Jump to content

Foxley Caldon Canal br17


PeterScott

Featured Posts

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/notices/16338-foxley-pub-milton

This happened yesterday, and luck being what it is we are on the wrong side of it. The works people on the offside seem to have been inserting some piles close to the old bridgehole and the wall collapsed. Not really a "washwall" as in the C&RT notice. Those moored just above said that C&RT people attending were pessimistic of a short-term solutuin. It needs a BIG machine to lift the wall out to restore navigation, but there must be fun to be had with lawyers arguing about liability. _sigh_

PA085439s.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No lawyers needed yet ? Some lads with a big digger arrived and pulled out the half-submerged wall and a few other bits of masonry that were teetering on the edge. Expertly done. We offered to be the test-boat-through; C&RT were told the blockage cleared and expect to arrange passage for the remaining waiting boats, maybe tomorrow morning. Don't know if they will be happy that the bank is stable enough to open the canal fully.

PA081551s.jpg

  • Greenie 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 hours ago, Keith Davies said:

Just heard from my mate on the Caldon.  Canal cleared enough to get him through with CRT " pilot " at the helm.

Looks like more work needed to make it safe though, so could close again soon.

 

I guess the CRT pilot is for insurance rather than competence purposes. 

 

The bank is now unretained, the land behind has no support. Simple engineering issue, but I suspect a complex liability issue! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It took 18 months to sort out when something similar, though more dangerous with regard the possibility of creating a breach, happened at the top of Blackburn Locks when they were building a new ASDA in the early 1990s.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 10/10/2019 at 11:33, Pluto said:

It took 18 months to sort out when something similar, though more dangerous with regard the possibility of creating a breach, happened at the top of Blackburn Locks when they were building a new ASDA in the early 1990s.

Gosh, I remember that. A digger had attacked the toe of the embankment, and iirc the three thousand quid we hadjust  paid for a hireboat fortnight to go around the L&L-Trent-T&M-Bridgewater ring had to be diverted to just do Sheffield-Middlewich-via-Trent-and-back. Serendipitosly, I was looking at the pictures yesterday evening, and here we are heading into Kedby.

 

Anyway back on the Caldon, C&RT say they "are currently allowing assisted passage through this section on a Monday and Friday only at midday. " I can see they might worry about the retaining wall needing proper replacement. The chap on the digger, who certainly knew what he was doing, had confidence in the earth being well-compacted so I suspect that's just over-cautious. ANd worst that could happen is the canal being full of soil, rather than an embankment falling over. As a subplot there were closure signs at Etruria which had no date on them, and will probably be there next year. As to the Friday/Monday palava, that seems a poor service to navigators ?

L08670s.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 10/10/2019 at 11:33, Pluto said:

It took 18 months to sort out when something similar, though more dangerous with regard the possibility of creating a breach, happened at the top of Blackburn Locks when they were building a new ASDA in the early 1990s.

It certainly did. I remember it well. We were one lock away and were stopped by BW. After only about three or four days when they kept us updated twice each day they arranged for two blokes to help us reverse back and provided a crane and transport for us and another boat round the stoppage.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Without the blue digger, CRT would have been scratching their heads for a week before doing anything, whereas someone who knew what he was going went in and sorted it.  Given half a chance he would probably have knocked a few piles in and got the canal moving until at least the stoppage season, when plenty of notice could be given. Meanwhile CRT can only come up with assisted passage for an hour or so twice a week.

 

Disclaimer:  l have no direct knowledge of the situation. I’m just going on having passed through there a few weeks ago, the photos and the incompetence of the current CRT management.

  • Greenie 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, dor said:

Without the blue digger, CRT would have been scratching their heads for a week before doing anything, whereas someone who knew what he was going went in and sorted it.  Given half a chance he would probably have knocked a few piles in and got the canal moving until at least the stoppage season, when plenty of notice could be given. Meanwhile CRT can only come up with assisted passage for an hour or so twice a week.

 

Disclaimer:  l have no direct knowledge of the situation. I’m just going on having passed through there a few weeks ago, the photos and the incompetence of the current CRT management.

Totally agree with what you say. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Some backstory on br17: when we passed up the canal on Sunday 6th Oct, (the collapse was on Mon 7th) the metal piles in the earlier pictures - which had been installed the previous week, it seems - were holding up a new wall. If that was being used as extra height to the canal-bridge wall as a retaining wall, it didn't retain too well.

 

I wonder what the site looked like when it had a lift-bridge. Any offers of very-old pics ??

PA064522s.jpg

PA064523s.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I remember years ago coming back along the Caldon and when we got to Stockton Brook the locks were closed because some idiot had dumped a car upside down in lock 7, BW had drained all the pounds between the locks and where in lifting the unfortunate car.

Trouble was a large tree branch had also jammed the bottom paddle on lock 7 when they drained it, while BW where standing around scratching their heads a couple of us canal restoration nuts cleared the jam.

The lock keeper then sent me all the way up the flight opening all paddles and by wash wear paddles to fill the pounds quicker, but we got things open in hours instead of days.

It was very surprising that they let us do what we did.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, magpie patrick said:

I suspect that without the activity that the blue digger was engaged in the wall might not have collapsed in the first place.

I suspect that the wall may have collapsed very soon looking at the adjoining walling, and the local activity hastened its demise. I also agree that the blue diggers appearance reduced this stoppage time from months to day.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 14/10/2019 at 11:06, PeterScott said:

Some backstory on br17: when we passed up the canal on Sunday 6th Oct, (the collapse was on Mon 7th) the metal piles in the earlier pictures - which had been installed the previous week, it seems - were holding up a new wall. If that was being used as extra height to the canal-bridge wall as a retaining wall, it didn't retain too well.

 

I wonder what the site looked like when it had a lift-bridge. Any offers of very-old pics ??

PA064522s.jpg

PA064523s.jpg

We went by on Saturday 5th, and wondered what they were doing with all of those concrete sections perched on top of the bank. They still had a fresh concrete dust smell. Saturday night it rained quite heavily. Going to the Foxley without a coat wasn't a good idea!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 10 months later...

Reviving this thread from last year, after a trip that way a week ago

P9089835a.jpg.4dd2b97b7e79a6fa7f2f4368f14a7ecf.jpg

 

P9089831a.jpg.6435259e394e6863ffb985f61dee1901.jpg

 

Lost track of the restrictions here after the original collapse in October 2019, which had escorted passages only on Friday or Monday lunchtimes. Heard that these continued into 2020, and then the accursed virus intervened. It doesn't look to have been a complicated repair, even if still temporary. Towpath-telegraph has it that the factory owners or their lawyers were not enthusiastic to fund the repairs, and that C&RT were having to scurry-about for evidence of what actually happened, all of those large concrete slabs and their linking piles no longer being on site. Maybe someone showed them this thread ?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Can't say I noticed anything like this when we passed through (out and back) last month. I saw the pub we couldn't moor anywhere near, and there was a workboat there iirc, but nothing like those works.  Was i asleep at the tiller for that gap?  Are those photos recent or historic?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.