Banbury Lift Bridge 164 Oxford Canal.

[Maffi]

Just now, Tracy D'arth said:

Never have a problem with it. Take it slow and steady rather than furiously winding and it moves just fine. And I am a lot older than 70 and quite feeble some days.

Be my guest come down and try it now since they 'fixed' it!

[matty40s]

6 minutes ago, Tracy D'arth said:

Never have a problem with it. Take it slow and steady rather than furiously winding and it moves just fine. And I am a lot older than 70 and quite feeble some days.

That's because you are some sort of SuperSam instead of just TremblingTrace.

[Tracy D'arth]

There are several confused persons on here, I have told you before, my friend Sam, Boater Sam as was on here before the clowns drove him off, is still in Manila. Has been since November 2020.

 

All you wimpy southern males who can't wind an hydraulic bridge should come up here and learn how by working the Rochdale and the Huddersfield.

[MarkH2159]

I came through this bridge a couple of weeks ago and did not have any problem with its operation, other than the fact that the access to the 'operating' side is blocked by a Tooleys barge and the 'official' bridge landing is on the wrong side

Being single handed made it a PITA to walk back down and around the lock when going north.

Hydraulics were easy to operate and everything worked well.

[Nightwatch]

We have founds the raising of the bridge as it should be for hydraulics. It’s when winding it down that it becomes as hard as a stiff paddle on a lock. Hydraulic operation shouldn’t be. Like the operation on the GU locks a calcutt.

[GUMPY]

20 minutes ago, Nightwatch said:

Like the operation on the GU locks a calcutt.

The locks at Calcutt are not hydraulic ?

Just a clever mechanical system.

[Nightwatch]

Further on towards Warwick then. But I guess you know the ones I meant.

[Mike Todd]

1 hour ago, Nightwatch said:

Further on towards Warwick then. But I guess you know the ones I meant.

I thought all the 'candlestick' paddles were the same?

[GUMPY]

33 minutes ago, Mike Todd said:

I thought all the 'candlestick' paddles were the same?

They are and none are hydraulic ?

Oh and they were designed to be dropped rather than wound down.

[frangar]

1 minute ago, Loddon said:

They are and none are hydraulic ?

You know nothing......ask the vlockies at Hatton.....they are hydraulic.....thats why they yell at you if let them lower under their own weight.....?....an earnest discussion ensued...I offered to show them the patent drawing....and now I get left on my own when boating through Hatton.....?

[Tracy D'arth]

14 minutes ago, frangar said:

You know nothing......ask the vlockies at Hatton.....they are hydraulic.....thats why they yell at you if let them lower under their own weight.....?....an earnest discussion ensued...I offered to show them the patent drawing....and now I get left on my own when boating through Hatton.....?

Wrong, wrong and wrong. They are NOT hydraulic but contrate gears on a thread and they were designed to be dropped. Facts, indisputable, from the maker Ham Baker.

Edited April 22, 2021 by Tracy D'arth

[frangar]

Just now, Tracy D'arth said:

Wrong, wrong and wrong. They are NOT hydraulic but contrate gears on a thread and they were designed to be dropped. Facts, indisputable, from the makers.

I think my attempt at comedy has failed.....I know they aren't hydraulic....sadly that fact seems to have escaped the vlockies.....

[Tracy D'arth]

1 minute ago, frangar said:

I think my attempt at comedy has failed.....I know they aren't hydraulic....sadly that fact seems to have escaped the vlockies.....

I thought my sense of humour was odd but you win the contest. Going for a lie down to recover.

[frangar]

6 minutes ago, Tracy D'arth said:

I thought my sense of humour was odd but you win the contest. Going for a lie down to recover.

Lol....the Vlockies sense of humour failed too when I pointed out they weren't hydraulic....thats why they hide in their hut now when I go through...

 

Just in case anyone is interested here's the patent...Note the are designed to lower under their own weight!

 

Edited April 22, 2021 by frangar

[Keeping Up]

1 hour ago, frangar said:

You know nothing......ask the vlockies at Hatton.....they are hydraulic.....thats why they yell at you if let them lower under their own weight.....?....an earnest discussion ensued...I offered to show them the patent drawing....and now I get left on my own when boating through Hatton.....?

Absolutely! I have the same argument with them every time - plus arguing that as a narrowboat I only need one gate opened at any time. I remember speaking to the (then retired) locky who had first put up signs saying the paddles should be wound down. He had meant that after dropping the paddles (under their own weight, of course) you should check, using the windlass if necessary, that they had seated themselves properly and he was almost screaming with frustration at his signs being mis-interpreted in the way they are now.

[Tacet]

1 hour ago, Tracy D'arth said:

Wrong, wrong and wrong. They are NOT hydraulic but contrate gears on a thread and they were designed to be dropped. Facts, indisputable, from the maker Ham Baker.

I think they are bevel gears with a female thread the centre of the driven worm, which engages with the male thread on the paddle rod.....

 

[David Mack]

But since they control the flow of water, they are hydraulic valves, as are all lock paddles. But just not hydraulicly operated!

Unlike these which are:

(Image from Capt. Ahab's blog).

[ditchcrawler]

7 hours ago, Nightwatch said:

Further on towards Warwick then. But I guess you know the ones I meant.

They are not hydraulic ether.

[Maffi]

9 hours ago, MarkH2159 said:

I came through this bridge a couple of weeks ago and did not have any problem with its operation, other than the fact that the access to the 'operating' side is blocked by a Tooleys barge and the 'official' bridge landing is on the wrong side

Being single handed made it a PITA to walk back down and around the lock when going north.

Hydraulics were easy to operate and everything worked well.

The "Tooley's Barge" actually belongs to The Oxford Canal Trust. It is on the 'official' Tooley's wharf mooring. Had you come two weeks later I would have been moored on the outside of that Tooley's Barge and that is also an official mooring! The canals were not designed for single handers. The bridge landing is on the correct side. Were the bridge the other way around how the fecking hell would you get a horse over the beams. All lift and swing bridges are that way round for the same reason (with the exception of bridges like Thrupp where the towpath changes sides.

 

You may have missed the bollard on the operating side that proper boaters use to access the workings.

 

Yes it may be a pain in the A..., but you chose to be a single hander. No one forced you. If you ain't up to it get a house!

[MarkH2159]

11 minutes ago, Lord Maffi of Oxford said:

The "Tooley's Barge" actually belongs to The Oxford Canal Trust. It is on the 'official' Tooley's wharf mooring. Had you come two weeks later I would have been moored on the outside of that Tooley's Barge and that is also an official mooring! The canals were not designed for single handers. The bridge landing is on the correct side. Were the bridge the other way around how the fecking hell would you get a horse over the beams. All lift and swing bridges are that way round for the same reason (with the exception of bridges like Thrupp where the towpath changes sides.

 

You may have missed the bollard on the operating side that proper boaters use to access the workings.

 

Yes it may be a pain in the A..., but you chose to be a single hander. No one forced you. If you ain't up to it get a house!

Thanks for the explanation, but not the rudeness or incorrrect statement part.

Not all Lift and Swing Bridges are like that at all. In fact just a bit further up the canal you will find Mill Lift Bridge No. 205 that has bridge landings and operating gear on the same side and the towpath does not change over.

 

I did not miss the bollard either, possibly being a "proper boater" might have helped, same as I didnt miss the boat moored just below the bridge using the upper water point, but it was stilll a PITA anyway.

 

As for 'not being up to it', seeing as you have absolutely no idea what I am up to or not, how can you suggest I get a house - I currently have one under construction, one for sale, one rented, one in Thailand and one in Philippines, what next?

 

By the way, the post was about the bridge operating set up, not abusing fellow boaters who may have a slightly different opinion to your own.

[ditchcrawler]

23 minutes ago, MarkH2159 said:

Thanks for the explanation, but not the rudeness or incorrrect statement part.

Not all Lift and Swing Bridges are like that at all. In fact just a bit further up the canal you will find Mill Lift Bridge No. 205 that has bridge landings and operating gear on the same side and the towpath does not change over.

 

Have they turned it round then, that is the aluminium one that you have to cross to operate at Hayford?

[Maffi]

32 minutes ago, MarkH2159 said:

Thanks for the explanation, but not the rudeness or incorrrect statement part.

Not all Lift and Swing Bridges are like that at all. In fact just a bit further up the canal you will find Mill Lift Bridge No. 205 that has bridge landings and operating gear on the same side and the towpath does not change over.

 

I did not miss the bollard either, possibly being a "proper boater" might have helped, same as I didnt miss the boat moored just below the bridge using the upper water point, but it was stilll a PITA anyway.

 

As for 'not being up to it', seeing as you have absolutely no idea what I am up to or not, how can you suggest I get a house - I currently have one under construction, one for sale, one rented, one in Thailand and one in Philippines, what next?

 

By the way, the post was about the bridge operating set up, not abusing fellow boaters who may have a slightly different opinion to your own.

I wasn't being rude I am just a straight talker. Neither am I incorrect.

 

Up until just recently the Lift bridge at the Mill in Heyford was a manual lift bridge and operated from the other side, had it been the other way around to 'make it easier to operate from the towpath side how would the horses have got over the beams?

 

I fail to see how it can be a pain in the A... when you signed up for it! The canal is what it is. Whoopee so you are a man of property! What do you want a medal?

 

No the post was not about the bridge operating set up it was a plea for people to complain to CRT that it was hard to operate.

7 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

Have they turned it round then, that is the aluminum one that you have to cross to operate at Heyford?

No they haven't. They electrified it and put the control console on the tow path side, via a conduit that goes over the canal.

Edited April 22, 2021 by Lord Maffi of Oxford

[MarkH2159]

3 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

Have they turned it round then, that is the aluminium one that you have to cross to operate at Hayford?

Wouldnt know if it has been turned around?

 

All I do know is that heading south the upper bridge landing is on the starboard side as is the operating gear as is the lower landing, you do not cross the bridge at all.

[Maffi]

6 minutes ago, MarkH2159 said:

Wouldn't know if it has been turned around?

 

All I do know is that heading south the upper bridge landing is on the starboard side as is the operating gear as is the lower landing, you do not cross the bridge at all.

But this has only been in the last couple of years. Prior to that it was manual and single handers had to negotiate it from the tow path using a 9 foot boat boat hook.

[George and Dragon]

On 21/04/2021 at 09:38, Alan de Enfield said:

 

A young chap called Julian was going up to bed when his wife told him that he’d left the light on in the garden shed, which she could see from the bedroom window. Julian opened the back door to go turn off the light but saw that there were people in the shed stealing stuff.

He phoned the police, who asked “Is someone in your house?” and he said no. Then they said that all patrols were busy, and that he should simply lock his door and an officer would be along when available.

Julian said “Okay,” hung up, counted to 30, and phoned the police again. “Hello. I just called you a few seconds ago because there were people in my shed. Well, you don’t have to worry about them now cause I’ve just shot them.” Then he hung up.

Within five minutes three police cars, an Armed Response unit, and an ambulance showed up at the Julians house. Of course, the police caught the burglars red-handed. One of the policemen said to George: “I thought you said that you’d shot them!”

George said, “I thought you said there was nobody available!”

Ha Ha

 

But where did George come in? Was he the wife?