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Barton aqueduct


Keeping Up

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Crossing the Barton Aqueduct yesterday made me wonder, how did the horse get across, there's no towpath? How did the boat get across, you couldn't leg it? Or were all boats mechanised, or being towed by a steam tug, by the time it was built?

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14 minutes ago, Keeping Up said:

Crossing the Barton Aqueduct yesterday made me wonder, how did the horse get across, there's no towpath? How did the boat get across, you couldn't leg it? Or were all boats mechanised, or being towed by a steam tug, by the time it was built?

Changed horses at both ends?? 

Seahorses?

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You can still see the remnants of the mountings.

 

If you're following us to Liverpool then I should warn you that there are very few boats around.

 

Pete

Currently at Wigan.

Edited by pearley
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It definitely looked too narrow to take a wide boat and have a towpath. In that photo the boat looks as if it takes the full width of the aqueduct, I can't work out where the man is standing is he winding the handle?

 

ETA but now I see the horse in the air; that's interesting.

 

We passed through Wigan this afternoon.

Edited by Keeping Up
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2 hours ago, pearley said:

You can still see the remnants of the mountings.

 

 

 

You can also see the remains of the ramps at either end of the aqueduct whch once carried the towpath up from canal level to the elevated towpath on the main structure.

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It did seem to rely on a horse being entirely happy to be put on an open platform many feet into the air, high above the top canal, let alone the one it is crossing, and to remain calm whilst it is swung round through 90 degrees twice.  I would not have been keen to be up there with a horse that decided it was unhappy about it, particularly as once started the whole process takes some considerable time to go through, and there is no means of removing the horse in the meantime.

 

To this day watching the operation, (albeit without horse!), is really quite fascinating.

https://sickleandflamingo.blogspot.com/2014/08/a-shorter-day-than-expected-to-lock.html

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2 hours ago, alan_fincher said:

It did seem to rely on a horse being entirely happy to be put on an open platform many feet into the air, high above the top canal, let alone the one it is crossing, and to remain calm whilst it is swung round through 90 degrees twice.  I would not have been keen to be up there with a horse that decided it was unhappy about it, particularly as once started the whole process takes some considerable time to go through, and there is no means of removing the horse in the meantime.

 

To this day watching the operation, (albeit without horse!), is really quite fascinating.

https://sickleandflamingo.blogspot.com/2014/08/a-shorter-day-than-expected-to-lock.html

Alan, you have lost me! Why would the horse need to be on the raised towpath while the bridge was swung twice through 90%? Surely the boat, and horse, on the raised towpath, would cross as they do now when the aqueduct is open to the canal. A straight cruise/walk across.

 

Haggis

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38 minutes ago, haggis said:

Alan, you have lost me! Why would the horse need to be on the raised towpath while the bridge was swung twice through 90%? Surely the boat, and horse, on the raised towpath, would cross as they do now when the aqueduct is open to the canal. A straight cruise/walk across.

 

Haggis

Good point Haggis.  I go with Brian on this.

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1 hour ago, haggis said:

Alan, you have lost me! Why would the horse need to be on the raised towpath while the bridge was swung twice through 90%? Surely the boat, and horse, on the raised towpath, would cross as they do now when the aqueduct is open to the canal. A straight cruise/walk across.

 

Haggis

I think he just means for the posed photograph as shown. 

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38 minutes ago, mykaskin said:

I think he just means for the posed photograph as shown. 

Possibly ? . If it wasn't that this is a very old photo I would suggest it had been Photo Shopped!

 

haggis

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3 hours ago, haggis said:

Alan, you have lost me! Why would the horse need to be on the raised towpath while the bridge was swung twice through 90%? Surely the boat, and horse, on the raised towpath, would cross as they do now when the aqueduct is open to the canal. A straight cruise/walk across.

 

Haggis

I have seen various references that suggest that swinging it with a boat on it was not unusual.

That has always struck me as very odd, (I can't imagine why you would), but if you Google for it, I think you may find such references.

Now awaits suggestions that a boat, being a "hole in the water" reduces the weight on the trunk, and makes it easier to swing! ?

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7 minutes ago, alan_fincher said:

I have seen various references that suggest that swinging it with a boat on it was not unusual.

That has always struck me as very odd, (I can't imagine why you would), but if you Google for it, I think you may find such references.

Now awaits suggestions that a boat, being a "hole in the water" reduces the weight on the trunk, and makes it easier to swing! ?

 

The usual reference to a boat being "a hole in the water" makes mention of throwing money into said hole. ?

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11 minutes ago, alan_fincher said:

I have seen various references that suggest that swinging it with a boat on it was not unusual.

That has always struck me as very odd, (I can't imagine why you would), but if you Google for it, I think you may find such references.

Now awaits suggestions that a boat, being a "hole in the water" reduces the weight on the trunk, and makes it easier to swing! ?

No, but its tricky to balance it !

 

Is the horse Pegasus?

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What happened if the horse up on high there had a sudden attack of vertigo, clinging on with fright with all its might and won't let go. Is the fire brigade called along with a horsey person to calm it and talk it down?

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26 minutes ago, alan_fincher said:

I have seen various references that suggest that swinging it with a boat on it was not unusual.

That has always struck me as very odd, (I can't imagine why you would), but if you Google for it, I think you may find such references.

 

This is intriguing! have done a bit of Googling but not found anything about the aqueduct being swung with a boat on it. Probably my Googling skills ? 

 

haggis

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1 minute ago, haggis said:

This is intriguing! have done a bit of Googling but not found anything about the aqueduct being swung with a boat on it. Probably my Googling skills ? 

 

haggis

I'm now tempted to think that posed pictures were sometimes taken, and that has got interpreted to it having been a regular thing.
 

It makes no sense, does it?

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2 hours ago, hider said:

Magic Roundabout?

 

I've been trying to work out where the camera man was standing for the shot.

Is that a Bridgewater maintenance boat? A lot of crew for a carrier.

The camera is from the Trafford side of the ship canal, the control box/unit is to the north of the tank.

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