Pluto

Hi Tim. I seem to remember that with PLUTO I had to put the tiller over slightly going uphill on some of the Yorkshire locks so that the rudder did not get trapped between the gates. It did happen once, though fortunately I noticed before any damage was done. Old boatmen told me that they used small weights - probably loom weights if you know your textile machinery - to keep the tiller over in locks to avoid this happening. The weight was on the end of a rope which looped around the tiller, the weight was then hung over the side of the boat to keep the tiller over. Having recently been steering KENNET, the metal boats could be slightly longer than the wooden ones as the propellor is somewhat protected, compared to wooden boats, and the tiller may have to be pushed over more often in locks, though memory plays tricks, and I think it is a few years since either of us steered a wooden short boat!

This is a query which I am constantly receiving, so I have recently written up the following for inclusion on the L&LC Society web pages: www.llcs.org.uk L&LC Dimensions The official 1888 canal returns give 61 feet as the maximum length for locks on the L&LC. Dowley Gap had the shortest chamber, at 64 feet 4 inches, probably measured between the quoins, where lock gates pivot against the lock wall, so not that much use in giving a true usable length. Although 61 feet is still often quoted, an 1898 specification for a typical boat gives a length of 61 feet 6 inches measured over the stem and stern posts, and the iron and steel boats sometimes quote 62 feet 6 inches, though this probably included the rudder. It is really impossible to be definitive to 6 inches, and we would always advise 61 feet as a guaranteed length, though it is possible for a longer narrow boat to use the locks diagonally. However, when thinking of building a boat, always remember the Calder & Hebble Navigation, whose locks in 1888 were quoted at 57 feet 6 inches long with a width of 14 feet 1 inch, making them smaller than those on the L&LC. Elland Low was quoted as having the shortest length between quoins, at 60 feet 7 inches. When it comes to length on canals, there is only one way to tell and that is to try it, as most old boatmen would advise. Air draft is variable, as it depends on the shape of the bridge. A stone arch bridge may have sufficient headroom in the centre, but insufficient at the sides, while modern flat bridges may be lower than arched bridges, but offer better headroom over the whole channel. For arch bridges, Leigh Bridge is one of the lowest, together with tAltham Barn Bridge, while that at Shipley is one of the lowest flat bridges. Note that this bridge tapers downwards to one side. A clear height of 7 feet 10 inches sometimes quoted, but slightly higher boats may be able to pass if they have narrow cabins. Care should always be taken by boats approaching the quoted headroom as canal levels can also rise and fall.

There was a rapid development in canal engineering from the 1760s. Early canals, those built prior to 1780, tend to be contour canals, with the engineering avoiding major cuttings and embankments. The 1780s saw a lull in canal construction due to wars affecting the economic situation, with canals built from the 1790s being much more confident from an engineering point of view. The L&LC is a good example, with the early sections being contour canals, while from 1794 the route was changed in East Lancashire to cross much more challenging countryside. There are eight major embankments between Barrowford and Johnsons Hillock, those built first around Burnley taking years to settle and consolidate, putting back the opening of sections of the canal. The design of good embankments only reached some sort of maturity around 1800. Also, the level of the Burnley Pool had to be designed such that the earth excavated near to the valley crossings was sufficient to build the embankments, setting against this the difficulty and expense of the cutting near Rishton. The location of bridges was only settled during construction. A survey for a canal was produced as part of the Bill to be presented to Parliament, and this identified the land owners affected. The majority had to be in favour of the canal before it could obtain an Act. The Act then had clauses which allowed the line to change by perhaps a couple of hundred yards during construction in order to overcome problems, such as the levels for the original survey not being correct. Such deviations increased the number of fields divided by the construction of the canal, and land owners could insist on accommodation bridges to connect such divided fields. It was sometimes cheaper for the canal company to buy the land than to build a bridge. The land actually purchased for a canal could only be legally identified after the canal had been built. Over bridges on early canals were usually a simple arch or swing bridge, and the bridge had to be square on to the canal, sometimes making it difficult for boating if the bridge was on a bend. Skew arch bridges, where the road crosses the canal at an angle, were first used on the Grand Canal in Ireland circa 1794, but were not widely used - or understood technologically - until around 1810. There are skew bridge from this time, such as Eanam Bridge on the L&LC, formed by building a simple arch with triangular additions on either side. This was not a good solution as, for the best load bearing solution, the stonework of a skew arch needs to twist, a bit like a screw thread. So why are bridges sometimes on bends? For a canal following a contour, there will be a bend where the canal crosses a side valley, and roads would often follow valleys as the easiest route up or down a hillside. Consequently, you get canal bridges on bends. Sharp bends can also indicate where the route of a canal has been changed. For example, the sharp bend at Parbold is actually a junction, the mainline of the canal from Liverpool should have continued towards Leyland, the canal up to Wigan being a branch. At Church, also on the L&LC, the canal was originally designed to go further into Accrington, the right angle bend resulting after the route was changed.

A couple of days ago I went up Barrowford flight and noticed that the two remaining starting pins had been cut off, presumably for H&S reasons. Starting pins on the L&LC are (were in this case!) around 3/4 inch dia iron shafts standing about 2 inches high on the off side entry and exit walls, and were used to provide a double purchase for starting horse-drawn boats out of a lock. Very few survive on the L&LC, the only one at the upper end of a lock, now those at Barrowford have been removed, is at Blackburn, where it is encased in a concrete edging. There are also a couple at the lower end of lock chambers at Johnsons Hillock. The larger hooks on Yorkshire locks were not necessarily starting pins, more for tying a boat to while the lock filled/emptied, and are similar to the hooks found on the C&HN. I also noticed that the wooden fly boat signal slot on the warehouse at Clayton-le-Moors has also disappeared. It was the last of its type, the only other signals being the poorly conserved one at Stockbridge, which was re-erected by the developer.

In 1973 I had to move from Burscough to Leeds so loaded my 1934 Riley 9, minus body, into the hold of Pluto, down planks from the towpath. At the other end I used a couple of blocks & tackle hung underneath Canal Road Bridge in Armley to lift and swing the car onto the towpath. The police were not too happy to find me pushing it up the Canal Road to the museum where I was working - they didn't even offer to help!!!

They're called 'wanning' holes on the L&LC, the origin probably coming from the German wenden, which translated means to turn. In German they are called Wendebecken, with Wendesaüle meaning a quoin.

It is surprising how little traffic was originally expected on canals. Designing the reservoir system for the Rochdale, Rennie worked on 750 tons per week across the summit. As a wide canal with boats carrying 40 tons, that works out at 38 passages per week, or less than 6 passages per day, if the boats returned empty. More reservoir space was built subsequently, but the Rochdale later lost supplies when the canal company sold most of its reservoirs in the 1920s.

The deep lock is the original one as, when first opened in 1774, water came directly from the River Douglas at Dean. The two shallow locks were built because of water supply problems following the construction of the canal from Dean to Wigan circa 1780. What worries me more is that BW are looking to lower water levels in order to reduce leakage on a canal that already needs dredging. They have applied for permission to lower Bank Newton bywash by a couple of inches to lower the level of the Marton Pool. This length has already had its depth reduced when the wooden boards on the bywash were removed some time ago. BW are trying to cut maintenance costs in the short term by lowering water levels, something which will be virtually impossible to reverse. Lowering water levels will cut leakage for a short time, but leaks will inevitably start again over time, making their whole scheme futile. Surely addressing current leakage is much cheaper than the dredging which will ultimately be necessary if water depth is reduced. What is happening on the L&LC could spread to canals nationally as a cheap short term solution to leaks, with water depths being reduced even more.

According to the Heritage Boat Associations' Cool Metal - Clear Water, there are four boats still with Bolinders: 45M (built 1928, E-type 15hp), 50M (built 1928, E-type 15hp), 75M (built 1937, E-type 15hp)and 78M (built 1939, E-type 15hp).

At Greenberfield yesterday, I saw a cow cooling off in the canal using a simplified 'bucket and chuck it' method, sort of just the chuck it. And what about the ducks and fishes.... perhaps we should stop complaining and go back to nature.

What about the Grand Canal boats in Ireland? There must be some there. I can certainly remember the yard at Tullamore being full of Bollinder bits in the early 1980s.

It is 05/2010/10290 and in progress. I found it by putting Leeds & Liverpool Canal in the search area. Consultation was in February, but I am not sure if anything further has been done.

I have just found out that BW are proposing to lower the level of the by-wash at Bank Newton Top Lock in order to lower the level of Marton Pool to reduce leakage. The weir has already been lowered by the removal of the wooden boards, and the plan will result in a further reduction in water level. Should such cheaper methods of reducing leaks be allowed, given that it is financially impossible to raise levels once they have been lowered. Surely leaks should be stopped rather than levels lowered as leaks at water surface level happen continually. Lowering water levels will only address the problem for a few years, and afterwards leaks will return. Have water levels been lowered elsewhere on the system, and if so did anyone complain. It certainly seems the thin end of the wedge, creating lower standards of maintenance, and long term problems, particularly for those with deeper boats. The application can be seen via http://www.planning.cravendc.gov.uk/fastweb/welcome.asp Enter planning no. 05/2010/10290

The Old Dock, as it became known, was Liverpool's first dock, built by Thomas Steers and opened about 1715. It was filled in around 1810 and the site used for the Custom House, and later for the Law Courts. Steers is one of our most important canal engineers as he built the first summit level canal in Britain, the Newry Canal, using ground paddles, the first time they had been used in Britain. e was engineer for the Douglas Navigation, the Mersey & Irwell Navigation, was almost certainly involved with the Weaver Navigation, and surveyed the Calder & Hebble Navigation and the Boyne Navigation, besides training Henry Berry, who built the Sankey Navigation.

British Racing Green is actually any green you want as the exact shade is not specified. Some ERAs used a very light green in the 1930s, and it was still British Racing Green. Bentley, of course, was a railway engineer, so his cars do tend to over-engineering and excessive weight. The Blower Bentleys were also over stressed and never that reliable. Ahh, they don't make em like that anymore.

Just to remind people about this anniversary. The L&LC Society are taking heritage short boat Kennet to Blackburn on Saturday starting from Aspen Bridge 110 and arriving circa 11am on Saturday, and then returning to Clayton circa midday, stopping at Rishton, Church and finally Clayton at 3pm where a local community group are having a canalside festival from 1-30 to 5-30. On Sunday, we will continue back to Barden Marina, stopping at the Weavers Triangle Visitor Centre for a couple of hours during their opening time in the afternoon. Kennet will also be visiting Leeds for the Waterfront Festival on the 17/18 July and then going down to Goole for the 100th berthday of the keel Sobriety, where several other northern heritage boats will be attending. Kennet is operated by the Leeds & Liverpool Canal Society, and we are always looking for new members, especially if they want to help with Kennet. A Friends of Kennet has also been set up to assist and to look for funding. More details should be on the society web pages at www.llcs.org.uk

I did suggest to some BW staff that they should look for Lottery funding for such facilities, particularly given that they could access sports funding. Towpaths are an excellent place for runners, one of my partner's sons telling me how useful it was to have mileposts along the route he was running so that he could check his pace. Taps for water meant he did not need to carry large amounts with him, and the chance of a shower at the end would make travelling home more comfortable, especially for other passengers if using public transport. He also felt safer running on the towpath as, besides lack of traffic, there were other users should you have a problem. BW could even get sports funding to replace missing mileposts. Given the cost of such facilities, surely it would be better to make them more widely available. Perhaps BW cold have have a runners licence, with those holding such a licence being able to purchase a BW toilet block key.

I should have said the disused lock at Dean was a regulating lock rather than equalising. It was authorised by the L&LC 1770 Act as part of a scheme to allow Douglas Navigation sailing flats to continue down the navigation without lowering their masts after the canal aqueduct at Parbold was built. A flight of locks down to the Douglas below the aqueduct would have completed the scheme. The canal from Dean to Parbold was legally part of the Douglas Navigation, joining the main line of the L&LC at Parbold, which accounts for the right angle bend there. The continuation of the main line through Leyland and the Ribble Valley was never built, the canal passing through Wigan instead. The sections of the canal from Dean to Wigan and Burscough to Sollom were also built under the 1720 Douglas Navigation Act. The water supply from the Douglas was used until the late 1960s, when pollution in the river caused major damage to wildlife in the canal. The river water was like a black slug passing down the canal to Liverpool. Since the water treatment works at Hoscar opened in the late-1970s, Douglas water has improved in quality and is now used as one feeder for the canal.

The mention of oak shelves Colne Library did make me think how Richard acquired the timber. In the mid-1970s, Chertsey was moored in Burscough. Two of the Lawsons, a well-known local boating family, operated a reclaimed timber yard next to Great Score swing bridge, and I suspect that the timber came via them. Richard and I did get some oak from a pile of lockgates which the local section inspector, Bill Mason, said we could have. The bonfire afterwards was quite spectacular, and we loaded the scrap ironwork onto Chertsey for delivery to a convenient scrap yard. I am still owed for my share!

The mention of oak shelves Colne Library did make me think how Richard acquired the timber. In the mid-1970s, Chertsey was moored in Burscough. Two of the Lawsons, a well-known local boating family, operated a reclaimed timber yard next to Great Score swing bridge, and I suspect that the timber came via them. Richard and I did get some oak from a pile of lockgates which the local section inspector, Bill Mason, said we could have. The bonfire afterwards was quite spectacular, and we loaded the scrap ironwork onto Chertsey for delivery to a convenient scrap yard. I am still owed for my share!

As successor to the L&LC, who obtained the right when they purchased the Douglas Navigation, BW have the right to water from the Douglas. The amount they could extract was reduced when Rivington Reservoirs were built by Liverpool Corporation c1860, and the authorised extraction at Scholes was equal to ten lockfulls per day. Water could also be fed into the canal by the equalising lock at Dean, though when this was closed the supply entered the canal via a pipe below Appley Lock.