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Trent and mersey locks- beware


Leemc

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1 minute ago, johnmck said:

Is this phenomenon not fairly common on narrow locks throughout the system?

I have a rule of thumb.  Anything built by Brindley,treat with caution.  By the time Telford came along they seem to have understood water movement better.  A flight like Bosley is a pussycat by comparison with locks 65 and 66 on the T & M.

 

George

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8 minutes ago, johnmck said:

Is this phenomenon not fairly common on narrow locks throughout the system?

No it is very variable depending on the design of the locks - I think mostly on how far along the lock the ground paddle outlet is, it’s angle, and the number of them, as well as the size of the paddle.

 

So for example on the Coventry (Atherstone) the paddles are small and the effect is minor. On many BCN locks the paddles are not that small but the effect is still very minor. On some BCN locks eg garrison, the effect is zilch because there are multiple paddle outlets along the lock and the boat just sits where it is despite both top paddles being simultaneously whacked fully open.

 

T&M locks, in proportion to their size, are some of the worst.

 

 

Edited by nicknorman
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2 minutes ago, nicknorman said:

No it is very variable depending on the design of the locks - I think mostly on how far along the lock the ground paddle outlet is, it’s angle, and the number of them, as well as the size of the paddle.

 

So for example on the Coventry (Atherstone) the paddles are small and the effect is minor. On many BCN locks the paddles are not that small but the effect is still very minor. On some BCN locks eg garrison, the effect is zilch because there are multiple paddle outlets along the lock and the boat just sits where it is despite both top paddles being simultaneously whacked fully open.

 

 

Yes, it's variable. But not an uncommon phenomenon  on narrow locks. I'll give you on the T&M it can be severe, but it's not uncommon. 

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As has been said, many narrow locks will try to chuck the boat about if filled quickly. There is one in particular, though, of the Cheshire locks on the T&M which is particularly cunning. I'm afraid I have forgotten which one it is but it has caught me out more than once.

 

With the others, if you open the paddles slowly and cautiously, you should be OK. The devious one behaves very nicely at first, waits for you to have decided that it's harmless and have fully opened the paddles, waits another minute or so for your concentration to wander and only then will it pick up the boat and hurl it at the top gates.

 

I suspect that it's this one mentioned by the OP.

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11 hours ago, furnessvale said:

I have a rule of thumb.  Anything built by Brindley,treat with caution.  By the time Telford came along they seem to have understood water movement better.  A flight like Bosley is a pussycat by comparison with locks 65 and 66 on the T & M.

 

George

And strangely enough Bosley is one of the few flights where my boat stays at the back, even when the paddles are fully open. Even if I start with the bows against the cill, it will travel to the back and stay there unless I leave it in forward gear and increase the revs significantly (but that washes the bottom gates open before I can get the top paddles open).

 

Different boats behave differently, of course. Mine has almost unique behaviours in some locks because of its unusual length, 67ft, and of course the draught makes a big difference especially while the lock is nearly empty.

Edited by Keeping Up
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