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The last canal carriers


Heartland

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7 hours ago, Flower of Gloster said:

I believe the last three carries on the GU was British Waterways, Willow Wren & Blue Line on the 'jam ole' run ending in 1970.

They were certainly the last three carrying companies to work on the GU (although BW carried on with the lime juice run for a few more years). There were quite also a number of privately owned boats working on the GU after 1970, including boats worked by several members of this forum.

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I believe that the last carriers on regular traffic were three fellows on the lime juice for ACT. ACT also organised the last of the Croxley traffic using various private carriers.

not sure when the cement traffic from the long ichington works to Sampson road finished, no doubt somebody has the details

800FB245-36D0-48E6-80D2-7274068EF45D.jpeg

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I have yet to come across a definite date for Sampson Road cement traffic. I gather the depot was there longer than the traffic. 

 

It is certainly of use to historians to see an image of BUXTON in Three Fellows livery. Based at Sawley this firm carried on different waterways. BUXTON, a former GUCCC Town Class, was sold in to private ownership and converted.

Edited by Heartland
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On ‎30‎/‎05‎/‎2019 at 15:37, Dav and Pen said:

Must have been a very wet day. The question is who had the extra!

I had a load of smokeless on Jaguar and sold a ton more than we loaded.  Magic.

 

Edited by Chris Williams
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The boats on the Caldon were for the transport of Pottery between sites - and were of a special design....

 

This one appears to have been battery powered ?

 

Cldn1.jpg

Edited by Heartland
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45 minutes ago, Athy said:

Didn't the carrying of ceramics in the Stoke-on-Trent area last until the 1990s?

I'm sure i saw an article about boats operating there more recently than that, purpose built craft for fairly limited journeys. 

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7 minutes ago, BWM said:

I'm sure i saw an article about boats operating there more recently than that, purpose built craft for fairly limited journeys. 

I can remember reading about the end of this specialised traffic, but I'm unsure of the date.

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1 hour ago, Dav and Pen said:

I believe that the last carriers on regular traffic were three fellows on the lime juice for ACT. ACT also organised the last of the Croxley traffic using various private carriers.

not sure when the cement traffic from the long ichington works to Sampson road finished, no doubt somebody has the details

800FB245-36D0-48E6-80D2-7274068EF45D.jpeg

Cement traffic finished 1969 - "all mop and windlass"

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2 hours ago, Heartland said:

Johnson Brothers potteries in  Hanley has been demolished now I understand, although the boats did operate after the date of 1986. Mid 1990's has been stated. 

 

Indeed I remember seeing one of their boats (identical to the one in post 31)  when I visited the Caldon in my first shareboat circa 1993.

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I see Waterways World Website has a recent post on the Johnsons Brothers traffic

 

It states two original boats were of the catamaran style, although does not give a maker, There is a photo of Milton Princess that entered service in 1979 and had a traditional narrow boat shape.

 

The traffic ended in 1995

 

milton-princess.jpg

Edited by Heartland
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I think the first two boats, Milton Maid and Milton Queen were built in- house by Johnson Bros. 

 

The third boat, Milton Princess was supplied by Malcolm Braine of Norton Canes and lives on as Milton as a passenger boat for London Waterbus Co.

 

The boats carried China between the two works at Hanley and Milton but in 1986 the Milton operation was closed and Princess became disused and was sold off.  The other boats were then only used in a limited way around the Hanley site.

 

Paul

Edited by Paul H
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20 hours ago, Dav and Pen said:

I believe that the last carriers on regular traffic were three fellows on the lime juice for ACT. 

I thought the Murrels were the last to carry lime juice. They also carried grain to Coxes Mill on the Wey ( but not in narrow boats).

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1 hour ago, David Mack said:

I thought the Murrels were the last to carry lime juice. They also carried grain to Coxes Mill on the Wey ( but not in narrow boats).

From recollection, I believe that a number of independant carriers were used on the last days of the Lime Juice run, including Three Fellows and Tam and Di Murrel.

 

 

Edited by David Schweizer
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22 hours ago, Heartland said:

The boats on the Caldon were for the transport of Pottery between sites - and were of a special design....

 

This one appears to have been battery powered ?

This boat was powered by an 1100cc petrol engine coupled to a hydraulic drive :captain:

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22 hours ago, Dav and Pen said:

ACT also organised the last of the Croxley traffic using various private carriers.

My independently owned and operated motor and its butty last unloaded at Croxley on 26 August 1970, only 10 days before the last boats - Willow Wren's REDSHANK and ARA :captain:

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33 minutes ago, Dav and Pen said:

This is Tom Henshaws photo of the last load to Croxley at Braunston. 

936C6D7A-255F-4F1B-8BFA-A8307DCEB762.jpeg

Ted Ward lay there for a while to make sure of his place in the history books, only arriving at Croxley after the deadline for water-borne deliveries had passed...…..

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6 hours ago, pete harrison said:

My independently owned and operated motor and its butty last unloaded at Croxley on 26 August 1970, only 10 days before the last boats - Willow Wren's REDSHANK and ARA :captain:

I obviously have trouble counting as it was only 8 days between my motor and its butty (both owned by the same person) unloading at Croxley and REDSHANK and ARA unloading at the same destination. A small detail I know, but I would rather the correct information appeared here as it is readily available :captain:

5 hours ago, archie57 said:

Ted Ward lay there for a while to make sure of his place in the history books, only arriving at Croxley after the deadline for water-borne deliveries had passed...…..

If I am reading the loading and discharge records correctly this coal was in REDSHANK and ARA for 8 days :captain:

Edited by pete harrison
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18 minutes ago, pete harrison said:

I obviously have trouble counting as it was only 8 days between my motor and its butty (both owned by the same person) unloading at Croxley and REDSHANK and ARA unloading at the same destination. A small detail I know, but I would rather the correct information appeared here as it is readily available :captain:

If I am reading the loading and discharge records correctly this coal was in REDSHANK and ARA for 8 days :captain:

 - so perhaps he was at Braunston for 2 or 3 days, certainly there when we came past.

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On 30/05/2019 at 07:27, Athy said:

Since Mark Boardman (who was an excellent trader) sold Dusty, it has been seen but rarely in Cropredy, which used to be part of its regular beat. We didn't see it at all last year. Is it still trading?

A late response to this post. Whilst we were in the Banbury/Cropredy area Christmas time we 'used' Dusty quite a number of times. They were doing regular trips from Oxford to Fenny. Nice couple of traders and people. 

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