Self Opening Lock Gates

[Wet Weekend]

On this year's trip across London and up the River Lee (very nice), a couple of locks posed a challenge. Most notable was Old Ford Lock at Victoria Park.

Had a problem in both directions, with the bottom gates opening by themselves.

 

Picture the scene, close one gate, walk around the lock (no bridge across the bottom end) and by the time I reach the second gate the first has slowly opened!... and so on.

Walk back briskly - not quick enough.

Run back across top gates (v. dangerous), just in time - run to top paddles to start filling lock, etc. You get the picture.

If more crew/passers by are available - fine, but if not...what would you do? Is there and old working boatman's trick?

[Supermalc]

Open a paddle at the other end a bit. The flow of the water will stop the gate opening.

[Wet Weekend]

Yes, thanks Malc. I guess with a bit of care its probably OK.

Broad locks, single handed, done quite a few but never tried cracking one of the top paddles with the bottom gates open. Boat would need to be well secured, etc.

Overdo it and things could get interesting!, narrowboat across lock being swept away or bottom gates slamming shut too hard. It needs a bit of thought, and I'm a slow thinker!

 

Thanks.

[sueb]

Yes, thanks Malc. I guess with a bit of care its probably OK.

Broad locks, single handed, done quite a few but never tried cracking one of the top paddles with the bottom gates open. Boat would need to be well secured, etc.

Overdo it and things could get interesting!, narrowboat across lock being swept away or bottom gates slamming shut too hard. It needs a bit of thought, and I'm a slow thinker!

 

Thanks.

 

Put the back of the boat against one lock gate if going up.

Sue

[RichardN]

On this year's trip across London and up the River Lee (very nice), a couple of locks posed a challenge. Most notable was Old Ford Lock at Victoria Park.

Had a problem in both directions, with the bottom gates opening by themselves.

 

Picture the scene, close one gate, walk around the lock (no bridge across the bottom end) and by the time I reach the second gate the first has slowly opened!... and so on.

Walk back briskly - not quick enough.

Run back across top gates (v. dangerous), just in time - run to top paddles to start filling lock, etc. You get the picture.

If more crew/passers by are available - fine, but if not...what would you do? Is there and old working boatman's trick?

 

Old Ford and City Road are like that. I tried a loop of cord last time, worked well at City Road but took two attempts at Old Ford!

[gaggle]

keep a few different size wood lengths on the roof for props to hold the beam.

[Supermalc]

Yes, thanks Malc. I guess with a bit of care its probably OK.

Broad locks, single handed, done quite a few but never tried cracking one of the top paddles with the bottom gates open. Boat would need to be well secured, etc.

Overdo it and things could get interesting!, narrowboat across lock being swept away or bottom gates slamming shut too hard. It needs a bit of thought, and I'm a slow thinker!

 

Thanks.

 

Bardney lock has been the hardest and easiest I've been through. Also because I have moored there for the past 4 years, and 'hovered' there this year, I've been throught it the most obviously.

 

Easiest was last year when I came back ......... late as usual. Lower gates were ajar, so it was empty for once. I gently nosed them open with the boat, tied the centre rope to the second top rung of the ladder, the first out of the water, opened one paddle and proceeded to put my 'junk' back in the car. When done the lock had filled and I untied the boat and gently nosed my way out. Moored and went home, so all I did was wind one paddle up, and tie and untie one rope.

 

Hardest is much more difficult. Several times in the past when it has been set against me, I've struggled up and down the ladder on the deep side of the downstream jetty, loading junk etc. Paddles have been stiff due to weed. Gates were stiffest on the system due to only being fitted a couple of years or so before I went there. Lock has to be worked at least a couple of times to flush the weed through, otherwise they gates wouldn't open. And if it was windy, which it has been on occasion, you had to open them fully, otherwise they blew shut before you could get the boat through. This was after the work was done raising the bank the other year, which freed the stiff gates, as they were continually being opened and shut by the wash from the barge and crane working upstream.

[Wet Weekend]

At the time I was leaping around the lock like a mad thing whilst the bottom gates were deliberately tormenting me, I was half expecting a smirking Jeremy Beadle to appear and stuff a microphone in my face! (It used to be Jonathan Routh when I was a kid. (Sorry, I digress).

[WJM]

Came through there single handed recently - first solution is open the top paddles a bit. I think this was standard practice with the commercial boatmen. Second solution was to 'instruct' the rather frightening looking hoodies who were hanging about looking dangerous. Amazingly they were delighted to be asked, joined in with great enthusiasm!

[down the north]

On this year's trip across London and up the River Lee (very nice), a couple of locks posed a challenge. Most notable was Old Ford Lock at Victoria Park.

Had a problem in both directions, with the bottom gates opening by themselves.

 

Picture the scene, close one gate, walk around the lock (no bridge across the bottom end) and by the time I reach the second gate the first has slowly opened!... and so on.

Walk back briskly - not quick enough.

Run back across top gates (v. dangerous), just in time - run to top paddles to start filling lock, etc. You get the picture.

If more crew/passers by are available - fine, but if not...what would you do? Is there and old working boatman's trick?

 

 

Course there is, wind up half a top paddle as the opening gambit , that will cause them to stay where you've put em !!!

martin

[DHutch]

Yeah, theres nothing wrong with cracking a the top paddle half way to hold the gates.

- Ideally someone could be opening the paddle while you closing the gate(s), but if your on your own you just have to take a little longer doing it.

- Same going down, just draw the bottem paddles a little bit. Not only does it hold it there, it actauly helps you to close it/them in the first place, and as said, used to be common practice when the canals where used frequently. Otherwise when your actually trying to force water into the lock chamber when closing the gate on it.

 

Taking it to the extremes, it wasnt unheard of to draw both bottom paddles (of a narrowlock) all the way up with the boat half way into the lock, and then to get a line from the back of the boat round the gate (strapping post) and slam the top gate shut. On which point the water drops about a foot instantly!

- Not great for the long life of the locks, and not somthing you would want to get wrong, but there we go. Priortys change all the time!!

 

 

Daniel

[bristol & argo]

snip,

Is there and old working boatman's trick?

look around, if no BW just whack the paddle all the way up! it saves crossing the gates one more time.

 

As others have said, draw a bit of top paddle,

more specifically tho,

Going downhill, draw some paddle passing the top gates, close first bottom gate (you might have to wait while the flow starts otherwise the sodding gate will still open it'self again ), walk back up, cross over and close the other gate with a bang. draw the paddles.

 

Going uphill, leave the boat in gear resting on the cill, climb ladder and close gate behind boat (which will stay closed due to the propowash), draw half a paddle on same side as a single boat, crossover and close other gate, draw the paddles.

 

A single boat will benefit from tiller strings to hold the tiller to one side thus keeping boat against the wall one side, untill the bow clears the cill when it will bang the gates and head for the middle. By then of course you could be tending a centre line to stop that happening .

 

Simon.

eddited to say: I've assumed the problem is bottom gates not top.

Edited September 25, 2007 by bristol & argo

[Adam]

Yes, thanks Malc. I guess with a bit of care its probably OK.

Broad locks, single handed, done quite a few but never tried cracking one of the top paddles with the bottom gates open. Boat would need to be well secured, etc.

Overdo it and things could get interesting!, narrowboat across lock being swept away or bottom gates slamming shut too hard. It needs a bit of thought, and I'm a slow thinker!

 

Thanks.

 

Be careful if the gates shut too quickly they can cause a small wave down the lock.