Team NB Styxl - Virtual BCN Challenge 2020 Cruise Log

[Ian Mac]

We pass the top of Spon Lane locks, over the railway and the New Main line  and round the corner to Oldbury locks. We make our way up the Crow, as they were know, half way up we invoke the "Automat Sehnsucht" and shove our nose into the Crow Arm, a half mile arm serving the various chemical work here about, we are quickly unloaded.

You can see the entrance to the crow branch on the left of the image going under the towpath, below the lock
credit  - https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/index.php?threads/canals-of-birmingham.4054/page-42"

Edited May 5, 2020 by Ian Mac

[Ian Mac]

We back out and set off up the locks again, turning the "Automat Sehnsucht" off we pass several other Clayton boats, as the time shift returns to present. We are soon at Wolverhampton Rd and the remains of the Causeway Green Branch this and the pools have recently been dredged, We activate the "Automat Sehnsucht" and are soon at the end of the branch, where we can wind. this is by the wharf and the tramway which has come down the incline from Cakemore Brickworks.
    Back down the branch and left just past the pools - No Motorway at this time thundering overhead. We have entered the Portway Bbranch, a long straight takes us to the coals wharfs serving places such as Bellend Pit via a tramway.  There are many mine in this area.  Where there is coal there is fireclay, a few 100 yards past the wharfs is another Brickworks, and beyond that the new fever hospital.
We swim slow back to the coal wharfs, where we wind, and then its off back down the arm, as we pass the boat inn on Birchfields Lane , we grab a quick scope  and then carry on, once we see the pools we switch off our amazing device, and we are defend by the motorway, which does not appear to be that busy!

Saw another Clayton boat on its way up the Crow.

 

 

[Ian Mac]

Having got back down The Crow and its left onto the mainline, as we approach the motorway we set for 1965 and arrive at Claytons Yard. There is much confusion!
We introduce our selves to Charles and John Clayton, and have a quick look around the yard.
NB Spey was there again.

[Ian Mac]

We are off again, we have spent too much time talking to the Claytons, so we choose to pass the end of the of the privately owned Houghton Chemical Arm this is about the same length as the Crow Arm and runs parallel to it only 20 odd feet lower, and was one of the last places with regular traffic on the BCN.
 

Next up is park lane bridge we take the hos' off and send it over the bridge , so that as we arrive at the cross junction where our way is to our left and up the Valentia Arm,  another dead end navigation built to serve yet another coal mine.

We should have used a day boat as they are double ended, but we manage to come back backwards the full length with some shafting.

[Ian Mac]

Once at the junction we back out onto the old main line and almost immediately turn Right onto the Oldbury Loop. This loop wanders around the northern side of the town of Oldbury, like a giant moat.

Spotted some wild life on the bank!

[Ian Mac]

Once at the junction we backed out onto the old main line, and almost immediately turn Right onto the Oldbury Loop. This loop wanders around the northern side of the town of Oldbury, like a giant moat.
On regaining the old mainline again having just passed the Oldbury Goods station with its interchange wharf, we turn of the "Automat Sehnsucht" for the rest of the day. Next stop will be Bradehall locks on the Gower branch.
We head down this interesting little flight with its staircase pair and then a singleton then its along the long straight to Albion Junction. Opposite is the old Dunkirk Branch, but there are no points for this old short branch, so no point in turning the machine on again. Also Nul Pwa is the Union branch, which we will be passing tomorrow, so we will stop here at the junction for the night, in the middle of no-where, amongst the dereliction of all the old coal mine, and other working, now looking lush in the spring sunshine. So in these strange modern times we will just make our own amusement.
Another Clayton boat here as well!
and one of yet another Tanker approaching Albion Junction along the mainline, little does he know what is lurking just around the corner.

[Capt Ahab]

47 minutes ago, Ian Mac said:

Once at the junction we backed out onto the old main line, and almost immediately turn Right onto the Oldbury Loop. This loop wanders around the northern side of the town of Oldbury, like a giant moat.
On regaining the old mainline again having just passed the Oldbury Goods station with its interchange wharf, we turn of the "Automat Sehnsucht" for the rest of the day. Next stop will be Bradehall locks on the Gower branch.
We head down this interesting little flight with its staircase pair and then a singleton then its along the long straight to Albion Junction. Opposite is the old Dunkirk Branch, but there are no points for this old short branch, so no point in turning the machine on again. Also Nul Pwa is the Union branch, which we will be passing tomorrow, so we will stop here at the junction for the night, in the middle of no-where, amongst the dereliction of all the old coal mine, and other working, now looking lush in the spring sunshine. So in these strange modern times we will just make our own amusement.
Another Clayton boat here as well!
and one of yet another Tanker approaching Albion Junction along the mainline, little does he know what is lurking just around the corner.

Foraging with a time machine would be handy - apples galore all year round by the looks of it.

[Ian Mac]

2 hours ago, Capt Ahab said:

Foraging with a time machine would be handy - apples galore all year round by the looks of it.

I suspect that really there would only be you and your misses who would spot that! Well Done.

[Ian Mac]

Albion Junction, Gower Branch BCN 09:00am Wednesday 6th May Weather - this can not be the BCN Challenge just what has happened to the rain?

I for one am really looking forwards to today, first job of the day is see what the Gods of the BCN have thrown at us.   Oh bother,  well there we go plan "B" Although I'm not sure if we could not have circumvented yesterdays problem, using the acquired knoose of years of bodging canals or using the magic "Automat Sehnsucht"  to dial a different date, but maybe that would be considered to be cheating and not in the spirit of the event.

Last night we had a great night, to start with we had a wander about we could see no evidence what so ever of the Dunkirk Branch which use to leave the mainline opposite the junction. We had some nice food, and Richard had come up trumps with his supplies and we had a beer in a box, then Andy played us some canal tunes,  I particularly like "Come now begin delving". which is about the building of the canal network. Though you may like to hear this. howeve it would appear I can only load video not soundtracks

 

[TheBiscuits]

 

  

10 minutes ago, Ian Mac said:

Andy played us some canal tunes,  I particularly like "Come now begin delving". which is about the building of the canal network. Though you may like to hear this. howeve it would appear I can only load video not soundtracks

 

 

 

Does this help?

Edited May 6, 2020 by TheBiscuits

[Ian Mac]

A very quick video short of Andy Cutting Play "Come now begin delving"

Credit - Music - Andy Cutting

[captain birdseye]

Up early and off to get th'hos what we had left pegged to the towpath overnight only to find he had found some burrs to play in. we will have to get these out of his mane and tail

before we can set off.

 

[Ian Mac]

After having the full team out, to sort out the Hos', were are underway on plan "C".
The New mainline is amazing here dead straight for miles, even the railway gets bored of this and turns and cross over the top. Just before we reach the railway bridge we cross an old branch of the Birmingham canal, Wednesbury Loop, another Brindleys masterpiece! This branch is known as the Union Arm. It went to the Atlas Iron works which was on the far side of the railways, and cross the main line and then swung back and cross the mainline beyond the railway crossing to join the Wednesbury loop a little way down from Pudding Green Junction. The cut through from the mainline to the Wednesbury Loop had gone before 1900 and was just a wharf from the WL by then.
I've done a little map of what I think was going on, as there are Nul Pwa for this bit, I have not investigated further, undoubtedly the captain has!
colour key - blue the Union Arm, Yellow the New Mainline and green the original  Wednesbury loop.

 

Credit

image- www.birmingham-canalwalks.co.uk;

Map - base map - National Library of Scotland

[Ian Mac]

Nice run up to the top of Ryders Green, where we activate the "Automat Sehnsucht" this branch has not really seen any boats since the 2000 BCN Challenge which is a real shame especially as it does have a full size winding hole at the far end and a pub, well after a fashion. Such is life, it is still a remainder waterway and the responsibility of the council, and I suspect they don't care.
Found a pile of stuff off someone's Blade, why oh why do they not bag it up and take to the tip, which is what we have chosen to do for them. At least it was dry!
As we haven't full sorted out the Hos' we have taken to opportunity to swap our Hos' for a while whilst we do the Ridgeacre etc. one of the advantages of going back to 1858 as we have done in this case.

[captain birdseye]

Quote

Whilst we were running down the Main  Line I was in the cabin sorting out tonight's stew. We had liberated some carrots and onions whilst coming down the Shroppie last week so with a bit of scrag end and a pint of last nights left over mild I've got tonight's tea on the range

 

[Ian Mac]

We get towed up to Great Bridge St and pass under it then just before the gasworks we hang a left following the Wednesbury Loop, which at some point becomes the Balls Hill branch. this winds its way all over the places, we pass loads and loads of brickworks and there are coal mines galore. eventually after crossing over the Birmingham, Wolverhampton & Dudley railway line we reach the terminal basin, we quickly wind and set of back, there are coal boats everywhere some no doubt destine for Swan Village Gas works, back at the junction. There are also loads of boats carrying Bricks. At one point we can almost see the Tame Valley canal down below the towpath, list only a couple of hundred yards away but down the heck of a slope.

 

Bricks are something this canal is famous for in modern times. Near Swan Village is where the Droitwich Canals Trust had there "Brick Mine" which was the walls of the old canal, the walls were carefully taken down and used to repair historic structure on the Droitwich such as the great wall of Slawarpe

 

Credit - image - http://www.historywebsite.co.uk/articles/Tipton/industrialview.jpg

[captain birdseye]

7 minutes ago, Ian Mac said:

We get towed up to Great Bridge St and pass under it then just before the gasworks we hang a left following the Wednesbury Loop, which at some point becomes the Balls Hill branch. this winds its way all over the places, we pass loads and loads of brickworks and there are coal mines galore. eventually after crossing over the Birmingham, Wolverhampton & Dudley railway line we reach the terminal basin, we quickly wind and set of back, there are coal boats everywhere some no doubt destine for Swan Village Gas works, back at the junction. There are also loads of boats carrying Bricks. At one point we can almost see the Tame Valley canal down below the towpath, list only a couple of hundred yards away but down the heck of a slope.

 

Bricks are something this canal is famous for in modern times. Near Swan Village is where the Droitwich Canals Trust had there "Brick Mine" which was the walls of the old canal, the walls were carefully taken down and used to repair historic structure on the Droitwich such as the great wall of Slawarpe

 

Credit - image - http://www.historywebsite.co.uk/articles/Tipton/industrialview.jpg

The days of driving to Brum and cleaning off bricks all day, Child labour it was I tell you. Still lunch was good

[Ian Mac]

Back at Swan Village Gasworks, we turn right onto the Ridgeacre Branch we set off along here, we running out of time, we make a good pace, but we choose to pass the end of Dartmouth Branch. There is nowhere to wind up there, so we carry on.  At the next bridge there is a wharf straight on and the Ridgeacre goes round to the right, the hos' is across the bridge and we are catch the line, strapping posts are just what are needed for right angle junctions like this.
We carry on up to Church Lane bridge where the Jesson and Halford branches split off the end of the Ridgeacre, again neither of these two branches have winding holes at the top, so after all the shafting yesterday we are happy to wind at the junction, then it is back off down the Ridgeacre. This big Hos' has some pace to him.

The Gasworks at Swan Village has just had a connection put in from the railways, lots of moaning by the boatmen that they are not taking as much coal by boat any more.

 

Credit - http://www.historywebsite.co.uk/articles/Tipton/growingtown.htm

[Ian Mac]

50 minutes later we are back at the top of Ryders Green locks.  We pop into the stables and get our newly groomed hos' back and hand in the big White fellow.  The "Automat Sehnsucht" is deactivated and then we realise that the Eight locks would have been an opportunity had we left it on, never mind.  Also the Top lock has a working balance beam - goody.

A great run down the locks, except from the crap behind the gates, fished it out and put it on the deck.  
It must be a BCN Challenge - Wilderness boats!!!
The bottom pound still needs a jolly good dredge.   As we leave the bottom lock there on the left is the start of the Haines Branch, we don't have the time for this today so we skip it. On the right we can just make out the old railway interchange basins, under all the trees.

Edited May 6, 2020 by Ian Mac
spelling

[Ian Mac]

After passing under the old railway bridge and Moor's Mill Lane Bridge we turn on the "Automat Sehnsucht" set to 1840 ready for the Junction where we will turn off the Walsall canal. The smell of the sewage works alerts us to the approaching junction on the left. This is Toll End Junction,  we strap round into the Toll End cut. The locks are more spaced here  2 pairs of locks the first pair are on the original Toll End Branch,  the next pair are a lot later, and are on the Toll End Communication canal , which ends in a 90 degree junction with the Tipton Green canal. to the left is our route upto Tipton, going off to the right is the rest of the Tipton Green canal, heading down further locks into the coalfields and more importantly to Horseley Iron work. The Horseley Iron works manufactured so many of the bridge about the BCN and the original company is still in business, they go bump later this decade. a suscessor company starts up on the Dixon Branch in the 1850's , this lasts till the 1990's when it closes and has now become a housing estate.

We rise up a single lock,  then its the last two up to Telfords new main line.  No railway yet as that comes later.

[Ian Mac]

We leave the "Automat Sehnsucht" active and play miss a boat as we cross the New main line and carry on up the last three locks of the Tipton Green Canal. Some people may well know this  line, as its a possible walking route from the BCLM to Tipton Station. We have a quick pint in the Bee Hive at the top lock and take a carry out! Swinging round onto the Old Main line we turn the "Automat Sehnsucht" off.

There is a boat visible just through the bridge on the wall of the turn, but it fades away as the time warp field evaporates.

 

Images stolen from - "http://www.tiptoncivicsociety.co/p/yesterdays-tipton.html"
The beehive pub now lost to modern housing.
The Top lock of the Tipton Green Canal - not the Tipton Communication canal as some say! Notice the chimneys in picture 1
Tipton Turn looking back towards the corner the junction is just beyond the bridge.
Another horse boat on Tipton turn

credit http://captainahabswaterytales.blogspot.com/2009/11/toll-end-communication-canal-in-tipton.html
And finally an older version of the second picture taken from the other side of the bridge over the entrance to the top lock.

Edited May 6, 2020 by Ian Mac

[Ian Mac]

We have moved just a short distance now to Factory Junction where we will be spending the night.
Looking forwards to my bit of Scragg end.

Following that I think the Old Bush calls, probably about 1957.
Will have to be careful with the date in these parts we don't want to discover we are in 1916 and a Zeppin is dropping bombs on us!!!!

[David Mack]

1 hour ago, Ian Mac said:

We have moved just a short distance now to Factory Junction where we will be spending the night.
Looking forwards to my bit of Scragg end.

 

If you just nip through Factory Bridge with the "Automat Sehnsucht" set to 1957, and look backwards you will see the old Factory Bridge.

[Source https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/756886281109907622/]

 

When the old bridge was demolished in the mid 70s I heard that it was going to be re-erected at the then developing Black Country Museum, but they were offered Corporation Street bridge from Wolverhampton, which now spans the museum arm. So is this still in storage, or was it scrapped?

[Ian Mac]

Thursday 7th May - and I'm boating on my wifes birthday. Maybe not one of my better idea's!!!!
It would appear that the gods of the BCN do not want me to bag the Pensnett Canal, such a shame! Also my cameras broken, so pictures are going to be sparse today, sorry about that. Expecting sunny breaks in the cloud, with some drizzle to make our evening bearable!

Well the M&B mild was excellent last night. So was listening to the Big Steam Trains working hard and fast out of Brum, and going over the level crossing just up the road.  I'd also forget just how many goods trains there were back in 1957, all steam hauled too.
We singularly failed to see any GW stuff on the Old Worse and Worse line, must keep an eye out for that, today.
We turned the "Automat Sehnsucht" off as soon as we were out of the pub, a) to get a quite nights sleep less train noise, and b) We don't want it to run flat on us later today, especially given the state of the polluted air on the canals back them , you could cut the air sometimes yesterday. Not sure just how much energy the smog cuts out from our solar panels.

Edited May 7, 2020 by Ian Mac

[Ian Mac]

Setting of along the mainline, towards 'Hampton. We pass under the new road bridge, next up you can see where the OWW line came across the canal.
The canal starts to drift round to the right, and we are soon at Bloomfields Junction. The "Automat Sehnsucht" has been activated and set to 1921, we carry on going round to the right. The new main line  heads off to the left, and we leave it behind.  There is a Toll hut here as standard at all the junctions, as we are light we just pass straight through, although we exchange pleasantries with the Toll Clerk. This set me wondering what they may have looked like in these modern times.
We pass almost immediately under the LNWR mainline. Yet more round to the right, past the interchange basins all busy. Its just amazing how many wharfs and short arms there are.  Under the OWW line with a slow GWR coal train lumbering along. We now go under Bloomfields Rd again, only going in the totally opposite direction to when we set off, which is only a 1/4mile away. 

 

 

Edited May 7, 2020 by Ian Mac
Add image of bloomfield Rd