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

[PeterScott]

On this day in 1979

 

Huddersfield Broad Canal 

 

Turnbridge Lift Bridge

 

Compare

#3113 (2002-year originally mistyped)

#4852 #5665 (2003)

#4763 (2007)

#1258 (2008)

#3672 (2015)

#1778 (2020)

[PeterScott]

On this day in 2006

 

 

 

 

Castleford Junction A+C  Compare #388 (2006) #3812 (2008) #3070 #4249 (2012) #2637 (2013) #3051 (2020)

[PeterScott]

On this day in 2010

 

 

Fall Ings Lock Wakefield Branch A+C Navigation Compare 7Apr2006 (+here)  17Oct2008 31Mar2014 16Nov2016 

[PeterScott]

On this day in 1998

 

Foxton GU Leicester Section  Compare #2306 (1973) #2585 (1994)  #5295 (1997) #1499 (2002) #1830 (2015) #3246 (2017) #3459 (2018)

[Iain_S]

2 hours ago, PeterScott said:

On this day in 1993

 

 

Entering Bancroft Basin

Stratford-on-Avon

Southern Stratford Canal

 

It's not as low any more.

 

By good fortune, maybe,

we had already lost the tillerpin

earlier, during the trip ...

 

Compare

24Dec2003

25Dec2003

When we went under Fotheringay Bridge on the Nene on our first trip on CK, I just got the tiller pin out in time. The centre rope attachment made a nice groove on the underside of the bridge, though.

[PeterScott]

On this dsay in 2008

 

 

 

 

 

Bugsworth  Basins Peak Forest.  Compare   #5435 (2000)   #2748 (2006) #3777 (2012) #3052 (2013) #4438 (2019) #4769 (2021)

[PeterScott]

On this day in 2010

 

 

 

Bank Dole Lock Selby Canal A+C More eighths of April

[John Liley]

French canal leaks. The upper one, on the Marne-Rhine Canal was fixed, under pressure from a huge queue of barge families, each with a cargo of grainto derliver, in around six days.

 

The other was on the Nivernais at Chitry-les-Mines. Caused by a blocked culvert during a storm, the canal overflowed. The resulting damage, beyond the area budget at the time, was fixed eventually, following a plea to central government.

 

Incidentally, the Marne-Rhine case was caused by a "renard", the French word for fox, a waterways term for one of those ltitle wriggling trickles with which bank collapses so often begin. It does not mean a poor old renard was directly responsible.

[David Mack]

13 hours ago, PeterScott said:

On this day in 1993

 

 

Entering Bancroft Basin

Stratford-on-Avon

Southern Stratford Canal

 

It's not as low any more.

 

By good fortune, maybe,

we had already lost the tillerpin

earlier, during the trip ...

 

Compare

24Dec2003

25Dec2003

Back when that was still a low bridge, we were moored up in the basin when two UCC hire boats came off the river. One was a narrow boat and the other a narrow beam Dutch barge, complete with wheelhouse. They were crewed by a bunch of young Americans and they were doing the Avon Ring anticlockwise. There were a number of canoes on both boat roofs, and so to get under the bridge the canoes were all lifted off and carried over the road. The narrowboat then passed under the bridge, but the DB wheelhouse was too high. Passers by were offered a free boat trip to try and get the stern down. Still wouldn't fit. More passers by, and still more, until the whole wheelhouse area resembled one of those how-many-students-can-you-fit-into-a-telephone-box contests, before they could just get under the bridge.

Maximum of 12 on a boat? Forget it!

Edited April 9, 2021 by David Mack

[PeterScott]

More from yesterday 1978

 

 

 

Rugby Wharf  Northern Oxford  Compare  #2235 (1975)  #3405 (1979)  #4205 (2005)

[Dorlan]

50 minutes ago, David Mack said:

Back when that was still a low bridge, we were moored up in the basin when two UCC hire boats came off the river. One was a narrow boat and the other a narrow beam Dutch barge, complete with wheelhouse. They were crewed by a bunch of young Americans and they were doing the Avon Ring anticlockwise. There were a number of canoes on both boat roofs, and so to get under the bridge the canoes were all lifted off and carried over the road. The narrowboat then passed under the bridge, but the DB wheelhouse was too high. Passers by were offered a free boat trip to try and get the stern down. Still wouldn't fit. More passers by, and still more, until the whole wheelhouse area resembled one of those how-many-students-can-you-fit-into-a-telephone-box contests, before they could just get under the bridge.

Maximum of 12 on a boat? Forget it!

It was rumoured, at the time, that certain hotel boat crews would crack open the paddles on the river lock overnight, to lower the water level in the basin so that they could get under the bridge in the morning!

[Dav and Pen]

5 hours ago, PeterScott said:

More from yesterday 1978

 

 

 

Rugby Wharf  Northern Oxford  Compare  #2235 (1975)  #3405 (1979)  #4205 (2005)

Note all the coal neatly trimmed. Both Colin and Trevor Maggs were draftsmen at GEC and their loads were always just so. Ours were not.

[PeterScott]

On this day in 1977

 

 

 

Barton Swing Aqueduct. Compare 30Aug1988  30Oct1992   27Aug1998  +here 26Mar2012   10Sep2012   2023(?)

Edited April 9, 2021 by PeterScott
extra links

[PeterScott]

On this day in 1998

 

It had rained a lot, the watercourse was blocked somehow, the water pressure caused a failure, and the associated fountain filled and sank the open boat, innocently moored to the towingpath -  between Braunston tunnel and top lock. Of the many ways to sink a boat this must be one of the most unlucky.  Compare another picture posted this day in 2020

[PeterScott]

On this day in 2001

 

Locks in Stalybridge, Huddersfield Narrow Canal

 

Copperkins continuing the journey to be the first boat to make the journey from Dukinfield to the bottom of Diggle flight since the restoration.

 

The canals had been closed by the Foot-and-Mouth outbreak, and so the opening of the restored canal had been postponed until this day, with only local publicity about the arrangements. So it was a major surprise to arrive below the locks at Stalybridge to find a small group of boats coming down the locks, having performed the opening ceremony, and then a good audience of local gongoozlers

 

The pylon is below Staley Hall Lock No 8W

 

Compare picture posted in 2020

 

and at Wharf Cottage Lock No 13W

 

[David Mack]

57 minutes ago, PeterScott said:

On this day in 2001

 

I remember that pylon from walking the HNC in the mid 70s when this section was infilled.

 

I did hear that when restoration was planned, the cost of relocating the pylon away from the canal was major problem, until someone suggested "Why don't we just dig a channel between the legs?" "You can't do that!" "Why not?" "It's never been done before." "And...?"

Eventually common sense prevailed.

 

 

[PeterScott]

On this day in 2008

 

 

Castlefield Manchester Compare  17Feb2001 25Nov2006  19Apr2007  1Oct2015 

[PeterScott]

On this day in 2017

 

SU - Spring flowers

 

[PeterScott]

On this day in 2010

 

 

 

 

River Aire, and the locks at the ends of a wiggly section: Haddlesey Flood Lock and Beal Lock

[PeterScott]

On this day in 2008

 

Dane Road Bridge Sale Bridgewater Canal. Not far from the  Bridge Inn As it was ten past four we wished the crew an unwavering return journey.

[Ronaldo47]

On this day in 2008, moored up for the night in Banbury. The snowman had  finally expired that afternoon!

[PeterScott]

On this day in 2017

 

Shropshire Union High Bridge bridge 39 Compare #2905 

Edited April 9, 2021 by PeterScott

[PeterScott]

On this day in 2008

 

Before The Glass Wall. Canal Street Manchester  Chorlton St Lock No86 Rochdale Canal. More ninths of April

 

[PeterScott]

On this day in 1978

 

More of spring asserting itself. Farmer's Bridge B+F BCN

 

 

and earlier that day at Camp Hill bottom lock from the bridge at Bordesley Junction

[Victor Vectis]

13 minutes ago, PeterScott said:

 

and earlier that day at Camp Hill bottom lock from the bridge at Bordesley Junction

 

And looking all the better for the lack of, ahem, urban artwork on the walls.