BuckbyLocks

Not sure what happened to Amy, but Ike took the Bolinder out several times after it broke his ankle yet again. IIRC he had an FR in there at the end.

1940s Domestic Elsans did have vent pipes from the outer canister. About a 3 inch pipe if I remember correctly. Completely separate from the removable inner container, which was indeed given a generous dollop of Jeyes Fluid before re-use. Getting one in an engine hole would have been fun though. They were much larger than the modern plastic things. If I had as many pounds as I have dug (large) holes for emptying both domestic and scout camps elsans I could afford a new computer!

Looks like the one I remember, but it had been repainted to hide the Leeds number.

I am reasonably sure there used to be a black & white sign there, naming the Shropshire Union and with a Leeds telephone number, but it was a while ago. I don't think I have boated there for over 20 years! I think there is a photo of it in one of the books, but I can't remember which one.

The 'Adelina' on my bookshelves is not really a Childrens Book, but a Canal Biography written by David Horsfall and is an account of his purchase and life on board the Adelina before he went to work in South Africa. He was for a time Chairman of the London Branch of the IWA. Adelina was towed from Hartshill to Harefield by Willow Wren for David Horsfall, just after the boats featured in this thread were dumped there. Later Jack Monk then towed A. to Bow and the Herrtford Union where the Horsfalls lived for a while before Arcturus towed her to the Basingstoke. DH sold Adelina in 1964.

Cabin looks fairly recent. Was it one of the ones shortened to work with the pusher tugs on the Hardy Spicer contract? Sunk at the Ryders Green Junction for many years. I know one of the tugs went to Caggy's Yard but can't remember about the shortened ones.

I think 'Heather Bell' had an 18hp Petter when first fitted out. Later replaced with a proper engine!

Alec was certainly shafting the two butties round at Leighton on the occasion I mentioned above.

Depends a bit on 'the time'. I have now found my notes/logs from 'the time' and although Kimberley was indeed working with Crusader/Puppis in August 73, Ara was not recorded with Phobos that year, (although they were not far apart), whereas both Crusader & Ara were together in Leighton with a cargo of Scouts in August 74. Only Kimberley was noted as a motor on that occasion and both butties were being winded in front of me, so I imagine the other motor was either hidden or off on an errand. Petrel & Moon were also there with a cargo of Guides. Puppis was not repainted until after that in 74, and Kimberley was spotted working with Ara in 75. On the same trip in 74 Phobos was seen travelling around as a single motor in Long Buckby. Kimberley more often worked single motor, (self steer) later on but it was seen with 'Bakewell' in 76 and also with their 'Admiral' butty. I accept my memory from that long ago led to my error in suggesting Crusader was Ara, but they were together in 74 when I saw them, hence my confusion.

I think it was 'Ara', painted up for some film duties.

Roger was OK, but it probably depended on how well you knew him. On the occasion I mentioned Charlie had the boat in the second lock with the stern out in mid channel, so no one was going anywhere. However, having looked again at the photos I took, the boat is still in Zoobus livery and is called Water Buck, which is said to be Perseus, so where I and everybody else got Water Wagtail from I have no idea. Brades staircase was our favourite Dock! (you had to drain it twice though to get the bricks off the bottom before you sat the boat on them.)

Brummagem Fly was ex Water Wagtail ex Corolla. I did see it on the Zoo Bus runs, possibly even travelling on it, but the first time I recorded it in Birmingham was in 1974. I think I can remember it arriving in Gas Street and I went out in it a few times, although I never worked for Brummagem Boats. Being a new boat I didn't take any notice of Jericho, apart from wondering what on earth the connection was with Birmingham. It was a lot shallower drafted than BF so was easier to take round the Loops. Once I moved my boat away from Gas Street, I lost track of all the movements after that, but there were at least 4 different companies working trip boats in that area then. I can remember Charlie Atkins draining the top pound of Farmers Bridge so that a really nasty bladefull could be taken off BF - must have a picture somewhere.

Reverting back to the original theme, I have no idea whether this engine, which was certainly photographed at the Black Country Museum in 1975 or 76 is the one at Ellesmere Port or not. If it is it must have been transferred to Stoke Bruerne, as the EP one was indeed taken from Stoke Bruerne, but I think there may have been two separate pump engines, one from Knowle and one from Stoke Bruerne. The one in this picture is the Knowle pump engine, which ran for the last time in service during 1975 after 15 years of inactivity. BWs house magazine, 'Waterways News', says the engine came second hand from a fishing boat. It had a small petrol driven compressor to provide the air start. To get it from Knowle to the museum the Bolinder was loaded into a butty/day boat and towed there by Don Gray's 'Pensax', also fitted with a 15hp Bolinder. The article in Waterways News says that the last running was filmed for posterity, but doesn't say who by. I saw it running once in 74 or 75, but have no recollection if it was this last running or not. unfortunately I do not have the date of this article, only a cutting in my scrap book which has just surfaced.

Remember that Woolfitt was only ever a spare hand, and never was the 'official' Steerer so moving her stuff around to join a pair at any point away from the depot would have made it difficult. Daphne French had a Wireless, as did Kit Gayford. Molly Traill has not left any record of having one, but Christian Vlasto had one on the Hyperion. None of these ladies survive, but I have asked the few survivors that I know if any of them had access to a wireless or if they remember any details. The majority of the survivors trained with Kit, so they would have come across hers, but that was in 'her' butty. Hope both you & the computer get sorted quickly Alan.

Originally they were two different boats. Brummagem Fly was a Waterbus, and Jericho was a new build.

Kit had her own wireless in Uttoxeter, but she never mentions the power sources. She did fetch it from home though.

The Vale is the relatively new winding hole/mooring near Birmingham University. Originally Britannia went from Gas Street to Selly Oak and back or Kings Norton and back at the weekends on a longer trip. Alternatively the run was to Smethwick. During the winter when it was completely dark ouside I understand some of the steerers did follow the example Max comments on and not go very far on the stripper trips. I wouldn't know myself! On rare occasions special runs were arranged through Netherton Tunnel and I took a school group through there in 1977 Joe & Len must have been more recent owners. I worked for Leisure Line Canal Cruises, who also ran Jaycey in their very early days and Europe after 1975. I think both are still around although Jaycey has changed its name and is up the South. Apart from being the usual heavy ***** Josher with an engine under your feet, it wasn't a bad boat to work, although having the bar on one side did tend to mean a permanent list. This may have helped the bar takings as the deeper side of the glass would be facing the punter. Again, I wouldn't know!

"The radio mentioned by Susan Woolfitt in 'Idle Women' was a PYE Portable powered by a small battery & accumulator which had to be re-charged and replaced. It was used sparingly as neither battery had a very long life & it was difficult to obtain fresh batteries when on the move." A quote from a letter I have received in response to the posting above, from an IW who shared a cabin with it. I am sorry I do not know any boaters from the period to ask them if they had anything similar.

It's part of Dove's history and just wondered if anybody went on it or got a tale to tell. Keep 'em clean, I know it had a reputation! Andrew After that introduction I am not going to admit that after Albert left the area I used to steer it!

Talking to David Blagrove earlier and he reminded me that we have forgotten the 'Crystal Set' OK you needed an earphone each, but with the aerial stretched the full length of the boat they did not need any additional power. There is one in the Canal Museum but I have no idea of its provenance. Much more suitable size wise for a cabin.

I suspect they all varied depending on the builder and didn't get a repaint until GUCCC was formed. So as you are lucky enough to have a builder's photo - I'd stick with that. Next problem, what were the colours? Was there scumbling round the edge of the cabin? Paul Edward appears to have been blacked all round the stern at launch as well as Victoria, and both went straight into ACC livery before leaving Yarwoods. My vote would be for scumble looking at the picture in McKnight's Canal & River Craft in Pictures.

.............and he assures me that the LT batteries were not charged on the boats - after all many of the engines didn't have dynamos, and also that the 120volt HT batteries were in use during the war. Maybe wrongly, I thought all the GUCCCo boats had dynamos, electric headlights, etc from new ? If not, what were the arrangements for headlights, as I don't think I've ever seen old photos of them with anything that didn't look electric powered. Not all boats were GUCCCo ones though. Surely you are not suggesting that only GUCCCo Boters had radios?

Isn't MSC No 1 the Bantam that Paul Lorenz used to have at Leigh? No idea where it is now though.