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Hydraulic Lock


zenataomm

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Who remembers the splendid fun and danger we had in the 80s with the above?

How much must that have cost?

What did they do with them all?

To this day is there an old hangar full of them stashed away, or were they weighed in, or sold to a developing country wanting to regulate its irrigation in the field?

 

For my part I wrote to Waterways (for there was no other way of contacting them then) and asked them if it was their intention to inflict all of the inland waterway network with Granny Gear because I hadn't seen any on The Ashby yet.  I requested they spare it the indignity of its history being tampered with.

They wrote back enthusiastically extolling the virtues of  30 odd winds without being able to drop them immediately in an emergency while dripping hydraulic oil around a lock side.  

They also confirmed all canals would receive them including The Ashby!

And the photo I've posted?

WP_20190911_19_18_47_Pro.jpg

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2 hours ago, zenataomm said:

Who remembers the splendid fun and danger we had in the 80s with the above?

How much must that have cost?

What did they do with them all?

To this day is there an old hangar full of them stashed away, or were they weighed in, or sold to a developing country wanting to regulate its irrigation in the field?

 

For my part I wrote to Waterways (for there was no other way of contacting them then) and asked them if it was their intention to inflict all of the inland waterway network with Granny Gear because I hadn't seen any on The Ashby yet.  I requested they spare it the indignity of its history being tampered with.

They wrote back enthusiastically extolling the virtues of  30 odd winds without being able to drop them immediately in an emergency while dripping hydraulic oil around a lock side.  

They also confirmed all canals would receive them including The Ashby!

And the photo I've posted?

WP_20190911_19_18_47_Pro.jpg

We still have them on the S&SY in some cases they are a joy in comparison to normal lock winding gear, I have stripped a few engines with con rods like that, cars trying to drive through deep water is a no no

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Hydraulic gear is still in the majority on our canal. Out of 72 paddle sets, only  6 gate paddles have reverted to "proper" type. Some new gates have had the old hydraulics re-fitted even though 40+ years old. About 75% of the gears are faulty in some way, i.e., they leak oil , drop on their own or just don't work. They are an abomination with no redeeming features. Very expensive to maintain as they have to be removed and sent to a specialist hydraulics repair shop, spares are difficult ( I think they were originally of Italian manufacture) . I have heard it said  that they cannot be replaced by conventional because some locks are listed structures and the hydraulics were in place at the time of the listing. That might be just an excuse? The original paddle gear consisted of  two ground paddles and two co-acting  gate paddles at the head of the lock with no reduction gear and two gate paddles of large area  with reduction gear on the tail gates . This on a narrow canal.

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4 minutes ago, Boater Sam said:

Have they all gone on the Marple flight then? Years since we have been that way........................Oh, of course its been closed for years too, on and off.

They have!

 

There are now two left on the Peak Forest Canal. One on the Lift Bridge near Portland basin, and one on one of the lift bridge on the Upper PF (the other LB has been electrified)

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Still a pair of granny gears on the tail gates on one of the Hanwell locks GU. Not sure why as all the others are normal rack and pinion type.

 

Never tried it but I reckon a decent cordless drill with correct size socket would be the thing for these.

Edited by magnetman
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There’s a pair of hydraulic gate paddles on the tail of lock 57 at Tardebigge of which the near side one won’t hold in the raised position and hasn’t done so for at least 4 years. There’s also a pair of hydraulic ground paddles at the head of lock 15 on the Lapworth flight. They are OK when reduced to novelty status such as these pairs but I would hate for both of those flights to have been totally afflicted with them. I don’t know how many locks at these locations once had them.

 

JP

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  • 1 year later...
On 16/09/2019 at 22:41, zenataomm said:

And the photo I've posted?

 

WP_20190911_19_18_47_Pro.jpg

 

Have just found this thread - the photo is of course a con-rod which has been "hydraulicked". It is in the window display at UCC in Braunston, if memory serves right it was a Perkins 3HD46 from the hire fleet, mid 90s, but I'm sure Jona will still know if anyone wants to check ...

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20 minutes ago, Richard Carter said:

 

Have just found this thread - the photo is of course a con-rod which has been "hydraulicked". It is in the window display at UCC in Braunston, if memory serves right it was a Perkins 3HD46 from the hire fleet, mid 90s, but I'm sure Jona will still know if anyone wants to check ...

looks like a Lister part number....

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11 hours ago, archie57 said:

looks like a Lister part number....

You may very well be right, it's too long ago and too far away. There were still a couple of Listers in the fleet then, and if I'm wrong about it being a hireboat engine then anything goes ...

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