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MarkyP

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Everything posted by MarkyP

  1. An extrordinary discovery! A completely unique Bushells built London Canal Tug still afloat.... This boat deserves to be looked after properly. London Canal Museum?
  2. I was the person the BBC contacted and asked to talk about the "boat graveyard" at Harefield. I took the view that all publicity is good publicity, and it was great that the Beeb felt there was an appetite for a canal history programme. Prime time on the BBC is a great spot for viewer numbers but its not the time when an in depth programme would get aired. The coverage by Gogglebox was probably the level Sat Night TV is aimed at http://www.channel4.com/programmes/gogglebox/on-demand/.... The BBC team doing the research and recording were genuinely really interested in the site and whole local story - from the first "Bricks by Boat"chapter (as featured in the latest Narrowboat mag), to the final chapter and the boats sinking in the Colne Valley gravel pits. I was supposed to be advising the crew behind the camera, so rocked up unshaven and in scruffy togs. I ended up being interviewed by Mary Ann Ochota in front of the camera, so all a bit impromptu... Having to say the same thing over and over as they filmed from different angles wasn't the easiest thing for my brain to cope with! Anyway, the main thing from my perspective is that the Harefield filming "made the cut", and so got some great airtime. The BBC were genuinely interested in the site and the story, and I spent a nice amount of time with Mary Ann, showing her other boat remnants off camera too. So, we have gained some good allies and the possibility of expanding on the story in the future.
  3. Many thanks Ronald. Great resource!
  4. Many thanks Ian - perfect. Many thanks Ronald. Yes, got some of the plans and can see others on CRT Archive. Needed to see the sweep and twist in the swim - nothing like a photo sometimes...
  5. Hi, does anyone have a photo of the back end of a Large Northwich which clearly shows swim and counter area that they could post?
  6. Proud to have been a very small part of it and to have had the opportunity to work with you. From hacking around the back streets of the Black Country, making chimneys & firing up a Ruston engine to make smoke rings on stand at the NEC - different times & great memories. Glad you are scanning in some of the older docs - is there a Black Country industry heritage project that might appreciate some of the bits you have?
  7. A BCN (or other area/topic) Pinterest Board could be an interesting H&H group project ... Multiple editors on group boards can easily be set up if desired....
  8. No probs re PYTHON pics - glad they're of interest. Yes,,,, Pinterest can (has) become quite addictive!
  9. No probs Derek. My plan was to use Pinterest to collate applicable images found on other websites, using the Pinterest feature that allows direct access to the original image. Due to the way some websites are formatted, I was unable to include a link to the relevant full webpage and had to use the image location as the link to allow inclusion in the board. The image captions haven't been gone through yet - most automatically utilise the caption used on the original website. I'm hoping to add geographic locations to each pic soon too. If anyone is aware of additional suitable pics on other websites, please post the links. Mark
  10. Yes, very little collated info regards the boats and trades around London's Waterways. I've spent a fair bit of time scratching around gathering various pieces of info, and know there's some on CWDF who also have done their own research. Here's a few photos, drifting off your original specific topic question's, but which might be of interest: Here's BEN MACDHUI at Paddington during A40 extension works in 1967. By 1970, this boat was being used as a base for kid's summer activities by Beaucamp Lodge (moored about where the trendy coffee shops are now located at Paddington basin arm entrance). Here's a photo of VICTOR in 1969, also on A40 extension works, at Harrow Road bridge. Courtesy of the Mary Evans picture library (www.maryevans.com), here's a photo of VICTOR with TOPAZ around 25 years earlier at Brentford: Is there another fleet of craft, which were given "colours" as names, or maybe there's a link with boat names beginning with "V"? Here's a photo of VIOLET at Ware: Also courtesy of the Mary Evans picture library (www.maryevans.com), here's an interesting photo, taken on the Thames in London, of BILL & CORAL, which seem to be GU or R.Wey style Wideboats. Anyone got any information on these craft?: Hope of interest. Mark
  11. Be great to see them on a model railway. Usual stuff seen is pretty much always rubbish. A group from RM WEB forum are modelling the BCN - they will need a BCN Joey or two I'm sure!
  12. Do you have any pics of the BCN Joey, Laurence? Did you ever paint them for customers?
  13. On the subject of size.... pics of cans on London-based short haul H.Sabey &Co Ltd craft look like they may have used smaller cans... WB PHOENIX
  14. Haha - yes forgotten about the plan to get down the old arm.... Good to hear from you too - many thanks for this information. Looking at an early pic of Fastnet and what looks like a two colour cabin side, I wonder if the Green/Red/White livery was once used on the tugs also?... Will have to have another look at the other pics...
  15. Hi, I've tried but can't seem to message you (get auto admin message). not sure if its your settings? Brgds, Mark

  16. Resurrecting an old thread for tidiness, and continuing a subject touched upon from time to time.... has there been any "new" information or conclusions drawn regards cabin side colours for Sabey boats? EPT's book Colours of the Cut shows a Red & Blue/Grey with white cabin, early colour photos of Sabey trucks show a 60's BWB shade Blue/Yellow colour scheme, but I think Darren (Chimney Chain), shared a memory with me of a family member saying Blue/White cabinsides... Best guess?
  17. Still with English Heritage. I will chase up & report back any info.
  18. Hi Roger, many thanks for your posts and pics - I'm itching to go and have the look at the iron knees you spotted. Details of some of the boats certainly changed as new information came to light. To the best of my understanding at present, looking at what can be seen in 2012, MAVIS is the wideboat out of the water, the wideboat bow that can be seen through the overhanging trees from the stern of MAVIS is ALBERTA. The remains of the wideboat to the inside of ALBERTA is ROSE OF TYBURN. I'll update the map & key shortly. Whilst a huge amount of time has been spent to try to identify all boats in the archive photos & todays remains, the boat list/key may change again. To find the missing Burt Dunkley map would be a massive step forward - lets hope it was uncovered when the BW Archive moved to Ellesmere? Still lots to discover... Many thanks for your post. I'll PM you over the weekend. Brgds, Mark
  19. Many thanks to Laurence Hogg for this...
  20. Yes, I was wondering that as I typed, and as a comparison was thinking of the photo of Odell's Steam tug Powerful at Uxbridge Dock (Steamers Historical) was deep, but not that deep! The Bantam I steered for a bit was 3'10" draft from memory (& that had its interesting moments!) I'd guess Panama would've been similar... Many thanks for clarifying.
  21. Many thanks Paul H for the DM & Pete Harrison for the additional info. At 60'0 x 8'0 x 5'0, Panama would've had a serious draft. Another era.....
  22. Resurecting an old topic I know, but was it ever confirmed if there was a link between this engine and Wm. Boyer's tug PANAMA? Veering off topic a little.... Maybe this should be a Paul H DM, but I'll put it out to all.... Regards PANAMA being seen sunk at Harefield Marina in the 1970's, was there "evidence" to prove it was PANAMA (and not another boat) or was its identification passed down information etc? What was the story about the engine being lifted? I'm guessing PANAMA was wooden (Boyer had boats of all materials) although it would've been very old if dumped there in the 1950's? Does anyone remember its construction? ..... Just interested.......
  23. After getting as far as I could with BW & Hillingdon Council over the course of 2011, I collated the report made & other information I had regards the boats of Harefield Flash, and sent to English Heritage. I'm pleased to say EH took a real interest in the site and after further comms, requested an on-site meeting with BW, LBH & myself present. This was held yesterday, with three representatives from EH (including a Maritime specialist), two from LBH, one from BW & myself. EH had a geniune interest not only in the boats, but the overall site, local boatbuilding, method of craft operation, traffics & the contribution played by the area to the growth of Victorian London. Thoughts were shared regards scheduling / registering the boats seen and further investigation underwater. Further discussion will now take place before agreement on next steps is made. Mark
  24. No ideaa. Any ID clues from the lettering on the back cabin when the pic is blown up?
  25. This topic title allows the opportunity of highlighting to those who've not already seen, a couple of weblinks to film clips of London Steam Canal Tugs: Silent clip including a few seconds of H.Sabey's PIONEER at Paddington Basin towards the end (the film clip can be played or "view as stills" as preferred... http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=10143 Charrington, Gardner, Locket & Co's BUFFALO. Is this the only original clip of a steam narrowboat with sound? http://www.movietone.com. You need to register and go to Clip No 1196/2 (well worth the effort) Mark
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