What are these canal features?

[blackrose]

21 hours ago, Izz said:

McDonald's and KFC should build drive-thrus for boats on those.

I tried some KFC recently on a whim after not eating it for probably a couple of decades. I couldn't believe how salty it was. Almost inedible and yet da yout' can't seem to get enough of it.

Edited September 8, 2020 by blackrose

[Richard10002]

10 minutes ago, blackrose said:

I tried some KFC recently on a whim after not eating it for probably a couple of decades. I couldn't believe how salty it was. Almost inedible and yet da yout' can't seem to get enough of it.

I like KFC, and generally add a bit of salt to it

 

Long time since I have been one of "da yout'"  

[blackrose]

42 minutes ago, Richard10002 said:

I like KFC, and generally add a bit of salt to it

 

Long time since I have been one of "da yout'"  

You add salt to it! Have you checked the state of your hardened arteries lately? I really don't know how you can eat that stuff. It's total crap. I certainly won't be going anywhere near one of the Colonel's establishments again anytime soon.

Edited September 8, 2020 by blackrose

[matty40s]

7 minutes ago, blackrose said:

You add salt to it! Have you checked the state of your hardened arteries lately? I really don't know how you can eat that stuff. It's total crap. I certainly won't be going anywhere near one of the Colonel's establishments again anytime soon.

But you've had it recently.

In small occasional amounts, any junk food is ok, and probably satisfying for that short period.....especially after a beer.

 

[Ex Brummie]

These tollislands are now a nuisance. They are a magnet for obstructions like supermarket trolleys and in some instances, they make you vulnerable to unwanted attention.

[TheBiscuits]

2 hours ago, Richard10002 said:

Long time since I have been one of "da yout'"  

 

Fair gap since da middle aged too!

 

1 hour ago, Ex Brummie said:

These tollislands are now a nuisance. They are a magnet for obstructions like supermarket trolleys and in some instances, they make you vulnerable to unwanted attention.

 

Those damned licence checkers get everywhere these days! 

 

[Bewildered]

On 08/09/2020 at 00:15, Izz said:

McDonald's and KFC should build drive-thrus for boats on those.

A better option for boater would be a drive through pub. You would need winding holes either side and measured out in half pint drinking time intervals. 

[Rob-M]

7 hours ago, Ex Brummie said:

These tollislands are now a nuisance. They are a magnet for obstructions like supermarket trolleys and in some instances, they make you vulnerable to unwanted attention.

They add an extra challenge when boating a pair of working boats in the dark with very limited light. Fortunately I have a good memory of where they are across the main line.

I always go through them on tickover or even knock it out of gear and drift, never had any unwanted attention.

[DHutch]

9 hours ago, Ex Brummie said:

These tollislands are now a nuisance. They are a magnet for obstructions like supermarket trolleys and in some instances, they make you vulnerable to unwanted attention.

A bit strong!

 

Surely no worse than any bridge hole, always on a straight bit. Can't see at 2ft9 we have ever had an issue with depth going through the normal side.

 

On occasion I have planted it through the less trafficed side and survived.

 

Daniel

[ditchcrawler]

Picked up our post after getting home from the boat and amongst the crap was "Boundary Post" the BCNS magazine and there were a few bit n there about the toll houses/islands

14 hours ago, Ex Brummie said:

These tollislands are now a nuisance. They are a magnet for obstructions like supermarket trolleys and in some instances, they make you vulnerable to unwanted attention.

Never found  a trolley in one, bit of a long way for the (not sure what term to use) push then, much easy to drop them off a bridge on the Walsall canal

[Heartland]

The toll islands were unique to the Birmingham Canal Navigations New Main Line. There was also the Smethwick INDEXING station which occupied the centre of the channel close to the Engine Aqueduct.

 

The practice of fitting boat indexes predated the later practice that created the gauging tables.  Smethwick became one of two gauging depots and the former indexing  station was enlarged. Thar building is seen bottom left in this image:-

 

 

 

[blackrose]

22 hours ago, matty40s said:

But you've had it recently.

In small occasional amounts, any junk food is ok, and probably satisfying for that short period.....especially after a beer.

 

 

Yes I have for the first time in over 20 years. But my comment want just about junk food. Richard said he liked KFC and even added salt to it, so I assumed he ate it more regularly than me and also "enjoyed" lots of salt in his diet in general. 

 

If someone can eat KFC and not find it salty then I can't help thinking their diet must be laden with the stuff.

Edited September 9, 2020 by blackrose

[plainsman]

Handy place to stop to clear prop of local junk

[Ray T]

On 08/09/2020 at 07:50, Rob-M said:

I'm sure @Ray T can post a picture of the toll island with toll house.

I can but not at the moment as am away  in the land boat aka caravan.

Just  blacked the water tank on our boat and leaving it for a week to set.

[Ray T]

On 08/09/2020 at 08:38, Athy said:

Something has just occurred to me. How did the company officials get to their toll booth for their day's work? Were there swing bridges, or did they keep a plank on the bank? I hope they didn't have to jump across.

A plank to the bank.

Or a sunken boat!!!

[magpie patrick]

1 hour ago, Ray T said:

A plank to the bank.

Or a sunken boat!!!

 

Where is that? I don't think it's the new main line but I can't place it as being anywhere else

The island is a lot narrower and only one towpath

[system 4-50]

On 07/09/2020 at 22:51, ivan&alice said:

On the Birmingham new main line there are a number of these islands that leave a narrow channel on either side. My best guess is that they are the remains of bridges.

 

Any idea what these were supposed to be?

 

They are painting islands, enabing you to paint both sides at more or less the same time.  Many decades ago there were paint rollers fitted on both sides so that the boats could get painted without stopping.  Only 2 colours were available, the upper channel was red and the lower channel was blue.  The practice was discontinued after a horse received a stripe.

 

Edited September 14, 2020 by system 4-50

[magnetman]

I thought they had rotary brushes for cleaning graffiti off boats. 

[system 4-50]

2 minutes ago, magnetman said:

I thought they had rotary brushes for cleaning graffiti off boats. 

They did for a while. They stopped when they accidently set the brushes one clockwise and one anticlockwise. The resulting acceleration took the boat on to the plane.

[Ray T]

1 hour ago, magpie patrick said:

Where is that? I don't think it's the new main line but I can't place it as being anywhere else

The island is a lot narrower and only one towpath

The only help I can give is "Birmingham in the 1960's."

 

Possibly near to the "Soho Loop" route?

[Captain Pegg]

1 hour ago, magpie patrick said:

Where is that? I don't think it's the new main line but I can't place it as being anywhere else

The island is a lot narrower and only one towpath

Probably on the Tame Valley. The toll islands were not unique to the New Main Line. Those on the Tame Valley appear to have been smaller than those on the main line which fits the photo although I couldn’t say exactly where it is.

[magpie patrick]

1 minute ago, Captain Pegg said:

Probably on the Tame Valley. The toll islands were not unique to the New Main Line. Those on the Tame Valley appear to have been smaller than those on the main line which fits the photo although I couldn’t say exactly where it is.

Here possibly - dead straight and a bridge nearby

 

It was the width of the island that struck me - although I realise that the ones west of Spon Lane aren't quite as big as those nearer the city centre

 

[john6767]

11 minutes ago, Ray T said:

The only help I can give is "Birmingham in the 1960's."

 

Possibly near to the "Soho Loop" route?

That image is of  Bromford Junction, not the Soho Loop.  The toll island at Bromford, whilst solid and not a H shape like others, is much wider that the one in the the sunk boat image.

 

The one with the sunk boat does look to be the proportions of the Tame Valley ones, but that also has two towpath, but perhaps it could be the one that today in almost under Spaghetti Junction just before Salford Junction?

[magpie patrick]

2 minutes ago, john6767 said:

perhaps it could be the one that today in almost under Spaghetti Junction just before Salford Junction?

Given the background in the historic image that's a more likely candidate - I'd forgotten about it

[john6767]

10 minutes ago, magpie patrick said:

Here possibly - dead straight and a bridge nearby

 

It was the width of the island that struck me - although I realise that the ones west of Spon Lane aren't quite as big as those nearer the city centre

 

Don’t think it is that, if you look at the bridge today it Is an iron one not a brick one, there are two towpaths there, and the houses that are there today would have been there in the 60’s I would think