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Three Fellows on the river Soar


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4 hours ago, Stilllearning said:

Many thanks for his interesting and informative posting, it is exactly what makes this forum so worthwhile.

You're welcome, thanks for the comment.  I should have said that clearly 'Tess' and 'Soar' were not part of the Threefellows fleet, but I wouldn't have said that 'Wye' was either as it was operated by Apollo Canal Carriers Ltd under a sub contract arrangement with skipper provided by ACC - myself sometimes.  'Wye' remained in ACC colours but Threefellows did assist with provision of support when needed - e.g. breakdowns, fuel etc.  I don't recall the 360 machine driver to be especially rough with the boats during the time I was boating on the job, but that might have changed.  Time was money and there wasn't time to be too fussy - the first grab full would be coming out before you'd tied up, and once finished you'd be shoved off!  Although a 360 with clamshell grab  can be operated very carefully and precisely (which is why I specified it) narrow boats by their very design are a challenge even for the most careful operator, as Richard Horne found when discharging his boats at West Drayton.

51 minutes ago, Pluto said:

One of Roger Lorenz's photos of Wye when on the Soar.

1975c 236 Wye, Soar.jpg

Thanks Pluto.  'Wye' looking a bit battered especially the shutts!  The barrel was painted by John West, and at some later point (not while on this job) was stolen and ended up in a museum in Hull where John spotted it many years later.  Of course they knew nothing about it when he made comment.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...
On 12/05/2020 at 18:35, pete harrison said:

Here is something I have probably put on here before :captain:

 

Narrow boats in Threefellows Carrying fleet. (not all at the same time and not in chronological order).

Motors.

APPLE (ex Fellows Morton & Clayton Ltd.) (camping boat but carried for last two years or so)

 

BEXHILL (ex G.U.C.C.Co. Ltd. – Large Woolwich)

 

BLETCHLEY (ex G.U.C.C.Co. Ltd. – Large Woolwich)

 

BUXTON (ex G.U.C.C.Co. Ltd. – Large Woolwich)

 

CHISWICK (ex G.U.C.C.Co. Ltd. – Large Woolwich) (also operated by private owner after being sold)

 

HALSALL (ex G.U.C.C.Co. Ltd. – Large Northwich)

Buttys.

ABOYNE (ex G.U.C.C.Co. Ltd. – Large Woolwich)

 

ARGUS (ex G.U.C.C.Co. Ltd. – Small Woolwich)

 

BANBURY (ex G.U.C.C.Co. Ltd. – Large Woolwich)

 

BRIGHTON (ex G.U.C.C.Co. Ltd. – Large Woolwich)

 

DITTON (ex L.M.S.R., ex British Waterways Board)(camping boat)

 

TAURUS (ex G.U.C.C.Co. Ltd. – Middle Northwich)

Wide boats in Threefellows Carrying fleet.  (Company and Private owners)

SHIRLEY (ex Leeds & Liverpool Canal ‘Short Boat’)

 

A38 (ex Leeds & Liverpool Canal ‘Short Boat’)

 

JUNE (ex Air & Calder)

 

SOAR

 

TESS

 

WYE (ex Leeds & Liverpool Canal ‘Short Boat’)

Private owners were able to put their narrow boats to work at Thurmaston. These include:

Motors.

WHITBY (ex G.U.C.C.Co. Ltd. – Large Northwich)

 

PRINCE (ex Associated Canal Carriers Ltd. – Royalty Class)

Buttys.

PICTOR (ex G.U.C.C.Co. Ltd. – Small Woolwich)

 

For info when mum and dad bought Ditton she had had steel stands build welded to the sides so you could walk under and the normal stands not be in the way. She then had wooden planks put ontop. There were also no chains across either. I remember all the above being removed as well as new bottoms, around a foot + up the sides and new back cabin, then full running gear fitted.

 

I assume it was Mike running Chiswick as I remember him talking about doing gravel runs when I use to boat with him.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I was on a canal holiday during the Queen's silver jubilee week of 1977. We were with Black Prince (then in their second year of operation with a fleet of four boats), had started from their temporary base at Braunston, and our mid-week turnround point was somewhere north of Thurmaston on the Soar. We noticed the intensive barge traffic at the gravel workings,  and from memory a mixture of broad beam and narrow beam barges. I didn't take many still photos on that stretch as I was concentrating on 8mm cine. I got some cine shots of the barges being loaded, and some of a barge plus butty that we passed  going the other way. It is some years  since I last projected the film, but either the butty or the motor was being steered by a woman with a very contented-looking toddler strapped in a chair sitting on the cabin roof in front of her. I did wonder why my Nicholsons guide didn't mention this traffic. From this thread it must have only started after the guide had gone to press. 

Edited by Ronaldo47
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Welcome. Your 8mm film would be of interest if it could be shared.

I doubt Nicholsons would have been aware or very interested in local commercial traffic and as you say, their print run was probably well before the traffic started.

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6 hours ago, Derek R. said:

Welcome. Your 8mm film would be of interest if it could be shared.

I doubt Nicholsons would have been aware or very interested in local commercial traffic and as you say, their print run was probably well before the traffic started.

My well worn 1980's Nicholson not only mentions the gravel traffic but has a photo of Taurus and??? in Thurmaston lock.

20200713_132717.jpg

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22 hours ago, Ronaldo47 said:

 but either the butty or the motor was being steered by a woman with a very contented-looking toddler strapped in a chair sitting on the cabin roof in front of her.

It may well be that the lady in question was Beryl McDowall and her son. She now lives on a boat at Mountsorrel.

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  • 3 months later...

Just found this thread, and joined canalworld! 

 

I worked on the Soar job at its inception, and continued for most of the long hot summer. 

 

The biggest problem was the mechanical unloading... Despite having an absolutely superb 360 driver, (Alan???), the shuts were in a terrible state pretty quickly. This led to gravel getting packed solidly into the bilges, and on more than one occasion, a sharp corner puncturing the hull. 

 

A time of my life I wouldn't have missed for anything, despite the relentless work and less than ideal conditions. 

 

"Shirley" was steered by a wonderful bloke called Ralph (Mould/Moulds???), who had worked pairs for a fair proportion of his life, and who lived on a houseboat down the backwater at Thurmaston Lock. 

 

"Whitby" was steered by a hilarious character, Barry from Brum, who's humour and friendship were much appreciated. 

 

I often stop in the area if delivering nearby, and walk down Mill Lane for a reminiscing session on the lock bridge. 

 

Ive got a painting somewhere of WYE in Thurmaston lock, which John West did for me a couple of years later... I'll post it if I dig it out with the xmas deccies! 

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5 minutes ago, R G Bargee said:

Just found this thread, and joined canalworld! 

 

"Whitby" was steered by a hilarious character, Barry from Brum, who's humour and friendship were much appreciated. 

 

 

@R G Bargee Barry Burgess.

Now lives in New Zealand. Met him when he came to the UK in 2018.

 

Barry Burgess.jpg

 

 

Edited by Ray T
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Thanks to those of you being very informative on this thread. I'm finding it fascinating.  I moor at syston, I'm just wondering where the load was taken off at syston? Would it have been close to the wanlip gravel works that are there now?

Whilst we are in the history of the Soar, does anyone know which boat this was? Its in Barrow deep lock, 1905. Sorry for the poor picture, I cant make out the name, perhaps someone know it?

IMAG1538-01.jpeg

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22 minutes ago, Ally said:

Thanks to those of you being very informative on this thread. I'm finding it fascinating.  I moor at syston, I'm just wondering where the load was taken off at syston? Would it have been close to the wanlip gravel works that are there now?

Whilst we are in the history of the Soar, does anyone know which boat this was? Its in Barrow deep lock, 1905. Sorry for the poor picture, I cant make out the name, perhaps someone know it?

IMAG1538-01.jpeg

Looks as if a paddle is drawn at each end

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10 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

Looks as if a paddle is drawn at each end

Slow aperture, to keep the boat in the same place whilst the photograph was being taken. Two top paddles probabaly the same as one bottom paddle at that height in the lock.

 

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Looks like KINGSTOWN, a Braithwaite & Kirk horse boat. Edited to add: No, wasn't built in 1905!

Maybe the top paddle is drawn to send water down to the lower pound if low. That could be mud exposed beyond the gates.

Edited by Derek R.
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6 minutes ago, Derek R. said:

Looks like KINGSTOWN, a Braithwaite & Kirk horse boat. Edited to add: No, wasn't built in 1905!

Maybe the top paddle is drawn to send water down to the lower pound if low. That could be mud exposed beyond the gates.

Thanks. The 1905 came from the caption on the original picture. I think it was the photo was 1905, not the build?

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On 13/05/2020 at 23:02, pete harrison said:

I have only ever known 'cross winding' to mean going into a lock a bit sideways, whether loaded or unloaded, due to poor judgement or incompetence. I would never do this deliberately to slow a boat down as it can cause considerable damage.

 

Perhaps the term 'cross winding' is regional and it is known by other terms elsewhere :captain:

A bit late as I've only just come across this thread, but my own assumption has always been that rather than poor judgement or incompetence, coming into a lock awkwardly to cause damage would only occur by being caught in a cross wind on entry (or only acknowledged as such, anyway   ? )

 

Tam

Edited by Tam & Di
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15 hours ago, Ally said:

Thanks to those of you being very informative on this thread. I'm finding it fascinating.  I moor at syston, I'm just wondering where the load was taken off at syston? Would it have been close to the wanlip gravel works that are there now?

Whilst we are in the history of the Soar, does anyone know which boat this was? Its in Barrow deep lock, 1905. Sorry for the poor picture, I cant make out the name, perhaps someone know it?

IMAG1538-01.jpeg

A difficult one, as a) it was 45 years ago, and b) the area has changed so much! 

 

Looking on GE, I estimate it to be where Watermead swings round. 

 

If you project Watermead east, there is a track on the East bank which I'm sure used to cross a brick built bridge, and the unloading point was on the East bank, just North of this bridge. An old Nicholsons or similar would pinpoint the bridge more accurately. 

 

The unloading point was just a low piled wharf, and a 360 was used with a grab. 

 

Initially, we used to wind about 2-300 yards before the bridge and reverse down, through the bridge, but it was a complete PITA, and the 360 was utilised to dig out a winding hole just North of the wharf. GE shows no trace of this now, but it is incidentally where the 2 "oversized" boats were. They must have been there when I was, but I can't honestly say for certain. I know they were there in 1973 when I took "Chertsey" up there on a holiday trip. 

 

Next time I take a tacho break in the area, I will try and nip down for a look! 

Screenshot_20201114_115934_com.google.android.apps.maps.jpg

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1 hour ago, BWM said:

Looks like the handrail is covered in lead flashing!

Fulbourne's wooden back cabin, built by Warwickshire Fly in about 1987, has an aluminium flashing over the joint of cabin roof and side, which covers the edge of the cabin top ply sheet. The cant rail is then fixed on top of this.

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