portland Basin in 1834. The new building in the background is the Sea Cadet HQ, this built on the site of the MS&L Railway transhipment warehouse-serving the canal, the road (Wharf St) and the railway, interesting because the railway access was from the viaduct into the upper level of the warehouse, destroyed by fire c1960.

I don't think I invented the term, at least if I did it was 40+ years ago?. It might be an idea to contact the Wooden Canal Boat Society, they will know all about Hazel and the various nick names applied to that type of boat.

The length of the Ashton from Portland Basin to Ashton Old Wharf was just about navigable in the 1980s, in fact we sometimes ran horse drawn boat trips up there. The Sea Cadets Unit had a couple of small boats on the canal and at one time had one of the Royal Navy's canal fleet destroyers that used to come down to Droylsden for a bit of gunboat diplomacy. The canal was blocked for a couple of years from 1987 while the Asda tunnel was built and in 1993 we were contracted by British Waterways to dredge the canal between the tunnel and Old Wharf. Of interest, the Manchester Ship Canal Co. had a wharf just along the canal from where Agnes lies , this must have dated from 1890s when the MSC opened. Also, while dredging in the area , we recovered several WW2 tank traps- these were cylindrical concrete blocks weighing about 2cwt and were meant to be rolled into the road when we were invaded! There are similar devices on the Wharf at Marple C&RT yard near the sanitary station.

Both Agnes and Elizabeth arrived on the Ashton after the canal was re-opened in 1974. Both had been motorized with Lister SR3 engines and full length cabins built. There was a chap around in the 70's whose ambition was to own all the still existing Runcorn boats. All the one's I saw at the time were in bad condition, last being in commercial service in early 1960s. Agnes was one of his collection but he never managed to do any restoration work on it , didn't pay any mooring fees and was eventually abandoned where it is in the picture. Elizabeth had some work done about 1976 but to no avail and was abandoned at Ashton Old Wharf, demolished and dredged out about 1987(?). The stern gear from Elizabeth lives on incorporated in a modern steel boat.I think the WCBS boat Hazel is the only remaining Runcorn Header.

Some of the boats at Droylsden featured on here a while ago. Mostly belonged to James Hall and were extant until early '70s. The boat in front of Wharf Mill (2nd picture) is the Runcorn Header "Agnes", destroyed when the Asda tunnel was built. To the left side of the last picture, sunk in the weeds is another Runcorn boat, "Elizabeth"

Beat Bank Branch, the only canal in my town, shame it was never completed. Amazing that some of the construction survives over 200 years after it was abandoned. It was eventually replaced by a standard gauge railway to the Denton Collieries (closed before WW2) . The colliery office survives as a monumental stone mason's and the mine rescue station as a private house. Although I live in Denton, the Peak Forest and main line of the Ashton Canal are nearer to me than Beat Bank.

5years ago we got a stern written warning from C&RT for not displaying reg. number on our historic. In reply it was pointed out that the number plates were on the deck beam and very visible if one was to look there. Reply from C&RT was that the "rules" require the number to be on the side of the cabin and would we please comply? The boat name is very prominent on the traditional painted cabin and they must have known the boat's identity (and number) anyway to be able to write to us! There are 3 other reg. numbers of historical significance painted on the cabin side, another modern one would just be confusing?

This here Kelvin does. The water comes through a mud box to the engine and is ejected from the cylinder block to the "bomb" silencer , passing out with the side exhaust. In cold weather it makes a lot of steam,ok water vapour, ( the mixing and cooling in the silencer) and keeps the exhaust system reasonably cool and quiet. It draws many comments about overheating engines and/or "is it a steam engine?". Well it's obviously been overheating for the last 72 years but still going?.

Back of Egypt has been high and dry for many years, i think it was a liveaboard for a long time. There are members of this forum who used to moor at the same place who will know more detail. The seller, if it's who I think it is ,has history for dealing in parts of old boats and even complete boats that are, shall we say, less than pristine.?

If I open the side door on this Kelvin, the "police" can see the Lloyds approval stamp for open sea service on the crankshaft, so I'll be in the clear?. Possibly interesting fact: the crankshaft was made by Vickers (not vicars) in 1948.

1977, part of our annual boating holiday was spent on the Weaver. £6.50 ( return?)to use the Anderton lift. Went up into Winsford bottom flash, got stuck in the mud for a while, dropped anchor in the middle of a yacht race while we had tea. Next day down to Weston Point docks, the wharves were piled high with automotive scrap metal. Return to Anderton we shared two locks with one of the above mentioned ships, just enough room alongside for a wooden NB. Lock Keeper: " You go out first , you will be faster than him" Ship was going to Winnington Wharf, opposite the lift. None of your namby-pamby regulations and instructions you get today?. Last time I was there,Winnington Wharf was completely silted up and you couldn't get even a NB within 30ft of it. I just remembered ,on this trip we ran a big end thrashing the Kelvin going down the Weaver, stopped in the middle of nowhere to change the bearing, got going again after half an hour.

And before that ,at Fairfield Junction. 3 or 4 boats, no on site office or facilities except a BW water point. Must have been a struggle . When at Ashton the business was sold to Portland Bill *(Worthington) who ran it for a couple of years before selling on. A starter for ten: name the owner before Portland Bill, is he still around? *so named because he owned the Junction Mill complex at PB.?

That won't have been an original fitted to 10RB,it isn't big enough at around 18HP. The 10RB had variously, 3VRO,3VRH ,3YC and 3YDA(air cooled) all around 30-35HP.Also some petrol engine ,usually export variants or electric motor. 2VSO is very suitable for a narrowboat though.?

Somewhat further north, Ashton Moss Colliery (closed 1959) East Manchester, sent coal by rail and canal . The pit was adjacent to the LNWR Guide Bridge Junction Railway and had extensive sidings , access to the main line was controlled from Ashton Moss Colliery Sidings Signal Box. There was a standard gauge line from the colliery to the Ashton Canal which crossed the LNWR line on what was actually Slate Lane road bridge, the rails in the stone setts on the bridge and then on part of Hanover St North, adjacent to the street canal bridge was a timber trestle bridge, from where coal was dropped into a hopper device at the side of the canal ready to load the colliery's own wooden boats. The distance from the pit yard to the loading point was about 100yards and was last used c1933. Much of the colliery site is now under the M60 motorway and Snipe retail park- the B&M store there is built over one of the pit shafts (depth before filling was over 3000ft!) . Some of the loading point brickwork is still visible from the canal. An old map of the area is here: https://maps.nls.uk/view/126522962

I am quite sure that the late Dr C.T.G. Boucher, an acknowledged expert on the design and history of canal lock structures will have written chapter & verse on the features of Marple Locks. ? Cross country running at Marple Hall? Bin there done that,about 1963. Part of the course involved jumping into a freezing babbling brook in February IIRC. There was a reward at the end of the race: The young ladies from the Domestic Science class had made cakes for us runners. I was not an inmate at MH.