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Watford locks


tagulablue

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1 hour ago, tagulablue said:

Broken gate. Happened around 11ish this morning. Apparently may need new gate.  

Let’s hope not as I don’t think it’s on a proposed stoppage so one won’t be made....and the workshops only went back from furlough this week....

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I have seen the pictures.. our friends should have been in lock when it broke but they let another boat jump in front of them.  Our friends had booked the locks but they had just taken off the 'must book' so it extra busy anyway 

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35 minutes ago, cuthound said:

Oh hang on Watford Locks are opersted by CRT staff or volockies...

Not if you know what you are doing....and the vollys were too busy measuring signs, chatting and disobeying the 2m rule on Tuesday to bother helping.

 

Theres another gate on the staircase itself which is also hanging on by the skin of its teeth.

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14 minutes ago, matty40s said:

Not if you know what you are doing....and the vollys were too busy measuring signs, chatting and disobeying the 2m rule on Tuesday to bother helping.

 

Theres another gate on the staircase itself which is also hanging on by the skin of its teeth.

Them & Watford are much better when you sack either the staff or the volunteers off and do it yourself....in fact that applies to most locks really. 

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22 minutes ago, frangar said:

Them & Watford are much better when you sack either the staff or the volunteers off and do it yourself....in fact that applies to most locks really. 

I'd booked in 5 days before for an 11am (1st boat) descent.

I arrived at 10 as last time the pound below top lock was empty on arrival so I thought an hour to fill with ratches to locking bar up 5 notches would suffice.

As I came to moor, a CRT flatbed van parked and a lockie got out, and followed a lady with windlass down to the bottom of the flight.

10.10, no return, 10.15, I opened the top and bottom paddles and filled the top sidepound.

2 more CRT bods appeared...and started measuring balance beam signs. One told me to stop filling when it was still 6" short, I explained what I was doing and carried on. 

Eventually, the 1st lockie re-appeared and said he was bringing a boat up as they had to be somewhere as someone was dying. (?)

Fine.

Once the top side pond was full, I filled the lock and dropped the boat I was delivering down to the side waiting area...this was questioned by the other two chatterers, who by now were huddled with some friends. I did say that the 1st Lockie had told me to.

1st boat came up and whilst in top of staircase, the Lockie said, I have 3 more boats at the bottom...if you stay there, I will bring them up after this one is gone, and then get you down...you dont mind waiting do you.

 

Ahhh, big deep breath, No...I will go down whilst you are getting the emergency boat out the top, then all the locks are set for your 3 boats. ...and set off..with a forum member assisting as he was cassette emptying while waiting.

I was coming out of the staircase as the Lockie rejoined me, and got down the bottom and opened the last gates at 11.02am. 

Why they are not bringing boats up and down the single locks to save water I dont know.

Why he was going to reverse the whole flight rather than just get me down I dont know.

Why the two other chaps didnt see fit to lift a finger but question proper practice I dont know.

So yes,I agree entirely.

 

 

 

 

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32 minutes ago, matty40s said:

I'd booked in 5 days before for an 11am (1st boat) descent.

I arrived at 10 as last time the pound below top lock was empty on arrival so I thought an hour to fill with ratches to locking bar up 5 notches would suffice.

As I came to moor, a CRT flatbed van parked and a lockie got out, and followed a lady with windlass down to the bottom of the flight.

10.10, no return, 10.15, I opened the top and bottom paddles and filled the top sidepound.

2 more CRT bods appeared...and started measuring balance beam signs. One told me to stop filling when it was still 6" short, I explained what I was doing and carried on. 

Eventually, the 1st lockie re-appeared and said he was bringing a boat up as they had to be somewhere as someone was dying. (?)

Fine.

Once the top side pond was full, I filled the lock and dropped the boat I was delivering down to the side waiting area...this was questioned by the other two chatterers, who by now were huddled with some friends. I did say that the 1st Lockie had told me to.

1st boat came up and whilst in top of staircase, the Lockie said, I have 3 more boats at the bottom...if you stay there, I will bring them up after this one is gone, and then get you down...you dont mind waiting do you.

 

Ahhh, big deep breath, No...I will go down whilst you are getting the emergency boat out the top, then all the locks are set for your 3 boats. ...and set off..with a forum member assisting as he was cassette emptying while waiting.

I was coming out of the staircase as the Lockie rejoined me, and got down the bottom and opened the last gates at 11.02am. 

Why they are not bringing boats up and down the single locks to save water I dont know.

Why he was going to reverse the whole flight rather than just get me down I dont know.

Why the two other chaps didnt see fit to lift a finger but question proper practice I dont know.

So yes,I agree entirely.

 

 

 

 

I think I’m “in a book” being local as I’m mainly left to myself & my OH. That suits us fine.

 

I’ve made my feelings known to CRT senior management about the vlockies and the “staff” on most lock flights. I almost came to blows at Hatton a few years ago...although to be fair the last time a chap just went ahead and pulled paddles which was a great help...if more were like that I’d be a lot happier. 

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2 minutes ago, frangar said:

I think I’m “in a book” being local as I’m mainly left to myself & my OH. That suits us fine.

 

I am when on our own boat, but I move lots of different ones over the years, and often get the occasional boater "do as you are told" treatment which I will rare up to if I know it is wrong or crap practice.

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6 minutes ago, matty40s said:

I am when on our own boat, but I move lots of different ones over the years, and often get the occasional boater "do as you are told" treatment which I will rare up to if I know it is wrong or crap practice.

Ive had a few do downright dangerous practice which has resulted in some words...

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5 minutes ago, frangar said:

Ive had a few do downright dangerous practice which has resulted in some words...

I did stop a hire boat being sunk 2 years ago at Foxton when one of the 2 chaps at the top on Tuesday was in "charge"...and running extreme volumes down the flight and over the lockgates.

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7 minutes ago, john6767 said:

Quite and rotten.  So really this should have been picked up before it failed, hey ho.

...and as I said above, theres at least one other ready to go, but the staff priority is measuring the how to use the lock (nothing wrong with it) signage.

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1 hour ago, matty40s said:

...and as I said above, theres at least one other ready to go, but the staff priority is measuring the how to use the lock (nothing wrong with it) signage.

Got to love a nice sign though

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18 minutes ago, robtheplod said:

So realistically what sort of timescales could we be looking at to get that replaced?

Really depends if they can come up with a temporary fix I guess. If it’s a new gate then unless one that’s already made can be adapted it might be a few weeks or more...


I think they will have to lift the gate to carry out even a temporary repair. And there’s no easy road access there so they will need a spider crane etc 

 

I’m going to take a drive over today so if I find out anything I’ll post it up 

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It takes about 3 days for Bradley to make a new gate, if they have the timber.   Less if CRT pay overtime.  Gate making  is a one man at a time job, so no isolation problems.  They will probably need a half day extra to measure up as the gate may not be on their records if it is 24 years old.

The kit to do the job should be at the top of Buckby, so not hard to get 5 miles to Watford and the dead gate could be out by the time the new gate is ready.  Road access to the top is good and the A5 goes right past both Watford and Buckby.

 

 Fingers out, a week tops.

 

We shall see.

N

 

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3 minutes ago, BEngo said:

It takes about 3 days for Bradley to make a new gate, if they have the timber.   Less if CRT pay overtime.  Gate making  is a one man at a time job, so no isolation problems.  They will probably need a half day extra to measure up as the gate may not be on their records if it is 24 years old.

The kit to do the job should be at the top of Buckby, so not hard to get 5 miles to Watford and the dead gate could be out by the time the new gate is ready.  Road access to the top is good and the A5 goes right past both Watford and Buckby.

 

 Fingers out, a week tops.

 

We shall see.

N

 

The workshops are only back this week from furlough. Many of the bank staff are still on furlough...and even getting a spider crane to the lock is going to require a fair bit of paperwork. I’d say if a new gate is needed you are looking 2-3 weeks min but I’d be happy to be wrong. 

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