BuckbyLocks

Thanks Ray. No idea why I couldn't get in. I never had any problems before, but haven't wanted to look for a while.

Can I ask how you access them then. I used to have no problem and indeed have made many suggestions for alterations, but I cannot get through the verbiage that is the current CRT web site. Not updated for over a year, (presumably because of Covid) and I just go round in circles trying to see pictures I even have numbers for.

Not sure David. Although Barrow was the first real boat that offered me a cup of tea in the basin when we first arrived as owners of Victoria, I didn't get to know ? (My memory is definitely failing!!) until many years later when I found I was working with him in the Museum. I think he moved out of the basin soon after 1971.

Yes, Mike, I recall that you had had designs on Linda/Victoria when we first met! Having failed to get the Seaford out of Willow Wren, we made our first visit to Gas Street and came away the proud owners of an engineless heap. No regrets though. Enjoyed best part of 25 years ownership.

As opposed to the motor with the missing engine hole roof which is Linda/Victoria, just before we bought it! Barrow, next door to John's Victoria, was soon to get a full length cabin.

The wooden camper, as opposed to the metal Linda/Victoria. Unusual engine configuration in John's boat too.

Yes, that is how I remember them in 1971 although the remains got a little lower over time. Although we had left the basin by the time the far too steep new bridge was built there, I believe the gates were finally removed when new dropping gates were installed. More importantly is that the remains of the Toll Keepers plank bridge can be seen behind the left hand gate. That had been removed by the time we arrived but the mark 1 swing bridge had already disappeared then and it was back to the builders plank as in the earlier Gas Street image. Bodmin appears to have had a lot of work done as well.

Surely someone who attended the Birmingham IWA Rally in Gas Street can remember whether the beams were still there or had been cut off. I only started going to the Rallies the year after, but as Magpie says, the beams and all above water level gear had disappeared by 1971. There is some confusion about the plank bridges though. I have no idea when the standard BCN Toll Office bridge disappeared. It does appear in photos of the basin. Clearly at one point in the 60s a builders plank was used, and that was also the only way of crossing the Bar Lock when we first arrived there in late 1970. I believe the bridge shown here was installed for the Rally but soon disappeared, although there were at least two more versions of this bridge there during the late 70s and early 80s. They were rather flimsy and were regularly knocked off the mountings by pleasure boats, resulting in a shout for as many people as possible to come and lift them out of the water. Because of the counterweights they were quite heavy to lift!

Seem to have missed out on at least a fortnight of the Forum and am catching up slowly. I agree with Archie that the photo is the 'other' Tony Miles. I believe when Grace was broken up the knees and stem post were incorporated into a new build so are still around. Wooden boats do not like being lifted out of the water!

No, that was after she left Alan Stevens ownership. I wasn't directly involved, but I did do some 'holding and struggling' work on Cygnus for the guy who was doing the welding to make it easier for towing it away from Brum. Not sure who did the conversion work but I recall it being lived on at Pooley Hall Colliery basin for quite some time, then it disappeared but I saw it all over the system after that under several different owners. Was it one of the anonymous blue butties that lived around Little Venice in recent years?

Cygnus was paired with Buxton in September 1944 and to the best of my knowledge was never crewed by Trainees. She has had a variety of occupiers since leaving Polesworth where she lived after leaving Caggy. She was used on both the Wire and the Brewery rubbish trips but I will have to look if I took any pix.

I have memories of the late 60s of trying to telephone my girlfriend in the South of England from Loughborough and getting the recorded message that "All lines through Coventry are engaged - please try again later."

This photo shows the Basin in very early B & M C C Days, after the boats featured had been acquired from Brant, the Winson Green Loop coal merchant. Is the tug shown on the left Sharpness?

He used to blow the horn on whichever loco he was driving whenever he came past our house. Sure the neighbours weren't impressed at 02.00! He had several boats before Tryphina, but I am struggling to remember any names. Will have a look for photos.

I think Tony actually owned Capricorn and Andrew owned Cassiopeia, but Tony lived on Butty Grace in Gas Street for some time. It would have been after Dave Moore moved away though. My memory for dates is non existent, but it would have been before the Coventry jobs took Tony to Hillmorton.