Tonic required. Send in your photos of what is nice on the waterways now.

[PeterScott]

On this day in 2003

 

 

 

 

 

Dearne and Dove Canal  

Elsecar Branch

 

Compare

25Feb2012

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 22, 2021 by PeterScott
extra pic

[PeterScott]

On this day in 2006

 

Caversham    River Thames

[John Liley]

With mechanisation and the need to save on wages, lock-keepers are a threatened species in France. Their disappearance will be the visitor's loss. From the rich range of personalities encountered, three examples:

 

On the Canal de l'Est, the Yonne, the southern Nivernais at Cercy-la-Tour.

 

The last picture records my own introduction to waterways in France,. In 1967 Peter Zivy lent me a boat in exchange for a series of articles I would write extolling the delights of leisure cruising, then an unknown concept to those in the corridors of power.

 

Peter's own company, deliberately sited at the summit of the Nivernais, had six boats only.and at that time was the only hire company on the inland waterways of France He lost a lot of money, but he saved the canal.

[PeterScott]

On this day in 2014

 

King's Bridge, Llantisillio Llangollen Canal

 

 

Chain Bridge, River Dee

[Dav and Pen]

There still a few canals with manual locks. The lock keeper on the Sambre in Belgium with a young helper and with the gear broken a brute force solution

Edited March 22, 2021 by Dav and Pen
Spelling

[David Mack]

36 minutes ago, PeterScott said:

On this day in 2014

 

 

Chain Bridge, River Dee

 

The Chain Bridge looked like that last time I was there. Apparently it was closed for more than 30 years, but happily reopened in 2015.

 

https://uk.ramboll.com/projects/ruk/chain-bridge

Edited March 22, 2021 by David Mack

[ditchcrawler]

30 minutes ago, PeterScott said:

On this day in 2014

 

 

King's Bridge, Llantisillio Llangollen Canal

 

 

Chain Bridge, River Dee

I had no idea it was in that state

[PeterScott]

On this day in 2013

 

 

 

Five Locks

Mon and Brec

 

 

[Theo]

15 minutes ago, PeterScott said:

On this day in 2013

 

 

 

Five Locks

Mon and Brec

 

 

TBC 1983.  To be completed?

N

[PeterScott]

On this day in 2019

 

 

above Fradley Middle Lock T&M Compare #4030 (2013) #3921 (2014) #460  #3594 #3495 (2017) -  the metal band at the top had gone by 2014

[PeterScott]

On thiss day in 2014

 

 

 

Llangollen trip boat to ...

 

 

...  Horseshoe falls

 

Horse

 

More twentyseconds of March

 

Second posting this day 2020

and the first:

 

 

 

 

 

 

[John Liley]

6 hours ago, Dav and Pen said:

There still a few canals with manual locks. The lock keeper on the Sambre in Belgium with a young helper and with the gear broken a brute force solution

 

 Locks on the Nivernais are all still hand-winders, with a sprinkling of single-handed keepers covering several at a time. In high summer it gets better, with, part-timers recruited,. Often students, which  works well. But if remote control takes over a valuable feature will be lost.

 

Apologies for repeating a photo used earlier,  but on the like of the upper Seine, where the operator sits in an office miles away, with fences all around and communication by  radio, it is all too spooky for me. The house in the picture is unoccupied.

Edited March 22, 2021 by John Liley
Added explanation

[Dav and Pen]

11 hours ago, John Liley said:

 

 Locks on the Nivernais are all still hand-winders, with a sprinkling of single-handed keepers covering several at a time. In high summer it gets better, with, part-timers recruited,. Often students, which  works well. But if remote control takes over a valuable feature will be lost.

 

Apologies for repeating a photo used earlier,  but on the like of the upper Seine, where the operator sits in an office miles away, with fences all around and communication by  radio, it is all too spooky for me. The house in the picture is unoccupied.

Some years ago we went through this lock and the lock keeper asked me into the office to see his collection of photos. He was a real enthusiast and had lots of photos of ice breaking and peniches over the years. These remote controlled locks are really scary and also spooky when you can’t see anybody and suddenly the gates shut or the paddles open. The one on the Yonne at Grugy is really nasty as the paddles seem to open full straight away and there real strong turbulence . A really. Big lock at Bosserveld in the Nederlands is controlled from miles away and you get shouted at over the Tannoy.

[Ronaldo47]

My first (and only) encounter with remotely-controlled locks was in a sight-seeing boat in Strasbourg in the mid-1990's. I had assumed they were operated by remote control from the boat as there was no sign humans on land and no tannoy announcements, but I suppose it could have been done from a remote control centre in response to a request from the boat by radio.

[Dav and Pen]

This is the remotely controlled lock at Bosscheveld (got spelling right) near Masstricht. It leads from the Zuid Willemstad canal to the R Mass. although it is unmanned it does not work on Sundays although the locks on the Mass do. Not knowing this I spent some time on the radio calling before some one answered with Kaput on Sunday.

[PeterScott]

On this day in 1979

 

 

Slough Basin GU Slough Arm Compare  23Jan2008    15Nov2009

[PeterScott]

On this day in 1979

 

Bulls Bridge  GU Paddington Arm

 

 

 

 

[PeterScott]

On this day in 2019

 

Lady Hatherton at Great Haywood T&M  "In 1967 due to the very poor condition of the hull it was decided after much consultation with Mr.Les Allen of Oldbury that a new hull should be built. This was constructed in the Oldbury yard, to the exact design of the old using the same method of building. A three cylinder Lister was installed and the new hull then moved to the top lock at Lapworth. In the meanwhile the roof of the boat had been hacksawed through below the gunwale;long beams had been put through the windows fixed by U bolts to lower beams lipped under the gunwale. It was thus intended to lower the water in the lock so that the underside of the longbeams rested on the lock sides, the weight of the roof being supported by the beams under the gunwales; then empty the lock completely and float out the old hull; bring in the new and fill thelock to marry the roof to its new mate. This anxious operation took all day ... it was very satisfying when the two sections fitted perfectly together. How Les Allen was able to judge his measurements so exactly we shall never know."

Edited March 23, 2021 by PeterScott
Quote

[PeterScott]

On this day in 2008

 

Aylesbury Basin. Some springtime whiteness

[Theo]

3 hours ago, PeterScott said:

On this day in 1979

 

 

Slough Basin GU Slough Arm Compare  23Jan2008    15Nov2009

Been there in Theodora,  Not very exciting but if no one uses it then it will never improve.

 

[PeterScott]

On this day in 2006

 

Caversham Bridge

River Thames

 

and above Caversham Lock

[PeterScott]

On this day in 2019

 

Great Haywood T&M/S&W

 

Compare #3852 (1995)

#527 (2001) #4303 #5425 (2003)

#4283 #4291 (2004) #4651 (2007)

#3586 (2012) #699 #2712 (2013)

#3918 (2014) #3580 (2015)

#3989 (2016) #1945 (2019)

 

More twentythirds of March

 

Posting this day 2020:

 

 

Edited March 23, 2021 by PeterScott
layout

[PeterScott]

On this day in 1997

 

Delph (BCN) Dudley Canal No 1

 

Compare 

#2880 (1995) 

#2648 (1997) 

#2309 (2001) 

#2029 (2002)

#3144 (2008) 

#1131 (2011)

#3532 (2017)

#2236 (2018) 

 

 

[PeterScott]

On this day in 2019

 

 

Canoeists between Great Haywood Junction T&M and the lock

[PeterScott]

On this day in 2019

 

Lady Hatherton now below the lock at Great Haywood T&M Compare day before